Rough weekend.

On Thursday I thought I was going in to labor. Since nothing is apparently TMI on here, I was basically pooping my brains out and having major contractions (both signs of imminent labor...normally). Since I felt fine otherwise, I figured that I either needed to do something to stop labor or make sure that it was ok if I actually did go in to labor. After a call to the midwives, they assured me that I was most likely probably NOT in labor based on several other questions they asked and that I probably had some sort of a bug. It seemed weird to me so I called Justin only to find out he had been having similar symptoms (minus the contractions, of course). Apparently pooping aggravates your uterus which then makes you have contractions. Clearly I was the only one affected in that manner.

Thursday night we both popped a lot of electrolytes and probiotics thinking we'd eaten something. He had a boys rum night at our house while I went to dinner with the girls. He swore that the rum killed anything bad he ate and I felt like a champ so we figured we were good to go.

Enter friday: I woke up with intense back pain. I felt pretty crappy overall but figured I was just tired and that I had pulled a back muscle so I left work and headed to the chiropractor. It felt GREAT afterwards but I got home and just felt beat up. Justin and I spent Friday night laying low.

Enter Saturday: We both woke up WAY too early because neither of us could get comfortable in bed. My back pain had intensified and he had some too (he hurt his back a month ago so this was pretty normal). We got up and watched olympic bike racing only to both feel like we'd been hit by trucks and to go back to bed for 4 hours at around 11am. At this point we realized that we truly MIGHT have a bug of some sort. We were both achy and just felt like, well, absolute shit.

We figured out that my back pain was probably kidney pain as a result of fighting the bug (and working overtime in the pregnancy). It was the flu (or some bug) in its finest form. We dragged ourselves to the grocery store (trying not to breath on anyone) and got a bunch of herbs, electrolytes and cranberry juice for my kidney pain. Along with that we also got sick people food- chicken soup and cookies.

Sunday morning we woke up feeling night and day from Saturday which was AWESOME since we had our maternity photos. STILL. I would not recommend to anyone to get this weird bug especially not at 36 weeks pregnant OR during gorgeous summer weather. I literally have not had any sort of flu in YEARS and this was not the way to go about it. Luckily, we are both feeling back to our old selves now and it was good to have a cuddle buddy to suffer through it with me.

Week 34.

Pictures of this 34th week:

#1

#2

The awkward full length shot.

And the weird looking 33 week shot (the kid MUST have been all stretched out in the week 33 pictures).

How I'm feeling?

I feel like I've exhausted all my adjectives here. Perhaps I should start writing this section in a different language so we all get a different vibe? I guess I don't really know a second language... I took 4 years of French in high school (not sure what I was thinking on that one since the majority of the US speaks English or Spanish) but am more "fluent" (if you can call it that) in Spanish after living in Phoenix. So... I guess the second language is sort of out of the question so you'll just have to listen to me repeat adjectives in English. (Wow, tangent... also known as pregnancy brain...or the reason why I can now relate to my husband when he starts to do something and goes in a totally different direction)....  

SO.

I'm feeling tired and huge, huge and tired. The amazingness of the 2nd trimester feeling "normal" has long gone and now I'm just feeling ready to not be pregnant. I'm not quite ready to have a baby yet so I guess that means we are in this for at least a few more weeks.  I did play volleyball during this week and it was fun. I couldn't quite dive or jump like I used to but I still had a lot of fun playing. Still working out too, though not as much this week as I would have liked. That wasn't as much a function of pregnancy as it was a function of that other annoying thing- you know, work.

How I'm changing?

Still getting bigger! It doesn't really seem possible but I'm assured that I will keep getting bigger until the day that it all comes out.

Oh, and all that growing and changing is super awesome for my hips... OW. Really painful. Preparing for labor, which is good... pain, which is not. I'm thinking of upping my calcium intake to help control it some but as the baby gets bigger and more positioned down in the birth canal, it's just going to be increasingly uncomfortable.

One thing that has slowed down is boob growth. I can't really tell if that is really accurate because now my stomach growth is exceeding my boob growth or if they have just stalled. I'm thinking that they are stalling for the time being because they will take off post-pregnancy when my milk comes in. I will say that they are still VERY tender and the thought of a little guy nursing makes me cringe. At one point in the pregnancy, we were told by one of our practitioners to start "brushing" my nipples to prepare for nursing at around 5-6 weeks out from birth. She even eluded that this could be intimate and erotic. First of all, I am at that mark where I could start brushing my nipples but my first thought is OH HELL NO with perhaps even a stronger word than hell in there. Secondly, erotic and intimate? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!? Justin would lose a testicle if he even brought a brush within 2 inches of my boobs at this point. No effing way.

What I'm eating?

