Happy Thanksgiving!

3rd trimester is here!

27 weeks belly picture:



This is going by fast- it's hard to believe that my due date is only a few months away now! The baby is growing and is really strong- he presses on both sides of my belly at the same time, and sometimes on my ribs too. He's woken me up in the morning with kicks and rolls- sometimes it gets a bit uncomfortable but I definitely wouldn't want him to stop.

I have been feeling really great- I am so thankful that I'm having a healthy pregnancy. I'm tired a lot and have random aches, etc, but for the most part I'm really enjoying the whole thing. I feel like I am constantly bonding with my little guy already too, which is awesome.

Ten days left in this semester, which is a blessing and a curse because I still have so much left to do and now the time I have to get it done is dwindling. In fact, that's what I'll be doing for the rest of the day.

Some thoughts

I wish I had been even more active up until this point in my pregnancy, but I am planning on walking more and have been doing my prenatal yoga almost every day. It is so, so important to exercise during pregnancy; my midwife says that besides making for a healthier baby it can make labor much easier (and goodness knows I am an advocate of that!)
I have spent most of the last six months kind of stressed, and while I have tried my best to relax and minimize the tension for the sake of the baby, I really wish I could have slowed down, and not had so much on my plate. The combination of work and taking two classes in school, while pregnant, has stretched me too far. I cannot count how many times I have broken down in exasperated tears (aided of course by the pregnancy hormones).
After December 4th, when I turn in my last school paper, I am going to slow down and really be present in the last few months of my pregnancy. I want to allow myself to be prepared for motherhood, and I haven't devoted as much time to that as I would like to because of everything else that is going on. It has been so hard to focus on anything else anyway- it seems so natural to me to think almost constantly about the little person inside me... it kind of puts me in a funny daze- a very introspective and peaceful state. That state is what comes naturally to me right now. It makes me want to write and make things and go for longs walks and completely lose track of time and busyness. I have to force myself to remain responsible and on top of things, but I am craving the ability to just let go.
I am so in love with my husband... there aren't even words for how deeply thankful I am for him, for our intense friendship.
Yet I do wish for women to talk to, especially other young moms and moms-to-be. I rarely see any of my female friends anymore- most don't live nearby. I miss the mentoring, the advice and understanding between women. It is so strange not to have any friends that live close- I got so used to that when I was in college. Now it is just me and Manny. And I have discovered that I hate cell phones for the purpose of actual conversations (especially since most of the time I lose my connection several times and have to call the person back).
I am hoping that after the baby is born I will meet other new moms that I can connect with.

If you just read all of that, I applaud you. Tomorrow I'll come back and read this and probably find that none of this really made sense and I probably shouldn't post public blog entries for all to see when I can barely keep my eyes open...
goodnight!

26 weeks

So this is the last week of my 2nd trimester. I can't believe how fast it seems to be going by. I've had several people comment recently that my belly has grown a lot on the last couple of weeks, and I guess it kind of feels bigger, if that is possible.
I have still sort of been rounding out the registry lists, and sometime soon Manny and I are going to go to Babies "r" Us and add things in the store. I try to go by lists of recommendations and what other people tell me, but the fact is it is hard to know exactly what we will want and need when he is actually here. Looking at all the stuff can be fun, but I think there is a lot of commercial hype about baby stuff and they market to neurotic new parents- really babies' needs are pretty simple and I'm not too worried about not having everything.
I have been doing lots of reading and research on cloth diapers and I'm really convinced that I can handle it and that it is better than disposables in many ways. People tend to look at me like I'm crazy if I tell them that's what we're planning to do, but I think they are mostly unaware of the new cloth diapers that make it really easy and basically as clean as disposables. This blog by a mom I found online explains why they are so great, and she wrote this one about the process she uses with them and which kinds she likes, which I found super helpful. We're going to start out by renting a newborn size package from sunshinediapers.com, so all we will really need to by right away is covers for those. When he is big enough (about 10lbs) I want to try the all-in-one kind, which are really easy because they go on just like a disposable and expand to fit from 10lbs to potty training.
Anyway... it is time to get ready for a nice long 10 hour workday now. Possibly another 26 week picture coming later- one that includes my face :)

Lots to Learn

25 week belly picture:

This weekend I went to my childbirth class Friday night and all day Saturday. Manny and my mom came too, though on Saturday it was just me and mom because Manny had to work. It was a really great class- I feel much better about giving birth now, and actually I'm really excited to be having a home birth. It was good to meet other pregnant ladies and their husbands- there were two other couples whose due dates are very close to mine, and it was really fun to talk to them. There was such a huge amount of information to absorb that it was a tad overwhelming, and I hope I remember it when I actually need it. I think it will come back to me though. There is so much to know, especially about taking care of a newborn, but I think that when the time comes instinct will play an important role as well.
I have been so emotional over the last few days- much more so than usual. And I'm having some super weird dreams, and lots of cramps... I've been totally stressed out. School is really tough, and I have a paper that has kind of been freaking me out. As soon as I'm done with it I'm taking a day to relax and regroup. Working and taking two classes while pregnant is challenging. I'll be relieved when the semester is over and I don't have to feel guilty about reading parenting books anymore. Just a few more weeks.
Seth is super active as usual- I amazed at how often he kicks. Yesterday I felt him really high up- near my ribs- which was a very strange feeling. Manny and I both talk to him, and I play music loud enough for him to hear- it's really cool to feel so connected to him already, I love it and can't wait to meet him.

History has been made

What an inspiring and amazing night. I went to bed before all the results were in last night, and woke to find out that Barack Obama will be our president. I've been watching the Early Show this morning, and I am hopeful for the future of this country. It is going to be a hard road, possibly a long one, but I believe change is coming.
More Americans voted in this election than in any since 1908- I think we care more now than we have in a long time, and I think that will make a huge difference.
I'm glad that I will someday be able to tell my son that I was feeling him kick in the womb while watching President Obama win the election that changed the U.S. forever.