Week 35

I think we're in the home stretch now. On the calendar 5 weeks to go but in reality, I think about 3. I'm all too happy to hear that. According to our last ultrasound, Bumble is about 6 pounds, a big baby and I am all too ready to get her out. We are about 90% done with her room. Dad put together her crib and dresser which came out beautifully and we all too happily filled it with her stuff. We just need to sweep and mop once again, wash her diapers, smoke out the house and we are done. I was home for a few days and I was all too happy to play mommy, fixing up things, putting things where they belonged, organizing her diapers and toys. Then, unfortunately, I had to go back to work. Work is just so hard now at times. I hurt almost all day. Bumble kicks so low, sometimes when I'm walking, I feel like I'm going to fall over. I did however turn in my official letter of resignation. I have mixed feelings about that. I officially have 16 days of work left. I almost can't wait.

For the past month or so, I was eating terribly. Cheeseburgers, pizza, wings, just stuff that I KNOW I have no business eating. Over the past week or so, I've gone back to my normal, pre-pregnancy eating habits, lots of fruit, veggies, water, etc. I do feel better though, I was a bit hungry in the beginning.

Things continue to progress very well. Slight issues here and there but nothing too serious. My feet are swollen, sometimes my legs, still have carpal tunnel syndrome. My skin is extra dry and my left hip hurts a bit but other than those things, can't really comlain too much. One week until full term and while of course I want her to be healthy and happy, I also want her little behind out!

So, here's to the last few weeks of pregnancy and hoping that the next time, we decide to do this (if we decide to do this) we don't find out I'm pregnant until I'm about 4 months along. This has been one looooooooooooong experience.

Week 33

Ah! The 33rd week and I'm sooooo happy. Bumble is geting bigger and bigger (and heavier and heavier) by the day. Its to the point that when she moves, I see my stomach moving. When she balls up, I have a big knot in my stomach, right on the surface. I'm having a wonderfully normal pregnancy, something I am only too happy about since as a fat chick, I'm supposed to be sick and have high blood pressure and all kinds of complications.

We went to have 3d ultrasound pics taken this weekend but Bumble, in true Bumble fashion, decided she would literally show her behind and we didn't really get to see too much of her. We're supposed to go back later this week where hopefully she'll get herself together and we can see her cute little face.

Otherwise, all is well, its just a sit and wait thing now.

Week 31

I am soooooooo over work. At this point, I really just want to spend my days preparing the nursery, preparing her diapers, organizing baby clothes and of course, sleeping. I don't care about work, don't want to care about work, couldn't give a damn about it. Its like no matter what I'm doing during the day, my brain returns to "Baby, Baby, Baby" its so funny how a woman's brain works. I used to be such an intelligent, career driven person, now, all I want to do is look at baby clothes all day.

I'm back to being tired all of the time. Which is why I guess work is so unimportant right now. All I want to do is sleep. I don't want to walk, I get very tired so easily. Poor Paul drops me off right in front of the door of wherever we are going then has to find parking and walk back. Hope he forgives me. My day is not complete unless I take at least a two hour nap. I do however continue to wake up at odd times in the middle of the night starving or about ready to pee on myself. Usually, I'm up in the 3 to 4 hour. Today, however, its barely 3 and already I'm munching down on a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

So, Bumble has finally flipped! No more hanging out sideways digging her little fingers into my bladder. Now, her head does all of the bladder smashing. Its so weird because I actually felt her going through the motions of flipping. She didn't do it all at once the way I thought. It was a process that lasted a couple of days, which was why I was feeling her stick out the way she was. So, technically, 9 weeks to go. But, if my prayers are answered and my body likes the full moon as much as I hope it does, 7 weeks to go. I am soooooo ready.



Me at 30 weeks (click to see it, the picture post thing is being weird)

Tonight

I'm lying in bed and of course am starving and have to pee. I begin to get out of bed but feel this strange feeling in my belly. I placed my hands over the strange feeling and there is a huge, hard lump on my right side. I know this is Bumble so, I rub her, ell her how much I love her, how much I can't wait to see her and she moves, really quickly, while I'm holding her. This AMAZES me! I've felt her before by pressing into my belly but now, she's big enough to stick out on her own. She moved until my belly was flat and kicked a few times in response to my bothering her then, she stuck herself out again. I guess I scared her for a bit. I laid on my back for a bit and watched my belly change shape as she moved around for a bit. She is SOOOO alive! She is SOOOO real. She is SOOOO HERE!

Week 28

Lunar month 7, Gregorian month 6 and I am so tired of being pregnant. It isn't as hard as it was in the beginning. I'm used to the heaviness in my belly and my big boobs. I'm used to the aches and pains and swollen body parts. I'm not even as sleepy as I used to be. But, this takes soooooo long. Originally, I wanted three children but, jeez, I feel as though I've been pregnant for an entire year already. How can I do this twice more? I LOVE Bumble, I mean like beyond love her. I read to her and sing to her and giggle when she kicks me or kicks in response (in my head) to something I've said but, I'm really just ready to actually hold her and see her and most importantly not be pregnant anymore. 12 weeks (3 WHOLE months to go).

