That's Great & All, But What About the Baby?

I thought I would take a moment from all of the trip-related discussion to tell you about my darling little baby.

It's amazing to me that I'm already into the sixth month. I feel so lucky that things have gone so well so far - I was never sick during the first trimester (though there were definitely a few times where the smell of someone or something made me gag. Thanks, public transportation!) and thus far, I am still sleeping 8 hours straight without getting up to pee, I'm not swollen in my hands or feet (I already have the beautiful Thiel calves and cankles, so I'm set there!) and I don't feel like my belly is big or cumbersome. Other than some small aches and pains a month or so back when my stomach was really stretching, it's really been all smooth sailing.

However, I am starting to get to the point where my belly sometimes gets in my way, which surprises me every time. For example - rubbing lotion on to my feet at night is becoming more and more of a challenge (guess I'll just have to make Tim give me regular foot massages!) And when we were in Palo Alto, I was trying to lean over to zip Jake's suit into our suit bag and grunting as I did it, because I just can't lean over as far as I used to without the belly pushing up against my lungs. Also, I am realizing that sitting down in our shower to shave my legs is going to become a liability pretty soon - there's nothing on the inside of the shower that I could use to hoist myself back up, unless I install some sort of rope and pulley system. Or perhaps buy myself a plastic lawn chair for the shower (cheaper than re-doing the whole bathroom!)

It's nice though, to feel like I'm finally showing. For the longest time, I felt like I just looked like a chubbikins (Dad calling me fattie at every turn was probably not helping) but my belly is poking out enough in a way that makes it pretty clear that there is another human being in there, not just an order of chili cheese fries. When we were in the hotel this weekend, one of the staff members asked me if I was having a boy or a girl. Jake says I should have acted outraged and said "I'm not pregnant, I'm just fat, how dare you!" but really, I could have hugged the woman for being the first to notice my babyness.

The best thing about being 2/3rds of the way done is how active the baby is. I feel her kick every day, several times a day. I can't tell exactly what she's up to, but she's up to something. The good news is that she's just in my abdomen - I haven't gotten kicked in the ribs or the bladder yet, which I hear is less than awesome. Mostly she's around my belly button, though occasionally she'll be over on one side or the other. Tim feels her kick almost every day now. Last night I was laying on the couch and I asked if he wanted to see if she'd kick. She hadn't been very active in the preceding minutes, but a few seconds after he put his hand down she walloped him a big one. She also kicks a lot right when I lay down to go to bed, which I hear is normal. Sometimes, I suspect it's because I'm still laying on my stomach, and she's getting squished. I just poke her and tell her to move while she's still got the room to scoot.

Size-wise, the internet says she's already a foot long from head to heel. She's over a 16 oz now, or as Jake helpfully pointed out "about as big as a good sized steak." At my last doctor's appointment the ultrasound tech said Sequins was right on target in terms of size - I'll be interested to see at our next appointment if she's bigger or smaller than normal. Everyone keeps joking that she's going to be a huge hoss, just like her parents, but I keep feeling like she's going to be on the regular to small sized. I guess because I just don't picture myself being 42 weeks pregnant come October (then again, most women don't hope that they'll be carrying a giant belly for several extra days.)

Sometimes, I still can't believe that I'm actually pregnant. The other thing that boggles my mind is the fact that at the end of all this, I will have a little daughter that's going to come home and live with me, and who I will have to raise and worry about for the rest of my natural life. I think that once August comes and I'm done with work and busy setting up the nursery, researching more about the actual labor and delivery and washing all of those cute little clothes we've already bought her, it'll seem more real. But until then, it's been a good ride so far! And of course, we can't wait to meet her and see her little face.