30 Weeks Pregnant

Happy Mardi Gras! I can’t believe we only have TEN weeks left until baby Norah arrives!! Some of the couples in our Bradley class are finished with their nurseries, and we haven’t really even started. Ugh.

Norah is probably around 15 inches long and three pounds. She’s been hiccupping more often lately, which I think is her body’s way of preparing to breathe. Sometimes it feels like rhythmic tapping, and other times it’s more of a jolt, probably depending on what position she is in. You can really see her larger movements now – sometimes my entire belly shifts from side to side. I’m going to try to get it on video soon.

My belly is starting to grow at a faster pace. At 27 weeks I was measuring 36 1/8 inches, and last night the measurement was at least an inch larger. I still don’t feel huge, but I feel like my stomach muscles are out of commission. It’s really hard to sit up from lying down, and I have to scoot to the edge of the couch before I can stand up. I’m just feeling less and less agile in general. I’d be happy if I could go through the rest of the pregnancy without getting any bigger, but I know that’s wishful thinking.

Back injury update: tailbone still hurts sometimes, and my back just always feels tight and like it needs to crack. I still haven’t decided whether to see the chiropractor. I probably should. I don’t part with money easily.

I’ve finally been able to relieve some of my itch to buy cloth diapers! The one from Nicki’s Diapers arrived, as did the one I sent back to Thirsties for a different color. Here are the three we have so far! Aren’t they cute?

The purple one was given to us at our church shower, along with an identical one, and we love everything about it, but when we were looking on the Thirsties website to get more info on how to use it and wash it, etc., we saw the one with the trees and had to have it! So we sent the other purple one to the company in exchange for it. The other one is the “mint chocolate chip” Best Bottom, from Nicki’s. (The trim looks black, but it’s brown.) I love all of them! They’re all really good quality and well made, not to mention SO soft! I’m sure they’ll last a LONG time.

I also ordered from GoGreen Pocket Diapers yesterday. They still haven’t gotten a new shipment, and almost everything is out of stock, but they were offering a limited time grab bag of six diapers for $42, which is a great deal. They’re diapers that were mislabeled (with the wrong logo) and/or are their old style, which doesn’t get quite as small in the waist. I didn’t get to pick the colors, but if we really don’t like them I can resell them for what I paid. I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll be cute ones.

Oh! We got a package in the mail today and I don’t know who it’s from! It’s a really cute set with a baby towel, washcloths, and burp cloths. See?

If this is from you, THANK YOU!! And please tell me so I’ll know who it’s from! J

And I almost forgot to mention that Travis got a new toy this week too! He’s been wanting to take photos professionally, but he just didn’t have the right camera for it. He’s definitely got the talent and the expertise. Remember www.woot.com (where we got the carseat)? They had a great deal on a really good camera last week, and after much deliberation and encouragement from me, he went for it. By the time he decided to order it, all they had left were purple and red, so of course he picked red, which actually looks pretty hip. J Does anyone use that word anymore? Anyway, he’s also really excited to take photos of baby Norah with it! We’ll never have to pay for professional photos!

The Bradley class last night was really good. It always is, really, but I particularly liked this one. Most of the class was spent discussing what the husband’s role is during the birth, and it really wouldn’t be as helpful to get this information from a book, because Mary makes us think about our own personalities, likes and dislikes, and use those to help our spouses figure out what our specific needs are. She also stressed the need for the husbands to be completely on board with the idea of having a natural birth, and to have their own reasons for why it’s important, beyond just being supportive of the wishes of the mothers. Otherwise, at the point during labor when the mother is no longer sure she can handle it, he will too easily give in and take her to the hospital instead of continuing to be encouraging. Mary also had two copies of Husband-Coached Childbirth, by Dr. Robert Bradley, for the guys to borrow if they wanted to. Travis brought one home to read during his upcoming flight to visit his dad, who is in Utah for work.

Oh my gosh, I just looked at the clock and I started this almost two hours ago. Sick. And not in a good way.

Last thing about the Bradley class: she’s encouraging each of us to attend a La Leche League meeting soon in order to get to know the breastfeeding consultant in case we need her help later on. It makes sense, but I’m feeling kind of awkward about it, especially since I have shy tendencies to begin with! We’ll see.

Ok, I’m gonna stop there…I need to go figure out dinner! We’re considering making a king cake this evening to celebrate Fat Tuesday, so I better get on that. Have a good week!