Month 9

by Ashley Weeks Cart

It was a hot and humid final month, but I made it. We made it. And, thank the sweet baby Cheez-Its for central air conditioning. I honestly do not know how I would have fared without such a luxury. My midwives kept commenting on the positive condition of my ankles in those final weeks (as in, I had them. Cankle woman, I was not). I told them I had my friend, AC, to thank for that.

Oh, and also my parents, for pushing us to rent this house over a year and a half ago. They sighted future comfort while pregnant among their many persuasive arguments, and they could not have been more correct. Also, breastfeeding will be a far less sweaty affair, cutting down on the number of bodily fluids that are a part of said activity. Amen!

It’s hard to believe that 9 months have gone by so quickly. And yet the days of slogging through snow mounds to visit Kate’s studio to shoot pictures of the early trimesters is but a distant memory. Ah, time, you constant cliché, you.

The days leading up to L&D Day (har har har!) seem painfully long, but I have been trying to make the most of them. Reading and snuggling Sunny as her days as an only child dwindle by the minute. Crafting and writing and photographing an absurd amount as I know that not only will my physical time be limited for such endeavors, but my mental capacity will be severely diminished upon The Sesame Seed’s arrival.

Also, I’ve promised myself that this time around I will be easier on myself during recovery. I will sleep and snuggle and nurse that infant, and I’ll shower only if I’m feeling up to it. I will let others help take care of me. Cook for me. I won’t worry about the piles of laundry, or the tumble weeds of dog hair accumulating around the house. I will sink into that time with my new baby and be comfortable if that is all that is accomplished in a day.

I will remember how despite how all-consuming that time feels in the moment, that it is so fleeting and precious and I may never have it again. So stay away from the computer. A silly craft tutorial can be done another day. But this gurgling bundle of innocence will grow up and forgo the snuggles in just a few months time.

With Sunny, I was so anxious as to what this whole parenting thing would mean that I found myself worrying not only about labor but about the aftermath – the whole, life with a kid thing. It’s so refreshing to not have that weight on my shoulders this go round. To know, really know, how truly wonderful and amazing the end result of this entire experience is.

I am so excited to meet her. I really am.

 


Renew Ribbed be present Tank in Island Blue and French Terry Resort Short in Graphite by be present

______________________________________________________________________________________

*Photos: Courtesy of Kate Drew Miller Photography
As always, I cannot thank Kate enough for taking on this project with me. She rocks. Truly.

**Clothes: Courtesy of be present
Please, head on over to Facebook and ‘like’ the heck out of this awesome company. And if you’re on Twitter, why don’t you give ‘em a follow? And you can check out their whole line and subscribe to their newsletter by heading over to www.bepresent.com.

***Click to see Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7, Month 8 and deats on my partnership with be present.