32 Weeks

I can tell the little one is continuing to grow because my appetite is continuing to grow. I eat every two to three hours now, but usually they are small in portion to keep the heartburn in check. But last night I had my first killer craving that wasn't fruit. At about four in the afternoon I simply had to have sugar cookies. Since my favorite brand is not sold in this state, I had to make my own, but it was worth it. T laughed at my sudden intense need for sugar cookies because so far I have not been a crazy craving pregnant woman.
I had another OB appointment this week, and it was with the same OB as last time. At the previous appointment this OB had left me with a bad taste in my mouth for his bedside manner. He was very rushed and didn't seem to understand the concept of closed doors for patient information. This time I was in the exam room a total of two minutes for my appointment because he was again rushed. I had figured that since he had left immediately after my appointment to deliver last time, that I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Now I am sure this guy just has a terrible bedside manner. So after my appointment I walked to my permanent OB to finish asking the questions that I had and feel like I hadn't wasted the 25 minutes trip downtown.
T and I have both gotten the get-it-done bug this week. I finished organizing the closet in the nursery as best I can while pregnant. I can at least get to my craft materials and still have room for the baby's stuff. T and I spent the other evening in the attic trying to get it organized in there so we have more storage space. We sorted out a lot of stuff to go to Goodwill and to be sold. We still have a lot that needs to be done in there, but already we have a ton more space and can get to things like suitcases without a lot of hassle.
Today we have our first appointment with a prospective pediatrician and next week we will visit another. I came up with a laundry list of questions so hopefully the doctor set aside more than a few minutes to talk to us. I am just glad we are doing this now rather than getting to the hospital and having to try to find one then. Both practices came highly recommended by friends and coworkers, and both are within a two mile drive of our house. I considered using our family practice office, but they always have a full waiting room with just a few toys, and have lost several physicians in the last year. I like my doctor because he is no nonsense, quick and efficient, but I don't get the sense that is what I would want from my pediatrician when my first child gets sick and I don't know what to do or think.

31 Weeks

The countdown is getting closer to zero. Saturday will mark 60 days before the baby is due. I had a moment of panic on Sunday that things were not going to be ready for her arrival so I spent most of the afternoon washing all the fabrics on the stroller, swing, etc from the hand-me-downs we have been given and then sanitizing all other surfaces. I also tried to organize the closet in the nursery which also houses all our extra linens, Christmas tree and my craft stuff. I still have a lot of work to do to actually get it organized, but now I have an idea of what to do to get there.
The baby herself is still moving and grooving. The other day I was sitting at the computer doing some work and I could really feel her moving, so I looked down at my bare stomach and watched as my belly button went up and down like a sub woofer. It was pretty neat looking. She is definetely running out of room since I can feel every movement more these days, but so far she hasn't slowed down or reduced the distance she moves.
My Braxton-Hicks contractions are also getting more frequent, which is a good thing. They don't hurt, but they do make my stomach peak into a horizontal line around my belly button. I am glad they happen though because it helps me to recognize what exactly occurs during a contraction and hopefully that will alleviate any fears when labor starts about what is going on. Cause there will be plenty of other things for me to worry about.
I had another funny thing happen to me this week in regards to being pregnant. I went to campus to drop off some books and had to park in a metered spot since it was before the time I am allowed to park in the faculty lot near my building. So I put in enough money for 30 minutes figuring that even if someone stopped to talk to me I would be fine. Well I got talking to one of the secretaries about my second position in the department and the paperwork not being processed quite yet and so we didn't get done in 30 minutes. I walked to the meter just as the Meter Maid (or whatever you call them now that they are also male, as this one was) finished my ticket. I waddled up and said, "Oh I guess I am just a minute too late." He asked if it was my car, and I confirmed it was and said, "I don't walk so fast these days and I must not have gotten here in time." He looked at my stomach, saw I was pregnant and said, "Oh I see that you probably can't walk all that fast. Don't worry about it. I won't penalize you for that" and tore up the ticket. I thanked him profusely, got in the car, and smiled. This completely made up for the chaos and absence of help from the flat tire of last week.

