I guess that 5 days before my due date is a good as time as ever to write out my thoughts about the final trimester. I like to refer to this trimester as the one where I just get really, really big.

And yes, my belly got ginormous. So big that starting about a month ago, small children would just stop and stare at it in disbelief. Like, eyes wide open and jaw dropped. And these last few days, it seems like just about everyone, young and old, can’t help but stare at the huge basketball that is my belly.

The cravings for all things unhealthy continued strong. Bring on the burgers, nachos, fries, and pizza! I did, however, also start craving lots of fresh fruits and have been devouring strawberries, watermelon, and grapes these days. And literally just now, I sent my husband out to get me apple pie which I ate with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was delicious.

The last few months were pretty busy with finishing up work and continuing to chase after my little girl, but somehow I managed to get some ridiculous amounts of nesting in there. Let’s be real, I think the need to nest will be strong until the little guy gets here. All I want to do is deep clean, remove clutter, and get ready for baby. My husband has been amazing at listening and responding to my nesting needs, without feeling like I’m some crazy person. Thank goodness for him, I’m so lucky.

I feel like some women wouldn’t get pregnant if they knew about all the random side effects of pregnancy that no one tells you about. My hair stopped falling out a while ago (I actually like that one), I have new moles, my belly button has popped out in all its glory, I have sharp pinches in my nerves and I stopped sleeping on my back ages ago. And, have you ever heard of the linea nigra? That one is super weird, it didn’t happen to me this time but it did in my first pregnancy.

As I get closer to the due date, I’ve had a mix of emotions about labor. There has actually been more fear about it this time, because I actually know how much it hurts. I had a natural birth last time (as in, no epidural), and I hope to do the same again. At the same time, I’ve been trying to pump myself up by telling myself that I totally did it last time, so I can do it again! Oh, how I hope that’s true. I also hope it’s true that things will go faster this time around. I’m trying not to count on that though.

And now as we are just days, or moments, away from meeting our son, I’m more and more curious about what he will look like and who he will be. What will it be like to see him for the first time? What will Gianna think about him? How long will I be in a sleep deprived state? There are definitely a lot of questions running through my mind.

More and more, I’m ready for my baby boy to come and to start a new chapter as a family of four.