Proof I wear clothes that are not pajamas

But only for short periods of time. Immediately following this picture (we were home after celebrating Craig's birthday at a fancy-schmancy steak restaurant), I changed into pajamas and went to sleep. I was wearing HOSE, for goodness sake. And knee-high boots. I don't normally wear those things when I'm not pregnant.

So, onto this week. It's 36 weeks today. That means that I am exactly one month away from my due date. YIKES!

How far along? 36 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes? yup. But mostly Craig's t shirts and my pj bottoms

Sleep: Actually, I'm sleeping pretty well. I get up about once a night and that's usually it.

Best moment this week: I think it was having a date night/birthday celebration for Craig. I really enjoyed dressing up and going somewhere.
Movement: Yes--we're trying to identify the body parts that poke out. So far, we've identified his little butt and a foot.

Food cravings: Still milk, but not as much as before

Gender: boy (I'm thinking this one will not change)

Labor Signs: none yet. When I went to the doctor today, I was not dilated at all, but my cervix was soft. So, hooray? I DID get a Braxton-Hicks contraction today that was not pleasant. Completely different to the other one.

Belly Button in or out? Out. Like a turkey timer.

What I miss: Not feeling like my legs are about to come out of my hips (relaxin hormone)

What I am looking forward to: meeting Baby

Weekly Wisdom: Just came back from a Happiest Baby on the Block class and have realized that receiving blankets are not the same as swaddling blankets. And I have an enormous amount of receiving blankets.

Milestones: By the calendar, I am nine months' pregnant! Next week, I will be full term.

34 weeks

So, here we are again. One week bigger!

Not much has changed since last week except I had my first Braxton-Hicks contractions. From what I had read about BH, they are mostly not painful and you really didn't feel them. I have news for Mr. Braxton and Mr. Hicks. YES YOU DO SO FEEL THEM. That's why many a preggo has confused them with real labor pains. I only had two and they were not all that pleasant. Fortunately, it was over in, like, two seconds. But, I went to lie down on the couch and felt sorry for myself anyway. And made Craig finish cooking dinner. I gotta get sympathy where I can

33 weeks and counting

I saw this on one of the blogs I stalk, so I thought I would try it out!

How far along? 33 weeks today
Total weight gain/loss: about 17 pounds
Maternity clothes? yup. But mostly Craig's t shirts and my pj bottoms
Sleep: I get a few hours stretches at a time. I get up to pee or I have a leg cramp that wakes me up or the doggies wake me up to go outside at 6 a.m. (like clockwork). I do take naps (or, as Craig lovingly calls them, mini-comas).
Best moment this week: It was this weekend--my Vandy girls came to visit and we had a baby shower!
Movement: Yes--the kid has found my ribs and likes kicking them
Food cravings: I still drink a lot of milk. I go through a gallon a week. But, then of course, I have a cupcake or a cookie to go with it. So I don't know if the baby is trying to tell me he needs calcium or I just need something to go with my dessert.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: none yet
Belly Button in or out? neither yet--it's at the weird stage of flatness
What I miss: getting up from a reclining position without feeling like an upended turtle
What I am looking forward to: meeting Baby
Weekly Wisdom: I don't have to do it all myself. I CAN ask for help and it's no big deal.
Milestones: Just making it this far! Saw the doctor today--everything still looking good!

Yabba Dabba Doo

Well, it's begun.

The Flintstone Feet.

My feet and fingers have started swelling at night. :(

I guess the only remedy for it is to stay on the couch all day with my feet up.

For health reasons, of course

Thoughts of a Crazy Lady

Now that the third trimester has started and I am 29 weeks along, I have stopped (sort of) worrying that I am going to lose the baby (which I have feared pretty much every day since July 9) But, of course, I can focus on all the glory of labor and taking home a newborn (and HOORAY, now I can add the umbilical cord to Deadly Weapons Threatening My Child, in addition to the cord of the blinds. Ugh, I really need to stop watching Discovery Health). (And, no. Nothing is wrong with my umbilical cord. At least, that I know of--we have a dr's appt on Friday, YIPPEE!!! We get to see Baby again in three days!)

Anyhoo, now I am starting to focus on what to do after Baby is here, so what I need are your recommendations of books to read/books you found helpful. Yes, I fully realize that all the books in the world won't prepare me or Craig for the reality that is Parent.Hood, but it makes me feel better, mkay? We have The Happiest Baby on the Block and are down with that business, but what else?

I don't really want books on childbirth--my phobia of that still stands. It's not your run of the mill "Oh, I am nervous about labor" biznass, either. It's (still) full-blown, eyes WIDE.OPEN, mouth hung open in terror, crying, looking in horror at moms in labor phobia. Seriously, labor looks awful. I cried at "Knocked Up." Yeah, that "comedy" movie that has the money shot of labor? I cried. Not kidding. In.The.Theater. Have I mentioned I need to stop watching Discovery Health? My OB asked if I had any desire to "go natural" with the birth. I almost laughed, like crazy-woman, hysterical laughed at him. Oh, honey, if you only knew. (The quick answer to that is No. The long answer to that is Hell To The No. Give me drugs and make it snappy, Trapper John. I just wish that the epidural didn't have to go into my spine and make me worry that I will become paralyzed. Anyone else have that fear? Anyone? crickets chirping. S%#! I REALLY need to stop watching Discovery Health*)

And, I just wonder what he is going to look like!!! Sister has always said that my child will look like this because I am such a nerdy bookworm:

However, since Baby is half Craig, I think he may look more like this (some of you may remember me describing him when we first started dating as a 6'4" cross between Shoney's Big Boy and a Kewpie Doll--here they both are.):

Either way, I think the kid is doomed to have a ginormous head.

*But, I can't quit Discovery Health!!!! All the pregnancy shows!! ("I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"?? Really? REEEAALLLY? That kicking in your ribs you feel is just stress, is it? Oh, you were constipated, went to do #2 and had your baby in the toliet? You stay classy.) And all the fat people shows!!! ("Inside the Brookhaven Clinic"? How do you not realize you or a loved one weighs 500+ pounds?) AND!! "Hoarders:Buried Alive." (Which brings me to A&E's "Hoarders" as well.) My God, these people fascinate me. Those are my kind of reality shows. "The Bachelor" and the like can suck it.

New Year, New Baby

It's 2010. It's the year our baby is born!! I can't really wrap my head around it! He'll be here so soon.

New Year's/New Year's Eve was very, very calm. Craig's family and friends from the UK called to wish us a happy new year. I had to work until about 7:30 on New Year's Eve and even though I offered to go to a bar or somewhere more lively than our living room, Craig was happy to stay in and watch Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve. BTW--I really admire Dick Clark for coming on every year, but I really think he should maybe not do it anymore. I'm worrried about him.

As for today, it's snowing in Ohio, so while Craig is on a business trip, the doggies and I are staying in and staying warm. Is it really that wrong that I still have my pjs on and it's 1:30 in the afternoon? I fully intend on doing some things around the house, but I do not believe I need to change out of my pjs to do them.

This year I didn't make any resolutions. Craig and I hope and pray that Baby is healthy and strong, so other than that, we don't have many other wishes for 2010.