32 weeks

Things are going well! Just when I thought her movements couldn't get any stronger she now throws the equivalent of a fireworks finale - usually whenever I'm trying to sleep. Gabe has felt it and says it's like she's doing jumping jacks in there with limbs every which way. I haven't slept through the night this past week, but I am getting some rest throughout the day so it's okay.

Baby girl is just about 4 pounds and somewhere around 17 inches long. She's going to put on about 1/2 a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy. I don't feel like my belly has gotten significantly bigger the past few weeks but I feel like she is a lot bigger. This means my belly is really hard and I can feel (and usually see) all her movements. My uterus is about 5 inches above my belly button! I slouch way less now because if I do the baby gets up under my rib cage and I can't breathe. I also think I've felt a couple Braxton Hicks contractions the past few days.

An odd fact: baby girl can now sweat. Also, her digestive system is up and running. Her transparent skin has turned opaque. Everything is proportionate now. She's just like a small newborn - her main tasks now are to put on fat and develop that brain of hers.

I went to a yard sale this weekend and found a couple selling super cute infant girl clothes - all looked like they were brand new. I told myself I wasn't going to buy any clothes, but I couldn't resist. And really, if you can buy 20 items for $5 why should you even try to use restraint? We also found Conan a backpack (he can carry his own water in it) and a lifejacket. He looks so cute in them and doesn't seem to mind wearing them. (Yes, pictures will follow.)

In this week's belly pic Gabe was telling me to try to stick my belly button out further :)

31 weeks!

and counting... always counting.  My goodness, it takes a long time to count to 40 when you can only do one number per week! I told Gabe for the next one there will be no counting, but by then I figure we'll be too busy with a toddler creature to micromanage a pregnancy anyway.

Baby girl is around 3.3 pounds and a bit over 16 inches long. She is definitely making her larger presence known. I can feel her way down low and under my ribcage at the same time. And sometimes you can see protrusions from either side of my belly.  I had my prenatal check-up last week and everything looked good, and I had gained 21 lbs.  That night I felt a shift and Gabe and I both thought the baby had dropped. My belly button was further away, I peed more urgently and often and I could suddenly take deep breaths again. This was confirmed the next morning by my client who took one look at me and said 'wow, she dropped. she's coming early.' Yes, I did the typical first time mom thing and called the birth center to make sure there was no concern if she had dropped. (Everything's fine.) And I think she may have un-dropped. Or just got bigger. I don't know. 

The last few clients (and a random lady at the grocery store today) have asked how far along I am and when I tell them they say 'that's it?!' and recount their girth at their own pregnancies. I am learning now the self-defensive maneuver of just being confident that everything is at it should be for me & baby. 

Tomorrow will mark two more months until her maybe-arrival. Yesterday we finished our childbirth classes and did a 'birth rehearsal'.  I'm feeling pretty ready emotionally, fairly ready logistically, and feeling excited about the birth part.  Gabe is jumping-out-of-his-seat excited to meet his little girl.  I'm tired of writing it each week, so just assume I am physically uncomfortable unless I notify you otherwise. 

Week 31 belly pic:

 

Conan is learning 'kiss the belly' command here. He picked it up quickly!  (p.s. don't I look like Kim a bit here?)

Nursery

Here's her crib all set up:

The bedding is gorgeous and cozy.  Wouldn't you love to curl up in here?

This is a dresser I got for $10 at a yard sale. Gabe I went over the pink with white to make it look shabby chic. We definitely succeeded with the shabby part.

The couple that sold me the dresser were super nice and offered to deliver the dresser about 20-25 minutes right to my house. When they dropped it off their 6 year old daughter came along and I thanked her for letting my baby have her old dresser. She got very shy and antsy and finally her mother told me she'd like to show me something. The little girl opened a dresser drawer and a pink rattle blanket was tucked inside - she said it was her favorite when she was a baby and now it could be for my baby. (I managed not to cry right then.)  The mom explained that the girl's grandmother had started a tradition of putting gifts in new furniture, and the little girl had the idea of putting it in there for me. So precious!

30 weeks!

Little miss squirmy is now 30 weeks old! Or negative 10-12 weeks, depending on your viewpoint. She is about 3 pounds heavy and 16 inches long. She flutters near my hipbone and tickles me, kicks at night, and often drags what I think is her fist along my side. Every day is a day closer to meeting her and we just can't wait!  

