The Belly @ 31 Weeks

I'm a little sad because I don't think the belly has grown very much since last time I posted pics (around 28 weeks right?) Of course...that could mean a nice big growth spurt is in the cards very soon...maybe just in time for baby showers!

=D

Wonderfulness...

I just returned from work on this wonderful Friday, and was lying in bed with my Sandilion and a pumpkin belly. I pressed my face into the pumpkin and felt five distinct points of pressure from 5 little fingers against my cheek....no words....just no words.

31 Weeks!

I didn't think it was possible for him to move around even more...but the last few days he's just been moving like crazy. He's our little ninja in training.

Last weekend we went to a baby expo and had a 3D ultrasound done. I was so excited to see what he's actually doing in there...

He slept.

He smiled a little when Drew started talking to him (you can debate the issue of whether or not babies actually smile, but I think they do and you can't convince me otherwise), then he yawned really big and burried his head into his favorite pillow (i.e. the placenta). We did get some very cute pictures of him that I will post as soon as I find the scanner...but the mystery of what exactly is going on in there will never be solved. This was our last sneak peak before he is born.

Still, I am pretty certain now that he is indeed training to be a ninja.

He loves video games and goes absolutely crazy when Drew and I are playing one. Last night his kicks and punches actually hurt a little.

I just can't believe there are only 9 weeks left until he's here! It's just so crazy!

I'm feeling really good and getting less scared and more excited every day =)

Birth Class 2: The Video

Let me start by saying, I love things that are a little bit stereotypical. For example, when planning the wedding my contact person for the Winter Park Farmer's Market was named Beulah. So in my head I conjured images of a large older black woman who was soft and mushy at heart, but kinda tough on the outside. I tried not to get my hopes up about her personality and appearance...and then I met her. Much to my delight, she was just as I imagined! Also, in England when I heard a native gentleman refer to something as "Bloody Brilliant" I could hardly contain myself.

I just LOVE stuff like that...

So, after watching countless movies and TV shows with the stereotypical weird hippie off the beaten path birthing classes, you can only imagine what I was expecting.

I knew of course this would be a bit more down-to-earth, I am not in a movie or sitcom after all (though sometimes I wonder)...

But Tuesday night, we watched a video called "Birth as we Know it" Can I just say I was so tickled! Talk about your over-the-top weird hippie spiritual off the beaten path video awesomeness! I mean the narration was done by a woman with a Russian accent! DELIGHTFUL!

It was actually a really great video for more than just those reasons - there was alot of great information, and it made me feel empowered, which I am certain was the whole point.

The really shocking part of the video was seeing an actual circumcision done!

WOW!

As Drew said - There are some things you just can't unsee...

If we were still on the fence regarding this issue, that moment would have decided it!

So Birthing Class 2 was great. And I am so excited about next week...Hypnobirthing (yup! more weird hippie stuff! And stuff I am very interested in too!)

Sugar Pumpkin

The baby is now about the size of a small pumpkin!

YEY!

He is rolling around and stretching and kicking so much. It's crazy. I'm going to miss when he's not in there anymore...of course then he'll be out here and I'll be busy feeding, changing, and playing with him =)

Oh he also gets hiccups. I wonder if they tickle him as much as they tickle me?

I'll have new belly picks up soon. Promise =)

30 Weeks

Only 10 weeks left!
or 70 days...

Just wow...

FINALLY!

Yesterday afternoon someone who didn't previously know I was pregnant realized I was pregnant!

Not a stranger, but a lady who workd at DeVry. It was pretty funny too because I thought she knew. But I came out of the bathroom and she said "Hi" as usual, then stared at me for a second and then said "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE PREGNANT!"
Too funny!
I laughed and said "Haven't you noticed me getting fatter every time I walk by your office?" LOL*
Shows how much people pay attention right? =P

But it made me very happy - Finally someone who didn't know...saw me and knew =D

Birthing Class

Drew and I went to our first birthing class last night. This first class was more of an overview of what we will be doing the next 5 weeks. It was pretty cool though. There are three other couples in the class, all of them will be giving birth at the birth center, and all are having their first baby.

I am really looking forward to learning all the techniques, and perhaps getting rid of some of my fears.

Plus, it is a really good bonding experience I think =)

Baby on the brain...

The new session of school starts in just 2 weeks. I am so not feeling it!

I have barely made it through this session, in fact I procrastinating right now instead of working on a paper that was actually due last night *sigh*

My head just is not in it.

And work? My god I do not want it right now! I want to get the house ready, I want to bake things, I want to get the baby's room ready, read book to help me even get an idea of what it takes to raise a person...I do not want to sit and do nothing at work half the day, sure I get paid for sitting and doing nothing, but that is not really helping me feel ready to be a mother...expect maybe learning the all important lesson - we can't always do what we want to do.

I wish I could take this session off.

All I can say is that I hope my new course is not too work intensive. If it is...I fear for my A very much!

It wasn't even this bad up to the wedding...sure I was distracted, but nothing like this...

