32 Weeks

WOW I am so big and heavy and totally done feeling like this. Hopefully (sort of) it will be eight more weeks of the same, so... here we go. I weigh in (at home anyway) at 150 now. The highlight of my life right now is that my doctor spent like ten minutes telling me how I have gained the perfect amount through the whole pregnancy, and how was I staying so thin, and yada yada... probably the second best day ever, first going to the doctor who did the ultrasound saying that Ben was "perfect". I don't feel thin, for the record. And my belly does not look small. But according to doc, I gained like fifteen pounds so far, and thats great. Also, for the record I had nothing to do with this. I eat reasonably, but I don't exercise and I can really put away some ice cream and mexican food. (Ben's favorite lately). So, really, I could have gained sixty. Maybe it was my consolation prize for the two years of infertility, when I used to pray for something, anything, to be easy.

Well, there it is. Hopefully its not my only get-out-of-jail free card, Evon recently told me that Scott had colic and there was nothing you could do for that, just walk him while he cried. Yikes, praying Ben won't have colic. And both of us were jaundiced at birth, so hoping that won't happen either. On the good news side, Scott was only six pounds! Although he had a huge head (for that huge brilliant brain), so we will see how that pans out. I don't remember being a big baby either, but you never know with Ben. Maybe we will be one of those families in Christmas cards with the two short parents and one 6 foot tall kid.

We went to a beautiful, wonderful wedding last weekend, but it was just too much for me. The heat and humidity was brutal for me and I started having lots of contractions the next day, and some nausea Monday morning (on my birthday, boo!). I called my doctor and he is having me do some urine and bloodwork to make sure its not an early sign of pre-eclampsia. I'm sure its fine, I feel much better this morning, and my blood pressure has always been completely normal. But, I should definitely take it easy. I get so frustrated by my physical limits, and just not being able to do the simple things I used to, but that's part of the deal, and it's better to be a loaf than to make myself sick. In theory. So this weekend (a baby shower with my girls in the bay) will be my last trip, only about three hours away. Then I will hang out at home and just try to be as comfortable as I can be until Ben comes. There is plenty or organizing and decorating to get done around here, anyway.

So on that note, another week conquered! Can't wait for Ben to be here!

31 Weeks

This was last weekend at our little 4th of July celebration. We sang the anthem super loud and our neighbors joined in! We jumped and danced around with sparklers and just had a generally great time.

I am about 143 this week, and my belly measures 40"! I am super tired all the time and just want to lay on the couch. I can't fit very much food into my stomach so its tough to come up with tiny little meals that I want to eat. Its tough to muster the energy to do very much at all. Which is why it was so sweet of my husband to design a date at home for our 4 year wedding anniversary! Last night he made me a three course meal: bread with garlic dip, a fresh beautiful salad and then pistachio crusted chicken on mashed potatoes. It took him about an hour to cook it all, and he had looked up a recipe and everything! What a sweetie. We watched a movie and I got to lay on him and cuddle the whole time. It was very romantic and the ideal anniversary, in my opinion. I love that guy!

30 Weeks

Can't... BREEEATHE!! Ben is taking up valuable lung real estate. Suffocating in my own body!