30 Weeks

We had our second and final birthing class on Monday. The events leading up to the class were exciting. I had gone to campus to do some work and attend some meetings. When I returned to my car in the parking garage I found a completely flat tire. I began changing it myself, but once I got to the part where I needed to get the spare out of the trunk, I found I couldn't do it by myself. About twenty people walked by me and not one of them offered any assistance. I was astounded by the rudeness and the complete lack of sympathy by the students. I called one of my friends who I knew was on campus and he came to help me. After we got the spare on and lowered the car, we discovered that the spare was flat as well. My friend was kind enough to drive me to a tire shop just down the road and sit and wait with me while they replaced the tire. (I had somehow gotten a puncture in the sidewall which is completely unrepairable.) When we finished getting the new tire on, I thanked my friend profusely and then began to travel out of the garage. I noticed my car was wobbly and I knew it had to be the tire. I drove very cautiously and slowly the two blocks back to the tire place to have them torque the lug nuts and discovered that despite my friends best efforts, were a full turn or more from being secure. Had I gone at speed my wheel would have spun off. (A reminder to all men and women that basic car repair knowledge is invaluable!)
After all that debacle, I stayed on campus to grab some dinner and do some work before the birthing class rather than try to attempt to make it home and turn immediately around. My fun day continued when the pasta I picked up for dinner spilled sauce on the passenger seat, which I ended up having to super clean the next day before I picked up a professor to take to the airport.
At birthing class we went over recovery and breast feeding before taking a tour of the hospital wing. It was good to see the rooms before I have to be a patient because I know what to expect now. The birthing rooms are recently remodeled and have ample room along with a whirlpool tub. I sure hope I get to use those tubs, cause they looked so appealing and comfortable. (Even made me want to remodel my bathroom to get one.) After giving birth, they have two recovery rooms, the postpartum and the Nesting Place. My preference is for the Nesting Place, which allows you to keep the baby with you at all times rather than keeping them in the nursery. The postpartum rooms are small, but if they have space they allow you to stay in the birthing rooms instead.
We walked by the nursery and saw all the babies in their various stages of crying and sleeping. The nurses inside were starring at us all like we had pickles on our noses. I find it hard to believe they haven't seen a bunch of pregnant women cooing at babies. T and I joked that maybe they were just worried that we would all deliver at the same time.
On Wednesday I had another OB appointment. My weight gain was back to normal thank goodness. While the OB was trying to get the fetal heart rate, he asked if she is still very active, and then said, "Oh, I just answered my own question. She just kicked my hand." He had a very hard time getting the heart rate off of her because she wouldn't sit still. (Guess I shouldn't have had that apple cider at breakfast, but now know that she will be limited in the amount of sugar we give her.) The books all say that she should be slowing down with movements because she is getting cramped, but I think that has just made her movements more obvious to me. The other night I was sitting in the recliner reading a book and you could watch my stomach move in waves and quick jabs. She gets very active after dinner and doesn't stop until after I fall asleep. (And maybe not even then since T said he put his hand on my stomach the other morning while I was asleep and she was already rocking and rolling.)
Speaking of sleep, I finally got a good night last night. I have been having tremendous heartburn the last couple of days that just wouldn't stop no matter what I did. I can only take two Tums a day thanks to the kidney stone episode, but even taking small glasses of milk, eating small meals, and sleeping in a reclined position didn't help. I was even waking T up with my coughing at night as the heartburn irritated my throat. I asked the OB, and they said to take Pepcid twice a day and chew gum after each meal to help digestion. Well the gum only seemed to make it worse, but I took the Pepcid before bed and had the best nights sleep I had had in weeks. (Even with the bathroom trips every two hours.) It is amazing how much better a good nights sleep can make you feel. Now I feel like I can survive these last ten (or so) weeks.