33 weeks!

It's been an eventful week! I went to Cooperstown on Saturday with my parents and sisters. We took Dad to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as our Fathers Day present. It was a great time and we all had a blast. Lots of laughs as Mom posed lovingly with a picture of Derek Jeter. My feet weren't very pleased with me by the end of the day though - cankles and sausage toes! As of today I finally have something resembling ankles again! We had a great family day at Moreau on Sunday celebrating all my nieces/nephews birthdays. The weather really didn't look like it was going to cooperate, but we went forward with it anyway and the rain held off and we even had bits of sun throughout the afternoon! Even though we were missing some members, it was a great time with most of the family there. So nice to get in the water too, and it was actually a nice temperature this time!

The little guy seems to be trying to make his exit through my abdomen wall. He's been pushing outward so much lately, it's so crazy to watch and feel of course! I still can't figure out which limbs are protruding. I thought I might be able to figure it out but when I saw his feet next to his head in the ultrasound last week I gave up trying to figure it out. He's just too much of a contortionist!

I pushed myself a little too hard yesterday but at least my efforts were rewarded. I really wanted an aquatic source of relief without having to mooch off people all the time (and to those I have mooched off of - THANK YOU). So I took it upon myself after completing 3 loads of laundry and cleaning the laundry room to actually clean out our hot tub. We had drained it at the beginning of the summer since I didn't think I was allowed to use it. I asked the midwife at my last appointment and she said as long as the water is under 100 degrees it's fine. It had to be drained anyway, we hadn't used it since the ice storm and it was all gross inside. So I drained it completely, scrubbed it out and refilled it. Made me really sore, but made me enjoy it all that much more when Jack and I soaked in the 96 degree water and caught an episode of the Office on the laptop later that night.

We had our first childbirth prep class at Seton Health last night. Jack was still skeptical about their necessity but I knew it wasn't so much instructional as it was informative - letting you know about all your pain management options, and letting you know all of what you can expect. Our class consists of 12 couples, almost all of which are expecting boys! I was a little nervous about finishing up the class only 2 weeks before I'm due, but there are 2 couples in the class that are due before me! Last night's session included the ladies making a list of physical changes they've noticed and the guys making a list of all the emotional/psychological changes they've noticed in their women. I was proud that Jack's contribution to the guy list was that he noticed that I'm so very happy. The nurse who leads the class then went through the items and explained why we're experiencing them. Not surprising that a lot of them are just caused by hormones. She also covered some anatomy while explaining symptoms, and we both learned some new things. We finished off with a relaxation exercise. I was willing to have an open mind, but Jack knew me and knew I wouldn't really get into it so as the instructor was starting to gently lay the groundwork for a scenario to focus on with the plinky planky music in the background and I closed my eyes, Jack pinched my arm. He started to giggle and made me chuckle, and I closed my eyes again. Then he poked me. So much for having an open mind about it. I lost it. The rest of the class is all relaxed and quiet so I'm trying not to distract them, but holding in the laughter was SO hard. I had tears streaming down my face. But all in all we found the first class beneficial.

32 weeks!

Had an appointment yesterday and got to meet the midwife Kelly. She was able squeeze and squish around and find the baby's head! She gave me some homework... just a few info packs on pain management, and I'm sure we'll learn a lot more when we start our childbirth classes next week.

We had an ultrasound this morning! We got some great peaks of the little guy's face. He's big enough now that he doesn't really fit into a profile picture. Based on the ultrasound measurements he's about 4lbs 6oz already!

It's been a hot week this past week... summer finally hit! I'm so grateful for people with pools - was able to get into one Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Definitely getting good use of the maternity bathing suit! The little guy has been performing some gymnastic feats in the womb. As far as I can tell he's staying head-down, which is good, but somehow he's still rolling all over the place and throwing elbows in the process! He's also had a bunch of hiccups this last week! My navel is starting to protrude, as are little guy's limbs. Cravings? Pop Tarts! I already finished the box and I just bought it 2 days ago :-/ Has to be name brand too, the off brand just doesn't look as good.

31 weeks!

I'm still feeling pretty well, although aches and joint pain are really settling in lately to the point of hindering my activities. Getting in the water helps a lot, so thanks to everyone who has been accommodating me in that regard! Sleeping is getting pretty ridiculous at night too. I bought a new body pillow but it hasn't completely taken the place of the old beaten up one so I've been using both... and occasionally an additional pillow under my feet. Whatever it takes to get to sleep! I'm pretty much surrounded by pillows and Jack is probably dangling over the edge to get away from all the fluff! General tiredness is setting in too. I wear out pretty easily, and it's getting pathetic. On Monday a trip out to Target, Aldi, and Hannaford wiped me out and I had to take a nap when I got home! I'm really looking forward to the nesting stage... for the sake of my house. I'm pretty sure Jack is looking forward to me hitting that stage too. I've gotten way too accustomed to watching dust bunnies float by and dishes pile up in the sink. I've decided as of yesterday though, to tackle one room at a time - top to bottom. That way I don't wear myself out and it doesn't seem as daunting a task. So the bathroom was yesterday, our bedroom was today. Does the kitchen/dining room/living room all count as one since they're all open to each other? Oh man, all this cleaning talk has inspired me to do more. Maybe I have hit nesting!

Nothing really new with the little guy. He's still on the move a lot and it's still fun to watch. Occasionally a little uncomfortable but still fun! We'll get to see him again at what should be our last ultrasound next Wednesday.

In other unrelated news, I would like to shout out a congratulations to my sister-in-law who got engaged last Thursday! We're very excited for Regan and Strom and couldn't be happier for them. We also ask everyone to pray for Strom's safety as he gets deployed to Afghanistan at the end of this month.

30 weeks!

3/4 of the way there! Had an appointment with a different midwife this morning - Linda, and she was so sweet! I still have to meet two of the others since they rotate at this practice and you don't know who will end up on call when you go into labor! The belly measured perfectly today - 30cm at 30 weeks. Good heart rate of 144, good blood pressure on my part. My glucose and iron levels checked out fine from the screening and bloodwork I had done at my last appointment.

As for the little guy - TONS of movement. Not just kicks and punches anymore, but feeling arms move across the entire length of my belly, feeling what must be feet push out under my ribs, feeling limbs cross over each other as he shifts positions. Not just feeling all this, but seeing a lot of it too. Haven't actually seen the outline of a foot or elbow or anything, but I've seen a bump move around, or I'll watch my belly get rocked around. It doesn't get old.

It's crazy how the reality of it all hits you in waves, or at least it's done that to me. First it was seeing 2 lines on that stick after however many times of seeing just 1. That took a whole day to absorb. Then it was the first ultrasound - totally surreal, but there was actual evidence in front of me of this little one. I didn't really suffer from morning sickness or anything in the first trimester so the next wave of reality hit when the bump started to grow. Then feeling little flutters, transitioning into kicks. Then there was registering, and starting to make purchases - this is the actual stuff that baby boy will be using! Now it's beyond the light flutters and kicks, and into movement of arms and legs, stretching, spazzing and soccer punts! I'm thinking next will probably be setting up the nursery, and then finally meeting the little guy! Can't wait!