Oh wow...I'm really big now...

I'm now 33.5 weeks and it's amazing how big I've gotten. The weather has warmed up and over the weekend, I really noticed how swollen I've gotten. I can't tell how much of my weight gain is water, but it feels like I'm really stiff and puffy, so I'm trying to blame my size on being swollen, not just being a cow. Here's a pic of us from over the weekend. Not flattering at all, but it's me.

My girlfriends visited from Virginia last weekend and we had a really nice time. It's amazing how quickly I get tired now though. I still haven't recuperated from having visitors all weekend. Thank goodness for the short work week! We've decided that I'm not going anywhere or making plans until well after the baby has arrived. Sorry - that means that you can't visit any time soon!! I just don't have the energy for it and poor D ends up having to do all the cleaning, etc to prep for visitors. I'm also a little worried about going into labor early and don't want to be far from home. I've really started to become uncomfortable and am having trouble sleeping. In fact, it's not quite 3am now and I've been up for a while. I guess it's good practice though.

I had an ultrasound at 32 weeks and then they estimated the baby's weight to be 4lbs 12oz (about a pound more than you'd expect at that point). I'm mentally preparing myself to have a big baby. The labor will probably be a little worse, but hopefully LBL will be healthy with a little extra weight!

Darren's doing well and just trying to enjoy the last few weeks before becoming a dad. Hopefully he'll be able to stay in the 'burgh during upcoming weekends so he can get a few rounds of golf in. I doubt he'll have the energy to play much after the baby comes.

10 weeks to go...but who's counting?!

As of today, we've reached the wonderful 30-week mark. I am so happy that there are only 10 more weeks until LBL is due! We're continuing to get ready for her arrival and are almost done. Her room is just missing a rocker and curtains at this point. Priscilla continues to explore the room as we add to it and I'm hopeful that she won't be so curious after her sister comes home.

Speaking of Priscilla - she's not amused by the baby growing in my belly. She won't sit on my lap anymore and really gets weirded out when she feels the baby move. Darren has been spending extra quality time with her to make up for her disinterest in me.

I'm finally feeling human again after being sick for nearly two weeks. I caught a nasty virus that invaded my head and chest, but also made me nauseous. I still have a bit of the cough, but otherwise I'm okay. It was incredibly frustrating though because there wasn't anything I could take to feel better. I went to the doctor and she wasn't very helpful...after a week and lots of begging, she finally gave me Tylenol with codeine to help me sleep. The timing of my illness was interesting. It feels like everyone around me has the thought that I contracted the swine flu.

D is doing well and has been really supportive. I've been completely miserable between the sickness and my messed-up back. It seems that pregnancy has caused me to have a pinched nerve in my back, so I've been in a fair amount of pain. I'm going to the chiropractor, but he's telling me that it's going to take several adjustments to get my back to stay fixed up. He's been able to provide temporary relief, but it just won't stick yet. I've decided that I'm not leaving Pittsburgh for the remainder of the pregnancy. It's too challenging for me to sit in the car, even on short trips, so I'm going to just stay at home. If I stay in bed, my back isn't as bad, so I spend most of my free time propped up in bed with my laptop. D has been spending his spare time at the driving range. I think it bums him out that I won't go with him, but it's just too much to sit around with this achy back and watch him hit balls.

D and I went to Lamaze class yesterday. We're doing a two-weekend intensive class and both of us agree that it's kind of a waste. Since I have practiced yoga on and off for several years, the breathing and focus techniques are pretty common sense to me. It was hilarious that most of the people in the class asked questions about epidurals...it was as if no one had the confidence that they could have their child without medical intervention. I'm definitely not opposed to the drugs and will probably take them to me, but haven't made up my mind yet.

We have officially agreed on LBL's name, which is very exciting! We're not spilling the beans until she arrives, but it's nice to know what we're going to call her.

Here I am at 30 weeks. I woke up on Friday this week and could actually feel how my stomach had grown - almost overnight. I'm starting to become more paranoid about stretch marks as a result. :)