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Browsing Tag: Fetus
I am officially two days away from my due date and everyone wants to know how I’m feeling. I sum it up in one word: uncomfortable. One of the midwives I saw was surprised at how short my torso is. Even though baby has dropped, it still manages to take up my entire torso space. I can’t breathe and I still have heartburn, but I also manage to waddle. That’s not supposed to happen.
Today, Andrew and I went to Costco together. Usually he goes by himself, but today I invited myself along because I keep thinking about how each trip could be the last time we do something without a baby along. So we stocked up and I enjoyed the freedom of not having a baby yet.
Shopping Action Shot! Andrew did all of the running around while I pushed the cart and tried not to look like I was going to birth the baby right there in the bakery section.
Today, I am 39 weeks pregnant. I am large and in charge by now. I don’t have much to say here other than Andrew and I are pretty much ready to go. Furniture is set up, clothes and cloth diapers are pre-washed, and the hospital bag is pretty much packed and ready to go. I am feeling even more relaxed because today I decided that even if baby isn’t here yet, I will be done working next Tuesday. The knowledge that I only have four more days of work is very comforting.
Today Andrew also bought me my “push present.”
I thought it was quite fitting. And it’s pretty sweet that he is already giving me kudos even though labor hasn’t even started.
At the beginning of this pregnancy when I thought ahead to the end, I envisioned Andrew and I busy getting everything in place while I enjoyed some ice cream and discussed names. What I didn’t foresee was spending 10 days on the couch because I came down with influenza.
What a terrible combination. I can’t move around very fast in the first place because I practically have to roll myself everywhere. Then add on top of it being so tired I can hardly stand up while I wait for my oatmeal to cook. Now throw in a cough that stops me in my tracks and you know what I’ve been dealing with. It has not been fun. Now I know what bed rest is like and I feel for anyone that had to deal with that during pregnancy.
Sitting on the couch all day means I am continually taunted by the things I need to get done, but just can’t because I’m sick. So frustrating.
My best friend in the whole wide world is now officially 27 years and 1 week old. Yes,she is a better friend then I am since I can’t even write her a birthday post for an entire week after her actual birthday. Oh well, she puts up with me and I am very glad.
We met in 7th grade at church and we have been besties ever since. So that has been what, 13 years? Some marriages don’t even last that long. We commend ourselves for staying friends all the way through our incredibly long awkward phases.
This sums up our friendship nicely. I’m pretty sure we were at least 17 in this picture, not 13 like I’m imagining everyone thinks we are. That puts us squarely in the middle of our awkward phase. I’m sure you couldn’t tell that just by looking. (And that look on my face? I like to call those my horse teeth. They come out when I am laughing hysterically.)
With saving money in mind, I decided to put my nice camera to good use and try to take some maternity pictures at home. Obviously, I knew that they wouldn’t look as good as if I went to a professional photographer, but I was hoping I could edit them to make them look halfway decent. Hopefully this baby doesn’t come before we get a second try, because otherwise we will be stuck with these.
I know the belly is what we want in the picture, but apparently Andrew was willing to sacrifice the top of my head instead of backing up a few steps.
I figured that maybe Andrew could zoom in on the belly while I was on the phone with my mother. Instead I got a full body shot with an excited Ralph running through.
Yes, the fetus and I are so large now that we tower over the tree in this artsy shot by Andrew. Next stop, climbing a skyscraper in a pregnant rage over not being able to find French Toast Crunch in stores yet.
This year, my family decided to take a small vacation together instead of buying gifts. We were sick of trying to figure out what everyone wanted. It was hard to find something my dad would actually like that was made in America, something techy for Andrew, and finding anything that my sister would actually like and not just feel obligated to keep.
So after trying to plan several trips that were out of our price range, we settled on spending a weekend at Mystic Lake Casino. None of us are gamblers, except my brother Mason who is extraordinarily lucky when it comes to things like bingo, so this vacation was a bit strange to plan. We may have been dazzled by the off-brand holiday cirque show they had playing in their showroom this season.
Check-in was Friday. Andrew and I were able to get on the road fairly soon after work, despite me deciding to make a mug of tea and a cheese quesadilla for the road as Andrew was starting the car. We checked in, brought our luggage up to the room and the hijinks commenced. My sister brought Andrew an ugly Christmas sweater to wear later in the evening. He tried it on while my mom was out of the room and this may have happened:
Yes we are immature and changed my mom’s background to this wonderful picture of her son-in-law. We thought it was hilarious; she was slightly amused.
This morning, I was honored at a baby shower that was being thrown in the toddler room where I work. It was a morning filled with delicious food (including cupcakes), very thoughtful gifts, and a fun time for the toddlers. There was enough seating for stuffed animals to sit with the children, very sweet words of advice exchanged, and a lot of toddlers running around with their pals.
My mother in law made me a beautiful quilt with Berenstain Bear fabric and even included the book “The Berenstain Bears and the Week at Grandmas.” I remember loving these books when I was little and I am so excited to share it with the baby.
My sister was able to come and she even spent Saturday night along with my mom at my house, which made for a fun girls night.
So, what have I learned in the 7 months I’ve been harboring a fetus? Well, let me regale you.
1) What does it feel like? Weird. It feels like I’ve had a deflated basketball in my gut my entire life, but now someone sneaks in every couple of days and gives it a few more pumps.
2) The baby definitely takes after my family. It moves nonstop and hates to cooperate. The ultrasound tech had a horrible time trying to get a profile picture. And every time we try to listen to the heartbeat, we have to play hide and seek with baby. Last time baby even kicked the Doppler wand. If nothing else, the baby has spirit.
3) The baby is now starting to take up more space and is therefore much more noticeable when it decides to practice cartwheels. I feel like an alien is going to pop out at any moment.
4) My coworker noticed that I’ve started to grunt sometimes when I get up at work. I told her it is akin to when tennis players grunt when they swing their rackets. It just helps me get a little more oomph to hoist my butt up off of the ground.
5) I have realized how lucky I am to have a supportive partner. Andrew has been the greatest father-to-be I could ever ask for. He makes me popcorn for dinner, takes baby language classes with me, and deals with my constant requests from the couch that interrupt his video game time. And he does all of it without complaining. Sorry ladies, he doesn’t have a brother!
6) Being pregnant enough at the right time makes for a great Halloween costume 🙂