I definitely have nothing but baby on the brain.

The Belly Brace...Get One!

We like to go on little hiking walks, especially on the weekends. But it has been getting much harder for me to walk for a long time, especially on uneven ground. I have a friend who got a belly brace and said it's awesome. She uses it mostly for cleaning. Since I am getting very spoiled in that regard right now, I really just need it for walking. Then I started thinking, maybe I don't need on at all.

There are two kinds - the ultimate strap-tastic could hold up an elephant's belly braces, and simple bands that snap or velcro just under the belly. But really...the super strapy one looks too complicated and made me break out in a a sweat just looking at all that thick itchy fabric, and the simple one, well what good could it really do?

The lady in Motherhood Maternity let me try one on...Holy cow!!!! I felt as if I lost 5lbs! It was fantastic...

So if you are ever in the market for a belly brace - I highly reccomend one, and the simple one at that!

It is heavenly =D

29 Weeks!

Which means about 77 days left!

I try not to think about that though...it is all going by so fast!

I am really going to miss the kicks and hiccups...and even the odd rolls. 

Though, I am starting to reach that point of getting a bit uncomfortable, especially when there is some body part stuck in my ribcage...I still really am getting the hang of this pregnancy thing, and I am so not ready for the next phase "mommyhood"

The Belly at 28.5 Weeks

The shirt says "Good things come in large bellies" =)

The 3rd Trimester

Here I am! 28 weeks!
Since I am way behind on photos I will post some to mark my entrance into the last part of pregnancy.
How did this happen so fast!? Sometimes it still feels like I just found out I was pregnant...and now there are only 12 weeks left!
12 weeks...
wow...

Some cool things - the belly is now interactive! A friend of mine told me that you can put stuff on your belly and the baby will try to kick it off...so we tried it last night. OMG! Coolest thing ever! Mom, Drew and I sat around putting items on the belly and watched with utter glee as the baby kicked, rolled, and poked at the items! It really was so cool =D

Also, people are commenting more and more on how pregnant I look, or how great I look pregnant =P It makes me really happy. I don't think it is even so much the compliments (though they are very nice) or the fact that people are actually seeing that I am pregnant (no strangers yet though, maybe next week) but the fact that people are so excited! Babies are just little bundles of joy...it is hard not to smile when you see one...

I think it is really cool to be able to be the bringer of sunshine into a sometimes stormy world.

Endings and beginnings

I recently (this past Monday) lost Smoky. He was my mom's Siberian Husky and Samoyed mix dog, but he became everyone's dog. He had a much longer life than most dogs his size, so we were blessed in that respect. It just made me think about mortality, and bringing life into this world. I am so blessed again that Sandi and I are having our Patrick Pumpkin. I've also fully enveloped myself in the belief that death is only the beginning of a greater journey, one that we are only preparing for in this life.


The pumpkin will move and kick now when I talk to him, even if I'm speaking a few feet away. It brings me joy every time I feel or see the belly move and bump. There're no words to express the feeling of knowing that the life being built is yours to shape and mould into a human being, who then gets to go into the world and make their mark. I hope that all my children get a better start than I had (which will be pretty tough to top, because my 'rents are awesome).

Am I in the right restroom?

So here is my question - how old is too old for a boy to be in the girl's bathroom? I mean I realize when they are really young, if daddy isn't around and you have to go, or the little one has to go, you're going in the girl's room. But what if he's tall enough to reach the sink on his own to wash his hands? What if he's 8? 9?10? or older...isn't it about time for him to potty all on his own?

I'm just asking because the kid I just saw in the restroom with his family had to be atleast 10...weirdest part, his older brother was standing outside the restrooms waiting for them...
Um....????....

It is very hard to have my zen potty break when I am listening to a boy talking in the girl's room...just weird...

27 Weeks

According to some I have now entered my third trimester. According to me, I've not actually hit it until next week...regardless...time is certainly moving along...too quickly!

There is so much I need to get done before the baby arrives...I really wish I didn't have to go to work anymore and could just concentrate on getting ready.

I just have to work around it for now, and take shorter naps and push on through the sleepies...

It is weird - I have to rest, but not so much that nothing gets done...difficult balance.

I'll have pictures up tomorrow. I don't think they belly has grown too much over the last few weeks, maybe the photos will prove otherwise.

On my way to Kentucky to visit my dad, I told the ticket agent I was pregnant, but had a note to travel and he said "Oh but you can't be that far along..." I tried to remain polite, but he got a bit of the stink-eye when I informed him I was almost in my third trimester...

Why is it people still can't tell that I am definitely pregnant? Grrr!

Where is that annoying stranger who comes up and asks a billion questions while invading my space and touching my stomache?

Maybe next week?

I feel pretty good though, and I have gotten a few comments from people who know I am pregnant. Things about having a glow and looking good and all that. That's very nice. I do very much appreciate those...especially as I begin to feel more and more round...and frumpy...it is nice to know that even if I can't see it, there is a glow about me =)