Week 35

This has been a week of slowly-but-surely.  We were able to get our master bedroom walls painted, trim painted, and BBQ put together (with the help of Kimber and Nate).  Rian came over during the week and helped Bryann move a bunch of very heavy boxes out of the den and into a less-visible, less-used room, and also helped him get some light fixtures replaced.  Things are progressing, and I'm starting to see the light.  Although I have made a *very* long laundry list of things we have left to accomplish (see below), I still feel like these are all tasks we can get done before baby comes. 

I spent a Monday-Wednesday in Seaside for work, which wasn't exactly a vacation, but wasn't the worst way to spend a few days.  I do NOT recommend the Oceanfront Shilo Inn.  My room was a hole, no A/C, and the walls are paper thin, so I heard doors closing, people talking, and TVs blaring during my entire stay.  I am SO grateful we have Pacific Blue to go to when we need some beach time.  Seaside was also completely overrun with families and kids and teenagers walking around in gaggles.  On weekday nights, too!  I shudder to think what weekends are like in that town!  I have to go back out for a few days here and there at the beginning of August, and am hoping I can change my hotel reservations and find somewhere a little more quiet. 

In baby news, Bryann and I started birth classes.  Well, I should say RACHEL and I started birth classes, THEN Bryann and I started birth classes.  Rachel came with me to the first class because Bryann underestimated the amount of time he'd need to spend on homework before his class Saturday night.  So Rachel and I looked like a lesbian couple for the first half of class until we did introductions and explained that she was my husband's substitute.  Nothing against lesbian couples, plus it was pretty humorous.  The classes are informative though.  For example, I had no idea that laying on my back in a bed with my feet in stirrups is actually the worst birthing position because the force of gravity pulls the baby's weight to have her face forward instead of facing backward.  All you see in movies and TV is women laying on their backs in bed screaming, so I thought that's how it was done.  Apparently I could give birth all kinds of different ways, and even if I need an epidural, can get into a somewhat vertical position, leaning backwards over the raised head of the bed to let gravity work it's magic, so baby can rotate and come out easier.  Who knew!  I was also somewhat expecting a lamaze class or some type of breathing training where they do the "hee hee hooooo" breaths, but apparently just breathing deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth does the trick.  :-) 

What Baby T has been up to this week:

• Callie is weighing in somwhere around 5 1/4 lbs, and is 18-20 inches long - about the size of a honeydew melon.
• Things are getting snug in there, so she's not doing sommersaults anymore, but continues to kick, jab, stretch, and get hiccups.
• Her kidneys are now fully developed and her liver can manage processing waste
• The next few weeks will be about packing on the lbs.  Her weight is about 15% fat right now, and she'll be about 30% fat at term. 

Pregnancy symptoms include:

• Heartburn.  Oh woe is me, the heartburn.  I read somewhere that no one does heartburn like a third trimester prregnant lady.  Ain't that the truth!  Antacids never leave my side...
• Feeling full and huge.  I felt the same way in the mid-20's weeks, so I suspect it's gas and constipation building up, but I feel enourmous and full of baby, and like there's no room for any of my own organs in there. 
• Fatigue
• Beached-whale syndrome.  I have a hard time sitting up on my own.  Bryann is kind enough to help push me up in the mornings, or help push me out of the car if we're parked on an incline
• Shark-fin stomach muscles.  When I sit up, my abdomen forms a shark-fin V-shape.  Very weird
• Near absence of belly button

What I miss/What I'm looking forward to:

• Looking forward to hosting Wine & Dine this weekend.  Not looking forward to cleaning up for Wine & Dine this Saturday.  :-P
• Looking forward to Annie having her baby!  Any day now... 
• I'm going to miss being able to drink at Wine & Dine this weekend, but Bryann said I could have tiny sips of everything, which is the most generous he's been about me drinking anything to date! 

35 weeks!



Samson taking a break from all the hard work painting



Painted bedroom, painted trim



To-Do list