Progression of the Belly

While I feel like a gigantic moose woman now, I realize that I couldn't have looked like this forever. Therefore, I created this sort of photo montage to show the growth of the belly over the last nine months.


At approximately 5 weeks -- I just found out I was pregnant (and apparently already getting short of breath).










Approximately 15 weeks -- I could just be chunky.











About 24 weeks -- Definitely a bump!


















At 32 weeks -- pretty big!


















At 38 weeks -- I'm a COW!



















Hopefully we'll add one more right before we go to the hospital!

FULL TERM!!!

I'm OFFICIALLY full term today! That means he's not considered premature or early if he's born today or later. So I no longer feel guilty for wishing that he'll get out of me NOW. Bring on the spicy food, speed bumps, hot baths, primrose oil, pineapple, glasses of wine, Chinese food, licorice, eggplant parmesan...

Into the Home Stretch

I saw my doctor for my 36 week appointment today. I now am seeing her every week, which is killing my schedule (and my wallet -- stupid hospital parking fees!). While I was hoping for a, "He's ready! Let's go to labor & delivery!", I also realized that I'm not quite ready for him to show up (actually having a crib would be helpful).

Well, my subconscious won -- While I was convinced that my baby HAD to weigh at least 9 lbs (to compensate for my sudden weight surge), he's only 6 1/2 lbs. I was concerned that since I have gestational diabetes, he would be super-big, causing me to have a difficult or perhaps premature delivery. He's measuring a little big (about 10 days ahead) and is in the 70th percentile for weight and size. The size is most likely just due to the fact that Ted and I are big people; I have my diabetes under control enough that it's not affecting bambino.

As for the TMI section of the post -- I'm 1 cm dilated! Which means..... absolutely nothing..... I can walk around for weeks this dilated, so it could be two days or five weeks.

There is a lousy part of the diabetes that I have to deal with (in addition to the 4 times daily finger sticks and daily insulin injections) -- starting next week, I have to go in for twice weekly fetal monitoring and ultrasounds. They check for the shrimp's heart rate and movement (TRUST ME, he's moving.....), and also for the level of amniotic fluid, which can drop low in diabetics at this point and cause complications. I'm waiting for the time when I spend more time at the hospital than I do at home.

Is it possible to buy stock in a hospital? If so, I recommend GBMC stock.

WOW!

Just yesterday I saw the first picture of myself since I got pregnant in which I REALLY look pregnant. It's kind of scary. Now I understand why people keep asking me about the baby when I haven't told them I'm pregnant. At least I don't look like I'm just fat anymore!

Preggo Brain

An interesting "side effect" of this whole process is the fact that I have gone completely stupid. It started innocently enough -- forgetting things, having to make detailed grocery lists, bumping into furniture. But now it's gotten out of control. Twice now I have driven all the way to the grocery store, only to not remember why I'm there and what I need. Three times in the past two weeks, I have started to make dinner, only to realize I am missing a crucial ingredient (i.e., tomato sauce for pizza, chicken breast for grilled chicken, pasta for pasta salad). I put a pizza in the oven today and came back 20 minutes later and got really annoyed that it wasn't ready yet. Yeah, that was probably because I didn't turn the oven on. Before that, I left my in-laws' house and grabbed a set of their car keys, then got really annoyed they didn't work on my car.

I'm in trouble. I'm only halfway done. If I get worse as I progress, I'm going to need a helper monkey by my 7th month.....

Bend It Like Beckham and the End of the Innie

We are beginning to think that the child takes after its grandfather, the former college soccer star. On a daily basis, I'm feeling consistent kicking and moving that I can't blame on indigestion. It's not strong enough for other people to feel, but it certainly can be startling to me. I think the cat can feel it, because he's stopped sleeping on it. That, or the fact that my belly is definitely convex now, and it's making it harder for him to keep his balance.

I have read and heard that by the end of the 5th month, your belly button changes from an innie to an outie. For some reason, contrary to all logic, I just assumed I would suddenly wake up and my belly button would be sticking the wrong way -- kind of like a turkey thermometer. But it's a much slower process. Suddenly I'm noticing that the depth is decreasing on a daily basis -- it's almost even with the rest of my abdomen now. It's kind of creepy...

And some other news that I never thought I'd be able to share -- I have not gained enough weight during pregnancy! I'm still in a normal range, but at the low end. It's probably due to the fact that I had such bad morning sickness, and that junk food (with the exception of my much-beloved chocolate malts) grosses me out. I'm actually eating healthier now than I did before I was pregnant. So they're going to be keeping a close eye on me to make sure the baby is developing normally and is at a healthy weight.

Other news: Cystic fibrosis test negative, spina bifida negative. Pfew.

Next step: 20-week ultrasound this Friday -- checks for abnormalities, plus we can find out the gender! (Bets anyone?)

Flutters

They're not real kicks, but there have been several times recently where Gretchen has stopped suddenly, and said "its moving..."

On a related note, things proceed apace. Gretchen is getting more noticeable and thinks she has heard the kids speculating about what to expect if she is expanding. This last charming phrase, is of course, the name of my primary reference guide for the pregnancy. Like many of my literary choices, Gretchen is most displeased with my reading preference.