31 weeks - another day...another ounce

Sheeesh, I don't like the sound of that title, especially considering the how the scale has been tipping, yikes!
This is what is happening in my uterous this week =)

Fetal development in pregnancy week:
Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around!

Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

And how's mom doing? Have you felt anything you suspect might be contractions already? Braxton-Hick contractions are part and parcel of the second half of pregnancy and lucky for you, become more frequent during the third trimester. Cleverly dubbed “false labor” contractions, these spasms are an obnoxious fake-out and shouldn't be confused with premature labor. The fun part of having BH contractions is that it’s not unusual for them to be painful... and by fun, we mean “why oh why, does the third trimester mean everything is uncomfortable?” Still, just a heads up: if you notice the contractions more than four times in one hour, or even more glamorous—changes in your vaginal discharge, call your healthcare practitioner right away.

As for other third-trimester niceties; your nipples may be engaging in a bit of “pre-milk” expulsion at the most untimely moments. So next time you’ve got yourself a pair of damp head-lights in the grocery store, just go ahead and purchase the nursing pads to protect your clothes, bras, and any remaining shreds of dignity you can salvage.

As your magical growing baby obstinately refuses to shrink or give back any real-estate in your belly, you can sit back, "relax," and take in the heartburn and increased lower back pain. If you choose, you can always eat less with each meal, and instead opt for smaller more frequent meals, this should help the heartburn. As for your poor back, get off your feet and elevate them above your heart, double-check the names list, and how many key baby-items you’ve already got in your registry. If you’re lucky, you might just make it in less than eight weeks! Hang in there wonder-mom, we believe in you!

these are a few of my favorite things

You know the christmas song, well, here is the pregnancy list:
chocolate milk
peanutbutter and banana sandwiches, actually I like it on one piece of bread, toasted is great too!
pudding - vanilla or chocolate or banana, hmmmm
cherry limeades
french dip and swiss toasted subs from Arby's
orange juice
chips and salsa or queso
blt's
pizza - cheese, pepperoni, hamburger, hawaiian, taco, even a fruit dessert pizza, yum, I'll take whatever!
truely, I think I could go on and on, I'm reeeeeally liking food right now, ugh, I wonder how much of that will show on the scale next week at my appointment, eek!

Ah, the lil bean has hiccups, how cute is that? And remember to vote if you haven't, only 1 day left =)

30th week - goodbye monkey baby, hello roly

Fetal development in pregnancy week 30:
The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long.

And how's mom doing? On a very serious note: you should make sure to determine both you and your baby’s blood type. It’s extremely important for everyone. In the case that you and your maturing babe’s blood types don’t match there’s a chance you could produce antibodies that could potentially attack and harm a future fetus. It is rare, but with modern medicine, the problem is easily corrected and little cause for concern if dealt with properly.

As for the ongoing joys of being in your third trimester: your not-so-fun symptoms are just intensifying this week, so it might not hurt to slow down a bit and focus on yourself. If you’re feeling extra fatigued, you’ve probably joined the sleeping shouldn’t be this tough when I’m this tired club, especially if you’re experiencing a lot of back pain and general discomfort. If you’ve been pushing the exercise thing, then this is the time perhaps to cut down on the physical activities and focus more on getting proper sleep (if this means buying a pregnancy pillow, then do it!). Oh and all that moodiness? Just go with the flow emotionally. This doesn't mean letting the hormones win and becoming a complete psychotic. Instead, feel the feelings, but know that the drama you’re feeling is largely a result of increased adrenaline thanks indirectly to hormonal swings—not because things really are that dramatic and merit adult temper tantrums. The clincher symptom for this week: it’s highly likely your libido has gone on sabbatical. This, as far as we’re concerned, is perfectly natural in your condition.

