38w0d - the final days

Here's today's belly pic. Hubby saw my profile the other day and asked me, "How do you carry that around?" Um, I don't have a choice?
Here's the lastest progression pic, seems like yet another growth spurt from the Bean.

OB appointment on Thursday was actually rather boring, but at this stage, that's good. Weight gain was only a half pound, blood pressure, urine, heartbeat were all good as well. OB's guess from feeling baby thru the belly is 9+ lbs currently. I go back for my last OB visit a week from today.

I found this poem the other day that really speaks to some of what I'm feeling right now. It's about adding another child to the family and how that affects the first one. I find myself feeling sad about the pregnancy being over soon and more sad about my alone time with NSWO coming to an end. Almost as if he can tell things are about to completely change, he has become so sweet and adorable - even more so than usual. Anyway, here's the poem, you may need a tissue, I do.

Loving Two (Author Unknown)

I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship. Suddenly, I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited. And I wonder: How could I love another child as I love you?

Then he is born, and I watch you. I watch as the pain you feel at having to share me as you have never shared before. I hear you telling me in your own way, "Please love only me," And I hear myself telling you in mine "I can't." Knowing, in fact, that I never can again. You cry, I cry with you. I almost see our baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never have again.

But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty. I'm afraid to let you see me enjoying him - as though I am betraying you. But, then, I notice your resentment change, first curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.

More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine. The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.

But, something is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two. There are new times - only we are three. I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other. I watch how he adores you, as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of his new accomplishments, and I begin to realize that I haven't taken something from you, I've given something to you. I notice I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you. I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally as strong. And my question is finally answered to my amazement. Yes! I can love another child as much as I love you - only differently.

And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I know you'll never share my love. There's enough of that for both or you - you each have your own supply.

I love you both and I thank you both for blessing my life.

37w5d - Shall we try to guess The Bean's birth weight?

As the final days tick by, I find that my clothes no longer fit. My pants won't stay up, my shirts won't stay down and I've given up caring. LOL I get lots of comments about being ready to pop and how big the belly is. Surprisingly, they don't bother me - they're right, this belly IS big.

So, I thought it might be fun if anyone who is interested officially puts down their guess for birth weight (assuming we make it to the c/s date on 07/07/07 which I think we will) in the comments. Who's game?

Background info: He's been measuring ahead since the NT scan. Last fundal height put me 3wks ahead. Ultrasound at ~32wks guessed 5lb 15oz. The one at 36wk0d guessed 8lb 11oz. My c/s will be at 39w1d.

My first son was born 8 days ahead of his due date at 8lb 8oz and 22.25in long. Hubby and I are both just about 6' tall. If you want to include a guess on length - feel free. I'll update my guess later, don't want to skew anyone's guesses.

37w1d - Two Week Wait - the good kind

Two weeks from today, from this very moment, I will be holding my son in my arms. Or maybe Hubby will be holding him - I'll still be numb from the spinal.

For most women dealing with infertility the term "two week wait" is a concept filled with anticipation, wonder, hope, dread, and even fear. Two weeks of waiting after ovulation (or an insemination, or an egg retrieval for IVF) to find out if your dreams will come true. Unfortunately, for many of us, most of those Two Week Waits did not end like a dream, but more like a nightmare that we just couldn't wake up from. Many of the gals still in the trenches are hoping to wake up from that nightmare soon. I hope they do - very soon. Some of us have gotten lucky and gotten our dream ending. I am so amazingly grateful to be one of them.

2.5 years of TTC, 1 miscarriage, and 9 months of pregnancy and now it all comes down to my last EVER two week wait.

37w0d - belly pic and OB appt update

OB appointment went well. I think I only gained a pound in the last week and I'd like to think it was his weight gain, not mine. LOL My blood pressure was normal (whew!) and heartbeat was good. He checked my cervix (my only internal exam - yay!!) and the cervix is still tightly closed so no risk of imminent labor this week.

Here's the big ol' belly as of today.


Here's the progression with this week added. Belly is more rounded again. This kid keeps kicking me in the same spot on the right side of my belly and I swear it's going to bruise soon. LOL

36w6d - Awww, you make me blush!

Thanks so much guys, you're too sweet. I am so pleased with how the pictures turned out.

