This past weekend we started painting the baby’s room. We will have the border run slightly lower than center across the wall and will have yellow paint above it and blue paint below it. I think it’s going to look really cute! Waiting for the furniture is killing me but since we need to get the room painted first, it’s probably a good thing that there’s a little wait time — there’s no way I’d be able to help Jay move those things with this belly in the way; I can barely lift the kitchen table let alone a huge dresser.

In preggo news, nothing exciting except that we felt something ‘hard’ the other day. We’re guessing it was a foot or maybe an elbow. It’s amazing to think he’s already 16 inches long. I just couldn’t imagine being squished into such a small space like he is — I’d probably be squirming a lot too.

I can’t believe we only have 9 weeks left…

From babycenter.com:

How your baby’s growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he’s beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out.

How your life’s changing: You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or “premilk,” from your breasts lately. Some expectant moms experience this leaking, others don’t; either way, it’s perfectly normal and you can rest assured that your body is doing what it’s meant to do. If you’re leaking, you may want to tuck some nursing pads in your bra to protect your clothes. And if you plan to breastfeed, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. If your current bra is too snug, go ahead and wear the nursing bra now. (When shopping, choose a nursing bra at least one cup size bigger than you need now to accommodate the swelling that will take place when your milk comes in.)

Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Some women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Lasting from 30 to 60 seconds, they’re nonrhythmic and irregular and, at this point in your pregnancy, they should be infrequent and not painful. (When you’re within a few weeks of your due date, it’s normal for Braxton Hicks contractions to become more frequent and even somewhat painful; in fact, they’re often called “false labor” because sometimes it can be hard to tell them from the real thing.) Until 37 weeks, though, your baby is still premature. So if you’re getting frequent contractions (even if they don’t hurt), it may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have an increase or change in vaginal discharge (especially if it’s watery, mucus-like, or pink or tinged with blood), abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping, more than four contractions in an hour, an increase in pressure in the pelvic area, or low back pain, especially if you didn’t have it before.

We had our 30 week checkup yesterday and everything looks good. I don’t have anemia nor do I have gestational diabetes. Wooohooo! My weight gain as of yesterday is exactly 20 pounds. Twenty pounds at 30 weeks — I guess that’s not too bad. My fundal height is 30.5.

We stopped by Babies R Us yesterday to make our final choice on the motif for the baby room. We’ve decided on the Malawi theme by Kids Line. Although we both love the Froggy Tales theme, it didn’t seem visually stimulating and I could see us getting tired of little froggies. At least the Malawi has lots of little animals and we can switch them around. We picked up the border so now we can pick up some paint!

On Sunday we had our last childbirth class. They covered a lot of things like the pain medications, ceseareans and what to do to help speed up labor. I am trying to keep an open mind as far as drugs and c-sections but I’m hoping to be able to do the whole thing without any drugs or being cut open. I’ve cut out caffeine, modified my diet and even avoided getting new highlights all so that the baby has a better chance at life — I’d hate to throw drugs into my system after all that. Plus, I can imagine that breastfeeding and bonding is more difficult when you’re (mildly) sedated.

On Friday we stopped by our first daycare center. It is right down the road from our house and from Jay’s work. A few of the ladies that he works with highly recommended it; we are currently on a waiting list with 2 people ahead of us (they only have 6 infant spots). I’m hoping we can get in but in the meantime I think we’ll have to sign up at some other places just in case we can’t get this one right away. The weekly cost is $290 but Jay gets a 10% discount because of where he works. Over a thousand dollars a month just to have someone else watch our kid. Ugh.

How your baby’s growing: Your baby’s a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and fills out your uterus. His eyes open and close, he’s able to distinguish between light and dark, and he can even follow a light source back and forth. Once he’s born, he’ll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he’ll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (”Normal” vision in adults is 20/20.)

How your life’s changing: You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you’re having any trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsy, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, your balance is off and your joints are loosened, thanks to pregnancy hormones. Those loose joints can actually cause your feet to grow a shoe size –permanently.

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and your hormones may result in a revisit of those ups and downs you felt in the first few months. It’s normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you’ll be a good parent, but if you can’t shake the blues or feel increasingly anxious or irritable, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 10 percent of expectant women who battle mild to moderate depression during their pregnancies.

And if you think you might like some kind of pain relief for labor and delivery, now’s a good time to look into your options.

From babycenter.com:

How your baby’s growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it’s no surprise that your baby’s nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and him well nourished, you’ll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby’s skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.)

