What's happening...??

All of a sudden, now that we're getting close, everything's going wonky.

• Baby girl doesn't want to put her head where it's supposed to be. We're fighting the clock here.
• My iron levels dropped below where they need to be to deliver at home. Have to get them back up.
• I keep having these endless battles with trace infections in my urinary tract. Curse you, kidney stones!

The good news? Baby's a good size and seems to be healthy. I'm mostly fine... no blood pressure issues, very little discomfort generally, no unexplainable issues, no group B strep (so I won't need antibiotics in labor, woohoo!). I have only gained 14 lbs (BIG woohoo!).

So... what are we doing about the things that need to change?

• I do something (or a few things) every day to try to get her to turn. Went to a chiropractor yesterday. Went swimming the day before. Put ice packs on her head. Lie down with my hips over my shoulders. Hang out on my knees and forearms. Shine a flashlight down low. Self-hypnosis. Music, talking, begging...
• We just picked up $30 worth of food-based iron supplements.
• I'm still drinking water with cranberry juice, avoiding sweets, taking garlic pills.

Colin and I spent the day on Sunday in a Birthing from Within workshop that was kind of interesting.

Highlights:

• Colin had to put up with squeezing handfuls of ice (to simulate "alternative sensations" or... labor pains). Pain in his HANDS. You know he loves me. :)
• We're definitely goofy. I'm comfy with hippie chicks and all, but some of this stuff is a little crunchy, even for me. When we had to work together to keep me from hurting myself with the ice, he was supposed to lead me through what we'd practiced: deep breathing or "unfocused awareness" on sights and sounds in the room. Alternatively, we found the best way to avoid the pain was to be super silly or talk in-depth about something-or-other, taking my mind off the ice entirely.
• Colin recalled surprising himself in high school biology class when he thought he'd never be able to make it through a fetal pig dissection... and instead, he managed to blow through it with flying colors much easier than everyone else in the class, all the while casually chewing a piece of gum. We decided we'd better have gum on hand at the birth, too.

Also, how adorable is this crib & bedding? Thanks to Colin's mom & sis for the total cutenesses.