31 Weeks

By request, it's a belly pose. I have to admit that these aren't my favorite, but I know it's neat to see the progress. I'm about 31 weeks pregant now...just over 2 months to go! It's been a busy month. Last week Drew and I went up to Richmond to look at this car for me. We wondered if we'd ever find what we were looking for, but luckily, this was it! I'm sad to say that we left my Nissan there.

We're also now graduates of a CPR class and a Birth and Labor Education class. The B&L Ed class last weekend was considered a "weekend intensive" version, so we spent most of Saturday and Sunday at Wake Med Cary. It was interesting, overwelming, exciting, etc. My favorite moment was when we were supposed to simulate a contraction with a balloon and ping pong ball. The problem was that Drew had stepped on our ping pong ball (aka the baby's head), so our balloon deflated noisily and caused a huge scene. We probably weren't the instructor's favorites. We also toured the hospital, which was really nice (and a little anxiety-provoking). I'm now going to the doctor at 2-week intervals, and everything seems to be going well. I feel strong baby movements and can sometimes see my stomach morphing! Crazy.

The Beginnings of a Nursery

Last weekend Drew and my parents painted one of our guest rooms, and it turned out great! It's a pale blue that really makes the room look cute and fresh I think. Now we're just waiting for our changing table and glider to come in and fill the empty space.

To follow-up on the glucose issue, I got the results back from my fasting glucose tolerance test, and everything was in the normal range. So Kim, I guess I can just blame our Panera lunch to my high blood-sugar in the screening. Note to future pregnant women: no matter whether they tell you to or not, don't eat right before the glucose screening.

Last night Drew and I started the whirlwind of baby planning appointments that we've scheduled over the next couple months. We went to a group meeting for expectant parents at Apex Pediatrics to hear an overview of their practice. The doctor that spoke to us seemed really nice and kid-friendly. My only concern is the fee they charge for each after-hours call to the nursing "triage" system. Knowing me, I'll make that system very profitable! Next we have a CPR class this Sunday. I think we may also treat ourselves to a movie night sometime this weekend because I've been repeatedly encouraged to "Carpe Diem" while we can. I hear "Up In the Air" is good.

28-week Ultrasound

Here's a picture from our ultrasound last week. We were surprised at how much this actually looks like a real baby face! He weighed 2 pounds, 8 ounces; and was at the 67th percentile in size.

Christmas Update

Time is flying by, and I can't believe I will be 28 weeks pregnant tomorrow! Things have been going well for us and we had a great Christmas! It was nice to see family and friends and have a chance to do things we haven't had time to do until now. Our crib came in, and Drew and I had a fun New Year's Eve setting that up. We finished just in time for the ball drop! We also got our infant car seat and a stroller frame, so my stuffed Christmas bear has gotten some test drives around the house. Speaking of test drives, we've finally gotten down to business about car-shopping because my old Nissan is not exactly baby-friendly.

At my most recent doctor's appointment, two weeks ago, I took the dreaded glucose screening test. I just found out that my blood-sugar levels were a little high, so now I have to go for a more in-depth glucose tolerance test this week to be sure I don't have gestational diabetes. I shouldn't complain because things have been going so smoothly up until now, but I really hate needles, so I am NOT looking forward to 3 hours of blood testing!! The only other pregnancy issue I've had is nosebleeds over the last couple weeks. The doctor said this is normal, especially with the really dry air, so I'll just be using the humidifier for a while I guess. Other than that, I've been feeling good. My stomach is growing, but I'm still comfortable and excited!