I am officially in my third trimester! The countdown begins, the hypnobirthing classes begin, the doula appointments begin, the nesting is out of control and I basically live at my midwives’ office. It’s an exciting time and one of great focus. I’ve gone from being a mostly sedentary pregnant creature, to a fury of activity, insanely needing to accomplish a list of to-do’s every day that feel supremely important and vital to me….most of which leave my husband scratching his head and questioning me. For example, the other day I needed to take out the nontoxic wood polish and scrub every rung on our banister, every stair on the staircase, and every inch of the railing. I felt so much better prepared for this baby after doing that, meanwhile my husband stood cursing in the nursery while he tackled “real” necessities like giving the baby a room of her own. It’s funny how I can feel like I’m making progress when my house still looks like a disaster area, all because I know all 29 of its windows have been washed, I’ve organized the tea in the kitchen cupboard, and 12-months worth of hand-me-down baby clothing has been washed twice, rinsed an extra time, folded and arranged by size. You gotta love nesting!

I have been having dreams about this baby basically since I conceived, but this past week I started having visions while awake, as if I can see imprints of the future in otherwise empty rooms. I woke up the other morning and when I opened my eyes I had such a clear vision of my baby girl lying next to me on the bed—her cherub-like face, her soft blonde hair, her rosy full lips, and her big eyes looking up at me. I could see in her eyes that I was her mama, her world, her favorite place to be. Although it was just a vision, it was the first time I had experienced a child looking at me that way and it was one of the most intense feelings I’ve ever experienced. It took my breath away. I can’t believe that will soon be a daily reality. And, as hormonally charged (read: crazy) as my husband thinks I am when I emotionally speak about things such as having baby visions, I was able to describe a vision to him of the first time he holds baby girl that brought a tear to his eye….so I don’t think I’m alone in the overwhelming anticipation of this child’s arrival.