8 weeks to go!

A baby boy at 32 weeks.


Wow! Just think, back in February, I was thrilled to be 8 weeks along because I was able to go to the first doctor's appointment and get the first glimpse of baby boy. Now, here I am, beginning month eight of pregnancy, well into the 3rd trimester.

So, how am I feeling now that I'm in the third trimester. Well, it depends on the day and time.

For example, if you ask me this question first thing in the morning, I'm likely to say "tired." It's very difficult to sleep because I have to switch sides so often - who knew that rolling from one side to the next could be so exhausting and time consuming? It's seriously a long process to wrestle with the pillows, gather the energy to roll, and then get in a comfy position where my arms won't fall asleep and I can breathe (baby boy is crowding my lungs). Then, once I'm comfortable in my new position, baby boy spends a few minutes squirming and kicking into a new position to fit mine. It's quite the dance every hour or two. Not only is it difficult to get comfortable, I don't stay asleep long because I have to pee five to eight times a night. Thank goodness I can walk straight from the bed to the bathroom, pee, wash my hands, and come back to bed all without turning on a light.

Other times, I feel uncomfortable. The growing belly makes it difficult to get around these days. I walk slower, have trouble bending over, and have lots of body aches by day's end. Plus, sometimes I just feel so enormous - like I might burst any second!

However, there are times when I feel energetic. Like tonight, for example. At about eight pm, I got a burst of energy - enough to take Rosco for a walk around the neighborhood, come home sweep the floors, and then scrub every little spot of dried paint off the hardwood floors in the baby's room (done by scooting around the floor on my bottom with a scrubby and sponge).

Mostly, though, I feel hopeful and excited. Jared and I spend hours a day talking about the baby and wondering what he'll look like and act like. We can guess that he will be active as he is VERY active in the womb - kicking, punching, squirming, and wiggling (especially when he hears daddy's voice). We are anxious to meet him!

But, we're also nervous about the whole labor and delivery thing! Jared and I went to the childbirth class a few weeks ago. That was interesting to say the least, we certainly learned a lot. We spent a lot of time going through the stages of labor and watching our over-enthusiastic instructor "moan and groan" as she modeled for us how to breathe through contractions and push. We watched a few videos, including the one of baby's head crowning (which at that point, I wondered why I ever thought having a baby was a good idea). We also were able to tour the hospital which was impressive. By then end of the eight hour day, however, we were so babied out though that we didn't want to see, hear, or talk about babies and birthing for at least 24 hours.

Now, though, reality is setting in that in a few weeks, we will be birthing and raising a baby boy. I'm already feeling Braxton-Hicks, or practice, contractions regularly. Today, at my doctor's visit, she said baby boy is already head down and told me the position of his body. A couple nights ago, as Jared and I watched baby reposition himself, we wondered what body part was lumping out on my stomach. As it turns out, the body part we consistently feel and see is none other than baby boy's bottom. =) On occassion, we feel an elbow or knee (quite pointy). And, of course, there is the consistent thumping by the feet.