Into the "Home Stretch" - Large and Sort of In Charge

Drumroll, please.....

We're now in the 3rd Trimester!  (My students yesterday thought it was awful that anything called a Trimester exists - Semesters are bad enough, and they immediately began imagining having to go to school for a third one.  It was hilarious.)

At 28 Weeks and counting, here I am.... don't judge, please. :)

Yes, you're right, I'm huge.  Well, I think so, anyway.  And with the knowledge that there are possibly 10+ pounds more to go, well, fantastic.  Pretty sure my belly looks as large as most of the women's I know RIGHT before they gave birth.  Can't do anything about it though, so..... large it is, and larger I'll be soon.

And a 28 Week Pregnancy Update!

Size of Baby: The size (I think weight, not necessarily width? Let's hope so, anyway!) of a Chinese cabbage  (Which, of course, I've never heard of).  Nearing 15 inches from crown of head to toes, and probably weighing less than three pounds, which makes it even more unfair that mommy here has gained quite a bit more than that.  Still, he's getting big!

Maternity Clothes: Clearly.  Did you not see my picture?  My only comfort is that I can still fit into a couple pairs of my low-rise jeans comfortably and that, unless they are lying to me (which could be possible), my friends and husband tell me that from the backside, I don't look different.  I should have taken a picture of that this morning to prove it.  Most recent purchase?  Some of those "sports-bras" that have the normal-bra spaghetti strap so I can wear them to school and be comfortable without having it be obvious that I decided to abandon regular bras.

Gender: Boy!   I've recently had the chance to look at bunches of pictures of my cousin's baby boy (who was born before Christmas) and am getting pretty excited.  We're finally tackling the nursery.  Husband just finished repairing the ceiling (from de-popcorning it), and the paint will probably be coming this weekend or next.  We've made a "date" to go "shopping" on Saturday to pick out what we like and to get our registry done, since shower-time approaches rapidly.  I'm a major procrastinator.  Anyway, boy it is, we're pretty set on his name, but I'll just wait a little longer to tell you that.

 

 

Movement: My favorite thing about being pregnant.  (Possibly the only thing I like about it, lol.)  I could sit and feel my belly for hours. I love the way he responds to my hands, even if I'm not pressing down, but just resting them there.  It totally fascinates me to watch my belly twitch and jump when he really gets going.  And I'm constantly amazed as I realize how much he has grown since I first started feeling him move, because there is movement all over the belly in rapid succession, rather than just in one localized place like before.  So. Cool.

 

 

Sleep: Depends on the night.  I'm getting it, and it's mostly good.  Dreams are weird sometimes, but recently they haven't been bad or unsettling, which is a nice change.  Body pillow is super helpful.  And I'm just getting better at falling back asleep after a bathroom break.

 

 

What I miss:  My belly button.  It bothers me extremely that it's this shallow little thing now (and please, let's not talk about it like a "turkey thermometer about to pop").  Feeling like a normal-ish sized person, instead of hippo.  People commenting on how nice I look, not how big I'm getting. 

 

 

Cravings: Nothing specific, as always.  Just a continued desire (as I've had my whole life) to eat salty, and to have some chocolate.  I need to eat less, is pretty much it.

 

 

Symptoms: Is my belly a symptom?  Just kidding.  My hips hurt at night sometimes when I move, but I'm learning to deal with that better, and I'm starting to be a little tired again, but not too much.  My shoes still fit, some of my rings do, too, but my face is a little chubs.  Mostly, doing really well.

 

 

What I Wish I Knew: When he's coming.  I would love to have that timeline set in stone so I could plan better.  (ha, I know, right?)  The calendar for the next few months is full, and I keep wishing I could really know when I have to be ready.  There's a lot of pressure trying to do my job well for the next few months, have it be manageable to leave school in some order for the sub, and, of course, having the essentials for baby to come home to.

 

 

Best Moment(s) This Week: Booking a weekend away with Husband.  Can we afford to go?  Probably not.  Can we afford not to go?  Probably not.  So we're going.  We compromised on the where to get a slightly more affordable hotel and agreed to eat cheap so we can stay two nights.  I think it will be really good for us to have some time together to be intentional and have good conversation away from home and from the "to-do" list.  It's going to be hard for me to let go off all the things I'll know I should be doing, but I'm really excited, anyway.

As for "Large and sort-of In Charge," well, I have some to-do lists, I'm working on prioritizing, and I know it's one of those things where things will be done even if they're not done, so.... I feel sort of okay with things.  We'll see what happens. 

It's going to be a crazy dash to the finish, which ,of course, is just the beginning.