The hands on the belly and the flower one were my idea. Hehehe And I did that manicure myself the night before. Told Hubby, "I just saved us $30!"

Heather - I did model for a while after college but I was technically 'too old' at that point and to do it now I'd have to lose way more weight than I want to so I just don't. It was fun while I did it though. I should dig out some of my old modeling pics to post someday. That would be a trip.

Today, at yoga, we did handstands for the first time in a few weeks. My arms felt strong enough, but I was simply unable to push up hard enough to get up against the wall. The belly (and the Bean) is simply too big and heavy now. Sniff, sniff. I was hoping to be able to continue handstands until the very end. At least my headstands are still going strong. On Tuesday, I was so tired and sore that I wondered if I should keep going to yoga class, but I felt so much better after class and felt great yesterday and today so I KNOW it's not a matter of should I go, I MUST go to keep feeling as good as possible.

Lots of gals in the blogosphere and on FF are having their babies and it just gets me so excited and nervous about the Bean's impending arrival. The amnesia from last time is lifting and I'm getting a bit scared of the pain and discomfort that's coming. And, oh boy, I'm hoping the anxiety and depression do NOT return this time. I feel like I'm almost at the top of the big hill on the roller coaster and I've done this one before so I know it's a wild ride. The anticipation is getting higher by the day.

Tiny dancer

36w4d - Maternity pics

My photographer sent me the link to the maternity pics slideshow today. Just a warning that there are a few pics of me in full silhoette. You don't 'see' anything, but you see the outline of everything. Be forewarned. I'll probably not leave the link up for more than a few days just for my own privacy sake.

Anyway, here's the link to the slideshow. (Edited - link removed.)

36w2d - a whole bunch of updates today

First off, let me just say - I'm tired. Emotionally, I'm ok being pregnant for 3 more weeks, but physically, this is getting exhausting. I'm officially at the point where I can't NOT waddle when I walk.
Belly pic - I think he's dropped, what do you think? First, here's this week's pic.
Now, here's a collage of the last 4 pics at 32wks, 34wks, 35wks, and 36wks. Seems bigger and lower to me. Like he's hanging farther out front - it sure feels that way.

Ultrasound update: We had a final ultrasound on Friday to get a gauge for how big he's getting. At our last ultrasound at about 32 weeks, he was estimated at 5lb 15oz. Given the textbook average of 1/2 lb per week, I generously predicted he'd be at 8lb 3oz. I was close, but not quite. He's estimated at 8lb 11oz as of Friday. Holy moose, Batman! No wonder my belly feels so heavy. And the fact that he's so heavy and I think he's dropped to some degree is wreaking havoc on my poor pelvis. My pubic bone pain is back and now my sacrum is also being affected. My cervix has shortened a bit from 5cm to about 3.5cm too but I don't think that means labor will be starting anytime soon.

Shower update: Last Sunday, my lovely neighbor hosted a shower at her house for me along with another neighbor and a friend. It was so lovely of everyone to come by and wish this baby well. We got some nice things that I'm very grateful for. A new bouncer and a lot of the supplies we still need for cloth diapering. I had told myself mentally that I couldn't be impatient about the pregnancy being over until after the shower and now that it's done, I'm starting to feel excited and anxious. Here's a picture from the shower. The cake is a bunch of cupcakes so you can just pull one off instead of someone having to cut and serve the cake. Very cute.
Maternity pictures update: We went to see the proofs from the photo shoot this week and WOW, she did such a great job. It's a shame that the prints/images are so darned expensive because there are so many good ones. We placed an order and the total cost made me nauseous. If it weren't for the fact that this is the last time I expect to ever look this way I would regret the cost. I think years down the road though, we're not going to worry about that aspect and just enjoy the pictures. I'm working with the photographer to get a few of them in web ready JPEG format so I can post them on here and hope to have them soon. Also, I'm hoping she can get the entire shoot up on her website temporarily so that famiy can view them and order prints if they want. Stay tuned.

