30 Week Prenatal Appointment

2 weeks ago, I saw a different doctor in the practice as mine was out on vacation.  Today, I got to meet with Dr. Hollister again - who I love - and things still are looking great!  She has commented a few times now about how nice it is to see someone with such an easy pregnancy - and I tell her that I am VERY happy to be the one to show it to her :)

The highlights:

• 30 weeks along
• 21 pounds gained.  It's funny, because mine and her calculations are off by 3 pounds.  She is measuring me from my weight last September when I had my last annual check up, and I am measuring from my weight in January - apparently I had put on a few holiday lbs ;)  But my official pregnancy weight gain IS 21 pounds.
• Ben is HEAD DOWN - good job Ben!  She said that he could move still over the next few weeks, but that it would be a very noticeable (to me) somersault to get him out of this position. 
• I'm measuring right where I'm supposed to be (whatever that means)
• We discussed the fact that Greg and I have decided to not participate in child birth classes.  We went back and forth on the matter a few times, but eventually we sort of want to enjoy these last few weeks and not add another obligation to our already busy schedules.  She said that she was totally fine with that, and was happy to hear that I have been reading up on the subject.  I also am very lucky to have had several friends who have had babies, some of them very recently, who have shared their experiences.  We will not be going into this experience without a general idea of what to expect.
• She asked if Greg will want to cut the cord, to which I responded, "oh God, no".  Then I realized that I don't think he and I have discussed this?  My assumption is no, but shoot - he can cut it if he wants.  She said she will ask again at the birth - no rush to decide.
• We discussed my birth plan.  I would sum it up as "very loose" (I've since been told this may be a poor choice of words....let's change that to "very go-with-the-flow") and "highly medicated".  She seemed to like the fact that I was really going into this trusting her opinion on what needs to be done without a specific and detailed idea of what I think "should" happen.
• She asked if we want to have him circumcised, which we do, and said she would be doing that before we are discharged from the hospital - apparently about 8 hours after his birth.  Rough day for Ben!
• We talked about breastfeeding a little, which I plan to do (or attempt).  I'm reading a book on the subject in efforts to prepare myself ahead of time.

I think that about covers it! 

30 Weeks!

Hippie Prego

How far along: 30 weeks.  3/4 done with this pregnancy.  10 weeks to go (or as several people have reminded me...maybe 9, or 8, or 7...or shoot, maybe 12!).  Insane.
Weight gain: 21 lbs.  (Okay, 21.5) ;)
How big is baby: 15.7 inches long and 3 pounds (and surrounded by a pint and a half of amniotic fluid - no wonder my stomach feels heavier)!
Maternity clothes:  This doesn't even need to be a question on my survey anymore.   
Stretch marks: So far, no.
Sleep: Sleeping good.
Best moment this week: It was really, really nice to have 3 days off - from both working and teaching yoga!  My mom and I went out and purchased some cubbies and bins for the closets in the nursery, which was something I needed to get checked off the list.  I have organized his current wardrobe into sizes, and I'm looking forward to organizing the rest of his things once we get them!

We purchased and have installed an air conditioner (YAY) to keep the upstairs cool over the next couple months, and we spent the 4th of July hanging out with our friends.  I also have made a point to get lots of exercise in this week in an attempt to clear my increasingly cluttered, chaotic and emotional brain :)  Side note - walking long distances has become a challenge!  I have had to slow my pace WAY down.  On Wednesday night, I was able to make last minute plans to walk Greenlake and have dinner with my best friend Lisa, who recently moved to Seattle!  Lisa and I grew up essentially sharing a backyard in Brier, and this week we were talking about how we have not lived this close since before she went off to college at Gonzaga!  I'm SO happy to have her close to me again - and Ben will be happy to have his Aunt Lisa just a short drive away.
Movement: Seemingly constant.
Food Cravings:  With the beautiful and warm weather we have had, popsicles have been a favorite! 
Labor Signs: No, but I am experiencing an occasional braxton hicks contraction while out on my walks.
Belly button in or out: Out.
What I miss: Feeling normal.
What I'm looking forward to: Even though it is a month away, I'm starting to really look forward to our weekend trip to Victoria!

A summer pregnancy - the silver lining

Greg FINALLY agreed to buy an air conditioner!  (Did he really have a choice)? ;)

Picture Collage

We are in the final stages of the nursery now.  A few more things to hang or paint, a few more things to move around, a final deep cleaning (from a yet to be scheduled cleaning service that I purchased on Living Social awhile back - YES) and all we will need is baby Ben to put in there.

There is one more project that I would like to do, and that is to create a picture collage on the wall above the crib.  Back in an earlier post, I had mentioned that my friend Rachel was helping me to come up with a vision for how I wanted the nursery to look.  She had come across this blog and loved the collage that they created, and I do too!  Check out a few pictures here:

I already have 3 framed pictures to include in this collage, and a few other small items that I plan to frame.  I'm now in the hunt for a "B" and any other cute pictures (similar to what is shown above) that would fit in nicely.  I would also like to frame a photo of Ben's hands or feet (once he is out) and include that.

Hormone City

Oh boy.

It's probably common knowledge that pregnancy can lead to "mood swings", "irritability" and being extra emotional overall.  I had kind of expected to have a few moments of this, but I had No. Idea. what I was in store for.  I would say that the last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster in my brain.  Go ahead and ask anyone that I talk to on a daily basis for verification of this, and I'm certain they will back me up. 

