tour

Angie gave us a tour of the birth center today. Now I know where to show up! I think seeing the facility makes it all more real. The labor rooms are very large and nice. They are about twice as big as regular hospital rooms. The postpartum rooms are smaller. I am 36 weeks today. I'm outgrowing some of my maternity clothes. Shirts are too tight or not long enough, and the stretch panels of my pants are showing. Luckily I can dress casually for working in the lab. I just need these clothes to last me another few weeks!

lamp

I am thinking about making a lamp for the baby's dresser. Well, not making it from scratch, but getting a simple lamp and somehow attaching a toy truck to it. I just need to do that in a way that looks good and won't melt/ catch fire. I had registered for a lamp, but the more I look at it online, the less satisfied I am with it. The one I had registered for had tools on the shade, and a crane with a wrecking ball on the base. I took it off the registry. A lamp is not a necessity, as Doug pointed out yesterday, but that is what I'm currently fixated on. That may be because we have all of the basics ready. Crib, diapers, wipes. Little shirts. And much more.

baby socks

baby shower

I had a great time at my baby shower yesterday. Katie and Angie hosted, and they did a fantastic job. It was a small group- the hosts, the moms, and me, but I felt very special and we had a good time. Among the games we played- guess the melted candy bar in the poopy diaper, guess the girth of the mom-to-be (Katie won that, but Angie was a close second), race of plastic babies in melting ice cubes (mine melted first!), and baby present bingo. Baby racked up some great gear- thanks everyone! Here are some pictures:

ob visit

I had an OB visit today. It went well. No weight gain over the last two weeks, but that's ok, since I've gained plenty of weight during the pregnancy so far. Baby is still head down, but hasn't descended into my pelvis yet.

sleep

I finally had a good night's sleep. This is compared to a particularly bad night the night before last. Guess I needed it. This waking up in the middle of the night business and not being able to go back to sleep is new for me. Pre-pregnancy I had no problems sleeping. I could lie down anywhere, any time, and sleep for eight hours and feel rested. Now the belly and the GERD are uncomfortable, and I have a hard time getting back to sleep once I'm up. And that builds on itself, because I get anxious about not being able to get back to sleep, and then I'm up for hours thinking about stuff, and I'm tired the next day. I know that sleep will be scarce once we have the baby. However, I'm hoping this better sleep trend continues.

34 weeks

Wow, I'm huge!

more swimming

I went for a swim again today, and finally I was able to convince Angie to go with me! We went to the large main pool and swam some laps, floated, and enjoyed being weightless and pregnant. She reminded me that term is actually 37-40 weeks, so I will be three weeks from term tomorrow. No pictures, but my belly was sticking up like a surfacing whale when I was floating on my back.

hic

Baby was hiccuping again tonight!

swimming

Aaah. . . . I went for a swim after work, and it was very relaxing. I had the pool to myself, which was surprising, since it's 85 and sunny and I thought for sure there would be kids in the pool. But there were not. It is nice getting home before dark and going to work when it's light out. Much more reasonable (and better for general sanity) than usual inpatient medicine, which involves getting in to work by at least 7am, sometimes 6 or earlier depending on the patient load.

33 weeks

7 weeks to go! Over the past week, I have been having trouble staying asleep and staying comfortable in bed. However, I don't have to deal with being too hot any more- we turned on the AC. You can see me here with the snap-n-go stroller. Thanks Jen!

accumulating stuff

We are slowly accumulating baby stuff. I realize that the kid stuff will only multiply over time. I have been storing the baby stuff in the crib, but we're going to need to find some place to put it. I have been holding off putting clothes in the dresser as it still has a strong furniture finish smell. Today I had an OB appointment. I'm on the every two week schedule now. Everything is going well. My OB said the solution to my being uncomfortable at night is delivery. I am just having normal third trimester pregnancy experiences. I must have eaten ten Tums last night. I have worn the maternity support belt for the last two days. It does help support my belly while I'm walking- walking is much more comfortable. It bunches up a little when I sit down.

maternity belt

My maternity support belt arrived in the mail today. It's a heavy duty apparatus! It's like one of those mover's belts in the back, but with a low, softer piece in the front to support the belly. It all wraps together with velcro. I tried it on, and it's comfortable for standing, but not for sitting. I'll try wearing it tomorrow and see how that goes.

32 weeks