HOT and other things

  WOW the heat has been tremendous on top of the humidity.  This pregnant girl could go for some 70's or even low 80's at this point.  Do not get me wrong, I do love swimming in the warm Lake Superior water, but I would like my house to cool down during the day so it is not sweltering when we get home.  I would like to take walks outside without feeling like I would pass out.  I think the heat will break at some point, but you never know if this is a staying trend.  Only time will tell.  The swelling in my hands, feet and calves are really unfortunate with the symptoms that they bring me, but I know they are for a good cause.  I just hope my check up tomorrow turns up no blood pressure problems to top it off.  Glucose test is not for another few weeks, thankfully.  Not looking forward to that yummy test.

  I finished the latest Sookie Stackhouse book.  I can tell you the book did not have any closure that I was expecting, but left the possibilities for the future wide open again.  I did not think that was possible, but here we are.  Sookie in choosing her current vampire boyfriend is torn between love, fun, a quiet mind that a mind reader cannot read, a powerful man with great attraction versus a human (which she could read every thought), a fairy (may not be a possible match) or a shape changer (which children may or may not be possible, but children would be possible with the fairy and human just not a vampire for sure).   Life choices every woman has to make when choosing a mate.  Do I want to live with this person forever or just for now?  Do I want babies?  Do I want this particular mate's babies?  Can this mate give me what I need and want?  Is this person worth the lifestyle I have to lead to be with them? Like with a vampire you have to be alone all day long and spend fleeting tired hours with them at night.  Etc.

  This book had good action and ended with an action packed sequence that was worthy of a movie that ends with, "To be continued." I am happy with the inclusion of many familiar characters in new scenarios and the delving into the deeper aspects of Sookie's relationships with established characters.  I liked the internal struggle we get to hear and with the physical struggles that were all of the fight and flight scenes.  This book lends itself to fleshing out the next book already.  I want some decisions made from her, but some decisions were taken away out of her hands with external forces at work.  I like that the author included the external forces because that is really how life works.  Despite being able to make the choice ourselves, there are so many decisions made before we get to that we cannot control the circumstances.  We just have to play the hand that we were dealt and roll with the punches for everything else.  Glad I read it.  I love Eric Northman.  Would not mind meeting his real life counterpart for an autograph either.

  Another week has gone by in this fastest moving year ever.  I am 25 weeks along and cannot believe it.  I know my hard working husband will never complete all the tasks he has planned prior to the baby arriving, because that can happen unexpectedly also.  I just hope he gets most of it done because it will weigh on his mind if he does not get through his to-do list.  He is so ready to be a father.  So excited.  I am excited for many reasons, one being to get this baby from sitting on my bladder every day anymore ;)

Tony's Water Angel from last weekend landing off of the zip line his cousin rigged

25 weeks

How your baby's growing:


Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.


How your life is changing:

Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.

You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your caregiver will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement.

Have you started thinking about baby names yet? Choosing a name is an important decision, but it should be a fun one, too. You may want to consider family history (Great Grandpa Zeb), favorite locations (Venice, where you honeymooned), or cherished literary or film characters (Greta, Meg, or Atticus, for example). Check out a couple of baby-name books to help you brainstorm, too.