Has it really been almost a month since I posted? Time is passing too quickly. Sunday marked 33 weeks pregnant... so a baby will be here in 7 weeks, give or take a few days. It's such a strange thought. And I'm not ready! There are still things to buy and things to clean and things to organize. I'm just so tired when I get home from work that I don't want to do anything except sit. In the past month or so, husband has painted the nursery (light gray walls, so lovely) and put together the crib. I've done the baby laundry, but I haven't folded or organized it. I still haven't made any art for the walls or finished the mobile for over the crib. I've barely done anything at all. I feel guilty about it, but I'm honestly so tired all the time. A quick game of catch up. In the past few weeks: Baby has started hiccuping. It's seriously the silliest, funniest feeling and I LOVE it. It's just a rhythmic bumping that happens once or twice a day (that I've noticed) and can continue for several minutes. Sometimes he gets all kicky in the middle of them, and sometimes he's just completely relaxed and chill. SPD pain has gotten intense. My pelvis sometimes feels like I'm breaking in half, splitting open from the crotch up. Sometimes when I go from sitting to standing, I literally cannot move or breathe for several moments because of the intensity of the pain. I have to stand there for a while before I can start walking, and even then it hurts so much I hold my breath but I can't just be all dramatic and grabbing my crotch at work, so I tough it out. I'm worried about how bad it will get over the next 7ish weeks... My bump is officially past my boobs, which is nice. It makes me look "cutely pregnant" according to my coworkers, and makes my rack look a lot less... uhm, obscenely large. Cutest new thing is that baby notices and startles now when my joints pop. :) He can be sleeping soundly, and my knees or hips or back will pop and he jumps and then goes on a karate kicking rampage in there. I can just imagine him being all "Moooommmm, I was sleeping!" Husband finally tried on the Beco Gemini carrier and I tried on my Baby K'tan wrap to make sure they fit. To test them out, we used the fat dog, who weighs about 8.5lbs. She loved being in them! And I LOVE how the Baby K'tan fits. I will likely review it more thoroughly after I use it some, but so far the only negative is how thick the fabric is (it gets very warm very quickly) which shouldn't be a bad thing when I'm carting baby boy around this winter. By summer next year, I may get a lighter, breezier carrier though. We met the pediatric group that we'll be seeing last week. I don't know if we met our actual doctor, as there are lots and we'll generally see everyone at the practice here and there, but I loved their policies. A separate well and sick waiting room. Mandatory vaccinations, with no religious or philosophical exemptions. And they hammered home the importance of keeping germs away from infants, which was something my husband wasn't sure about (he believes exposure is good, and I agree but I said not when the baby is that small). And they were just really, really nice. It made me feel confident about going there with my little guy. And finally, we had our very last ultrasound on Friday. Baby had cysts in his brain at our 17 week scan, which can be a soft marker for genetic problems... or it can be developmentally normal. So they re-checked and his brain is just perfect. Perfect little guy. And my partial placenta previa has cleared up, so I'm clear for laboring naturally. No c-section for me (unless he flips breech, I guess, since right now he's head-down but you never know). OH! AND! One of my very best friends found out she's pregnant too! She's due near the beginning of April and I'm so excited for her! She's kind of in a weird place emotionally, which I told her I understand (after all, I went a little crazy when I was first pregnant) but I can't help but be 100% excited. She and her husband will make such good parents and I can't wait for our kids to meet. They'll be right around 6 months apart. How exciting is that?? Size of babe: My little guy measured at around 4lbs 5oz at our scan on Friday and is on track to be around 7.5-8lbs at full term! I don't know exactly how long he is, but average is around 17 inches. :) He's getting so big.
Maternity Clothes: I still haven't bought anything new. I'm refusing. My non-maternity tanks are officially too short to cover the bottom of my tummy now.
Nursery: Husband painted. The gray is so perfect. He also put the crib together, and I washed and put the sheets on it. It's adorable and I go in there sometimes just to imagine what things will be like with my little boy on the outside.
Sleep: I've been getting up to pee more often now. I must have been up 8-9 times last night. Luckily, I don't have work today or I'd be wiped out. (Though, unluckily, I don't have work today which means next paycheck is going to be pathetic...)
What I miss: I miss being in control of my body. I miss being able to move easily and without pain, being able to lay on my stomach, or on my side without pain.
Best moment this week: Overall best moments of the past several weeks have just been when my husband is extra loving toward me. He's been so gentle and sweet and loving and understanding lately. He tells me I'm pretty and he loves my pregnant body and doesn't get upset when I can't help around the house. He helps get things ready for baby and tries to protect both of us. He makes me feel so safe and loved. I'm a lucky lady. Worst moment this week: I had a slight personality clash with my mother-in-law over email. I think it'll take time for her to realize/understand that the decision-making unit here is me and my husband, not her and her son. I almost never (like, I can't remember a single time in the more than six years since I've been with my husband) speak in a direct manner toward her, even when she says something I find offensive or rude, but this past week, I had to be very firm about the fact that when my husband and I make decisions, we make them together after a lot of thought and research and discussion. I told her so in an email, and I'm worried she was offended, but I think boundaries have to be set from the beginning. I didn't say it outright, but I wanted to convey that any decision he and I make together is not up for debate and it's inappropriate of her to try to convince one or the other of us that our decision needs to change. If/When she tries it again, I'll have to be even more firm I know, and knowing that has been making my anxiety soar this week.
Looking forward to: Honestly, this week I've mostly been looking forward to just meeting my little guy. I know I have around 7ish weeks left, but I'm so excited to meet him. We got to see him opening and closing his mouth on the ultrasound, and covering his face with his arm/hand. Husband saw him kicking my stomach from the outside and he started giggling in the ultrasound room. We saw that he has a little hair and I think he has my lips. I'm so excited to meet him.
Cravings: No real cravings. Just generally want everything I see or hear about. But there's such little room in there (there's a baby butt pushing on my stomach!) that I don't eat much lately.
Symptoms: TMI here, but the constipation has been intense. I didn't poop for almost 6 days last week. And the SPD pain has been a bit much, too. Hurts to sit, stand, walk, lie down, roll over... everything hurts.
