week 29

Holy moly, we're finally done with the eggplant! That's some sort of squash and we're in the 7th month. SEVENTH. MONTH.

Total weight gain: About 21 pounds. Moving on from the plateau. Also? I think my belly has really grown. Maybe I should have been keeping waist measurements, too.

Movement: More of the same--still very active. We're allegedly around the peak time for activity. We start going downhill a little now as the baby starts to have a little less wiggle room.

Cravings: Hmm, just reading about that taco salad from last week makes me want one. No real cravings (besides sweets). I have had a few really good sandwiches this week, though.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, less crazy back pain, some hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness at times. Better sleeping this week with fewer potty breaks. Woohoo! But, you know, during the day I get the feeling of having to potty more frequently. And so it begins...

Belly button: Still in. Saw a girl in the airport this week who was about as big as me (or maybe a little smaller) and had a clear outtie. Sorry, girl.

Preparations: We bought a car! That will safely hold a baby and his/her stuff! And we got the rocking chair back! Two very exciting preparations! (Pics to come...it was a long week and I feel most compelled to tidy up the house this morning. EDIT: Yea! Pictures!)

I'm really enjoying this car now that I'm back in town. Yea for that! (Notice sneaky, photobombing dog in the background.)

Rocking chair before/after:

Milestones: I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES! 3-hour glucose test wasn't as bad as I was expecting. And I could not have been more relieved at the results. Due to the weird pressure I've been feeling, I had my first internal exam in months. Everything checked out ok but we both thought we'd rather be safe than sorry.

Also? Had the first baby shower last Saturday. It was very nice. Good food, good people, good gifts. People were so generous. I'll try to do a post later this week with my favorite items of the day.

Weekly wisdom: Isn't it funny how you go about life thinking and saying things and not really thinking anything of it until you're in that situation? And then you think you were crazy before? This happened a lot during wedding planning and it's probably happening even more during pregnancy. While strangers are now freely asking me about my due date or calling me "Mama," they haven't given much advice (which is kind of nice). Friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers? They've been a little more vocal. The differences between the generations have become pretty obvious, as well as the differences between folks who are more traditional vs. more progressive in their thinking. So I try to take the things people say, think about all the crazy nonsense I've said in the past, and realize what I need to do to be less offensive and more supportive in the future. So here's my wisdom--if you hear someone say something that you disagree with (when it's a total matter of opinion, perhaps even a matter of opinion concerning that person's own body), just keep it to yourself. Try to support that person's decisions. Or just wish them luck. Or perhaps even ask them about their decision-making process. Any of those. Telling them that they'll change their mind isn't all that helpful of a response (even if you honestly think it's the truth). (I know, kind of vague to protect the well-meaning.)

The second thing I realized this week is kind of sad. Sorry for that. Certain circumstances in life have led me to not be quite as excited during this time as I'd like to be. And other circumstances kind of have me feeling like I can't be as outwardly excited as I am on the inside. The only one I care to mention is that pregnancy? It's harder (at least for me) without a mother. I have lots of friends and family who have really done a great job being supportive but there's still a hole. (Not currently wallowing in it, though.) Major life events for a motherless daughter are bittersweet.

Not to end on a horribly sad note... Here's me 5 weeks ago and again yesterday. I think this is enough of a difference for strangers to feel comfortable assuming I'm pregnant. That makes me happy.