Third Trimester Blues - 32 Weeks

It snowed today. Not that any stuck around or anything, but it certainly made me long for the flip-flop weather of two weeks ago. Adding insult to injury, I grabbed my winter coat this morning and realized that it is no longer comfortable if I want it zipped up. Urgh. At least Ian's fits me... for now.

At my doctor's appointment this week, I had another sonongram to measure the amniotic fluid, which had decreased significantly since last time, which is good news. The downside to the doctor visits lately and having to deal with what may have been a problem is that since there are three doctors at this practice that would potentially be on call when I go into labor, I've been having to see a different doctor at each visit. They're all very nice, but I'm not really in the mood to play "Hi, my name is..." at this point, and honestly I don't think I'll care who's playing catch when the time comes.

But basically everything is going pretty well - aside from constantly feeling like I pulled both of my groin muscles and my mid-week puking sessions. Yeah, that's my latest trick. Aparently since I missed out on that whole morning-sickness thing, yes Alex, I'll take violent puking in the middle of the night during the thrid trimester for $500. And the answer is: these little red spots appear all over Kate's face after she's puked. What is bloken blood vessels? Yes! And you've won three days of applying concealer with a putty knife until those nasty little buggers fade away. But look on the bright side - everyone tells you how tan you look.

Guess who's had enough of being pregnant? I think I'm at this terrible point where I'm just very, very pregnant, but the end is nowhere in sight. In another three weeks I'm sure I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Until then, misery loves company - Peanut's got the hiccups, and from the feel of things, he's not enjoying them one bit - poor guy, I know how he feels.

Spring Showers - 31 Weeks

It's finally offically spring, though it's felt like it for the last month, and I can almost count the days until little peanut's arrival. I'm now in that stage that's almost unimaginable early in pregnancy - between the baby shower and the due date, I can't believe it! I also can't believe the amount of gifts I brought home from the shower, I had the car so packed that I couldn't even see out the back window for the drive home (something I don't particularly recommend).

But the shower was wonderful. I got to see a lot of old family friends I haven't seen in years, and though it was difficult to really visit with anyone for any substantial amount of time, everyone seemed really happy to be there and included in welcoming our baby. Ian's stepmom did a beautful job decorating and I think (I hope!) everyone had a good time. My family was there - though we were vastly outnumbered by Ian's family - some friends, and some of my mom's friends from her work. So many people were so thoughtful and took the of time to travel there, it was really great.

I spent the whole week at my mom's for spring break, which was also a blast. It goes by so fast, and we were so busy. We went to Vashon Island to search (in vain) for a paticular kind of baby sling, but I enjoyed seeing the island where I spent many summers at camp, and it hasn't really changed in the last fifteen years. Emily and I also got a chance to visit some friends who have relocated from Pullman to Seattle. Her friend, Maddie, has a little brother turning two right around our baby's due date (another school year baby), and I can't believe he's such a toddler now, it's so easy to forget at this point that this little guy will be walking around and talking at some point.

All in all, it was a great trip, but it felt so weird driving back and thinking that it's my last time making the trip with only one kid. It's been nice getting things put away in the kids' room and settling in. I'm also renting my cap and gown this week - it feels like time is quickly running out, but as I sit here I can see the baby's foot (or elbow or knee) trace along my stomach, a significant difference from the kicks I felt just weeks ago, and I feel like he's getting ready to stretch out a bit. So, with the arrival of spring, time is quickly running out, but I think we're ready for whatever it may bring.

My Worst Nightmare - 30 Weeks

I hate maternity pants. Hate them. I have this pair that are adorable except for the last five inches of elastic that are supposed to allow room for my expanding girth. I'm sorry, but $*%& that. I spend half the time I'm wearing them pulling them up and worrying about whether other people can see a) the pannel; b) that the very visible elastic waist is actually at my belly button; or c) the long useless drawstring. Seriously, a drawstring? Is this what's supposed to keep them from falling down? Because anything cinched around my waist at this point is like chinese water torture. In hindsight, low rise with elastic would have done the trick - not the flipping elastic pannel. All I can say is that maternity stores should have a test-drive feature, because you honestly never know what's going to work for you. My friend told me that the high-waisted pants were the only ones that would stay on, and beleive me, this is not a time when you want to be even the slightest bit more uncomfortable than you have to. Okay there's my rant for the week.