 We've been eating TONS of salads... we have so much produce right now. That is what summer in the northwest is all about. Our local farmer delivers produce to us once every 2 weeks and we get so much more this time of year so we have veggies and fruits coming out of our ears. TMI alert: remember the 1st trimester where I didn't poop at all? Well, welcome to the 3rd trimester where that has done a complete 180. HOLY CRAP (literally). I honest to god have never shit so much in my life. I'm told this is totally normal. It's due partly to your body getting ready for labor and emptying out, so to speak... and I think mine is also attributable to all of the produce/fiber and probiotics we've been taking. I'm pretty sure I'm pooping out poop that has been stored in there since 1989.

Weight I'm gaining? 

I was 145.5 this week... last week was 144.7. Pretty solid again. I think I'm going to be right in the perfect weight gain range when this kid pops out. Not that I'm really trying to be in any sort of "perfect" range as I don't believe that this really exists as pregnancy is different for everyone and also as evidenced by the fact that I'm not counting how much I'm eating AT ALL and just eating when I feel hungry (and sometimes totally missing the boat on that one...)

How I'm sleeping?

Bad. Still bad. Peeing a lot but had a few nights where I slept 4 hour blocks. Somehow I think I will miss even these chunks here in a month or so.

What's the baby doing?

-The baby is 17.75 inches or the size of a cantaloupe (finally, these past two weeks are produce I have heard of!) The baby weighs 4.75 pounds.

-The waxy coating (vernix) is much thicker this week as the lanugo sheds (and is almost gone)

-Again, basically the baby is just gaining weight and putting on fat. 

-The baby's skeleton is also continuing to harden (although we all know the skull doesn't totally fuse together)... additionally, the lungs are continuing to develop. (I might also add that we're really working out that diaphragm too...holy hiccups!)

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?

We did go to the midwives this week- yes for doing something for the baby! Everything looks great- the baby's heartbeat is perfectly normal and healthy and he's still head down. Again, YES!

And... that's about all we did this week.

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)

I can't say that I have any random thoughts on pregnancy this week. I can't even think, really. That's my thought. I'm too tired to form much of a cohesive thought. There is a lot of research out there that pregnancy and just after post-partum is a point in time when women are at their most intuitive...with their bodies and the world around them. I truly believe that and have found it to be true for me, too, but I think right now I'm just wiped.

Baby shower, take 2.

This past weekend was our second baby shower... we have one more work shower and then we are free of the showers. My mom flew in from Kansas City on Saturday for the shower (which was on Sunday) so after coffee with the girls on Saturday morning, Justin and I headed to the airport to pick up my mom. The drive down there took a little bit longer than anticipated:

We came across a massive car fire right as the firefighters were arriving on scene. Yikes! After running a few errands, we came home and then headed back out to dinner at Lucia. Justin and I actually haven't been to Lucia which is funny since it's right down the road from us... I guess we get stuck in our restaurant ruts like most people do. It was quite delicious!  

The next day, we got up and got ready for the shower which was at 11am. Of course we had to take a few pictures first (moms are good at remembering this sort of thing so you can thank her that I have some here).

Once we arrived at the shower, we took a few more pictures- the one above is my friend Stacie who was amazing in organizng this whole thing for me and thought of every little detail. She is pregnant and due in November. One of our mutual friends and I are throwing her a shower in September and I am definitely tracking some of the things she did for me to remember for her! A few shots of the details:

Eventually the guests started to arrive...at which point I stopped remembering to take pictures. I think my mom got some but I don't have those yet unfortunately! I'd say there were about 15-20 people there in total so it was a great turnout. So many people that I care about and am so thankful are in our lives (and who will be in baby Owen's life)! Not to get all sappy, but we are truly very lucky.

After the shower, my mom and I went shopping while Oliver and Justin were at Batman and then we met back up with Justin for dinner at Cactus. All in all, a successful, fun weekend!

Week 33.

Clocking is ticking.... countdown to baby is on in a serious way. And for some reason now, the time seems to be speeding up. What's up with that? SLOW DOWN... I need to get my head around all of this!

Week 33 #1

Week 33 #2

And to those of you who requested it, a full body shot from here on out until delivery. It could get quite entertaining.

Week 32 for comparison... funny how differently my stomach looks in week 33... I think he was sitting differently.

And just to torture myself, I am putting up a picture of 10 weeks ago. I CANNOT BELIEVE I THOUGHT I WAS HUGE THEN!! HOLY. CRAP. Someone should have slapped me.

And now to what might be a rather whiny post... forgive me... for the next 4-8 weeks or however long I remain pregnant...

How I'm feeling?

