33 days!!!

So we bought the dresser/changer this weekend. it is much more "girly" and classic than the crib, but should be able to grow with the little one. It should arrive in about 3 weeks - I can't wait to have a spot to put all the clothes and diaper changing paraphernalia I've acquired in the last few weeks. It feels like Christmas every time I walk in the apt and open up the latest boxes to arrive. And with my baby brain, it really is a surprise to open them because I can't keep track of what all I've ordered :)

Scott and I completed 14 hrs of intensive childbirth prep this weekend, and I also had a 3-hr breastfeeding class last night. I feel very prepared at this point - and I hope that feeling lasts another 5 weeks! But somehow I imagine it's easier in theory than in practice!

I am down to having about 4 outfits to wear to work. I bet my colleagues are as sick of them as I am, but I am not willing to buy anything else at this point - except the wonderful, flowy summer dresses that I expect to live in post-delivery! (Thanks Mom!)

I can no longer sleep for long stretches at night because it is so uncomfortable having this watermelon attached to my stomach. And it also appears that the baby prefers the "face-up" position, which means I get to feel lots of adorable kicks and punches below my ribcage, but could significantly complicate the delivery if she doesn't turn around on the way out! (Fingers crossed!) I even tried sleeping in a different way (suggested by childbirth instructor) to encourage her to turn but suffered so much that I gave up after one night!

I'm so excited to spend this weekend up in Stone Ridge, but after that Scott and I are hunkering down at home for the last 3-4 weekends. He still has a fun kitchen tiling project ahead, and I know I'll find a million last minute things to do - like packing our hospital suitcase!

Ahhh!! 33 days seems so short - yet also SO LONG! Hope it goes by fast.

Nursery Photo Update

I am just starting to accept that I married Tim from Home Improvement - though a whole lot funnier and handsomer!! (Too bad he can't do anything about the view :0) ) Before and after shots below, plus the fun new rug we just bought. The trim is being painted white tomorrow. Now all we need is the furniture!

Update: Trim painting is complete, rug is down and crib is mostly assembled - by ME!!!

3D Ultrasound Photos - click on photos to enlarge

Ultrasound photos at last!! Shower and more belly photos to come!

Is it just me, or is there some family resemblance already detectable here...

Being Pregnant is Great!

(photo from week 28 - 3 weeks behind!) Now that the winter coat is off and I walk down the street preceded by a giant basketball, people are so nice to me!! They open doors, smile, and a surprising number of young black and hispanic men have wished me good luck! One old geezer walked up to me in Five Guys Burgers (diet off-day!) and told me he was PROUD of me! I was so touched I started tearing up - not that it takes much to cause that these days (or ever)!

I am officially 31 1/2 weeks, and given that 37 weeks is considered full term, Scott is telling everyone I have 6 weeks to go. (I wish!) They're going to think I'm really overdue if I make it all the way to 40 like I expect! I have started seeing the Dr. twice a month instead of once, and before long it will be weekly! I am measuring exactly where I should be, my weight gain is good and the baby is head down and "in position"- hopefully she stays that way!

On the physical side, I am starting to feel like there is actually a young child - or a wild animal - camping out in my belly as the little "flutters" have given way to full on punches! I have to fight with the little gal every once in a while when she thinks it would be fun to rearrange my rib cage. And there are two knees (I think) constantly protruding from my upper belly on either side which is a very strange feeling! Comfort is starting to replace "cute" when I'm picking out my clothes, and a good night's sleep is starting to be something I remember fondly and know I won't have again for years if not decades! (But I'm learning that 5 or 6 pillows goes a long way toward providing some relief!) At least Scott is blissfully unaware for now of what he's got to look forward to on that end!

Our nursery and apartment renovations are well under way, and as soon as we move our bed from the living room back into the bedroom I can access the camera to get some photos (and also upload all the wonderful pics from the baby shower!)

For now, this older belly shot will have to do. xoxo.

Week 28!

All of a sudden I am starting to feel like an elephant! I read last night that baby has doubled in size in the past 4 weeks - and believe me that is a noticeable increase! She is now 2 1/2 lbs and nearly 15 inches long.

Forget bending at the waist - and goodbye to breathing comfortably! Fortunately I am still sleeping well, though it sounds like I have months of insomnia to look forward to shortly. My gym recently called and asked me if everything was okay - since they hadn't seen me in a while. So I have started trying to make it there again every couple days. One of the biggest draws is the free fruit they have at the front desk :)

A really fun development of the past week or two is the increased movement I feel in my belly - and can even see from the outside! I am pretty sure baby skid's head is on my right side and feet are on the left, and she is facing outward. She has a dance party in there about 3 times a day and I really feel like an alien has taken over my body! (Of course she didn't move a muscle while we were visiting our nieces in Boston this weekend - go figure!) The good news is that she seems to be pretty wide awake much of the day and much less noticeable at night even during my 5 trips to the bathroom, so I'm crossing my fingers that continues post-birth!

In other news, we have begun work on the nursery. Which is really to say that we've made a huge mess in the room as we begin to organize and remove all the clutter we've stashed away in the extra room for 5 years! And we are clearing out bookshelves one by one, and one of these days Scott has promised to organize and move the 500 client presentations he has saved from his 10 years in banking. (that he of course looks at SO frequently that they must be at his fingertips!) I can't wait!!

Here is a picture from Week 27. I will post one ASAP from week 28 because I feel like there is a noticeable difference! Counting down the days till my baby shower that I'm so excited about....

I'm so excited! I just made my first big purchase for the nursery - a crib bedding set! Since Scott outlawed the use of any pink, I was having a hard time finding something that was cute and girly but not cheesy! I figure the green and brown will go well with monkeys so we'll have to find some monkey wall art and stuffed animals! And now that the colors are set we can go ahead and figure out what we're going to do with the walls.

97 Days to Go!

It has been a week since the sugar test and no word from my Dr, so I appear to be in the clear to continue consuming cookies and ice cream to my heart's content. Phew!!

I am now officially 26 weeks and in the last week of my second trimester. (The photo was taken after what may have been my one and only gym workout of the 2nd tri according to Scott!) I am just starting to feel a bit more of the fullness and backpains that I keep reading about - though I am fortunate that I still haven't had any swelling or heartburn.


This is what the guides say about baby this week: Your baby measures about 9.2 inches from crown to rump and weighs almost 2 pounds now. Its hearing is fully developed. As the fetus reacts to sounds, its pulse increases. Your baby will even move in rhythm to music. Lungs are still growing but are not yet mature. Patterns of your baby's brain waves appear like a full-term newborn. It also has patterns of sleeping and waking.