So, back a few posts ago I mentioned that when my doctor has been measuring my uterus, it's a bit big for how far along I am. So I had another sonogram this week and they figured out it's because there is more amniotic fluid than there is supposed to be in there. This could mean one of several things - There's a 60% chance that it's nothing, and there's no explanation, the second most likely reason is it could be gestational diabetes (even though I passed the test), or a scary genetic defect of some kind in the baby. Now I know they have to tell you that last one - but really, which of those scenarios is the most likely? That it's nothing. Which am I dwelling on? That it's a scary genetic defect. Our ages make that even less likely, blah blah blah, I'm not one to play statistics, out of 100 people it has to happen to someone. Nothing to do at this point but wait and see, but even though I wasn't exactly sailing through this pregnancy problem-free, it definitely casts a shadow over everything.

Mostly I'm terrified of being put on bed rest or something (knock on wood). I never really put much thought into the fact that I'll be taking finals in my 38th week and graduating in my 39th week. As a rule we don't have babies early in my family, and even Emily was a week late. I figured I'd be good and ready to be rid of this baby by the time came, getting a week and a half off before the due date to tie up any loose ends around the house and you know, be well rested, packed, stocked up on groceries, and caught up with all the laundry when the big moment comes. I hate, no not a strong enough word, abhor coming home to a dirty house after being gone, and I shudder to think of bringing our baby home to piles of laundry and a sink full of dishes, then trying to catch up while recovering from delivery and caring for a newborn. And if I had been placed on bed rest before going into labor? Egads!

But most likely all this worring is for nothing - the odds are in my favor that everything will go as planned and turn out just fine. I Can't really help worring though, it's just my nature.

On the more lighter side, at this time tomorrow, I'll offically be on Spring Break - my last one as an undergrad. I'm very excited for a break from all this worrying and nesting and what not. Also, the really really positive thing about the whole amniotic fluid thing is that I get to have more ultrasounds, which I always enjoy.

Nesting? - 29 Weeks

Yesterday we had our first lesson in "Childbirth 101". It was actually very informative, and I think it will really be helpful when the big moment comes. We practiced breathing exercises and labor positions, and we also heard from a nutritionist, which I especially enjoyed, and then I spent today counting the number of servings of vegetables, fruits, grains, etc... I ate. I didn't do too bady - I definitely have the fruit group covered - not that I was too worried. I've taken Food Science here at WSU, so I'm not totally ignorant to the fact that a blizzard doesn't exactly count as a "dairy" product (probably more likely falls in that top triangle). So I don't know which is worse - being oblivious to nutrition or actually knowing what is good for me and chosing what isn't. Ah well, at this point I've gained 9 pounds, which is pretty decent for this stage, so I can't be doing too much wrong.

It was really great to spend time with Ian in the birth class focusing on the baby. It's so easy to get wrapped up in just going from day to day, I forget that there is an end - a very painful end, but still. I'm also very happy to have Ian for my birth coach, as much grief as he gives me, I think when I need him, he'll be amazing. I don't know if it's come accross in this journal, but I'm not the most calm person in the world (which may or may not have something to do with my blood pressure spike at the doctor), in fact, I can be wound up pretty tight. Ian was very good with helping keep my breathing slow and steady while we were practicing. He's my rock.

I'm happy to report that the "nesting instinct" has finally kicked in. I spent last weekend clearing out the dining room closet and bringing in Emily's baby things I've saved in storage. Today I cleaned out Emily's room and made room for the crib (amazingly everything fits!). It's hard to explain, this impulse to organize - I think I can now imagine how a person with OCD feels - it's like this constant nagging in the back of my mind, I don't have to be looking at it to have it bother me that it needs to be done. Ahh, but I can finally put the nagging to rest for the moment. The crib isn't set up, but there's room for it, the newborn outfits are awaiting their owner in the dresser, and there are presently no choking hazards in the kids' room (that is truely an amazing feat, trust me).

At this point I'm just counting down the weeks - not exactly the zen-ness I was talking about just a few weeks ago, but I can't help it. Sometimes when the baby is kicking, I really feel like there's a person in there, shifting to get comfortable, or doing some uniquely newborn movement, and I just can't wait to actually see him. Next week Emily will be headed to the other side of the Mountains for Spring Break, and my mom is throwing a baby shower, so that will be lots of fun. After that I'll have nothing to look forward to do but graduation and then the baby's arrival - hopefully in that order.