Progress update: I think I actually had a 'real' contraction yesterday. I've had tons of Braxton Hicks ones for weeks now so as I stood in the kitchen and felt my belly tighten, I was not phased. I leaned over the back of the kitchen chair to pick something up off the table and found that if I tried to stand up, it really hurt across the bottom part of the belly. I bent back over a bit and it felt better. This lasted for about 20-30 seconds and then it was over. No repeats either so I don't think labor is emminent. Hubby did say the other day that he doesn't think I'll make it to the surgery date and I've had a few others say that too. I guess the fact that I'm carrying around more than most full-term babies right now, it's totally possible that my body will assume it's time to get him out soon. We'll see I guess. My mom isn't arriving until July 4th though, so it would throw off my carefully laid plans if he were to try and get here before she does. Besides, he'd be giving up such a cool birthday if he gets impatient. Do you think he'd stay put if I asked nicely?

35w0d - belly pic

Short and sweet this week. Here's the latest belly pic. Seems like the sudden growth spurt is calming down a bit and my weight gain is slowing too - thank goodness! LOL Seems like the belly hasn't changed that much in the pics at least. We were supposed to go look at the maternity pictures today, but Hubby had a schedule conflict so we'll go next Tuesday to see them. I can't wait! Hubby and I are going to have a date night tomorrow to go see Knocked Up - should be fun.

Edited to add:
Knocked Up was pretty good. The guys group was pretty crude sometimes and it felt over the top, but Hubby assured me that they are just being guys. Oh man, and I'm getting ready to have another one of those Y choromosome afflicted beings!! LOL I had a bit of a hard time buying into the idea that Katherine Heigl would fall for that guy, but overall it was good. It was a funny, yet realistic view on pregnancy and relationships. There was an arguement scene between the other two main characters and the entire time I was thinking, "We've had fights like this. I totally believe this dialogue." Hubby commented at dinner afterwards that he felt the same way about it. I did get quite a few looks coming out of the theater which was funny.

I'm officially at the point where I'm running out of clothes. My shower is tomorrow and I have no idea what I'm going to wear. I have one dress that fits, but it only fits because it's gathered above the belly and then sort of flares out/hangs down from there. Needless to say, with a belly this big, I'd look like a tent! I literally have one pair of pants that are not yoga pants that still fit. And I still have to fit 4 more weeks of growth somehow.

Oh yeah, it hit me earlier today that I only have 4 weeks to go. 4 short weeks from today (from this morning actually) this baby will be here. How did it all go by so quickly?

34w3d - NSWO is so cute!

NSWO had a friend over this morning for a playdate/babysitting thing. At one point, he came into the family room from the front living room to let me know what they were playing. "Mom, we're playing Mommy, Daddy, and Baby." He was the Daddy, his friend was the Mommy and NSWO's doll was the baby. Very cute. Then later, once his friend left, he declared that he and I should play and that I needed to be the Daddy. He said that he was going to be the Mommy and then got the doll and stuffed it into the front of his t-shirt. I about peed myself laughing. Then, he said he had to feed his baby. My friend was over and she asked him if he was going to feed it from a bottle or his breast? NSWO then said a bottle and that he needed to go "milk his baby".

Kids are so funny.

34w0d - belly pic and maternity photo shoot

I have an OB appointment later today, so I'll update the post with that info later. I'm into the every 2 week appointments now - time is flying! Tomorrow is our Happiest Baby on the Block class at the hospital, very excited. Should be a great refresher for Hubby and I both. Next Sunday is my shower. Things are really moving along now.

NWSO's last day of preschool was yesterday, we had a picnic at the local park. Great weather for it too. Sunny and warm, but not too hot. I don't think he gets what a big deal the last day of school is, maybe it will be more important next year.

This past Wednesday, we did a photo shoot at a nearby studio to commemorate this big ol' belly. It was really nice. She does a lot of baby and kid photos too. Since I'm not a shy person I didn't have issue with being exposed during the shoot and we did a lot of cool stuff. Some of it a la Demi Moore's Vanity Fair cover from years back. We also did some where I'm nude and backlit so it comes out as a silhouette. Can't wait to see how they turned out. Hubby and NSWO were there too in bare chests and jeans (looks silly for them to fully clothed when I'm baring so much skin - trust me, it looks good.) so we could get some fully family shots. Hubby looked fabulous, as always. NSWO surprised me by doing an amazing job. Whenever we had him in a shot, he turned it on like a pro- soooo cute. It was really good for my self-esteem to be able to feel beautiful and even a little sexy with this body that is just sooooo different. I'm really starting to feel very cumbersome in my own body and this was a great reminder of just how special this time is.