Tired. I'm just tired. I'm tired of being uncomfortable, I'm tired of having weird aches and pains, I'm tired of getting somewhat swollen (seriously I'm a baby on this one- I don't even have it that bad)... basically, I'm just tired of being pregnant, and most of all I'm just flat out tired in a way that I can't even compare anything to that I've ever experienced in my whole life. Wah wah. All of my friends with newborns are flipping me off because not only are they tired, they also have NOISE and poopy diapers.  But, I'm not there yet and right now I'm just tired. I think part of this is training to have a newborn. I sleep for about 2 hours stints at a time and then wake up. And sometimes I am wide awake for no reason, sometimes I just have to pee. But regardless- two hours at a time. And then when the alarm goes off at 5am, it's rough. At least with a new baby, I won't have work on top of it initially and I can nap when he naps, right? (And as a sidenote, this totally normal right now).

How I'm changing?

Just getting bigger.... did not think it was possible but I can assure you, it is (and also: how is it possible that he is STILL GROWING?) I wish I could take a picture of the weird shapes that my stomach takes on sometimes... butt up in the air, feet pushing out... it's pretty cute.

I am starting to feel rather awkward when I go to the gym because I think I make other people there uncomfortable like ohmygosh she might pop RIGHT NOW. Nope, sorry folks, although that could be an entertaining story. I also went on a walk this week with Justin and got what he calls "saddle sores." All I can say about this is OW. We walked for about an hour and then I started to feel a lot of discomfort in my nether region. Burning. When I got home I looked and it looked like blisters/chaffing. I really made my husband realize how sexy I am right now when I made him look and tell me what the hell these things were... of course he knew right away as he used to always get them from riding: "saddle sores." I'm not sure that is the correct name for what they are when you get them when pregnant but they still hurt like the dickens. Basically, they are caused by friction (IE: underwear/clothes rubbing against your skin combined with sweat and heat). FABULOUS! Another first for me. I've been putting a lot of tea tree on them and it's helping but I'm going to go ahead and add this to the list of reasons why I dislike pregnancy.

What I'm eating?

 Nothing notable here. Still toast and almond butter for breakfast, trying to eat tons of snacks in between, and have been eating TONS of produce since it's that time of year up here in the pacific northwest.

Weight I'm gaining? 

I was 144.7 this week... last week was 144.2, the week before I was 144.7... so I guess I'm still holding steady. My weight is just redistributing. I can't say I'm entirely TOO upset about this because at first when I was totally front loading weight, I could have easily been on track to gain 50-60 pounds. Now it's looking more like 35. Perfect.

How I'm sleeping?

Bad. Comes with the territory, though, really so I really shouldn't complain. Besides, I have a feeling it is probably only going to get worse from here.

What's the baby doing?

-The baby is 17 inches or the size of a pineapple. The baby weighs 4.25 pounds. WOAH, they gain a 1/2 pound a week.

-Basically the baby is just gaining weight and putting on fat. 

-The baby's skeleton is also continuing to harden (although we all know the skull doesn't totally fuse together) 

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?

Ummm.... yep, haven't done anything this week. Whoops. There is so much TO do but, yeah...

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)

 Something is funky at night. It's got to be hormones. I get SO anxious right around 8 or 9pm... about EVERYTHING. My poor husband. I freak out about labor, I freak out about having a kid, I freak out that something is wrong with, I don't know HAITI? It's so bizarre. And it's like serious anxiety... it SUCKS. I know that it's hormones and I guess that at least that is a good start so I just try to breathe through it and realize that the hormones are causing me to feel the way I'm feeling. Continuing into the night, the crazy pregnancy dreams are back. It's not always baby related either. The other day, I dreamed that my parents dragged me to McDonalds and I was so mad about being there, I ended up throwing a hamburger at everyone (weird, right)?  

July 16.

July 16 will always have a special meaning for Justin and I. It was the date of our first (unexpected) kiss when we crossed that friendship line into, well, THIS. It was a pretty special day and I think both of us have fond memories of that day as well as some funny memories, too, since the first kiss was so awkward and, quite honestly, pretty terrible. After thinking we both had destroyed our friendship, we tried it again about 20 seconds later and the rest is history... Little did we know how awesome the following years would be.

In honor of this day, I was greeted with this:

Beautiful flowers, a card, and some snacks (the boy's goal will always be to feed me, I swear). It was a great ending to quite an interesting day... I struggled with a difficult client all day, complete with seeing dirty underwear on her office floor, then got stuck in traffic for about 1.5 hours in which I almost peed my pants. Needless to say, things did a complete 180 when I walked into the gym and my husband proved once again why I kissed him and why I will continue to do so each and every day.

20 years and the beautiful mountain town.

I have written about the beautiful little town of Leavenworth before and if you are a long time blog reader, you remember the posts. It's a quaint little mountain town right across the mountains (we live west of Seattle, Leavenworth is about an hour and a half away from us just east of the mountains). It's known as a little Bavarian village which is how it gets the tourists, but really, it's just a nice little mountain town with some German flair. The town has always been a place I have loved to visit since I've moved to Seattle but it wasn't until Justin and I started dating that I really fell in love with it because I started to get to know people who call Leavenworth home and I started to see it not just as a place to escape the city, but as a small town with some serious heart and soul.... and, of course, a place to escape the city doing anything outdoors-y.