How your life’s changing: You should be able to feel your baby’s movements strongly now. Pay attention to the kicks and nudges, and let your practitioner know if you ever notice a decrease in activity. She may ask you to do fetal kick counts to make sure everything’s okay.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage again. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows your digestive process, which can cause gas, especially after a big meal. Another problem you can credit to your growing uterus (and constipation) is hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids — which are simply swollen blood vessels in your rectal area — are very common during pregnancy and usually clear up soon after delivery. If they’re itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath and applying a hot pad or cold compresses medicated with a little witch hazel to the affected area. Also avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your practitioner before using any over-the counter remedies during pregnancy, and let her know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.

A small number of women get something called “supine hypotensive syndrome” during pregnancy. When they lie on their backs, they get a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes them feel dizzy until they change position. You might note that you get dizzy if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid getting the spins, move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Apparently the Wellness Center doesn’t want preggo’s out in the snow. Our second (and last) childbirth class has been canceled for today; we will be notified of the new date (hopefully soon). I was looking forward to getting this class over and done with. While it’s been informative, four hours is just too damn long to be sitting in a room when all you’re thinking about is whether you can make it to the next break.

I’ve spent so much money on cat beds and yet it seems that Esco’s favorite place to sleep is in our bag of bags.

I’m concerned that I may come home one day to find a suffocated cat, but he seems to love this ‘bed’ more than any other place in the house.

I’m also concerned that one day Tygris may take her obsession with warm places a bit too far.

The pain in my legs seems to have calmed down; maybe it was the initial stretching of the ligaments. Whatever it was, it was damn painful. After talking to my mom last night, it seems like this baby is taking after my youngest brother. While that means a lot of funny moments for our family, it also means I’ll most likely have a full head of white hair by the time I’m 30. My stylist will be happy about that.

As directed by my OBGYN, I went out and got a maternity belt to support my belly. It seems to have helped a little, although I’m not quite sure if it was the belt or just time. There is still a low pain in my hips but it’s not fall-over painful like it was on Friday. Right now we’re waiting for the OBGYN offices to open so I can get some bloodwork done (glucose test).

We ordered the crib, baby station and baby station hutch on Saturday (and we finally decided on honey). The expected delivery time is 8 to 12 weeks. That kind of sucks because I was hoping to have it here in time for the shower, but I guess as long as it makes it to our house before the baby does then we’re ok.

After we ordered the furniture we made our way over to Babies R Us to test out strollers, car seats, play yards and anything else we could get our hands on. The stroller and car seat seemed to be the easiest thing to choose (although it was a lot of work for Jay, opening and closing strollers and attaching and removing car seats — the only reason we left when we did was because he was physically exhausted). We’re up-in-the-air about the play yard — we want it to function as a bassinett for the first month so we want something sturdy but we don’t want something huge because we want to be able to take it with us to parks, people’s houses, etc.

On Sunday we had our first of two childbirth classes. I’ve been doing a lot of reading so it was nice to be able to just sit back and have someone tell me things. Plus, our instructor is a nurse who has 4 kids of her own so she could input her own personal experiences as well as what she’s seen in the hospital. We also got to watch a childbirth video that showcased 3 births; all 3 had different outcomes than what the parents had expected. I’m trying to keep an open mind because I know that anything can happen.

I don’t think I can wait 2 more hours to eat!

From babycenter.com:

How your baby’s growing: By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open his eyes — which now sport lashes — and he’ll turn his head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. His fat layers are beginning to form, too, as he gets ready for life outside the womb.

How your life’s changing: Do your legs feel creepy-crawly at night? Tingling in your lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them is known as restless legs syndrome (RLS), and it can make it hard to relax when you’re settling in. No one knows what causes RLS, but it’s common among pregnant women. Try cutting down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse, and massage your calves when they feel tense. Some studies also show that taking iron supplements helps ease your discomfort.

At this point, you may visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks; then, at 36 weeks, you’ll switch to weekly visits. Depending upon your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis, plus cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea during your third trimester, to be certain of your status before delivery. (Identifying and treating these infections is crucial for your health and your baby’s.) And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you’re Rh negative, you’ll receive an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby’s blood. If your baby’s biological father is also Rh negative, the shot isn’t necessary, but most practitioners will do it routinely rather than test the father. (You’ll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth if your baby is Rh positive.)

I left work early today because I could no longer take the pain in my hips. Everytime I got up to use the restroom or get water I thought my legs were going to give out from the pain. So I went home and called the doctor. She said this is perfectly normal and that my ligaments are stretching. The shooting pains are normal, too but I probably shouldn’t sit for too long since that is part of the problem; I should get up every couple minutes and walk around or stretch. She also said I may need to invest in a maternity belt which will help lift my belly off my hips/ligaments. Seriously, I am not that big. My belly is not that big. Why the hell does it need to be ‘lifted?’ And how the hell am I going to get through the next three months when the baby will go through his biggest growth spurt?