33 week belly

a picture from the morning of my second shower. no standard belly shots this week!

how far along? 33 weeks
total weight gain: 43 lbs +
maternity clothes? yes, i am so big
sleep: interrupted
best moment this week: attending my second shower and putting away more stuff in the nursery
movement: yes, more rolls than kicks
gender: boy
labor signs: nope, only some cramping
belly button in or out? the button has popped fully
food cravings: push pops. they don't have plain ones at our grocery store!
what i miss: peeing only 2-3 times a day, rather than 20 or 30 times
what i am looking forward to: picking out the @*%*$ glider
weekly wisdom: don't drive 6+ hours at 33 weeks. ouch
milestones: i've had my showers. we have baby gear, enough to bring him home (almost, just waiting on car seat and mattress). now we finish everything up and wait.

33 weeks

under 50 days now!

i've mave it, hardly kicking and screaming, to the 33 week mark. it's not a special week or anything, but i am now under 50 days until my due date which makes things seem very real and very soon. i haven't felt any real changes, save for some cramping, pressure, and a bladder that's being crushed, so i assume the baby is just lower or even head down. or he's big and taking up all of the space. i know he's bigger, since my belly is huge. i have no idea how much bigger it can get.

but, i don't have pressure on my lungs, i don't get heartburn, and i can still eat a pretty full meal so i know he's not all up in my rib cage causing problems. his bum seems to be on my right side (pictures of the lopsided belly posted yesterday) and i feel hiccups very low, so this all points to a baby that might be in the proper birthing position. i hope he stays this way, even if it means i have to pee as soon as i'm done peeing.

this past weekend, mr. h3b and i put together more of the nursery. we (he) built the dresser and book shelf and arranged the room. when i took a break (from watching him) to check something on the computer, he yelled from the nursery, "hey, we're nesting! let's put all this stuff away." so we spent the afternoon removing all of the tags, clips, and packaging from clothes, toys, and baby gear.

on the to do list:
hang art work
paint lamp
make mobile
decide on wall decal
decide on glider

if those things get done, i'll start posting pictures :) plus, this weekend i have another shower and will need to spend some more time putting new things away. then i'll have to wash everything and, and...well, do a million other things, too. my above to do list is hardly an exhaustive one.

7 more weeks.

mom's view

 

this is what i see when i look down. not my toes, not my legs...nothing but belly. and you can see from this angle that i have lost all visibility of my "underbelly".

you might also note that baby h3b prefers my right side. he has been in this same position for over a month, just pushing, poking, and stretching below my right rib area. if you need more proof, here's a picture of what it looks like to me, sitting down, on any given day:

sure, my linea negra is off center, but even if you put a vertical line through my belly button, you can see just how much he lays on my right side. sometimes he pushes outward so strong i have to push back. my skin doesn't want to stretch that much!

funny little baby.

32 week belly

how far along? 32 weeks
total weight gain: 43 lbs (yes, i've crossed the 40 lb mark)
maternity clothes? yes, but even my leggings and mat jeans are cutting into my belly
sleep: from 2/3 am to 10 am
best moment this week: putting together nursery furniture (mr. h3b) and putting away baby items
movement: yes, more rolls than kicks
gender: boy
labor signs: nope, only some cramping
belly button in or out? popped, stretched
food cravings: none
what i miss: having a perky chest (they rest "lightly" on my belly now...)
what i am looking forward to: my shower this weekend
weekly wisdom: ankles and wrist rolls plus some stretching before getting out of bed each morning helps with the swelling pain
milestones: um, i think i may have mentioned the whole over 40 lbs of weight gain in 32 weeks...

32 weeks

and i've hit the pregnancy wall.

i knew it was coming. don't get me wrong, i'm still happy to be healthy and pregnant. but my thriving baby boy is taking up so much space and it's getting hard to carry him around all day. i asked mr. h3b if he'd do it for a little bit and he said he would if he could...

really, i'm fine. i just feel unlike myself and can't get over the little things (ok, big things) that have changed. my weight gain and subsequent body changes, my stretch marks (i think the belly one really did me in), my sausage hands and feet. while i wouldn't want to be at work everyday, part of me knows i feel "down" because i'm at home all day, with no one to impress, and therefore i dress in comfortable clothes (oh, the horror!) and don't do my hair and makeup unless i'm going out. but i haven't cried about it and i am thankful to be at home, where i can rest when i need to and spend my time doing things that i like to do.

in happier news, i had my first shower last weekend and it was fabulous. we are lucky to have such generous family and friends and i am so thankful to have spent a nice afternoon with some of my favorite ladies. good food (note how this comes first on my list), lots of stories, games, and of course, a shower of presents for baby h3b.

decor, gifts, cake, and treats

opening gifts

baby miles trying out the moby wrap and combi bouncer

obviously, things could be worse! i'm not writing an eviction notice to herman munstertiger just yet, but i'm giving myself just a bit of room to miss being smaller, with cuter clothes and a leaner, more photogenic face. i've got another dr. appointment this monday (yep, every 2 weeks now!) and i'm seeing someone new since my dr. is out of town. of course this is the week i have a ton of questions.  none of which will be: can i hope on the scale again? just for fun?

8 weeks left.

31 week belly

how far along? 31 weeks
total weight gain: still up 37 lbs
maternity clothes? yes
sleep: some nights, yes
best moment this week: having my first shower
movement: yes
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: none specifically. mr. h3b did make a 10 pm taco bell run...
what i miss: taking a decent picture, especially if my face is involved.
what i am looking forward to: unpacking and playing with all the baby stuff I got at my shower :)
weekly wisdom: get sleep whenever possible. cherish sleep.
milestones: i got my first belly stretch mark this past week :( just a small one near my belly button, but it is there.

31 weeks

another week down!

i hit 31 weeks, so if all goes exactly according to plan, as births often do, i will have this baby in 9 weeks. that doesn't seem like enough time. i have so much to do in the nursery and in the house before baby h3b arrives. i don't want him to come too early (even if i get "done" with being pregnant in a few weeks) so i can work on the things that need to be done. even though that means i'll be painting the living room at 31+ weeks and hanging pictures and curtains and such around the rooms of the house right up to my due date.

and the nursery. finish posters, buy frames, hang art in just the right spots. find curtains, lamp (my top choice is discontinued!), and other decor items. pick up furniture at ikea. and lastly, probably most annoying, find a rocker/glider that i actually like without breaking the bank. if there has been one thing thus far that has given me trouble, it's been the damn rocking chair. my dream chair is so expensive and it just seems ridiculous to pay that much for a rocker. but i don't want exposed wood (like so many of the gliders), i don't want too poufy, i don't want silly colors ("sage green minky dot" makes me want to stab myself with a fork). if you've searched for nursery chairs recently, i guess you know that this is apparently asking far too much. my nightly task of googling for rockers is causing meltdowns left and right.

aside from the great rocker debate, i'm feeling pregnant. i'm big, slow, and a bit uncomfortable. my pelvic bone hurts, my internal organs double as a water bed (herman munstertiger doesn't kick now so much as roll around, but he does it with force), and my hands and feet are swollen. when i wake up in the morning, i can't make fists or stand full weight on my feet without some wincing. it's so fun! add pain of waking up to annoyance of being awake until 2 or 3 am and i am just a bundle of energy. but, baby h3b is moving around and healthy as per my dr. appt, so i will take the pain for him.

later he'll pay.

(tomorrow is my first shower. so excited!)