This past weekend, Justin and I ventured up to Leavenworth on Saturday morning for his 20th high school reunion. (I know, 20 years... it's insane to think how fast time goes. Luckily, I still have 8 years until my 20 year....)

Anyway, Saturday morning we headed over the pass to the mountains and to warmer weather (90 degrees versus 75...sorry all you midwest people, I know you'd take either right now!):
 

Gorgeous mountain shot... the drive was beautiful, as always. Once we got in to town, our first stop was to the chocolate shop that our friends own. We had to say hi and, of course, stock up on chocolates.

Eventually we headed to one of our favorite Leavenworth restaurants, South. We got a room at a local bed and breakfast up by ski hill so we then headed there to check in and eventually made it out to Justin's friends where the boys were in the midst of playing games (and had been for quite a few hours). This property that we went to is where one of Justin's friends dads lives but Justin and his friend lived there right after graduating high school. Apparently it was the hot spot in high school and Justin spent a good chunk of the summer after his senior year sleeping on a futon outside on this property.

He and his friend, John, also built the house above by hand. I think that the windows were considered not necessary. Pretty cute.

We then started to play sand volleyball on the court that Justin and John built 20 or so odd years ago. And yes, even I played at 8.5 months pregnant. It was super fun. I can't say that I was a total rockstar at jumping or diving, but hey, I played.

After volleyball, we went back to the B&B where we admired the valley and little town of Leavenworth- great view, eh? We showered and changed and got ready to head to the high school reunion dinner.

A shot of us before heading out to the golf course for dinner. Kind of an awkward picture. Oh well.

A not so great phone picture attempt at Justin's class (or at least those who showed up that night). It was so funny to meet some of them and hear some of the stories from Justin's senior year at Leavenworth high school.  I've spent time with a few of these guys before (at the beer olympics) so do know some of them but seeing/meeting even more people as well as the guys I already knew was pretty cool.

The next day, we had breakfast, went for a quick swim, then picked up Oliver (who had spent the weekend at his moms) and headed back to Justin's friends for a BBQ and more games. Justin and Oliver started out with horseshoe while I observed.

And one more shot. After spending several hours there, I was fairly uncomfortable. It was hot, my feet was swollen, I was having some nice braxton hicks, so I was just done. Plus, we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us. So around 3:30 we packed up and called it a day and headed back west of the mountains. All in all, it was a great weekend... now to figure out how to get a place over there so we can go whenever we want....

Week 32.

Hey, I'm all caught up. I'm at 33 weeks and a few days right now so next week I'll post about this week and we're back to being caught up on the baby posts. Yes!

Week 32 #1.

Week 32 #2.

  And week 31 for comparison.

How I'm feeling?

AWESOME because HE FLIPPED!!! WHOOOO! And it didn't even take THAT much work. Both the chiropractor and acupuncturist expected it to take at least 3 weeks and this was 1.5. Now, we don't really know if he will STAY flipped but fingers crossed. I really don't enjoy standing on my head... or the bills I get from going to the chiropractor and acupuncturist.

Other than that (major) little detail, I'm feeling kind of like an idiot this week. I'm not sure why but I can't seem to get this whole eating for two thing down. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM? Some people LIVE for this aspect of pregnancy and I'm just not getting it. I swear, I feel like I'm eating enough, I feel like I'm CONSTANTLY putting stuff in my mouth but it's not enough. The baby is growing like crazy (clearly) and I'm not keeping pace with the calories that both of our bodies need. It's pretty much that simple. And the stupidest thing about this? I KNOW THIS. I have enough brains to know that it's not enough because when I realize it,  I FEEL AWFUL. And that's my clue. And it's awful not just in the regard of, "whoops, Jenn, you're really kind of sucking at taking care of yourself and the baby" but in the regard of "holy hell, WHY am I so tired and do I feel like I am going to pass out right now right in the middle of whole foods?" (true story, and then I saw black...NO BUENO). I am eating more than I ever have in my life but I guess my body just needs more right now. It's bad too, because I never have had a "hunger" feeling. I never have been one to really 'feel' hungry so I don't have that cue. I eat when I think about it but right now I have to learn to just put stuff in every couple of hours, at a minimum, and between the hustle and bustle and well, life, it's been hard to remember to do that. I KNOW. Don't hate.

So, my goal this week has been to always have a bar on hand, always fuel up every couple of hours and to never get that tired/almost going to black out feeling...which happened, oh, twice this week (one of which was not my fault!) It is way worse after I work out or exert myself. The baby moves and burns/needs calories to grow and then I move hard and burn calories and it's just a calorie burning massacre.So yeah, feeling kind of dumb that I can't just GET IT and keep feeding myself constantly. It really shouldn't be that hard.