Eating: Lots of fiber, which is helpful, and I have found my talent for quickly inhaling large amounts of ice cream is done and gone. I can't fit it in my tummy anymore, and then afterward I feel like I stuck gum in my gears. That pretty much goes for any large amounts of sugar. And anything worth eating gives me heartburn, anyway. Even bread and avocados! Bummer.
Energy: Suuuper tired, heavy breathing and I can hardly get across the room without needing to lie down, lol. Its pretty embarrassing. Hopefully my last ten weeks won't all be like this.
Weight: 145 and climbing as we speak, I'm sure.
Belly: My piercing is perfectly happy now. I keep a bandaid over it so it won't catch on anything, but everything is good as long as I agree to return to our old deal of live and let live. I got two very faint stretch marks, which you can't see at all really, but I consider them badges of honor. This is only the beginning I'm sure.
Sleep: I sleep for longer stretches (10+ hrs) but sleep is probably a strong term. I'm sometimes just laying there awake for an hour and a half at times... but that Snoogle is a lifesaver. I wish I had one on each side. Turning just my belly over to my other side is already a 2 minute comedy sketch, not to mention trying to drag the Snoogle along under the sheet and blanket... picture a fish flopping around on land. My coordination isn't the best. I have been very pleased with our new bigger bed for awhile now, but in the very recent past its become completely impossible to sleep on anything smaller. So spoiled.
Things I Did: We had a couples shower for the locals and invited some friends from down south, so we had the Schmalbachs and Emily and Kirby in town all weekend! Heaven!! It was a complete blast. Our hosts, Kevin and Amy, were incredible. Their place is just beautiful and they are the most warm and charming people, we are so lucky to have them. Steph, Emily, Hannah and Bond did all the set up and clean up, with Scott helping, too. I was very spoiled and enjoyed myself to the max. It was so great to see all of our friends, and in such a mellow atmosphere. We played Bocce and chatted, and Kevin and Amy got us a cake from the Madonna Inn. If you haven't tried one you haven't lived. I may overdose on that cake before the weekend is over. It was another perfect day with all the great people that love Ben already. He is a very lucky kid.

29 Weeks

Eating: This week I pretty much sat around eating fruit, fruit, metamucil, another 2 pints of water, an egg, more fruit, etc. Didn't make much of a difference. Then I finally let myself eat good food at the baby shower!
Energy: Getting more tired.
Weight: 143
Belly: This week I am trying to figure out how to get my piercing to be happy again. It was a little pink when I first changed it, but was getting better, then my doctor suggested I make it into a ring because he thought the metal irritated my skin. Well that helped it get caught on my clothing and now its really angry because it got yanked around a bunch. So now its under a bandaid so I can try to keep it out of trouble. Hopefully it will start to get better.
Sleep: Not great.
Things I Did: We had our first shower this weekend! It was a family shower, held up at Charlie and Sherri's. Sherri did an incredible job decorating, I took lots of pictures. We got an amazing amount of gifts, and they are all wonderful. Lots of great board books to read to Ben, blankets, toys, socks, our car seat, outfits. I can't wait to get it all out of the car this morning and set it up. I especially want to try my hand at the car seat. A little intimidated... And we got the family cradle that Charlie built when Katie was born. Its so beauiful and they found custom bedding to fit into it that is so beautiful. That was a very thoughtful gift! I couldn't have asked for more, and we can't wait to see them again for the holidays, this time with Ben in tow!

28 Weeks

Eating: I looooove ice cream. Suddenly, I love it a lot.
Energy: Great! Great, great, great.
Weight: 142
Belly: Big and round.
Sleep: It's alright. Turning over, with the belly, is a challenge. Kind of a big pain.
Things I Did: Recovering from the graduation festivities, Steph and I went shopping this week. That was awesome. I just love walking around downtown SLO in the summer. We got a stroller delivered yesterday! Wooo! Its a Baby Trend Jogger Expedition, a three wheeler. We put it together right away and love it. Scott has been working with Wayne and Lisa for almost five years now, and just loves them. It was a gift from them, and a huge wonderful surprise. I parked it in the living room so I can gaze at it for a few weeks. Our doctor's appointment went great, no problems. I am really excited about our baby shower next weekend, it will be so great to see the family. I can't wait to have Ben here with us, too. Just under three months to go!

27 Weeks

Steph graduated from Cal Poly!!! It was a very fun day. The weather was fabulous, the food was fabulous, and we got to spend a long day relaxing at Steph's house with friends, making toasts in their honor. I am so, so proud of her. Under unbelievable pressure and stress in her personal life, she pushed through the GRE, application process, and senior project to graduate cum laude, with two minors, and an acceptance to graduate school. She has stuffed many years of growth into just ten months, and in my opinion, can clearly accomplish anything.

I did my glucose test on Friday. It was really easy, no big deal. I didn't mind drinking the stuff, but wow, 50 grams of liquid sugar made me feel drunk. I was lightheaded sitting in the lab chair waiting for my blood to be drawn. Wooo what a ride. Then I occillated between a light headache, stomach ache and dizziness for a couple hours. My body is definitely not used to that much sugar!
Eating: The same, no real change. Just eating as I normally do, although I have been working in a ton more fruit this week after an especially large grocery trip. This is the week of heart burn! I just can't seem to get rid of it. And acid reflux burns my throat, and then I forget about it. So then later on when I eat something like a piece of tomato, I feel like its suddenly on fire.
Energy: Great! I've been getting up with Scott around seven and throwing together his lunch before he leaves, and getting out of the house around nine thirty the last couple of days and I've been handling it well. If I don't come home for a mid-day rest, however, I feel really lousy the next day. I am so blessed that I don't have a job right now!
Weight: 141, here we go again. Gaining and losing three pounds every other week, now?
Belly: Still big. I've been catching drips on it, seeing marks on it in the mirror that I had no idea were there, and running it into people. Its definitely large. In the middle of the night Scott still thinks he can roll backwards and lean on me like he used to do. This morning I had to explain again why the belly is not a body pillow: This here? This is where my stomach is. All this is the baby (he kicks me when you lay on him). And all of my organs feel like they are in the wrong spots. You can't lay on it.   :) He just likes to cuddle. Also, even when I am sitting up straight, my back still hurts. And the belly blocks some of the stretches I really, really want to do!
Sleep: Eh. I got sick of sleeping with a body pillow so I went without for a little while. My back started hurting more often, so its back in again. I have been having to get up a lot at night. Other than that, its been fine.
Things I Did: I went to the beach with Bond last weekend, and even went down to the water in my bikini, waggling my big belly back and forth for an extremely big crowd at Pismo Beach. It felt great to lay in the sun, but the sand felt hard as a rock! Thursday night was my friend Amy's birthday, and we went to get foot massages with a small group, and then sushi at Yanagi's. It was so fun. And those foot massages are amazing.I am looking forward to some rest time, and helping the house recover from graduation, before another rollercoaster of events starts up!

26 Weeks

Two more weeks until my third trimester!

Eating: I am having trouble gauging how much I can fit into my stomach. I have to stop while I am still hungry, otherwise I get WAY too full. Then I will be hungry again in about thirty minutes. My cravings have subsided, now I just eat whatever is around.
Energy: My energy is great. I am way more motivated than my body is capable. I want to stay out all day, running errand after errand, or standing around talking to friends, and my body gets tired way too fast. I will get sharp pains and cramping, and swelling, and have to be horizontal for a bit. I can only sit for so long at the computer or sewing machine before I can start to feel the pressure. But its hard to rest when you are on a roll or just having a great time!
Weight: 138.4. Phew, that four pounds last week kind of scared me.
Belly: I've been measuring, its still about the same as last week. I carry him pretty low and forward. Lots of room between my chest and the baby, which is great for breathing, not so great for the bladder. No stretch marks, dark lines, vericose veins, or anything like that, which I am trying not to get attached to. Its lovely for now, but you never know when those things might crop up. For now, I am loving my body.
Sleep: Its okay. Some nights I sleep pretty well and others I don't. I have very vivid, emotional dreams, and get up at least 2-3 times to go to the bathroom. Our bed is so wonderful.
Things I Did: Wow, what did I not do! Scott's parents were in town last weekend, and that was a blast. Then I was down for the count for a few days feeling yucky. Thursday night we had a dinner at Upper Crust with the IAB, basically a board of industry reps (Scott was there representing Lockheed) have a biannual meeting to advise the Computer Engineering department at Cal Poly. The next day Scott went to an all day meeting on campus for that, but then was called back home to solve a cat crisis (basically Chubba needed emergency care and I couldn't handle it by myself... it involved feces and cat wrangling...) Then that evening we went to the CE Banquet where Lockheed had sponsored a table. We got to meet some of the professors and kid around with the students, it was fun.

The next day (today) I had a baby brunch for my friend Amber, who is due July 1st, and besides the sudden heat (88 degrees at the beach!) it was so much fun. Amber's friends are all really sweet, there were a bunch of pregnant women there and I got to see most of the Howard family, they are so wonderful. So, I am exhausted, but good times! Steph graduates a week from today, so next on the agenda is preparing for that!