For the first two trimesters, I felt normal (mostly).  I think during the first 12 weeks, I was still getting used to the idea of being pregnant!  I had not told work yet and was a little stressed about what their reaction would be.  Plus, while extremely happy and excited, I was very aware of all of the changes that would be happening in our lives when a baby arrived.  I can be a bit of a control freak, and all of these out-of-control situations were about to become part of my life.  Once my maternity leave plan was established, my return-to-work situation was somewhat mapped out, and we were able to have some reassurance that things were developing healthfully with Fetus Ben, I was able to relax and enjoy myself a lot more.  (And I still maintain that yoga and making sleep a top priority has been the key to my feeling physically good for so long). 

Fast-forward to now (and the past couple weeks):  I feel like I am going crazy a lot of the time.  It's as if I am sitting on the edge of tears, and I never know what will make me cry, (or utterly tick me off).  I'm having a hard time relating to this person I have become.  It can (okay, it HAS) been something as simple as receiving a poorly phrased (yet well intentioned) text message from my poor husband, or being unable to find the tape measure I needed around the house, that will nearly send me off the deep end.  I constantly find myself asking Greg, "what is that supposed to mean" when he says something in a tone that I didn't like, or being totally irritated that he ate the rest of the salami (gross) that I had wanted to have for a snack later.

I'm blogging this in hopes that I can look back on it and laugh and how ridiculous this all really is.  I also hope that any of my friends who are or who become pregnant will be able to read this and relate to it if they  when they go through something similar.  I am lucky to have some of the world's greatest friends and family who have been able to listen to me, allow me to vent, and most importantly share their own experiences with this.  They have all reassured me that I am NOT crazy, that a lot of the burden of being pregnant (obviously) falls on us as women, and that there can be some tough times (and likely more to come).

I am lucky to be married to someone as amazing as Greg.  While he may not completely understand how my mood can swing from high to low in a matter of seconds, he is always there to give me a hug, make me laugh, rub my back, and tell me that everything is going to be okay.  He also is going to make for a spectacular father, which I cannot wait to witness.  I honestly could not (and would not) have done this without him.

So, there you go. 

My therapist friend Rachel, after hearing me out for the millionth time on this subject, reminded me of this quote from Knocked Up:

"F you, hormones.  You're a bitch, hormones".

Dreaming of Baby

I hear all the time about how crazy your dreams can be while you are pregnant...but so far, nothing has seemed too out of the ordinary.  I don't tend to have weird dreams in general.  As Greg sleeps next to me, dreaming of packs of wolves chasing him and other types of random physical attacks, I tend to dream more about normal, every day things that happen - like arriving at work, answering emails, etc.  Boring?  Maybe.

Until last night that is.  For the first time since being pregnant, I had the WEIRDEST dream about the baby.  As I have mentioned in my weekly updates, Fetus Ben has been very active lately.  His kicks can sometimes hurt, especially when it feels like he is kicking in the exact same spot repeatedly.  I think that is where my dream stemmed from...

I dreamt that I was laying in bed, getting kicked non stop, and it felt like it was at the top of my right leg.  I looked down to see that he had somehow gotten his foot out of my uterus and down above my leg.  I could see the entire shape of his foot outlined under my skin and I had to physically shove it back up to where it belonged.  !!! 

Then, I looked down at my stomach and it was like looking through a window.  There I was, looking directly at my baby at 29 weeks, and he was looking right back at me.  I called to Greg to come and see him, and once he arrived he freaked out and how weird and kind of gross it was to see a non-fully-developed baby inside my stomach.  And then I cried that he didn't love our son.

And this morning when I woke up, while I totally remember every detail, I cannot remember at ALL what he looked like.

I'm sure he was super cute :)

29 Weeks!

How far along: 29 weeks
Weight gain: TBD next Friday at my doctors appointment.  Let's say 20.  They say it's normal to gain 1 lb a week in the last trimester....and I guess I'm feeling "normal".
How big is baby: 2 and a 1/2 pounds (gained a whole 1/4 pound this week!) and over 15 inches long.  Apparently all of this fast growth happening right now is causing him to steal more and more of my nutrients!  According to Baby Center: To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.  I suppose that is reason enough for me to suffer and take the dreaded iron supplements my doctor has prescribed.  It's also a good excuse to enjoy more cereal - a new craving of mine.
Maternity clothes:  Yes!  I made another quick trip to Forever 21 this week.  I spent $35 and got 4 items to incorporate into my "maternity" wardrobe (see above). 
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Sleep has been good again this week.  My days have been so full between preparing for my departure from work and with teaching yoga that I am totally wiped out when bed time comes.
Best moment this week: True Blood season 4 started. :)
Movement: Oh yes.  I get a nice rib jab on a daily basis these days.  Despite how uncomfortable it can be, I'm going to miss this feeling when Ben is on the outside.  I'm also really wondering what position he is in.  I would say the majority of his kicks seem to be about 2 inches up and to the side of my belly button, so would that mean he is head down and feet up?
Food Cravings: Fruit cravings are dwindling (at least from my extreme obsession with them over the past few months).  Cereal - specifically Honey Bunches of Oats and Kashi Cinnamon Harvest - and cheeseburgers (sans bun) are at the top of the list this week.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: Out.
What I miss: A smaller chest, my waist, jogging (or even walking at my normal pace), and wine.
What I'm looking forward to: The THREE DAY WEEKEND!