8 months pregnant

This post originally dated 07/26/10.

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About a month remains until Jack. I, for one, am in a mad rush (a somewhat disorganized effort, admittedly) to complete a list of things we need (with bad attempts of separating wants and needs) for his arrival. Early PS: I found a great glider online @ BabiesRUs for half the cost of others I was looking at! Score for today. And it ships way earlier than custom ones.

Jack's very active. Today he was particularly unhappy with my jeans (low-waist band) and butted against it all day. Which can wear a mother out! The other day I could see my stomach become entirely too lopsided due to either his head, or his butt, sticking way out on the left side. He's not shy about moving around to his heart's content...

Speaking of his heart. From his first diagnosis with TGA at 20 weeks GA, he's been a very, very good boy. He's growing and moving according to all the rules of the OB books... He just has a heart that's wired off-kilter, and we'll fix that. Then I'll ground him when he's 16 for about three months for all the worry I'm still going through in terms of his anticipated surgery, treatment, hospital stays, etc...

I'm pretty sure he's going to be Jack Alexander Bogle.

I think our multiple OB's have finally settled on the best delivery approach under the circumstances - it looks like C-section is NOT mandatory, and I can have a normal delivery, aided somewhat with timing by an induction around week 39 unless there's progress earlier than that. I'm relieved and hopeful C-section won't be necessary so I can leave the delivery hospital earlier to follow him to Le Bonheur (he'll likely be transported right away after delivery).

I'm starting to face the necessity of bonding with my breast pump for the first few days? weeks? of his stay - that's the only way he'll be able to get breast milk until he's considered well enough to be off the tubes. Got to do what I have to do, that's the best thing for him.

Mom's ticket has been booked, she's flying in on the 20th to keep Maya as we finish off Jack's belly journey and enter his first few weeks of life and his immediate treatment period. I try to prepare mentally but I know things will still come unexpectedly, and though it's not often with words and intention, I think my spirit in subconscious is in constant prayer over all outcomes.

Whew, random collection of early thoughts, but I wanted to have a Jack-only outlet in blogosphere so I have space to think out loud without violating, say, Facebook short-and-sweet etiquette.