I am feeling ok and will be better once I get around to going to the chiropractor.  Childbirth classes are great- only one left! Today we were the misfits of the class though. It was an exercise at the end of class when we practiced different birthing positions with our husbands while we were in 'eyes-open' hypnosis. I tried sitting on the floor with Gabe supporting me and it just was so uncomfortable. He kept leaning back thinking it's better for me, but really it killed my back and made me feel like I was falling, or hurting him. I whispered that to him and he leaned close to say 'what' and his 2 day old beard tickled. We shuffled quietly over to a real chair to practice and he said 'relax, peace, release' too quick and was staring at me. I told him very quietly to stop staring (meanwhile in the darkened room three other couples were breathing deeply and guiding each other peacefully). He explained he liked staring at me, and I started giggling at his earnestness and it was all over. Gabe then started messing up the cues "re-peace.... pe-lax..." and I just couldn't laugh silently any longer.  Oops. Our instructor was nice and said laughter can be a great thing during the birthing process. She did point out to the husbands, however, that there will be a point in the birthing time where even the funniest joke won't be appreciated.  Remember that Gabe!

Our class was 3 hours long and I peed 4 times and stopped on the way home to pee again. I'm not sure it can get much worse than that. 

I am swelling up because I guess I've hit blimp phase, and though I've toughed it out for weeks it is now officially time to take off the wedding rings. Underneath is nearly permanently imprinted, as well as raw and red. I'm going to try just taking them off at night and see if that is good enough. 

Nesting update: We received our crib, mattress and bedding and it's all officially set up in the baby's room!  It looks so cozy. Gabe and I also refinished a dresser and put away some of her clothes. I'll post pics of those this week. Our epic quest for a mom-mobile has also ended!  We trekked two hours west for the elusive vehicle and purchased it Thursday. Gabe has since been obsessed with learning every detail of a 2000 Saab 9-5. I'm pretty sure he could take it apart and fix it back together at this point. Pics of that to come this week as well. 

For now here is this week's belly picture:

29 weeks!

Baby girl is 2 1/2 pounds and just over 15 inches. I've gained 20 pounds. I'm feeling heavy and achy and I think I'm going to give in and go to the chiropractor. I'd like to make sure everything is aligned before a newborn tries to exit my pelvis. I'm thinking that if I can't bend over or walk around the block without nerve pain, I should probably not expect childbirth to flow along as easily as it could. I also found out I am anemic, and so I'm not sure if my weakness / tiredness / shortness of breath is due to anemia or just normal pregnancy symptoms. In any case, I'm taking iron supplements and eating more meat. I've got roughly 11 weeks to get some energy and get my body running in proper order.

They measured my fundal height (top of uterus) at my last appointment and I'm pretty sure it's up to my sternum or so.  I don't see how it can get much higher. Last night I was drifting to sleep and suddenly felt two jabs to the ribs, simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right. It was the weirdest feeling - I would have bolted upright in bed if that was physically possible. THOSE WERE LITTLE FEET!  It was like she was swimming and pushing off the end of the pool. She's been doing all sorts of gymnastics this past week.  Sometimes it's like a hummingbird in there - all these frantic sharp flutters for thirty seconds or so. Sometimes it's thumps. Sometimes it's big dragging movements where I'm surprised I don't see her limbs outlined on my tummy. Her movements are much stronger than I ever realized baby movements were going to get. And I can't prove it, but I get the distinct impression she is content in there. 

My mom got our crib & bedding and that will be arriving in a week. This did set off a domino effect of feeling not ready, and all other sorts of hormonal craziness. The weather shifted this past week here and the nights got cooler. There are Halloween decorations in the stores. The kids are in school. People say oh, you must be due soon.  Suddenly things sped up and it's going to be the shower, and then maternity photos, then baby. I'm so excited we're entering the season in which she'll be born... but we seriously have some work ahead to make sure our little nest is ready. 

This week's belly pic. Look, no mullet!

my hooptie

Gabe & I are looking for a second car. Since we moved his commute has gone from one block to a twenty minute drive and I have to drop him off in the morning, pick him up at night - that's getting old. We're looking for a wagon so that our puppy is not sitting right next to the carseat. It's become an epic quest.

This morning on our drive to his workplace, we passed some big old car that must have had an 8 track inside. I pointed, laughed and said 'We could get that hooptie.'  My husband says 'hoop-what?' and looked bewildered even after I repeated it a few times. Perhaps it's the age difference, or that he spent some formative years in Brazil where there is probably no el hooptie. Or perhaps it's that his wife is just way more gangster than him. (Umm... or not. I confess I was just reminded of the word when Ice T was on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this past weekend.)

Nevertheless, I took it as an obligation to educate him about what a hooptie is.  I found a song by Sir Mix-A-Lot that gives a detailed account, along with visuals.  Gabe has many times sung Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' at karaoke, but alas he must not be too familiar with his oeuvre.  I'll fix that now: