The big 3-0h my!

We have turned the corner. As my dad told me when I freaked out on my 25th birthday, 'well you're closer to 30 than you are to 20 now' (thanks dad), we are now closer to 40 weeks and delivering this little girl. I look at my belly and how much it's grown in 30 weeks and cannot imagine how much bigger it's going to get in just 10 weeks. We are slowly but surely prepping for this little girl. Our registry is finally complete, the nursery is cleared out (well, our 'big kid' stuff is cleared out) and we are continuing with our pregnancy classes. Phil and I are doing Centering Pregnancy, which is a class that meets every few weeks. It sort of takes the place of going to our primary OB, although now that we're starting to go every 2 weeks, we'll do Centering once during the month and meet with our doctor once a month. Centering's been a great tool thus far, since we meet in a group with 7 or 8 other couples who are all due around the same time that we are. It's a time to talk with other people about the ups and downs of pregnancy. The group is lead by an OB that works in the same office as my primary OB, so we still get checked by a doctor every 2 weeks. Topics that we've covered thus far have been about the lovely preggo symptoms (from swelling feet to heartburn to insomnia) to nutrition during pregnancy and family decisions (including contraception, disciplining and child care). We've really enjoyed the classes thus far, and since all of us in the class are due in April and May, we have a reunion party at the end of May when all of us bring our babies and get to show them off :)
Also with classes... Phil and I took our pregnancy class last weekend. We did the full day class and the 7 hours went by really quickly! We got to tour the labor and delivery rooms as well as the recovery rooms and nursery. Then the typical relaxation techniques, delivery options and everything else. It makes things seem so real (as if this big belly doesn't remind me every day!), but gets us excited for what is to come.
With getting closer to deliver day comes some fun things as well. Over MLK weekend, my mom came up for a visit to see the belly (and Phil and I too!) and help with a few items. But the best part was the suprise baby shower that the coaches on the team planned! One of the coaches had contacted my mom a few weeks earlier (when my mom first planned her visit) and had set everything up for the shower. So on Sunday after church, I did my normal routine of getting into sweats and taking a nap :) I woke up and was debating with continuing my lazy day when my mom told me that she had a suprise for me. (Anyone who knows me knows I love suprises)! She said that as a late Christmas present, she had gotten me a belly photo shoot, so I needed to go put on makeup and curl my hair. We left the house and she told me to head towards our church. Once we got closer, I was expecting to turn a different direction, but she told me to go to the back of the church. I looked at her a little weird and when I turned the corner, I said,' that looks like Coach Kayleigh's car and Coach Wendy's car. And wait, is this a shower?!?' She just smiled and told me she had no idea, but we better go inside and check it out. The shower was tons of fun and this little girl will be the best dressed lady in Brookings for awhile!

 For now, I'm feeling pretty good. My heartburn continues, but that's the only major thing. This past weekend, I was at a meet for 13 hours and got my first experience with swollen ankles. I've never dealt with migraines, but in the past 4 weeks, I've had three of them, so that's been a bummer. I went to the doctor yesterday since I wasn't feeling well and all the tests turned out fine. I just need to listen to my body when I'm exhausted and not push too hard. Remember, I only have about 10 more weeks of saying, 'It's all about me!' before the little girl shows us who it's really all about :)

 

At 30 weeks, the baby is almost 16 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds. She can see about 20/400, so basically when she opens her eyes, she'll be able to make out objects a few inches from her face. The next few weeks will be full of a lot of growth and development, so that belly's only going to get bigger! We have another ultrasound on the 8th and we are looking forward to seeing her again.

Cha-cha-cha-changes!

The past few weeks have been full of changes. Physical. Emotional. Occupational. Familial-ish. (Yes, I'm pregnant and can make up words).

To start with the obvious, it is a new year. I feel that pregnancy allows me to be immune from any resolutions (read: I rarely make resolutions, so now I'm using this pregnancy as an excuse- whenever I can). With a new year comes new ideas, new behaviors and new attitudes. It also meant that I could finally say, 'I'm having a baby this year!'  Which then lead to a whole new freak-out, but that's another story (or two or three).  Seriously, I am 28 weeks pregnant, which means that I have approximately 12 weeks left. Yikes!

In regards to the physical changes, my belly is truly and utterly there. I have been swimming twice a week for the past year and in recent weeks, I have noticed that flip turns aren't as tight, butterfly is difficult to reach forward and my hips are continuing to sink during backstroke. But, I know swimming is a wonderful activity to do (during pregnancy and any other time), so I will continue to do it. My belly (and loose ligaments) have also put more strain on my back. I have scoliosis, so I see a chiropractor about every 6 weeks to get adjusted. Now, I'm on a 10-14 day track. And, I decided to treat myself to a massage every so often (gosh darn). 

Emotionally, I think things have remained the same as they were in the first trimester. I have up days and down days and days that I swear my mind doesn't belong to me. But, to say that I'm getting anxious with the upcoming events would be an understatement. However, I was able to put some of those feelings at ease since we registered this past weekend!  While we don't have everything, we do have a start. And, we're signed up for a birthing class, so we can check that off of the list as well.  Another item to check off: the glucose test.  It was completed at the beginning of this month and contrary to what everyone said, I did not think it was a 'beast' of a test. It was like drinking orange pop from a fast-food restaurant that didn't have any carbonation and had extra syrup added.  From here on out, I get to see a doctor every 2 weeks before we start making the weekly trip!

With the start of the new year comes the start of a new semester. Finally, I am in my last semester of school. Sorry friends, there will be no doctoral studies for this chick. I have two classes this semester (along with the one that I teach) and then I will have a $15,000 piece of paper to hang on my wall and stare at every day. Because why would I want to have any idea as to what I want to be when I get done with school in 4 months?!?  Thankfully, I will continue to coach, so I do have something in place (although it would be tempting to go and live rent-free with my parents again, like I did after undergrad...)!  I should be having another freak out with this, but with the new year came another new family change.  My dad took a leap and accepted a job as a math teacher!  After a few years getting all of the necessary paperwork together and courses completed, he returns to the classroom after an 18-year hiatus. He used to teach at the Air Force Academy, but stopped when he retired in 1995 and since then has been in the corporate world. He said he always wanted to go back and teach, and now, at the young age of 21 (plus some!), he's followed his heart! So, to all of you out there that feel forced to know what you're going to be when you grow up... it's okay if you don't know until your heart is ready to guide you.

In terms of little Baby Girl... she continues to put a smile on our faces. I think people think I have a medical problem because sometimes I just sit and stare at my belly. In the past few weeks, not only has there been an increase in movement, but now we can actually see the movements!  The best part of my day is laying in bed at night with Phil and seeing her move.  She's been really active (at the last appointment, our doctor had to check the heart beat a few times because she kept moving) and it truly is an amazing thing. At 28 weeks, she is about 2.5 pounds and almost 15 inches.  While I am far from a mild weight gain of just 2.5 pounds, everything continues to check out a-okay!