31 Weeks

aaaaannnd counting!

Stuff is starting to get really real  now.  As if it wasn’t before.  I constantly feel this little one jogging a marathon in my belly… she’s ALWAYS having the hiccups, which renders me feeling completely helpless because there’s nothing I can do to help her with that.  I’ve been told that it’s positive and encouraging that she’s having them because it means she’s practicing her breathing and getting her lungs mature enough to function outside the womb.  So I guess… hiccup away…  It gets a little surreal to feel after 20 minutes or a half hour.   I managed to piece together some semblance of a registry and have finally nailed down the details for the shower – enough to hand over to trusted friends an sisters.  We built the crib yesterday and are now fawning over it in lieu of fawning over her.  Things are moving along.

Ended up in Labor and Delivery on Saturday because there was this constant pressure happening in my lower abdomen all day that would spike and become extreme and then subside but back to the regular hum of pressure.  Since this is child #1 and I’ve never experienced a contraction before, we headed to the hospital after calling the OB and got put on a monitor to make sure the kid wasn’t making an unplanned escape.  She wasn’t.  No contractions.  Cervix is long and closed.  So… then… what was I experiencing?  No one knows.  But I was sent home in as much pain as I got there which was disheartening.  With the orders to stay hydrated and relaxed, that’s how I had to spend the rest of my weekend.  I wished I had gotten a little more direction or help – but I supposed in these cases, it’s a bit lofty to do either.  If it’s not contractions or the kid trying to slide out, then we just don’t need to deal with it might be the philosophy at hand right now.    My main concern is that SHE is alright in there.  Shortly after we got to the hospital, she started moving around a lot (she had been pretty sedentary when the pain was in full swing).  She took a special joy in kicking the baby heart monitor in particular that they placed on her.   She pinpointed exactly where it was and would give it a good whack every few seconds as if to say “get this offa me”.  As long as she was moving, i was fine.  But the search continues on my part to find out what the source of this pressure may be.  Growing pains?  Was she laying laterally?  I may never know.

Got some 3d pics of her this past week.  FINALLY.  The little gymnast hasn’t liked being on camera much so she’ll fancy herself throwing her feet up in front of her face.  To which the technician would say “can’t take a picture of her like this, you’ll just see two big black things in front of her face… it would be a waste.”  So the night before, Earl consulted the belly.  Begging her to just give us a look… a quick one… and he would make his famous homemade strawberry shake for her (which she loves).  Sure enough, when we got to the technician and saw that her feet were crossed Indian style away from her face, we took the opportunity to get a few 3d/4d pics of her little face.  Here’s a sneak peek at the love of my life:

Used to be that these pictures really creeped me out… But, I guess when you’re really looking to know that little one inside… they aren’t so creepy… you’re just looking for what you recognize.  My (mommy’s) nose.  His forehead.  A hybrid of mommy’s lips and his lips.   His cheeks.  The jury is out on the eyes till she opens them.  And her mom’s hamminess – hand poised right at the chin and cheek as if she was posing.  Little superstar.  Earl can’t stop kissing the picture and my belly.  And I just stare.  Still in awe that any of this is happening.  That I can say aloud “I’m pregnant” and have it be true and enduring for the first time in my life.  It’s all still so indescribable.

I love this feeling!

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