bump watch: week 33...almost 34

It's been a while since I've done a bump update.  A lot has changed in the last 4-5 weeks. We are officially in week 33 now and looking every bit of it....plus more. Remember that other shoe I mentioned? It has officially dropped. I can no longer stay in any one position for long periods of time, which has complicated working and sleeping. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to work from home? I can't imagine spending 8+ hours/day stuck in an office chair at a desk. My saving grace is that I can switch from desk to bed to couch to exercise ball every hour or so.

Sleeping has also become pretty interesting. I don't usually have trouble falling asleep, but I'm waking up at 4:00 a.m. almost every night. Sometimes I can go back to sleep quickly, but more times, it goes something like this:

4:00 a.m. - Wake up. Try to ignore that I am awake.
4:05 a.m. - Begin to come to terms with the fact that I'm awake. Attempt to roll over to relieve the rib pain which probably work me up in the first place.
4:07 a.m. - After successfully rolling over, debate whether or not it's worth it to get out of bad to use the ladies' room.
4:10 a.m. - Resign myself to the fact that I have no choice.
4:11 a.m. - Make the long 10 ft trek to the bathroom.
4:15 a.m. - Try to fall back asleep.
4:16 a.m. - Punch and/or kick Jon for 1 of 3 infractions: 1) snoring, 2) encroachment on my side of the bed, 3) or the more serious encroachment + illegal use of the hands by trying to "share" one of my pillows, which has been strategically placed to alleviate some kind of pregnancy-related discomfort.
4:20 a.m. - Skippy starts gymnastics or karate class.
4:21 a.m. - Realize I may not sleep again...ever. Begin dreading the alarm.
5:30-6:00 a.m. - Finally drift back to sleep.

But other than these normal and relatively mild aches, pains and sleeping troubles, everything else is A-OK. I'm grateful for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. All indications are that Skippy is perfectly happy as an inside baby. His heartbeat is strong and his punches and kicks are even stronger. We had a quick ultrasound earlier this week at my midwife appointment to check Skippy's position. He is doing just what he is supposed to do - hanging out head down in a classic fetal position. Of course, he is still measuring about 1-2 weeks ahead, but what else is new? I'm starting to resign myself to the fact that he might just be a big baby, but I'll take that any day as long as he arrives happy and healthy.

We are really starting to prepare for his arrival. I think since we recognize there isn't much we can do to prepare for bringing him home - everyone keeps telling us you're never ready for that - so we've concentrated all of our efforts on something we can prepare for: labor and delivery. We started birth class a couple of weeks ago with our doula Cara. We decided to do private classes for ease of scheduling, and it's worked out really well. Not only do we get to spend more time with our doula, but each class is geared toward our birth preferences and the practices at the hospital where I will deliver. We aren't wasting any time on things that won't apply to us and we get to spend a lot of time discussing and practicing techniques that appeal to us and our personalities.

Skippy you have been busy lately. I was a little cross with you the other day for causing lots of discomfort at once, but I think we've officially smoothed things over. You will learn someday that just because I'm unhappy with you, it doesn't mean I don't love you.

We've also had two showers this month. I'll tell you more about those in another post. You may remember that Dad explained a shower is a party in your honor, not an actual shower with water and soap. It's been so fun to celebrate with all of your family and friends. Everyone is so excited for your arrival. You are one lucky little guy to be so loved by so many people already.

In other news, your mom and dad have been married for 7 years. We celebrated our anniversary on Sunday, but the official celebration is dinner out tonight. We've loved being just husband and wife, but we are excited to become mom and dad soon. It will be fun (and I'm sure challenging) to see how life changes once we became a family of three.

Your nursery is *almost* done. We really just have the last finishing touches to take care of - mostly hanging some shelves and your other set of curtains. I'll let Dad take care of those jobs. Now we just need to tackle everything else on our to-do list. I'm starting to feel the crunch yet I don't have the energy to do much besides work and sleep. I'm hoping the nesting instinct/energy surge will hit me soon.

Still loving: prenatal yoga, the chiropractor, and heating pad.

Still craving: grilled cheese, bananas, and anything in the comfort food category.