I’m in the home stretch of this pregnancy, but I can’t even think about it right now.  My weekly pregnancy countdown email tells me:

It may be harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well at night. If you can, take it easy through the day — this may be your last chance to do so for quite a while. 

Fat chance!  Packers come next Monday.  When I went to bed last night, my thighs burned from all the squatting and stretching and walking up and down the stairs.  I did get a load of stuff off to Goodwill today – hooray, less to move.

Unfortunately all this physical exertion is doing nothing to combat pregnancy insomnia.  I’m lucky if I make it until 4 am.  Last night, it was 2 am.

While you’re sleeping, you’re likely to have some intense dreams. Anxiety both about labor and about becoming a parent can fuel a lot of strange flights of unconscious fancy.

I think I’m totally over any anxiety about becoming a parent.  But I did have a memorable dream last night.  We were moving into a new house.  It was huge, neverending.  I couldn’t find my way around it.  Then somebody – some man I don’t know – asked if I liked the baby stuff he had given me.  Not knowing exactly what he was talking about, he led me to a totally different part of the house I had never seen (passing through three complete kitchens on the way).  There was a room filled with baby stuff – enough to stock an orphanage.  He pulled out a baby carrier and told me how much he enjoyed carrying his own children in that particular carrier and how he hoped I would like it and get a lot of use out of it. 

Anxiety triggers:

1. A huge house that would need to be cleaned

2. Too much baby stuff: that carrier would put me up to 5 (how many carriers does one baby need?)

3. Other people’s sentimental objects that they want me to use, making me feel guilty if I donate them to someone else (again, how many carriers does one baby need?)

4.  All those thank you notes that I have to write