So, in honor of my new found appreciation of my pregnant form, I decided to take my belly pic this week in the bikini I wore in Hawaii while pregnant with NSWO years ago. Still can't figure out how/why all my stretchmarks don't show in pictures, so I'm just gonna go with it.

ETA: OB appointment update from today. I love my OB's scale so much more than mine. It said I've only gained 3lbs in the last 2 weeks which brings us to a total of 27lbs. BP is good too. As the OB was getting ready to listen for the heartbeat on the doppler, The Bean did a bit of tumbling and the doctor's eyes got big and he joked that we didn't need to listen for a hb, we could just watch his little show. We chatted about what to expect for the next month or so and what to do if I were to go into labor before the scheduled c/s (NOT going to happen btw). He agreed to let my friend videotape the surgery too. VERY excited about that. With NSWO, the window on the drape was too high for me to see any of the surgery. Not that I could have seen beyond the big old belly anyway. I can't wait to get to watch my c/s later on in all it's gory details. Yes, I know how weird I am.

32w0d - updated belly pic

Here's the latest belly pic in all it's glory. My isn't that thing getting awfully round?? LOL
A frontal shot. Nice beach ball, huh? NWSO commented yesterday about how I have hardly any belly button left. I think it might actually make it to an outie this time.
Had my 32 wk OB appointment today too. Gained 7lbs in the last month and boy do I feel every ounce of it - hanging in front of me! That brings the total weight gain to 24lbs. At least we know that a minimum of 6lbs of that is him. Makes it easier to stomach somehow. In yoga, I'm really noticing the difference in my weight and how it's so far forward. Maneuvering into and out of poses is getting to be a workout in and of itself. One gal in class commented yesterday that she can see how the weight of the belly is trying to pull me down as I get up into handstands. It IS getting to be more work to get up there, but so far they're still happening and once I'm up, they still feel great.

Hubby is home now from his last business trip. He won't be heading out on the road again until after The Bean gets here (well after I hope). It's nice to have him back but honestly, it's a bit weird. Sometimes I feel like there is a visitor at the house - I just got so used to it being NSWO and I by ourselves. We'll get back into the swing of things soon.

I found a mini co-sleeper for pretty cheap on craigslist.com (LOVE that site!! Just be sure to include the 's' in the address - trust me.) so we'll have that in lieu of a bassinet in our bedroom in the beginning and since it folds up so well, we can take it with us when we go to visit Grandad and Grandma Jan in Oregon after he gets here. Plus, I should be able to re-sell it after we're done. Sidenote - if you like craigslist, you'll LOVE listpic.com. It's the ads from craigslist, but only the ones with pics and it's displays the pics to browse thru. If you see something you like, you click on it to see the text with the ad. Brilliant!

31w5d - ultrasound pics

Today was my last 'big' ultrasound at the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center. We checked on his kidneys, bladder, and his overall growth. Overall, the news is good. His left kidney is still measuring slighty above normal, but given his size they're not too worried about it. I expect that we'll be keeping an eye on his kidney after he's born and be on the alert for an increased risk of kidney infections or UTIs.

As I said above, he's measuring big. This is not new news. He's been consistently measuring ahead for weeks now. Four weeks ago at the OB office he was estimated to be 3lb 4oz (+/- 1lb). Today, almost 4 weeks later they estimate that this little chunky monkey is already 5lb 15oz (+/- 1lb). Yes, you read that right. I still have 7 weeks of growth to go and he's just under 6lbs - ALREADY! Heck, I was not that much over 6lbs at birth!! At this rate, he'll easily be over 9lbs by the time he comes out. I've said it before, but I'm so glad I don't have to push this kid out the hard way! LOL His head is measuring about 36 weeks.

And now, for the pics. This kid has had his hands in front of his face ever since the first time we did 3D pics at 21wks. Apparently, he likes them there. We actually saw him sucking on one of his hands today - so cute!

Here's what we could get of a face shot with that darn hand/arm in the way. Being a fetus is tough work!