In my defense, I actually think part of the problem this week has been that I have been anemic. I haven't been eating as much meat (or eggs/tofu-other high iron content foods) because it hasn't sounded good, and I think a lot of the light headedness has to do with that. I started taking my iron pills again and feel better so I think I am on to something here.

I also had a MAJOR acupuncture fail this week. You know how last week I almost died from heartburn? This week I'm pretty sure I almost died from acupuncture. Seriously. I went in and had an intense treatment (apparently). Everything was going great, the guy was so happy that the baby had flipped and I was happy he wouldn't be burning my toes that day (no more moxibustion if the baby has flipped). Instead, it was just a "run of the mill" treatment... points that help to get the blood flowing and energy all in balance... designed to help with the whole preparing my body for labor thing. So, he puts the points in and really nothing feels weird. I had walked three miles to his office but felt great (other than the fact that on the way traffic stopped for me... "pregnant woman crossing..."). Once the points were in, they make it all dark and cozy and zen-like and leave you for a bit. Usually I can get a quick nap in and feel amazing when he comes back to the room. Not this time. Pretty much about 3-5 minutes after he left, I started to feel really dizzy. (And yes, I had eaten a great breakfast an hour earlier so it was not hunger related). I thought maybe I was just being weird... sometimes I do that. Then I started to feel like, huh, I actually might throw up. And for those of you that know me, you know I do not ever make this realization easily.

So I'm lying there trying to breathe and be zen and get myself to calm down (IE: not pass out or puke or both) which involved me actually being quite fidgety as anyone knows who has ever been on the verge of passing out or puking. And THEN then I start sweating. Like COLD, DRIPPING SWEATS. At this point, I'm like OH SHIT. THIS IS NOT GOOD. My ears were ringing, the room was spinning and pretty much I was looking for the nearest trash can, assuming I could make it there without passing out first.

Luckily, the acupuncturist gives you a button in case something happens. Right before the world started to fade in and out, I pushed the button. I was very pleased to know these buttons are not false security when he came back in about 30 seconds later and asked if it was me that rang the bell. I was all, "Um, I think I might pass out and puke." The second he looks at me he says "you're sweating [no SHIT, I'm basically creating a pond in this room] and sit up [YES PLEASE...not sure why but sitting up sounded like the best possible option, though as soon as I did, the world continued to fade and my hearing started to fade which mean BLACK OUT SOON TO COMMENCE]." He starts to pull the points out and massage my feet to get the blood flowing (I guess) and brings me water as I'm sitting there thinking "please god don't let me barf on him or pass out right here and THEN barf on him" (sidenote: this would have been humiliating!)

He tells me that sometimes patients can have needle shock because the treatment is too strong. And then asks if I ate breakfast. At this point I was starting to feel somewhat better so I laughed and said, "Sure did, you almost saw it again up close and personal!" He put some less intense points back in, much to my dismay as I wanted to run like the dickens out of there, but fortunately, those went well and I was able to get my zen-nap period. I walked out of there feeling a little like WHAT the hell was that?! And then held up traffic again on my walk home when a lady stopped dead in the middle of a busy intersection to talk to me about how far along I was. I'm going to just chalk up that whole day as a funny experience.

In addition to this (I know, how can there be an addition, I pretty much just wrote a novel...), I am feeling huge and my pelvis hurts despite stretching it 1000000 times a day. I am getting to the OVER IT point in this pregnancy.

How I'm changing?

This week in addition to growing bigger, I also started nesting somewhat. I guess the completion of the nursery is sort of a nesting type of thing but this week on the 4th of July I decided I wanted to bake and cook and clean. I cleaned the house, made a pasta salad, and baked banana bread. And by cleaned the house, I mean I SCOURED the floors. I was very disturbed by how dirty the floors were given that we have no pets and clean them pretty regularly (really, they were probably not that bad but this is a prime example of a crazy preggo lady nesting). And then after all that, I cooked and baked. Very bizarre behavior. Justin was out golfing so typically I would have just settled down with a good book. Apparently not at 8 months preggo. THERE ARE THINGS TO CLEAN AND TO COOK...ALL DAY! (Who am I??)   

What I'm eating?

Not enough... see above. I'm TRYING. My new "thing" this week was greek yogurt and almond butter on toast. And not just any toast but gluten free black rice bread specifically. Not sure why but it sounded SO good. I also have been eating cherries like mad. I'd like to say it's a weird pregnancy craving but it's not. It's just cherry season in Washington and they are pretty much amazing.  

