September 26, 2013

Almost 34 weeks pregnant

It's funny how very many people say, "I bet you're ready to be done with pregnancy!" at this point... because I don't feel that way really at all.  I mean, sure, I look forward to being 'comfortable' again, but I'm also still really enjoying being pregnant.  The other thing people always say is, "I bet you're feeling nervous about giving birth!" (or something similar), and I have NO way of relating to that statement.  This midwife/home birth journey has done amazing things for my sense of self and belief in my body... I feel like I even have my mind in a good spot if something were to happen and require a hospital transfer.  We've been doing Bradley classes as well.  While I feel like I am already in that sort of 'Bradley mind space', it's nice to get to know other couples seeking a natural birth, and it's fantastic for Nate to experience the vibe I've been feeling for the past 8 months (and learn how he can be an amazing birth coach).

So my belly is feeling very full and tight as of late, and I think that's mostly because baby has shifted to a more central position in my uterus... which is good, but it's definitely a different feeling.  The head still seems to be down, as it's been for the past couple of months, so hopefully baby just loves it like that and will avoid crazy flipping maneuvers.

We had an amazing Karnes/Burgess family shower, and then last weekend my friend Elise and sister-in-law Thea gave me a lovely friend shower.  It was so nice to have friends from different parts of my life in the same spot (but definitely missed those who couldn't make it).  I'd been really worried about having a shower without Nate there too (I hate having the attention on just me), but it was completely comfortable, which means I must have some very cool friends in my life.  Oh, and then Nate and I had a party that night and stayed up past 2 a.m. (that's a pretty big deal for this tired mama)!  Had to get one last 'party' in.  ;)

My mom took me shopping for some possible birthing outfits.  I know, I am a dork.  But I really wanted to be sure that I have a couple of options for something comfortable, cool, and somewhat cute...  Not for the photos (well, maybe a little) but just for my mind, so I don't need to focus on anything but the incredible laboring adventure.  I am also hoping we can keep our house in a state of psuedo-organization once we get closer to 40 weeks, as I don't want to have any mental blocks caused by un-finished business.  Luckily we have everything pretty much ready for our little one, so even if it happened early, we'd be able to handle all things baby (just maybe not the kitchen or the cleaning or the bookshelf reorganization, ha ha).

I had told myself that I wouldn't really give much weight to the whole "full term at 37" thing, because I want this baby baking as long as possible, but I can't help but think about the time left being in a time range now, rather than just thinking, "I have 6+ weeks left!"  A friend of mine was surprised by her little one arriving at 35 weeks (I think), and there's always that chance, no matter how unlikely statistically.  So I am trying to work ahead a great deal in my classes... JUST IN CASE.

Most guesses of baby's sex have been 'boy', due to people's gut feelings, my very 'boyish bump', etc.  I still don't really have any gut feeling myself, although I did dream that we had a baby girl complete with curly golden locks (too funny).  We shall see, and we shall be very happy with either!

We are headed up north to Lake City this weekend with my parents to visit our best family friends.  Very excited to being heading north during my favorite time of year.  I love fall so much.  Crisp air, sometimes-sunny skies, autumn colors everywhere.  I think we're going to go to the pumpkin patch up there too.


September 14, 2013

32 weeks pregnant... huge, happy, sneezy, uncomfortable, excited, etc.

I'll get my 32 week photo up here soon, but for now let's look at a jealous Bilbo cat instead...  That's a fabulous organic Baby K'tan carrier (not done up properly, fyi) I'm using.  I'd wondered if the size small would work, and I think it will definitely do the trick if it can manage a kitty boy.  :)

If you are a stranger (or friend, or even foe, I suppose), feel free to leave a comment on my blog entries.  I just finished my obsessive blog search "33 weeks pregnant blog" (I like to look at the week I'm coming up to), and I was thinking how I should really leave comments on the entries I so enjoy.

The last two nights I've woken up probably around 2 a.m. and not been able to go back to sleep for 2+ hours due to sneezing and nose-blowing.  Darn ragweed.  It's turning into my favorite season, and I can't fully enjoy it because I don't dare venture outside for too long.  I only just started feeling like I have a normal nose, and it's already 4 p.m. the following day!  Hopefully this ragweed season comes to an end soon.  It's tough adding that to an already rough night's sleep.