Here, we get to see his chubby face. His right hand/arm is moved under his chin. That thing you see up by his forehead is his right foot. Yes, he's already doing yoga - very impressive!!Granted, I'm a little bit biased, but he's a very cute baby! And in so many ways he's already so different from his brother. I guess I'd better get used to it. I've been washing up the rest of NSWO's baby clothes and it just brings back so many memories of him in those cute outfits. I wonder how this one is going to look in them. Big.

31w2d - Happy Mother's Day!

My shower for NSWO was this weekend 4 years ago. My mom and my mother-in-law both came to town for the shower and it was just so lovely. Even my future son gave me a present that day. Of course, his wasn't quite as desired. I got my very first stretchmark on Mother's Day 2003. Apparently, he assumed I enjoyed my gift so he just kept on giving them to me. LOL So far, this one is content to share and hasn't added to the litany of lines on my belly. I sure hope it stays that way, but we'll see.

This year, my Mother's Day weekend isn't quite as festive. Hubby is out of town on yet another business trip. Poor guy, he's been gone so much lately and just wants to be at home. NWSO and I couldn't agree more. Hubby realized that with trips and working long/extra hours lately that he hasn't had a full weekend at home in months. This should be the last of it though, so at least he's able to finish up the big push of it before The Bean gets here.

Growing up, Mother's Day was a day to do something nice for Mom. That was about it. Now, on the other side of the coin, it has so much more meaning. I was explaining to NSWO yesterday about what today is and what it means. I told him thank you for making me a mom and how lucky I am that I get to be his mommy. Then the pregnancy hormones kicked in and I teared up while I explained that I am so amazingly lucky to get to be a mommy again to his little brother. He looked at me and told me not to cry, and I explained that sometimes people are soooo happy that it makes them cry.

Today, watching the Discovery Health channel's shows on multiples I realize just how lucky I am to be getting my ideal of 2 kids. I'm watching a show about a woman in the UK who did donor sperm IUI and got one girl. Then tried again nearly immediately and needed drugs to get more eggs and ended up with quads. Apparently, not content to let things rest, they went for it again and got quads - again! One of those quads didn't make it, so they have 9 kids under 3 years old. Allow me to repeat that so you can take in the significance of it - 9 children under the age of 3 years old. And they're saying that they'd like a few more, that 12 would be good. Huh??? Just watching the chaos of their house makes me exhausted. I know that I can do 2 kids, I am amazingly impressed by moms who have it in them to juggle more than that.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are juggling your broods today, whether that be 1 or 17 (like the famous Duggar family). For those of you anticipating your first child(ren) in the coming months, this day will never be the same again.

31w0d - back from the trip

I do not recommend flying cross-country at 30wks pg. The flights weren't too bad (save for NSWO refusing to nap and being a general pain in the ass on the flight to Chicago) and the support hose things kept the swelling away. The hotel bed, on the other hand, left MUCH to be desired. Our room had two double beds and Hubby and NSWO took one of them so I could flop around on the other one with out waking them. I had the air conditioning cranked, the ceiling fan going and slept with just the sheet over me. The boys were bundled up in PJs and buried under blankets and I was still too hot. Thank you hormones!! LOL

I totally forgot to do a belly shot for 30wks and Hubby has the camera with him at work today so I'll have to do one later tonight to post. I think the Bean has grown again.

I don't know if any of you who are currently pregnant are experiencing this, but my kid has decided that 9:30pm is his favorite time of day to spaz out in there. I swear the other night it was like he was trying to bust out of the sides and the bottom all at the same time. His pushing against my cervix was so strong that I was cringing in pain from it. Darn kid - chill out in there a bit, would ya??

So the Social Security Administration came out with their name rankings for 2006 today. You can see the full list here. For those family members who are itching to guess the name, I can tell you that the first name is in the top 100, but not the top 10. The middle name isn't even in the top 1000 names for the last 15 years. How's that for vague??? Have fun guessing.

I'll post soon about the wedding and I'll have some pics too.

29w3d - We have a future birthday!

I finally got a surgery date today from my OB's office. We are going to meet the Bean face to face on Saturday, July 7, 2007! Yep, we got our 7/7/07 birthday for him. So excited!! This makes it seem even more real too.