It's 3:58 am

and I am sooooooo hungry. I'm not going to eat because I find the most horrible things to eat at this time of night. I've been sick for the last few days and though I was supposed to clean my house yesterday (I've been cleaning out closets so, though the closets are clean, the rest of my house looks horrible) I managed to blow my nose, lay around, cough, eat and take naps. On the one hand, I'm feeling better. On the other, my house still looks horrible.

Bumble scared me greatly ove the weekend. Well actually, starting Thursday. Usually, she is all over the place, kicking, jumping, twisiting, having a really good time in there doing whatever she does. The past few days, I didn't feel her very much if at all. I assumed it was because I was sick and even though she herself may have not been sick, she was just laying low or maybe less energized because I was not feeling well. I noticed this on Thursday and definitely on Friday. On Saturday morning, I became increasingly upset so, I drank a large cup of very cold orange juice and laid on my left side for an hour. When not feeling a baby move for a while, drinking something cold and sugary usually gets them moving. Laying down on your left side, which allows maximum blood and oxygen to the placenta and which makes it easier for a mom to feel her in utero baby is supposed to do the trick. During this time, you should feel 10 movements. During that time, I only get 2 movements. This of course freaks me out more so, I call my doctor. He isn't on call so, I leave a message with his replacement. His replacement takes too long to call me back so, I call the midwife service that is available through my insurance company. I get a really sweet very southern sounding midwife who tells me it is best to go the hospital. So, off to the hospital I go.

I go to the hospital closest to me. Register. Sit. And WAIT. In the beginning, the hospital staff is a bit rude to me. The ask what clinic I go to. The ask about my PCAP (free city insurance), they ask very stupid questions. Once I let them know that I am not from a clinic, nor do I have PCAP, that I have a private doctor who wasn't on call, whose replacement wasn't as quick as I would like him to be and who came to the hospital after speaking with a midwife, they all of a sudden get much nicer. Oh, where do you work hon? F You lady, ten minutes ago you were treating me like crap now I'm hon?

Anyway, they monitored Bumble for twenty minutes where I had to hold this flat hard doppler against my lower belly the entire time. They give me another thing, like an old tv remote that I have to push every time I feel movement. If I didn't feel her move during that time, there was a possibility that she would have to be born. Very scary stuff. So, I'm holding this thing, my arms are aching and her heartbeat is going strong. I get a kick, I push. A few minutes later, I get movement, I push. I get one more something and again I push. This starts to scare me because I know I should be feeling more movement. Regularly she's all over the place. So, this nurse comes, looks at the reading so far, leaves. Other people come, like one after another and this scares the crap out of me. I call Bumble by her name and tell her, Baby, you have to move, its too soon for you to come. I'm not sure what you're doing in there but move Baby. I get one more kick, I push. The midwife comes back in, she says, very good, only 5 more minutes to go Mommy! Then a doctor comes in, reads the reading smiles at me, asks if I have other children and this freaks me out. Why is she asking if I have other children? Will I have to take comfort in my other children because Bumble's not going to make it? my heart is pounding, I'm scared and I get kick, kick, kick, squirm, toss, kick. I push, push, push, push, push, push, push. The kid hasn't stopped kicking or moving since.

13 Weeks to Go!

And they can not come soon enough. I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER! I think the novelty of being pregnant has worn off and now, I just want our baby.

Things I LOVE about being pregnant:

Kicks and movement. This is by far the greatest feeling in the world, if she's not kicking me in the bladder. To feel a baby inside of you has to be one of the greatest sensations I have ever felt in my life. I can be in a horrible meeting bored out of my mind, she moves and I am so happy because I know she is okay, she is full of life and she is here!

Knowing that I am able to create a healthy baby. It is miraculous to know what the body is capable of. I am delighted to know that I am able to do what I am supposed to do. It makes me grateful for every day that she grows, every movement that she makes knowing that my body has been essential in her development.

The food. I eat food I would have NEVER thought about if I weren't pregnant. Things I haven't eaten in years or things I thought I didn't like. The downside of that: I will admit that Ihave on more than on ocassion eaten pork. Not sure what that's about. Hoping it will go away after Bumble is born.

Things I'm so so about:

The BELLY! On one hand, I LOVE my belly. It's round, it's big, it houses my baby. On the other hand, its big, it's round, it gets in my way. I can't bend over, I can't sleep on my stomach, my regular clothes don't fit, I can't reach essential places that are badly in need of being shaved and, I can't see my feet.

My boobs. My breasts have become these full, round things. Normally I would be happy for the added fullness but, these boobs aren't the boobies we've all come to know and love. My nipples are HUGE and BLACK and, I leak stuff. Kind of gross.


Things I don't like about being pregnant:

The hair growth. No one tells you about this. I won't go into detail but I have hair growing in places where women shouldn't grow hair yet, my legs don't grow much hair.

Bladder kicking. This seems to be a sport for Bumble. I can just read her thoughts: Hey, what's that? Mmmmm, let me kick it. That was fun. Let me jab it. Wow, let me use my little fingers and poke it. Hey, I can poke. Meanwhile, I'm literally going to the bathroom every 45 minutes or so and can barely make it there at night.

Maternity clothes. Polyester blends. Limited styles. No belts. No heels. Enough said.

The wait! Its been like a year already! When is this kid coming exactly?

So, 13 weeks to go. I can't wait.