30 weeks, 5 days
How big is baby? He measured three pounds and one ounce last Tuesday. And is around seventeen inches long.
Total weight gain: +17 lbs.
Maternity Clothes? 80% of the time, I’m wearing these tank tops and these lounge shorts. The rest of the time (when I go out in public), I’m sporting skirts, t-shirts, and scarves. My maternity wardrobe is much plainer and simpler than my usual clothes, but I'm actually finding it nice change of pace.
Stretch marks? Yes. Well, I’m pretty sure. There are a few tiny ones. I don’t want to talk about where they are. (Not on my belly. Gah.)
Sleep: Sucks. My iPod and I are nocturnal friends again – Howie Day and Jon Foreman are my current dear-God-I’m-awake-again-help-me-fall-asleep singers. I shove one earbud in my ear and the other against my belly in the waistband of my shorts, hoping it helps the baby fall asleep (and stop moving so I can, too!).
Movement: His bones are strengthening right now – which means he’s a bony little child with the ability to cause me much pain. Often, I can’t lean forward or he’ll jab me in the ribs or hip bone, which hurts more than it should for a three-pound baby. He is still active most of the day, to the point where it is distracting when I’m at yoga class or sitting at work. After the ultrasound last week, I know that he is head-down, and can figure out which body part I’m feeling when he moves.
Food cravings: So, it’s summer. I usually eat less in the summer because it’s hot and we use ceiling fans instead of air conditioning and who gets super hungry when it’s hot? Not me. I can consume an entire watermelon in 2 days, though. Yum. Drinking lots of water and juice and iced tea also makes me happy.
What I miss: I’m starting to get the whole “pregnancy is uncomfortable!” thing. It’s not terrible – but I’m used to be very nimble and moving around a whole lot. I’m used to jumping up from sitting on the floor, running up the stairs, and generally just doing things without having a bowling ball strapped to my stomach. I have to ease myself up from bed or from sitting cross-legged on the floor. My legs hurt when I stand in the kitchen cooking or packing for an hour. I get out of breath when I try to ride too fast on my bike. It’s all sort of annoying, to be honest. I make sure to be as active as I possibly can and do yoga regularly to make sure my body won’t ache. It’s working so far – I’ve gone on a bike ride every day this week, lots of walks, and a few yoga sessions. I packed for a few days (no carrying boxes – I am pretty weak, pregnant for not). I feel great. I just miss my body not creaking when I get out of bed in the morning.
This is what a pregnant blogger looks like.
What I am looking forward to: Experiencing childbirth with Mike at my side and seeing our baby. Getting to stare at him all day long and holding him. :) Squee! Babies are cute.
Milestones: We bought our first baby clothes! A grandpa cardigan, Star Wars shirt, and sweater with elbow patches. They were on clearance and we couldn’t resist. We nearly bought him a fedora, too, but it wasn’t on clearance. Someday, little man. I’m getting to the point now where it seems real that we’ll have a baby in two months – so I’ve been checking out the baby sections of stores to make myself happy. (Baby fever is totally okay to induce when you’re actually going to *have* a baby, right?) I’m now seeing my midwife every two weeks instead of once a month! I also seemed to have turned the corner from, “She’s probably pregnant, but I don’t want to say anything” to “Must comment to pregnant lady about her being pregnant.” People are way friendly to you when you are nearly seven months pregnant – it’s mostly awesome. On that note, I’m adding a new section to remember what people say to me…
Say What?:
“Looks like someone’s having a BAM-bi-noooo!” - Man sauntering towards us as we wait at the ATM.
“Y’all gonna have one pretty little boy.” – Teenage girl waiting next to us as we waited to cross the street. She then asked me if I was on a walk for exercise. Cute.
“I always say tiny women have huge babies.” – Guy at the coffee shop counter. I told him I hoped to avoid the HUGE baby thing.
“Wow. You look…fabulous.” – Manager at breakfast restaurant. I may or may not have hugged him after he said it.
“Ash. I’m sorry, but your boobs are REALLY BIG.” – My lovely friend who hadn’t seen me in a few months.
Oh, and THIS: Pregnancy hormones sometimes wake me up with anxiety about childbirth, baby’s well-being, or random things that happened years ago. Last week, I cried for an entire day. It was exhausting and ridiculous. Poor Mike. It’s a bit cruel that a huge life change is accompanied with a surge in hormones. Not fair, nature, not fair.
In other weird news, hair during pregnancy rejects being dyed – so three weeks after I dyed my hair, the gray hairs are back with a vengeance. NOT. COOL. I’m giving up for a few months and just rocking my strands of gray. (Yes. I’m 25 and have a few dozen noticeably gray hairs. Let’s not talk about it.)