I was also talking to my chiropractor girlfriend about babies and labor and we got on to talking about tea pre-labor. She recommended a tea that had certain herbs that help the body prepare for labor and is great to drink in the third trimester. I was about to order some and then I went to make some tea one day. It was a "nourish" tea that my naturopath had given me months ago (pre-pregnancy) to drink to help with my hormone levels. Once I looked at the ingredients, I realized that I already HAD the tea I needed and have been drinking it all along. Awesome!

Weight I'm gaining? 

I was 144.2 this week... last week was 144.7. Water weight? I don't know but I'm stagnant at the 144 mark it seems. Possibly more proof that I should be eating more, although the midwives assure me I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

How I'm sleeping?

Crappy. All of a sudden now I am getting up at least every 1-2 hours to pee. Seriously annoying. Could have something to do with the baby's new position so I really can't complain a whole lot.

What's the baby doing?

-The baby is 16.7 inches or the size of a large jicama (Again, WHERE do they come up with this stuff? And what in the world is a large jicama?) The baby weighs 3.75 pounds. WOAH.

-Basically the baby is just gaining weight and putting on fat. If I gain a pound a week, pretty much half of that goes to him. Holy cow.

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?

A lot of people have asked about what the moxibustion stuff looks like that I was doing at home to get the baby to flip. It isn't very exciting but here it is:

A black moxa stick that you burn and shed the ashes kind of like a cigarette, after putting the points on your pinky toe (see black strip with dots in the middle of the picture). You hold up the burning stick (it burns like a cig too, not like a giant flame) to the points on your toe and VOILA, you end up with a red pinky (exhibit on the right of the photo)... a red pinky that also desperately needs a pedicure (ignore that part).

Other than that, we did see the midwives this week to find out that the baby flipped and that was pretty much the highlight. Everything else looks good- weight is good, heart beat is good, all is good. We need to meet with the doula again sometime soon but have not done that quite yet.

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)

So after the baby flipped this week? (And at what point he actually did, I have no idea... I could have sworn he was still head up!) Anyway, after he flipped, I started to feel hiccups down low (makes sense, right, as his head would be down now). I actually feel really bad for the poor little guy. I HATE getting hiccups. It's pretty common for babies as they swallow or try to "breathe" the amniotic fluid. Some babies get hiccups 3-4 times a day. I haven't felt ours have hiccups yet but for some reason, possibly due to positioning, I started to feel him have hiccups quite frequently. In one day he had them once for 15 minutes and once for 40 minutes (and once in the middle of the night which woke me up, see crappy sleep, above). It is the strangest thing in the world and I feel sort of bad that there's nothing I can do to help him. It's also sort of funny too because he will start hiccuping and then he'll start kicking- almost like he's pissed off by these annoying things that WON'T STOP. Poor kid is in for a rude awakening when he gets to this outside world to realize there are quite a few annoying things that don't stop.

Weekend in review...it's finally summer in Seattle!

So, to celebrate summer finally arriving in Seattle, I bet you are expecting me to show you pictures from our friends boat or from the golf course, right? Yeah... original plans fold when you are 8.5 months pregnant (disability #1) and dislocate 3 ribs (disability #2). Clearly, I am the pregnant one, but my (insert incredibly nice adjective) husband decided that he might like to dislocate a few of his ribs. Whoops. And not only did he dislocate them but he played an incredible amount of golf AFTER dislocating them thinking "it was no big deal." (MEN ARE STUBBORN).

Basically he moved the equivalent of 2400 pounds in bricks for a friend... no big deal as it was broken up in to 60 pound chunks, but put some strain on the old back. After that, he helped his mom weed/chop up stuff manually in her yard which meant MORE twisting/using the back. THEN, he decided to hit about 250 golf balls the following day. Fast forward to the 4th of July and he wakes up feeling like his back hurts from all of the above, but "it's no big deal" and he'll be fine to still play 18 holes of golf while carrying a bag walking the course (Again, MEN ARE STUBBORN).

And then the muscles were so tight, they dislocated the ribs. And the muscles in his back remain pissed off so one won't pop back in. Painful? Yes. A little silly? Definitely. A grumpy husband? Absolutely. A hilarious pair that can't really do much? For sure. (As a sidenote, he will be fine- just has to stretch a ton, heat it, and try to get the muscles to loosen up that will allow the doctor to pop the last rib back in to place)...super painful but it will heal. 

So since we were such a pair, we really didn't do a whole lot this weekend, at least not what we had planned to do which was, as I mentioned, golf and go out on the boat with friends. Instead, we did the following:

Went to a farmers market where we got fresh juice and veggies and walked around a bit in the sun. This was followed by other random errands (including Costco which was pretty awesome since everyone was outside and not at Costco). We then played some cards together in the sun outside which was really nice and we read books/relaxed together. We are usually running and going here and there so this was actually a nice change of pace.

