How Life Is Changing, You Can Only Plan So Much

  I am looking at all the baby gear, clothes, diapers, etc. and planning on what my life will be like with a newborn baby in it.  I can only read so much, use my imagination and ask others what it will be like.  There is no substitute for real life experience and I will not know until I am actually going through it.  I am ready to be through with the aching joints, water retention, indigestion, uncomfortable sleep, taking all the vitamins per day and inability to exercise. I feel like as soon as I get used to the kicking and punching feeling that comes from my abdomen that my pregnancy will be over and there will be a new chapter to "get used" to all that comes along with the baby.

  I can see now how a baby is all encompassing and distracting.  You have to be focused to protect them, care for them and give them a good and safe life.  I am already trying to control things that I have no control over.  I am SO thankful for the friends and my sister that are giving me advice and sharing their experiences with me.  I know every mother and child have difference experiences, but as much information as I can get, I feel, will only benefit me.  No doubt I am ahead of the game versus Tony as he has read no books and has only experienced the birth classes that we have taken thus far.  I am so happy he could come to those as that will be his main point of reference for the coming birthing process.

  I have to get on my reading as I only have 7 books left and a month (or so) to read them in.  The nursery is getting there.  I'd say 75% done at this point.  Some clearing out of Tony's items to go, the dresser to be finished, the diaper changing table to be purchased, the border to be put up, a few things to be hung on the wall, the sconces to be installed, the closet to be stocked and organized.  I have some ordering to do as well, the cloth diaper detergent, determining which wipes formula I want to use, the perineum massage oil order, etc.  I have to re-arrange the kitchen cupboards to accommodate baby bottles, etc., the bathroom supplies for baby toiletries and the closet for bathing supplies.  Good thing I like to organize everything.

Scrap booking baby gift 

  I cannot believe it is 45 degrees out with hail right now!  Such strange extremes.  The temperature was ninety degrees just 2 days ago!  Strange.  I have to get to a couple of thank you's today and run my errands.  Goodwill, recyclables, Walmart, the bank and to the office.  How time flies.  I have to wait for my clothes to dry in the dryer though so I will have something to wear today (ting).  Oh, so much fun! Yay!



33 WEEKS

How my baby is growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.


How my life is changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" may end up pinched, creating numbness; tingling, shooting or burning pain; or a dull ache. Try wearing a splint to stabilize your wrist or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or on an assembly line, for instance), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks — which should be frequently.

Many women are still feeling sexy at this stage — and their partners often agree. You may need to make some adjustments, but for most women, sex during pregnancy is fine right up until their water breaks or their labor starts.