31 weeks

slow and steady wins the race! OBGYN visit this week, weight gain is on track at about a pound to pound and a half every 2 weeks. Dr is happy w/ the growth progression so far and hopes we will make it to week 39, which is when our scheduled csection will happen. The baby is tranverse, which is to say he is relaxing sideways, taking up all of my gut from rib to rib.
So happy we will be moving out of our apartment and into our new house this weekend. Let the nesting begin!

Surprise!

While it was no surprise that my sister was coming in town for a visit, the fact that several other family members would be joining to surprise me w/ a baby shower, was indeed a SURPRISE.

Sometimes I am so happy when the hubs (and my sister)does not listen to me...this was one of those times. Both he and my sister wanted to have a shower for me. I did not think it was a good idea since we would not be in our house yet and I had no idea if I might go into early labor. Luckily, no early labor and no sweat still being in the apt...everyone stayed at the hotel located conveniently down the street from us.

Jay pulled off shuttling people from the airport to the hotel, that Friday, while I thought he was in Topeka for business.. Luckily, he was still a good enough sport to take me to the grocery store the next morning(Saturday). I was adamant about getting groceries for the recipes I was going to make for my sister while in town.

My sister, Susan called and left me a voicemail that Sat. morning and said she ' happened to get on an earlier flight, took a cab from the airport to her hotel and was ready to be picked up at the hotel' . I smelled a rat...I knew she and Jay were up to something, but still not sure what :)

I had made reservations for us to have lunch at the Plaza ....clearly Jay and Susan had their own plans. Once in the car, I knew we had another destination in mind. Upon arrival to Wil Jenny's(a Texas Steakhouse) I thought, well this place is good too. I had no idea, I was being escorted to a private banquet room where my mom and dad, mother -in -law(Peg), Jays Aunt(Pat), Jays cousin(Sean), my sister-in-law(Linda) and our realtor(Cheryl) waited, amongst balloons, baby bottle mimosas and the most wonderful chocolate buttercream cake you could ever hope to sink your teeth into.

A fun, baby shower luncheon, complete w/ games...guess Mari's girth(Sean won this prize by guessing the exact measurement...damn he is good), guess the type of baby food in the jar(Aunt Pat won this), and be the first to 'birth' your ice baby(plastic doll baby encased in a frozen easter egg...Peg won!).

More games that evening, as we all played boggle and catch phrase at the hotel over pizza, appetizers, a 5lb fruit basket my brother sent me and vino. Fun!

Saturday, while a cold, wet dreary day, turned out a wonderful brunch at the Classic Cup, on the Plaza, and shopping. I have often stated the Plaza lends a European feel and I just love being down there...guess that feeling would be because the architecture is inspired/modeled after Seville Spain and Italy :) The fountains are from all over the world. Though I have to say the addition of the life size bunnies on the Plaza really made it special!

Dinner that evening was at the Cheesecake Factory and was lovely. You can't beat a day of good food and good company! Sadly, most of our out of town guests had to return back home on Sunday. We held onto Pat and Peg until Monday and my folks stayed until Tuesday.

It was a great surprise weekend and I was so glad for those that could make the out of town trip.

28 weeks

new aches/pains to discover this week, especially in my sits bones...feels as though I have been riding a bike for hundreds of miles. I wonder if this means the hip bones are moving?....wider, wider, big hips, big hips.

Happy w/ the following statistic, babies born in 27 weeks of pregnancy or more have a survival chance of over 90% !

Cool to know it's possible for baby to dream now too....wonder what he's dreaming about....getting a bigger apartment?...a roommate?...a dog?

Quote of the day, that touched me:

"To be upset over what you don't have, is to waste what you do have." - Ken Keyes, Jr.

Sportin' my new 7 mo ab tshirt creation....it takes work to get this round :)

Hello Round Ligament Pain

http://www.babycenter.com/0_round-ligament-pain_205.bc
was not sure what the heck was happening when I experienced the first stabbing pain in the gut, while walking the dogs a few weeks back...but it did not feel pleasant!
I've come to discover many answers re: the changes in my body during this 9 month journey.
I wonder if I will miss the constant numb, tingley sensation in my hands...thank you Carpel Tunnel, the constant need to pee or the raging heartburn. Doubtful, but I WILL miss the strange rumblings in my tummy from my little tenant.

27 weeks

feeling huge, registered 150 on the scale today at the docs office. Had my sugary fruit punch glucose cocktail to see how well my body processes the syrupy stuff. While in the exam room, I noticed there was patch work done to the lower half of the wall. Apparently a senior woman, thought she was in reverse and plowed into the stone wall. Good God! Even if she thought she was in reverse, she would have likely plowed over something else or someone else. My obgyn and I agreed, some people should eventually relinquish their right to drive for the safety of others. Very lucky for my doctor and his patients, nobody was having an exam at the time. Can you imagine their surprise, 'you're going to feel some pressure'...CRASH! :)

Conflicted Joe Stack

Can't sleep and noting the tragic event of yesterday, Andrew Joseph Stack flying his small plane into an IRS building in Austin. Did the FBI really ask that the site be taken down, due to the 'sensitive nature', does not make sense to me for them to infringe on his 1st amendment rights .

Couvade Syndrome..is this for real?

Couvade Syndrome has been recorded throughout history in numerous cultures around the world. Some experts believe they may be a ploy to get attention. Others believe they are expressions of the anxiety, stress and fear associated with impending fatherhood, feelings of ambivalence about fatherhood, pseudo-sibling rivalry, or identification with the fetus. While still others believe that Couvade Syndrome is a display of guilt for having impregnated a partner, an assertion of paternity, jealousy of the mother's ability to carry a child and her birth experience, or empathy with the mother's discomfort.

Luckily, my husband has not been displaying any of the symptoms...so I guess we're safe! :)