Dread and Anticipation

As most people are aware, we're expecting the arrival of this baby pretty much any day now.  I'm about 38 1/2 weeks along, and I really think that every day I look larger.  At 35 weeks I was convinced that it wasn't possible for me to get any bigger.  I was wrong.  I will confess that I've even dreamed a few times of being a normal size again, and then I wake up to this bowling ball situation, and I would be lying if I said that I haven't felt a little disheartened.  There's still a part of me that hasn't fully embraced the idea that there actually is an end to all this.  Justin is enthusiastically counting down to the due date and every day informs me of how much time is left.  I, on the other hand, am the one in the bowling ball situation, and the descriptions I've read of how the delivery of said bowling ball is going to go has tainted my enthusiasm with a bit of dread as well.  My countdown has a note of hesitancy to it.

Justin is also in the middle of his summer training course at Camp Williams, and his days off have become very scarce.  His instructors did arrange for him to get the 4th and 5th of July off, which was an unexpected windfall for us.  We were very excited to be able to get those two days off to do something together.  It being summer and all we decided to immediately leave town and head to the mountains.  Actual camping isn't really on the table at this point, but hiking is the next best thing.  On the 4th we selected a little hike called Cecret Lake.  It was far from secret, but beautiful none the less.

I'd tell you how long and what the elevation gain was on that one, but everything we read gave drastically different numbers, so who knows.  Suffice it to say that it wasn't exactly the "stroll" described by one blogger, but I did it, so that should be some indicator of difficulty.

Despite the fact that the hike on the 4th made my hands swell up like little sausages, we still decided to go to a second lake the next day called Silver Lake, which actually is nothing more than a stroll.

Taken from the trail to the next lake.

We got bored with it, and kind of annoyed with the volume of other visitors.  I don't really like going out into the mountains to stand inches away from strangers who seem to have an undying fascination with the sounds emitting from their own vocal chords.  It's not my thing.  So, Justin and I talked about hiking a couple of miles up to another lake, and we decided against it, and then decided we should, and then against it again, and then there we were at the trailhead, and it just seemed like the obvious thing to do, so we did.  This one was about a mile and quarter with a 700 something elevation gain, so again not exactly strenuous under normal circumstances.  I found it to be a bit of a challenge, but I did manage to trudge my way up and back, and was rewarded by seeing a couple of moose, a beautiful lake, an escape from the crowds at the lower lake, and a return of the sausage fingers.  Definitely worth it.

One thing Justin and I noticed while doing this hiking is that a lot of people feel a need to make remarks to me about doing this stuff pregnant.  I've been the recipient of all kinds of words of encouragement and support from other hikers.  However, every now and again I would notice that we would pass someone on the trail that would look at us and say nothing.  I could see judgement all over their faces, but not towards me.  I would see them look at me like they feel bad for me, and then give Justin a withering glare as he passed.  Justin confirmed that he's also noticed it, and realized that some of them probably think he's a jerk that has dragged me out there against my will to do this stuff...and he doesn't care.  We loved it, and I was sorry when his days off were over.  This is the sort of thing that makes me feel really excited about getting this kid here.  Justin will be done with training in September, and I can finally transfer this little bowling ball over to him and the three of us can go enjoy what's left of our summer.