32 weeks

I received my first exceptionally rude comment this week:

Idiot co-worker: "How much longer have you got to go?" 
Me:  "About 8 weeks..."
Idiot co-worker (with a horrified look on her face):  "8 weeks?!  And you're already that big!  You look like you're ready to pop!!!"

What the hell lady!  How did I go from having the world's tiniest bump to "About to Pop" status in less than a month?!?!

Baby is now the size of a: large jicama!  We've got a four pounder on our hands people, and she's still between 16-17 inches tall.  Her skeleton is rapidly ossifying (turning from cartilage into solid bone), hence the powerful kicks and jabs.  She's also gaining weight rapidly; she'll gain about half of her birth weight during the next 8 weeks.  She now has fingernails, toenails, and peach fuzz for hair (with my luck she'll take after me, and be completely bald until she's 3 years old).  Her skin is nice and soft, and continues to plump up every week. I can't wait to kiss those little cheeks!


How I'm feeling:  pretty good, all things considered.  My energy level still sucks, I'm having lots of BH contractions, and I'm seeing a spike in back pain this week.  I've had back pain from the beginning of this pregnancy, I've just always done my best to push it to the back of my mind, but its getting hard to ignore these days.  Last night we watched a movie (so I was in the same position for a couple of hours), and when I stood up, my legs buckled beneath me; Casey had to literally walk me to bed and put me in bed.  Clearly, this child is having a love affair with my sciatic nerve.

Physical differences from last week:  at this point in the pregnancy I should be gaining about a pound a week, and half of that gain is going to the baby. I haven't checked my weight in awhile...not planning on doing it anytime soon.

What's been on my mind:  I've been hoping all the kicks in the ribs are a good indicator that she's moved to the head down position.  There's no way her teeny tiny fists could pack that kind of punch this early, right? 

What I'm looking forward to:  labor.  It sounds strange; who could possibly be excited for the most painful experience of their life?  ME.  I can't wait to meet this little person in my belly.  I can't wait to see her daddy holding her and kissing her for the first time.  She is going to be absolutely perfect; she will be the greatest accomplishment in either of our lives.

Random thoughts:  My belly has a mind of its own.  They say you should feel ten movements in an hour...I'm lucky if I go even a minute without some kind of kick, jab, or pinch.  During the week we were sitting on the couch, and my belly jumped five or six times in a row.  Casey even saw!  We both just died laughing.  Its as if she's saying, "Hey guys, look at me!  I want  to play!!!"

31 weeks

Baby is now the size of a: ....I don't know...they didn't give me a fruit or veg to compare her to this week.  She is between 16-17 inches long and weighs between 3-3.5 pounds.  At this stage, she gains weight at a faster pace than she lengthens.  Apparently we can look forward to a major growth spurt in the near future.  Heehee.  Also, with the addition of all this baby fat, she's become even more active!  She is constantly twisting, jumping, kicking, etc.  My belly literally jumps and pulls from side to side.  It is hysterical to watch; sometimes I just stop what I'm doing and stare.  I can't wait to meet her...can you imagine how fun she'll be?!  I feel like I already have a sense of what her personality will be like based on how playful she is now. 


How I'm feeling: exhausted, nauseous, and HUGE.  I feel utterly useless lately.  After 30 minutes of housework, I need to sit and rest.  Its completely deflating; there are things to be done and I don't have the energy to do them.  And I can't ask Casey to do it all, while I sit here and grow.  So our pace has inevitably slowed.  I've also been having loads of Braxton Hicks contractions.  I'd like to meet the fool that deemed false labor as painless, and slap him.  And in the midst of all these contractions, I had another growth spurt.  As a result, my ribs and lungs are feeling thoroughly encroached upon. 

Physical differences from last week: lookin huge these days!!!  Here is my weekly pic:

What's been on my mind:  getting everything done in time for the arrival of Miss Shelton.  I think we are in good shape, but I have this irrational fear of preterm labor, and I worry that she'll come early and we'll be totally unprepared.  Other than those adorable diapers, we have three onsies...not nearly enough of anything to bring a baby home to.  To demonstrate how NOT ready we are, a picture of our recently emptied and cleaned guest room and closet:

  
What I'm looking forward to:  our birthing class and the baby shower.  I'm hoping these classes will help us feel a little more prepared and give us some kind of expectation for L & D.  And of course I'm excited to spend time with all of my friends, and what little family I have out here, and celebrate our baby (and eat all of my mom's wonderful cooking!  Mmmmm)!

Random thoughts:  I passed my glucose test!  Yay! 

The Big 3-0

Holy cow, I'm 30 weeks pregnant!!!  When did that happen?!  That means next week the countdown will be single-digit weeks....AHHHHHH

Baby is now the size of a:  laptop computer!  She is somewhere between 16-17 inches long and weighs almost three pounds!  We've got about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounding her; which will only continue to decrease as she gets bigger.  Eyesight is still in the developmental stage; even after she's born, she'll only be able to make out objects a few inches from her face.  Our plump little pumpkin has somewhat smooth skin (yay baby fat!), and her brain is getting more wrinkled (yay surface area!).  As of this week, she is now strong enough to grasp a finger.  Awww


How I'm feeling:  big.  This is the first time I've actually felt really BIG.  And tired.  I feel big and tired.  I'm not sure if this is the return of fatigue or the after effects of painting the master bathroom.  I am moving A LOT slower than I used to, and I just feel like I have my own orbit now.  This is also the first time I really miss being skinny.  I just sort of look at my wedding pictures and 7-week bump pic and get really depressed. 

