32 Weeks - 8 To Go

32 weeks today - 80% done.

3dpregnancy.com says this about week 32:

Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth. Other fascinating facts:

Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.

Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If he's a baldy, don't worry.

By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and be between 17 and 18 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots.

He is stretching out more and more these days. Dan and I were reading that he is still sleeping up to 90% of the time. So when he's moving in his sleep, what's he doing? Dreaming of an endless womb that he can stretch out comfortably in?

Another bonus of massage is that Baby Boy goes nuts! He punches and kicks and moves all around. I was enjoying it at the health center after work, and then Dan was rubbing my back last night before bed which our little buddy loved even more. I can't get him to move like Dan can, so I'm convinced he knows when it's Dan playing with him. I love that they have a special relationship already. We can't wait to meet you, little man!

Graph of Pregnancy

My friend Stephanie sent me this graph yesterday:

I like it because it's all the stereotypes that I was convinced would apply to me and this pregnancy. But surprisingly, I haven't been bothered by people touching my stomach or telling me that I'm too big for how far along I am.

However, I would like a nap, a massage and to never take off my pajamas. Not too much longer until I can lounge around in whatever fits, preferably on our couch or in bed. And ice cream? Who doesn't want ice cream?!?!

I have a massage scheduled for 5:00 tonight. That's a win-win because not only do I get the hour of relaxation and pain relief, but I get to leave work early to get there! Shucks, huh?

Less Than Two Months

We're just inside the 2-month mark until Baby Boy Mudgett comes out to meet the world! I feel like the closer we get, the longer we have to go still. This is way more intense than waiting for Christmas or my birthday, and when he's playing around during the day and at night, I know that he's getting eager to meet us too.

We're almost done with the nursery. We have a few things left to hang on the walls, but it looks really good right now. When we're done, I'll post pictures. It's a cheerful and calming room, and it's the perfect place to go to forget the troubles of the day and imagine what's to come.

Even though there are 58 days until the due date, I have 21 more work days (including today) and I'm really looking forward to the time off between work and Baby Boy's birthday. It'll give me a chance to do some serious nesting and nap when I need it too. It's incredible how much we're doing and planning for a little person we've never met. And it's even more incredible how after he's here, it will be impossible to imagine what life was like before him!

I Could Sleep All Day

Zzz. I am sleepy today! It is amazing how much energy it takes to grow someone, especially someone so small. Dan and I were feeling a little under the weather yesterday, so we stayed home from work. We went to bed Sunday night at 9:00 and I stayed in bed until 11:30 yesterday morning! I didn't need a nap after that but I was definitely ready for bed later on. I had a fabulous dream just before my alarm went off this morning. It was stormy with lots of wind and lightning, and our midwife called to tell me I had to stay home - it wouldn't be good for the baby if we got struck by lightning. In my dream I was more than happy to call into work to tell them I couldn't make it. Alas, the alarm went off and I had no excuse to stay in bed.

I am looking forward to a nap and/or early bed time tonight. Maybe I'll catch a second wind when I get home, but it doesn't look like it from where I sit now!

Daddy's Birthday

Today is Dan's birthday!! Our baby gave him an awesome present this morning - a long stretch of solid movements. Dan can make out different body parts, and Baby Boy's movements are much more intentional and way less jerky. You can feel knees and elbows move across my stomach, and we can feel where his head and butt are. He's only got a few more weeks of developing internal organs, and then it's onto getting chubby. I can't believe our baby will be 10 months old by Dan's next birthday.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

After 30 Comes 31

Wow! Another week has passed. Another long and short week. A few things happened this week that are blog-worthy.

1) I had to start wearing my wedding ring on a necklace. My swelling has gotten worse lately and it hurt to wear it on my finger.

2) Baby Boy's movements have become painful at times. He's really pushing around in there but I can only stretch so far. That's a good news/bad news thing, because of course I'm happy he's active and healthy!

3) The nighttime dance parties are interfering with my sleep. I'm trying to get more of it to compensate but I'm definitely dragging in energy. Maybe he could lend me some of his?

4) I moved my maternity leave date up two more weeks. My last day of work will be February 27. That means 24 and a half more work days (including today) until I get a break. Of course, I should be in full on nesting mode by then so we'll see how much rest I get. At least I'll be able to wear pajamas most of the time!

Now here's what 3dpregnancy.com has to say for this week:

From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:

Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so he'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as he mashes them into his hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.

By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that his lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world.

Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches, about the same length as that miniskirt you used to wear (and will again someday!).

I don't know about miniskirts but non-tents would be nice someday. :)

Centering Pregnancy - Session 5

We had our fifth pregnancy check-up and class last night. We toured the birthing center and played around with the different options we'll have for positioning and delivery. The rooms are pretty big and Swedish has a "room-in" expectation - there's no big nursery for all the babies! We wanted to room-in anyway, so it's nice we won't have to fight anyone about it. It's kind of unreal to think about spending a couple of days there but now we have a mental picture of how it might be.

I seem to be right on track with my health statistics too. I'm up 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks, but my blood pressure is good and my uterus is measuring at the right size. Baby Boy's heartbeat is still in the 150s - strong and healthy. He also seems to be head down already, which is excellent. I'd like to avoid a c-section if at all possible and him facing the right direction is a good start.

This is really going to happen!! :)