movement

i finally caught some good movement on video the other night. while baby h3b is a mover, he is also quite camra shy. whenever i bring out the flip video, he settles down and refuses to do his crazy rolling. this video has some quiet points, but you can see a ton of movement near the middle.



and you can compare that to a few clips from earlier in my pregnancy when he was doing kicks rather than big rolls. i don't have the date to know exactly when these were, but between late 2nd tri and early 3rd tri.

34 weeks

this is crazy.

i am 34 weeks! that's close to baby time! and you better beleive i'm feeling it now. i feel the need to get things done, to clean, to organize...everything out of order bugs me. the problem? i am so sore can barely do any of it. i went from, ouch this is pretty painful to o.m.g. i cannot do anything without wincing and doubling over in pain. my feet feel like i am walking on tiny razors. my hips are stuck. they don't move properly and i can't roll over in bed or walk around easily. there's so much pressure and i feel like one big bruise.

and. AND. i found more stretchmarks. i was inspecting my legs for puffiness and saw a mark on my calf. then i found more...on both legs. stretch marks. on my calves. pair these with my thigh, butt, boob, and now belly marks and it's about all i can take. i started crying because i just wasn't prepared for this. so big, so heavy and now marks that turn to scars forever? on my legs? it wasn't pretty (the marks or the crying). mr. h3b did all he could to be supportive, but it's probably not easy to understand this kind of reaction when not hormonally charged and bigger than ever before. his solution to everything? breastfeeding! i will get skinnier. my arms will be toned again. and magically, my calf stretch marks will go away due to my ability to feed my child with my boobs. i bet this act could solve global warming if i just do it enough. i can't blame him for trying, though. i'm not sure what i would say to a sobbing mess of belly and stretchmarks while just trying to enjoy the latest episode of modern family in peace.

in other, less dramatic and self pitying news, the car seat arrived! we can take baby h3b home when he arrives. plus, i ordered our cloth diapers. now we are only missing one major thing, the mattress, and we'll be all set. i'll spare you the long story about how it was stolen after being delivered to a porch without a signature to a vacant address (partly my fault, but come on!!), since i said this paragraph was drama free. sure there are plenty of things yet to buy and put away, but i'm feeling better about the nursery, worse about the baby blue gray walls, but ok with the way things are playing out. we can bring home a baby and most likely will survive with what we have now :)

but let's wait...

2nd baby shower

i was lucky enough to have been given two baby showers for herman munstertiger. we have so many generous friends and family and it was great to spend time with mr. h3b's side and celebrate the impending arrival of our son. (i think that might be the first time i've used that phrase...)

everyone got the decor color scheme perfect and we had a great time playing games, opening gifts, and enjoying cake and snacks. with the car packed full (and i mean full!), we made it back home and promptly unloaded and set up the new baby gear. this is such an exciting time - all the stuff makes it so real!

aqua, yellow and grey polka dot cake, hand painted planters, and aqua punch!

opening gifts

surprisingly, we got very few duplicates. but, more than one group of aunties thought baby h3b would adore a red car walker/entertainment center and we received one in the box and one already put together. well, having the walker set up and ready was just too tempting. we had to use the doxie test subjects to make sure it was just as fun and cool as it looked.

hoss liked it. he was noticeably jealous, though, because....

 

miles was the coolest little driver dog on the block.

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...