And the growing belly:

an all too familiar routine

Yesterday was the first day of school, and it was most likely my last first day of school as a teacher for a VERY long time. Truthfully, I'm shady about beginnings, I was just ready to have that first day under my belt, and it is. When I rolled out of bed (literally!), drudged to the bathroom, turned on my favorite radio station for the morning show, and stepped in the shower, I was reminded very suddenly of all too familiar routine. I am a routine person. I normally do the same thing in the same way everyday. So, when I fell back in step so naturally with what I do every morning, I was reminded that this is my life for the next 9 months or so. Yikes. But I love it. I do. Or I wouldn't have went back.

The children were great! It is so fun to see their excited lil faces on the first day of school, so much anticipation =) Hopefully, they were not diappointed; so much is built up about going to school for the first time and the first day of school. Today should be a more organized and 'routine' day for the lil kiddos. I'm sure I'll have some interesting stories to share, they keep my life bouncing!

randomness

Truthfully, it doesn't seem like much is going on my life and yet it is absolutely crazy and can be overwhelming all the same. I was chatting with a friend today and just told her, I'm taking it one thing at a time. School starts tomorrow. I'm pretty much ready. There is a few things to do this evening, but overall, I feel much more organized and ready than I did a week ago. I put in some loooooong hours this week. I'm not complaining, I did it to myself. I played all summer, which was just oodles and oodles of fun, and dedicated the last week before school started to school =)
Now that school is starting and I will fall into a routine, I can focus on other things. First things first - Heart to Heart. We have our first meeting in September and while I have it pretty much under control, it will feel better once everything is spelled out and the first meeting is underway.
Then onto the housing front. Because I pretty much have NO CONTROL whatsoever about what is going on within (or without) these four walls, I just slap a happy smile on my face and go with it. Or at least I pretend to. Did I mention that the other day we did make a day trip to buy some carpet for the bean's nursery? So, things are moving, slowly but moving nonetheless. My goal tentatively is to have whatever it is that we are going to be doing with our nursery done by the first weekend of October. That gives me a few weeks to get everything else under control. However, I have learned not to get too comfortable in my plans. Things shift around here quite a bit and I'm ever-so-quickly learning to be flexible and go with the flow. It certainly has increased my knowledge on the stable fact that God is in control of every circumstance and He is working things out for my good. There is something I would like to share, but it will wait until I know more. I am just trusting God that in His timing things tend to work out better than in my own. So...that is where I'm at.
I told my friend today that when people start conversing with me, it's always, "Hi, how's the pregnancy? How are you feeling? Doing okay? School's about to start, you ready? What are you going to do when you have the baby? (to that question I have an itch to say, whelp, hopefully push it out, but I don't!) Are you going to keep working? Who's taking your position? How's the nursery? Is it all together?" And that is when I draw the line. Please, please, please don't ask about the nursery, it sends me into an emotional crisis 3/4th of the time. Not really, but it's like that is the one thing that isn't quite under control yet, but it's getting there, and it just makes me nervous trying to explain that to everybody. It's getting there. And then people just stare at me.
So, yeah, my life is bananas right now, but I'm going with it, and my motto is "If it doesn't kill ya, it'll make you stronger!"

And with the baby, this bean is growing like crazy. I can definitely tell that I'm getting bigger, or have gotten bigger in like the past week or so. And my belly is getting considerably harder, like all the time =) And the bean no longer limits it's crazy dancing and yoga routine to evenings, it's pretty much an all-day thing, and it is so cool =) I must admit that I've had a good pregnancy and don't have too much to complain about. I get really excited just thinking about my lil bean...

Oh, please pray for my dear friend Alicia, she reeeeeeally needs to crack out her kiddlet, as she's 40 weeks pregnant, ready to have her baby and she doesn't seem to be making much progress. She'll make a wonderful mom and besides, this world could certainly use another cute bean =) I'm thinking it's a girl, but they don't know yet, so that is just another reason to get it here ASAP!

go ahead and do it

take my POLL and VOTE, let your voice be heard!!!