Guess that means we should get the nursery finished, huh? Right now there's all the stuff that was in the guest room and office dumped in there. The crib is set up, and the dresser is still there since NSWO was using them up until very recently. But, there's still a bunch of stuff in the attic that needs to be brought down and sorted out. The swing, the carseat, the bouncy (I think that may have broken, now that I think about it), the baby tub, etc. all need to come down from storage, not to mention the rest of the baby clothes so I can get them washed and put away. I think I may have unintentionally tossed out a bunch of extra baby-sized clothes hangers too, and since NSWO's clothes still fit on them, I really DO need them still. Hoping they're just in a box in the attic too. Just gotta get Hubby to be home long enough to get up there to get the stuff down. Hmmm, I guess this is the beginning of nesting, ya think?

Got my mom's flight booked so she's all set for coming out to stay with NSWO and to help us all out and enjoy baby time with the Bean. She'll be here about 3 weeks total, I hope she's not sick of us by the end. :wink:

My SIL (Hubby's little sister) is getting married this weekend and we're all headed out to enjoy the festivities - should be a blast! NSWO is the ring bearer and I think he's getting excited about it. Everyone send sunny-vibes to South Carolina for Sunday, ok?? I think SIL would really appreciate it.

28w4d - belly pic & lab results

Here's the latest belly pic. I swear this kid has had a significant growth spurt cause the belly seems/feels soooo much bigger. I pulled together a progression of all the belly pics I've done so far and I'd say there's a pretty big jump from 26 weeks to 28 weeks. What do you think?

Sorry it won't show up any larger, can't figure out how to get it to do that.

Got a call from the OB office yesterday with my lab results from my appointment last week. The glucose came back at 88! Not sure which is more shocking - that the lab reading was so different than my glucometer reading (which was 102) or that it was just so darn low. With NSWO, my 1 hr reading was 175. That's a huge difference. Wow. My TSH is lower than the 2nd trimester which is wonderful - means my thyroid is functioning better. Turns out I'm pretty anemic though. The nurse asked me if I had been feeling tired and I really haven't been all that tired. I do get short of breath easier, but I just figured it was The Bean putting pressure on my lungs. Guess not. Anyway, started iron supplements today, hoping for even more energy once the iron kicks in.

Still haven't heard back from my OB about scheduling a date for the c-section, hoping to hear later this week. My mom will be coming out to help out with NSWO and we'd like to get flight info figured out soon.

Sleeping is getting tougher and tougher lately. Not only is it tough to roll over and get comfy thru the night, but I'm just so darn hot all night long. Hubby is like a flipping heating pad in that bed and I spend 90% of the night with no covers on at all and the ceiling fan on medium. SOOOO glad we got central air conditioning installed for when it actually gets hot outside.

28w0d - Oh Happy Day!!!!

I had another OB appointment today with a growth ultrasound as my OB wanted his office to do one so they could see just how big the Bean is getting. I'm 28w0d today and his average measurement based on head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length and maybe one more is 30w2d. He's now over 2 weeks ahead. His head circumference measured 32w5d! Eeek, it's a damn good thing I don't have to push that out! LOL My belly is measuring 31 weeks. His estimated weight is already 3lb 4oz. I still have 11 weeks to go of the biggest growth period. I met with the NP today as the OB was out of town, I need to call on Monday to try and get him to nail down a c/s date so my mom and I can get her flight figured out soon. Blood pressure was good, urine was clear, weight gain to date is 17lbs (3lb 4oz of that is just baby!!) so I'm very happy with all of that.

The best part of the appointment though was that I did the 1hr glucose test today. I brought my glucometer from home and checked with that right before they drew my blood. They want the number to be <140 to be passing. I am so happy to report that my number on my finger prick (which shouldn't be too far off from what the lab shows) was a mere 102. I can hardly believe it, but I'm not diabetic with this pregnancy!!!!!! Oh happy day!

27w4d - Feeling more cranky, and how are you?