The next day, we ventured out to the beach. Laying on hard ground actually really helps Justin's back feel ok so this was a great plan. We took a picnic out there and got some sun. About 2 hours in, I started to feel really uncomfortable (physically, not to mention the fact that I felt ridiculous in a little bikini at 8.5 months pregnant...but that's another story). So, we left after about 2 hours but it was so nice to be at the beach for a while.

Gorgeous view of the water.

We came back home, went on a short walk which was good for both of us (helps to stretch his back and helps keep the baby down in me/helps with my hips) and then we grilled out and ate on the patio. All in all, despite our disabilities and our change of plans, it ended up being quite a nice weekend! Now, the goal for this week is to get that boys back popped back in to place....  

38 years.

On July 6, my parents (above-picture from my grandma's funeral in May) celebrated 38 years of marriage. 38 YEARS. As we are getting ready next month to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, I know without a shadow of a doubt that in 37 years I want to be standing next to Justin and our kids reveling at all we have done in those 38 years. It's pretty amazing.

Week 31.

Week 31. Holy crap! That is all I have to say about that.  Pictures:

#1.

#2.

And 30 weeks for comparison. Looks about the same to me!

How I'm feeling?

Oh, yeah, I am eating my foot right now because I had been one of the "lucky" ones to have never really experienced heartburn throughout this pregnancy. Well, this week I had a bit of heartburn. And by a bit I mean, A LOT.This was totally new for me, as I mentioned, as I've been pretty lucky so far in that I really haven't experienced it at all and when I have it's been really mild. But this week one day I woke up and OH MY. I thought that possibly I was having a HEART ATTACK. I hadn't eaten anything unusual unless you consider a salad the night before unusual (I don't), but WHOO. I was halfway convinced that the baby had decided it was going to try to come out through my esophagus... I mean he is breech, maybe he got confused on directions? KIDDING. Sort of. So, I sat straight up and contemplated how I wanted to die because, you know, I was GOING TO DIE from this, when the weirdest thing happened. IT MOVED TO MY BACK. Same spot, on the backside. Um, WHAT?

At this point, I'm really freaking out because back heartburn, what? So I wake Justin up which is something I HATE to do and I tell him I have back heartburn. I'm not even kidding you, he looks at me and tells me to go back to sleep as if I am a crazy person. Meanwhile I want to slap him silly because how can he not see the seriousness of the situation... I am going to DIE from BACK HEARTBURN. Back heartburn which I did not even KNOW existed and could just be the baby trying to crawl out of me the wrong way. Related: it was the middle of the night and I was irrational. Also related: I could get very irrational if I go into labor in the middle of the night... clearly, I proved that point. And also related: this is a real possibility as most labors do happen at night as the hormone that induces labor increases at night. Get ready, honey!

I continue to poke Justin and he continues to ignore me. I think at almost 8 months in to this he's realized when I am actually on the verge of dying and when I actually just THINK I'm dying (note: it's always the latter). This is a good lesson that he has learned as it will help us during labor. Of course then hopefully I am not the laboring lady that accuses him of just letting me die but we are hoping for a tranquil, peaceful birth which I honestly think is achievable.... I guess we will see what happens.

Anyway, after sitting up for a while, the back heartburn actually subsided but I woke up the next morning totally weirded out. Because I didn't think back heartburn was even a real thing, I thought something could seriously be wrong. Obviously NOT the baby coming out the wrong way but it just seemed odd. I decided in my more rational morning state to just see if it happened again (it hasn't. Thank god).  

Later in the week while our husbands were bonding over whiskey, two of my also pregnant girlfriends and I went out to Thai food for dinner. I know you think I am going to say I got heartburn again here but NO. I already told you that I haven't yet. EVEN BETTER. One of my girlfriends said that she has in fact had back heartburn so IT IS a real thing!! I was so validated. My first words to Justin when we got back: "BACK HEARTBURN IS REAL, I HAVE CONFIRMED IT." He shook his head, like, my god, lady... Good thing he loves me. And that is hopefully my first and last story on heartburn... ever.

How I'm changing?

My stomach is growing outward. The end.

What I'm eating?

Pretty normal here.

I was reminded this week of one of my pregnancy staples (infatuations?) I have been totally all about sparkling water. Seriously, I drank this when I was feeling sick, I drank this when I wasn't feeling sick, I pretty much have been drinking this non-stop my whole pregnancy. It is AMAZING. Any kind will do as long as it is just unflavored sparkling water. SO GOOD. I think it has to do with the bubbles... I really have no idea what this is about. It's especially good with some fresh lime squeezed in it. I'm wondering if this will continue post-pregnancy.

Weight I'm gaining? 

I was 144.7 this week... so rounding up that is 145. Eeek. Back to a 1.5ish pound gain. Probably about normal from here on out.

How I'm sleeping?