My walks to class have brought on Braxton Hicks like crazy.  I just try to grin and bear it and say, "It's great; my body's preparing for what's to come".  It's not painful, per se, just extremely uncomfortable.

Our weekends through October 6th have suddenly filled up with fun stuff.  We have our first baby shower tomorrow-- with Nate's extended family!  Then the next weekend I'm having a more traditional one thrown by a good friend and my sis-in-law, and that night we're having a hopefully huge house party to celebrate one of our last "pre-baby" days with friends.  It's funny to think back to last summer/fall, when we seemed to have friends over frequently for porch beers or late-night games.  I obviously was not pregnant then, and Nate was only taking a couple of classes, so we loved hosting impromptu gatherings.

I can't even express how relieved/lucky I feel that we're able to do this baby adventure during a time when I'm just taking classes (that aren't terribly tricky) and Nate is also just taking classes.  It means we are home way more than we'd be in any other situation.  And my classes are always night classes (and I'm actually going to try for an online one in the spring term), so I can sleep in and rest whenever needed.  And we've always been super frugal with money (splurging only on healthy groceries, for the most part, and going out to eat at local yummy places... oh yeah, and also things like a homebirth midwife, Bradley classes, and placenta encapsulation), so that won't be an issue.

It's kind of funny how I've never really been a big baby fan (and neither has Nate really), and quite honestly, I don't really even know if you could call me one now.  But it's so amazing how consuming it all becomes... I mean, I hardly ever think of much else, like an obsessed woman.  The cool thing is that a couple of friends of ours just had their first/only baby, and I imagine they are a bit like us, not the type to go baby crazy over other babies but excited and fascinated by their own.  I do wonder, though, if I'll start being more 'into' others' kiddos once I go through it myself, you know?  I have definitely had moments the past 8 months when I've thought back to how I reacted to friends' pregnancies... and I wish I had reached out more, asked more questions, been more interested in what was going on with them, etc.  But I think it's something that you just can't connect to without something similar to relate it to.

I've now gotten into the 'hungrier' part of pregnancy, perhaps because it feels like baby shifted down a bit, freeing up my stomach.  Whatever the reason, I can eat more in one go, and I am craving the unhealthier things (and usually not giving in).  The one thing I could eat and eat is crushed ice, so that's not terrible.  I think I'm going to be a big frozen drink fan once baby's out (think: margaritas, etc.).  But the other things I keep wanting are chocolate cake with sweet icing, ice cream, and cinnamon rolls.  And I don't even normally like chocolate cake!

And now I must stop this endless update.  RAMBLING is my new talent.


September 7, 2013

And we are getting closer...


I am actually at 31 weeks pregnant today, but haven't done my weekly photo yet.  Boy, my belly is sure out there now.  Feeling good still, though, which is a happy thing.

The strangest change in the past week has been how very very HEAVY I feel.  My abs are achy, and when I walk to class, I feel such pressure down low, almost like the baby is starting to drop.  Might be early for that, but I think some people drop early, and from what I've read, it doesn't really mean labor is coming soon (although plenty of people say that).  I've also had some intense Braxton Hicks on that walk to class, usually at around the 15 minute mark (it's 30 min. there and 30 back).  I told Nate it's so interesting how it's not really painful, just an uncomfortable tightening.  Pregnancy is fascinating.

I'm trying to be a diligent student and work ahead for my classes, and it seems like my two courses should be timed nicely pregnancy-wise.  The nearest thing to a conflict that I have is a presentation on October 30th, a bit over a week before my due date.  But everything else is very workable, and missed classes just take points off my total (which is out of a huge number of points), so I'm thinking this should be okay.

We've also gotten baby's room ready, more or less.  It will be a LONG while before baby is in there (planning on bed-sharing or a co-sleeper if that doesn't work for quite a while), so in the meantime, people will be able to enjoy the cozy vintagey eclecticness of our baby room as it acts as a guest room (our 2nd guest room, so hopefully we'll have many visitors!).  :)