First off, thanks for all the kind words about the handstand. I almost didn't post it because I don't want people to think I'm trying to toot my own horn. I was just so excited about being able to do it! Ava, you're right, it IS a mind over matter thing. Once you decide that your arms are strong enough (they probably are now) then you kick up one leg and make the 2nd one follow. If that 2nd leg wimps out and doesn't follow thru, it won't happen. I still can't hang my head to look toward the center of the room because that just gives me vertigo, but apparently, according to yogajournal.com looking at the floor is the more advanced version so yippee for me! LOL

Now, on to the meat of the posting. I'm sure all you other preggos out there are getting a bit tired of the question, "How are you feeling?" No one really wants to hear all the nitty-gritty and we know that, so we don't usually tell them the full details. Usually, my answer is something like - "I feel great! Much better than I remember feeling with my son's pregnancy by this point, so that's good." And usually, that's true. Unfortunately, the last week or so, I'm feeling something other than 'great'.

Physically, I'm still feeling quite good. Some beginnings of 3rd trimester (oh yeah, did I mention I'm in my 3rd trimester now? When in the hell did that happen???) discomforts that I know are to be expected. Mainly, I'm starting to feel my pubic bone separating. Sounds comfy, don't it? The front of the pubic bone is connected by ligaments and the relaxin that helps the hips to open up for birth can also affect the front of the pelvis. So far, it's mild and I sure hope it stays that way. It feels like I got kicked in the crotch. If it gets worse, climbing stairs is going to become very interesting. I'm hoping that my chiropractor will have some ideas on things to help keep things stable. Yoga does seem to still be helping so that's good. I did a lot of walking yesterday with a friend and that seemed to make it worse. Will know to take breaks and rest more next time.

Emotionally, I'm not doing quite as well. Part of it's hormones that just zap my patience. Part of it is that Hubby has been very busy with work lately and has also been out of town for work so I've been doing the parenting thing mostly alone for at least a couple of weeks now. Normally, this would be tiring, but not that big of a deal. Apparently, at this point in the pregnancy, however, my reserves of patience are just not that deep. Add to that, NSWO is being, well, a pretty typical 3 yr old and you've got a craaaaanky mommy. Hoping it gets better soon. Hubby gets home in a couple of days, so that should help.

Glucose test coming up on Friday - keep your fingers crossed for me, would ya?

26w5d - updated bump pic & yoga pic *edited

I'm just getting all picture happy on my blog lately aren't I?? Well, not much else going on really.

Here's the latest belly pic for 26 weeks.

I thought it might be tacky to take a picture of myself in yoga class to have something to remember this time by, but my teacher said he thought it was a great idea. So, I brought the camera in with me yesterday and got a few pics snapped while I was in handstand. 6mo+ pregnant and I can still do this. Crazy! Don't tell my chiropractor though, he was less keen on the idea of me doing it still, but I swear yesterday it felt better than ever. I was upside down for a lot longer than I usually can do and the energy boost it gives me is incredible!

Here's my Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand).

Edited to add: Ok, so after posting this and noticing the differences between
the pic on yoga journal's site and my pic, I decided to focus in class today on
lengthening thru my sacrum up thru my heels. Much to my complete and utter shock my heels came off the wall and I was balancing on my hands. I was so surprised I literally said out loud, "Are my heels off the wall? Am I balancing??? Holy cow!" And that's about how long it took before I came down the rest of the way. Who knew that not only would I still be doing yoga at 6mo+ pregnant, but that I
could still do handstands and that (SHOCKER!) I would be able to make progress
with my practice? I certainly never would have expected that. By this point in
my pregnancy with NSWO, I was feeling so tired and heavy that I had pretty much
given up yoga. Now, I feel like a totally different woman. By the way, The Bean
liked the handstand today and was dancing around in there for quite some time
afterwards.

Hubby helped me get one of the storage boxes of baby clothes out of the attic to start going through them. Surprisingly, things are more stained than I recall and several items are yellowed from storage. I guess I'll try cleaning them again and maybe even sunning them to get them stain-free, but I might not have quite as much baby clothes for this one as I thought I would considering The Bean's due date is just 3 days before NSWO's due date. Oh well, I've gotten a few things already myself and I'm sure the grandmas are itching to do a little shopping. (Don't worry grandmas - if you don't want to shop, I still think I've got plenty.)

Picked up some yarn at the craft store and a pattern to do a 'simple cable knit blanket' for him too. I've been knitting a bit for a couple of years, but nothing beyond knit & purl, so now I'll try to add a cable stitch to my repertoire. Grandma Jan, I may be calling you for help!! That extra cable needle is a bit intimidating right now.