Still sleeping pretty good, actually. I really can't complain TOO much. I know it's going to get worse before it gets better (better as in, oh, YEARS).

What's the baby doing?

-The baby is 16 inches or the size of four large navel oranges (WHERE do they come up with this stuff?) The baby weighs 3.3 pounds. UM. That's getting close to about half his weight at birth... which means I am really sort of starting to freak out. It is going to be here before we know it.

-The baby is still plumping up and gaining more and more baby fat. His skin is also starting to become soft and smooth.

-Pretty much the baby is just getting bigger and getting ready for the outside world.

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?

-So in effort to get the little guy to turn I've done the following things:

a) Continued inversions like last week- basically what I like to call standing on my head. It made my neck hurt so I was basically doing more of a "downward" dog type inversion that was easier on my neck than sitting propped on a piece of wood. I also would hang on equipment at the gym which worked really well.

b) Started going to a chiropractor who specializes in the webster technique. I might totally kill explaining this and make my doctor friends cringe (especially my chiropractic girlfriend!) but I'll give it a try. From what I understand, the webster technique is a specific technique that chiropractors get certified in that help to align the pelvis. It basically "balances" the pelvis with the thought being that the baby will turn if it has a place to turn in to that is equal. IE: if your pelvis is not balanced and one side is higher than the other, the baby will not naturally go there because it's not comfortable (hence the feet being down because they fit better in the uneven space than the head). Once you see a chiropractor for this treatment, optimal fetal positioning increases. So, what I found out was that my pelvis is indeed mis-aligned. Basically my right side is slightly higher and rolled back (I'm sure those are the formal terms, ha) than my left. Most of this is probably due to YEARS of sitting and working, bad posture, bad shoes, and having incredibly tight right hip flexors and glutes from years of running. So, he adjusted me and sent me home with homework... stretches. I have some silly trainer that's been telling me for years to stretch out and roll out these muscles so I guess it's time to get even more serious about that... IT bands, glutes, hip flexors... they are in for a rude awakening. (And sidenote: Justin came with me to this first appointment and he has not yet stopped gloating).

OH YEAH. And related to this per the chiropractor's suggestion (or basically he said "you better do this for the next two months or else"). It's probably the biggest news of all that probably deserves it's own post (DAD, PLEASE STAND BY: MOM MIGHT PASS OUT- I only know this because Justin almost did- the two people who have been nagging me FOREVER):

I gave up heels.

I know. I don't even know what else to say. I am fine in heels, they feel great, I have LIVED in heels for years and I will again post baby. But truthfully they are probably messing up my pelvis so for the next two months I will be in flats. I never thought it would come to this. I need to have a moment of silence for all of my cute heels. I actually pulled out all of my flats out of the closet because otherwise it makes me sad to see all of the adorable shoes I'm not wearing BUT! It's for the good of my body, the baby, labor, etc. (I did not realize I had it in me either!)

c) I also started seeing my acupuncturist who specializes in treatment of women (fertility issues, issues in pregnancy, hormones, etc). I started seeing him when I didn't have a period for oh, MONTHS, and he is great. I've seen him a few times throughout the pregnancy and then contacted him when I found out the baby is still breech. He said that generally his treatments are less effective for women who are after 32 weeks pregnant but the odds of a c-section are reduced by 60% so to come on in. I'll take it, why not?!

I went in and he put in some points to increase circulation around the uterus and also did moxibustion. I had heard of moxibustion as an effective way to help turn breech babies but really had no idea what I was in for. Basically he sat there with a huge looking cigar type thing, that was lit like a cigar, and heated the points on my pinky toes for about 15 minutes each. Moxa is a herb, also known as mugwort and it's been used in Chinese medicine for years to warm acupuncture points and increase blood blow to the uterus/pelvis (and subsequently to turn breech babies). It was pretty interesting and my toes were on fire. I was sent home with my own moxa sticks and little points to wear daily and told to burn my toes daily with the moxa (not really burn, but do the whole moxibustion procedure). My poor stepson was subject to this a bit as he stayed with us over the weekend and his crazy pregnant stepmom is sitting there with this black stick that doesn't smell so awesome, hovering the red hot point over her pinky toes. I'm sure he texted his friends, "man, dudes, she is WEIRD." Haha.

d) We continued to get the nursery in working order. We got some of the stuff shipped to us from the shower- below is a picture of Justin putting together one of the things. A monkey bouncer. Pretty cute. Separate post to come on the nursery, soon. I promise!

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)

This week I just focused on relaxing and just doing what I could to help the baby turn. I was pretty stressed about it as I mentioned last week but I figure that I'll just do what I can to help him and really start to get in tune with my body. It is pretty amazing how intuitive your body is when pregnant and you just know what to do... I don't know that I have a full understanding yet, but I imagine that motherhood is pretty similar.