Physical differences from last week:  I weighed in on Friday, and I've gained a whooping 24 pounds.  ::insert jaw drop:: 

What's been on my mind:  knocking out our to-do lists, OF COURSE!  I've got the baby to-do list down to 14 items, and the house is getting there.  The master bath is about 95% done; other than that the back yard is the last big to do, and there are tons of little things to finish up.

What I'm looking forward to:  growth ultrasound, glucose test results (more on that below), baby shower, finished house, maternity ward tour, and our birthing class.  Oh, and, cloth diapering our child!  I ordered a stash of dipes after Bum Genius discontinued their 3.0 line, and they arrived this week.  How freakin cute are these?!

Random thoughts:  I had my glucose test on Friday, and boy that sucked!  I had to fast from midnight until 8:00, which doesn't sound horrible, but let me tell you, when you're pregnant it is.  You're not allowed food (obviously) or water.  Umm hello insatiable thirst!  I have had this incredible, unquenchable thirst from day 1; so that aspect of the fast was just torture.  At 8:00 I drank a sugary drink, which tasted a lot like orange soda, and at 9:00 they drew six vials of blood.  I did one of Casey's blood test when I left the building, and my blood sugar was 72, so I'm fairly confident that I'll pass the test; they only care about results over 130-150.

 

And side note:  we decided not to paint the nursery.  That room is already painted (a relatively gender neutral color), and with my lack of energy lately, I am not looking for EXTRA work. 

29 weeks

Baby is now the size of a: squash!  She weighs 2.5 pounds, and measures between 15-17 inches long.  Muscles and lungs continue to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her big ol' brain.  Her skeleton continues to harden each day; during this trimester about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited into her body each day.  Nutritional demands are also increasingly rapidly.  My babe's energy levels are surging, and she's growing pretty quickly (her weight will at least triple by birth).


How I'm feeling:  at the moment my whole body hurts.  This is (for the most part) unrelated to my little baby.  We tiled the master bathroom shower yesterday....  Casey cut the tiles, and I laid the tiles.  My job required a lot of bending, kneeling, etc (not so fun when your 7+ months pregnant).  It was well worth it though; at least that room is (pretty much) done.  In other pregnant lady news, I'm also seeing the return of heartburn.  There was a whooping two weeks without that nasty side effect, and then it returned this week.  Other than that, I'm feeling lots of pressure at the bottom of my bump, lots of baby kicks and jabs, and occasionally some Braxton Hicks contractions.

Physical differences from last week:  not much to report, I don't think I've had a major growth spurt in awhile... Here is my weekly pic:

What's been on my mind:  Painting the nursery.  We bought the paint yesterday afternoon, and I fully intend to have that bad boy painted by the end of next weekend.  Hopefully I'll be really ambitious one night after work this week and get it done, so I'll have the weekend to do other things...like decorate!  ;-)

What I'm looking forward to:  knocking out the Baby To Do list (which is now down to 26 items, thank you very much), knocking out the House To Do list, my baby shower (despite any annoyances there may have been leading up to it).

Random thoughts: we finally registered!!!!!!!!!  We are officially registered at Babies R' Us.  Oh my goodness registering was stressful.  We spent over two hours in the store starting the registry, and I spent another eight hours online finishing the registry.  I had to read through every review available, coordinate colors, blah blah blah.  Its pretty much done now, and it feels good to check that off our list.

28 weeks

We had our last monthly prenatal visit on Thursday, and from here on out we will be going to the doctor every two weeks.  The belly measured right on track, my blood pressure was where it should be, and the babe's heartbeat was fast and strong as usual.  We're scheduled to have the glucose test on January 14.

Baby is now the size of a:  bag of flour or a Chinese cabbage...  She weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds!  Her lungs are now capable of breathing air; further reducing the need for medical intervention if she were born between now and my due date.  Right now her little body is putting the finishing touches on major organ systems (brain, lungs, and liver), and of course, gaining weight.  Currently her body fat is about 2 to 3 percent.  She is also practicing batting her eye lashes, now that her big beautiful eyes have opened, and sucking and swallowing motions have been nearly perfected!


How I'm feeling:  well the baby has discovered my sciatic nerve.  The sciatic nerve is a long nerve that runs from the lower back to the back of the legs and feet.  I'm not saying I have full blown Sciatica, but the babe has stepped on this nerve a few times (to say the least) and my knees completely buckle every time.  Its not that bad; I don't feel like I've had to deal with very many symptoms and the symptoms I have experienced are not complaint worthy.  I do not understand how some women can say they hate being pregnant.  I am loving every minute of this time in my life, and we can't wait for babe #2 to come along!

Physical differences from last week:  Still bulbous, still low, still 18 pounds heavier.... Here is my weekly pic:

What's been on my mind:  breech presentation.  I asked the nurse (in my doctor's absence) what would be done if the babe were still in breech position closer to my due date, and she said not to worry about the baby's position until after 36 weeks; up until 36 weeks, there is enough room for the baby to turn.  There is a procedure called External Cephalic Version where the doctor places their hands on the belly and attempts to move the baby clockwise, so that the head is down.  There is only a 60 percent success rate, because many babies move back to breech position after the procedure.  There is also a risk of detaching the placenta, which would result in an emergency c-section.  The nurse said that Doctor O has done the procedure before, and that she would examine every option to avoid a c-section delivery.  I guess that's a little reassuring....

What I'm looking forward to: registering!  I think we're going to bite the bullet tomorrow, as we both have the day off.  And our growth ultrasound!  It hasn't been scheduled yet, but its nice to know we have another opportunity to see the babe before D-Day. 

Random thoughts:  Supposedly Casey should be able to put his ear to my belly and hear the baby's heartbeat (sans stethoscope)... I shall report back as to whether this actually works.  LOL