I really shouldn’t be surprised since I write half-assed pregnancy updates every week on here, and yet I find myself looking at the calendar jumping up and down. 30 weeks! I’m in the big leagues, now! Here come the days of exciting 4-D ultrasounds and the power to make people sweat at will (Was that just a contraction? Oooooh! Just kidding.) But, then…OHMYFREAKINGHECK! 30 weeks! So much left to do!

I haven’t even started on my list of things that need to be bought or accomplished before Aurora is born. – I haven’t even made the list, yet!

And soon, we’ll be expected to throw a birthday party for Lorelei (who will be 2) or else possibly face neglect charges. I recently received a catalog in the mail from the goofs at some party company – chock full of FIRST birthday products and supplies (sometimes “better late than never” doesn’t really apply, folks), and she’s been faithfully carrying the thing around, pointing and oohing. I’ve asked her what kind of party she’d like, but to no avail. I know she’s capable of forming short phrases (when she wants something), so I can only assume she’s deliberately not telling me because she wants me to GUESS.

Google suggested I go with her interests and do something like pay people to bring a bunch of smelly animals to poop in my yard just for the sake of being a good mommy. Then, google changed its mind and thought it’d be more appropriate if we bought party plates and decor with character’s faces on them. But, since she has no idea who Dora or Elmo really is, I’m wondering if the leftover Santa plates from Christmas will do?

Someone else suggested I just make a theme of my own – you know – be creative and stuff – around what SHE likes.

Well, she gets excited about showers but I’m pretty sure that’d be a mildly inappropriate theme.

And, the kid does love shoes – especially other people’s – so maybe we’ll just invite a bunch of folks over and let her steal their shoes?

Oh. And, babies! She owns no less than twenty baby dolls (seriously.) and is OBSESSED with babies, to put it mildly. Baby shows, baby books, baby pictures, baby dolls, baby this and baby that. I started making notes…

We could have a baby theme! I bet I could rip down a few health department banners and use those as the decor. And ooh – we could invite real live babies. We could sit them in a circle and it’d be like her own version of a petting zoo (Aww wook at da cuuuute babiiiieeesss!)

And, then it hit me. Pure genius that I am, decided that since Aurora would be born shortly after Lorelei turned 2, we could have a combo party. Like, a “Oh my gosh, you’re 2!” party and a “Let me pinch your newborn cheeks” party – combined! Genius! Homemade Cake and homemade ice cream…maybe even cookies. It’d be warmer out and we could bring out the 80 riding toys and outdoor toys we own and just let the kids play outside, which is what she likes to do anyhow. Dude. This would be perfect! She’d be getting, gifts too so we don’t have to worry about jealousy over any “baby” gifts.

I quit scribbling notes for a moment about cake flavors and such and looked up to find her holding one of her baby dolls – and a spatula – bringing the spatula from the baby and to her mouth, then back again, in an odd movement like…

IS SHE EATING THE BABY?

“Hey Steven? Do you think it’d be considered poor “personal taste” by our guests if we throw in a baby shaped cake and pinata?”

“Probably.”

(*PS – No new pregnancy changes. Except you can totally tell I’m pregnant and I finally uploaded a dang picture. Oh, and the headaches this week. And, body aches. I think I’m dying. Someone please hand me a cupcake.)

Welcome back!

I *accidentally* kind of went off my prenatal vitamins again.  Actually, I just forgot for a day or two and noticed that my heartburn went away, as well.  So, I thought I’d do an experiment and see if I left out the vitamins a couple of days, if the heartburn would stay gone.  And, it did.  So, I’m wondering if that’s the connection.  Then again, I took the vitamins again today and have done pretty well, so who knows.  I’ve decided to only take them in the morning with just a bit on my stomach and with water only (no juice at all).

The area around my butt-bone (as I like to call it since I have no other words to describe it) has definitely felt awkward.  Kind of like I need a chiropractic adjustment (which is awesome since we can’t go to the chiropractor due to insurance and such).  And, of course, still having the moments where it’s like a stitch and I can’t walk without being in HUGE pain.  I have to lay down and just let it pass with a pillow between my knees (and on my left side) – that usually works, although it means I’m not moving for at LEAST 30 minutes, if not longer.

I’m eating well and having no problems there.  This second trimester is supposed to be the “honeymoon phase” and I’m feeling very jipped since I JUST started feeling okay and now comes the heartburn, cramps, and overall PAIN.  AWESOME.

The past few days, I’ve noticed an increase of hormone induced FREAK OUTS.  Granted, I have loads of reasons to be in a less than happy state, but the past 3 days have been RIDICULOUS.  You know, wanting to cry and not knowing why and a mean word just makes me burst into tears and such.

And because FREAK OUTS just aren’t enough, for the past couple of days I’ve had some major back pain.  Not the achey joints and ithinkipulledsomething sort of kind…but, the kind that feels oddly similar to back labor.  Yesterday, it would come and go but stay for 3 hours or so at a time.  I called the hospital’s OB line to find out what I could do and any things to watch for and they basically said:

-get on all fours to help the baby have more room and get her off your back

-lay on your left side with pillows between your legs and add some ICE

-take some tylenol or tylenol PM if you need it

-warm shower

-no pushing/pulling/picking up things.  You know, like YOUR KID.  Right right.

-And, if it becomes intermittent GET IN HERE!

So, I’ve been watching them a bit.  Not with pen and paper and charts kind of way, but just paying more attention to how often and how long – but no official stop watch yet.  Today, they’ve been coming and going more.  At one point, it’d actually last 30 minutes and then go away for a while and come back again.  Plus, I just feel WEIRD.  Not like when I’m about to get sick and I feel like I’ve been hit by an invisible bus, but WEIRD and tired all the same.  Lying down doesn’t really help except for the OTHER pains – and these “pains” are enough to keep me awake or wake me up but nothing to scream and bang my head about.  Also, nothing to run to the hospital about since I know that’ll end up in more bills that I can’t pay.  So, I’ll just wait.

Did I mention I’m only 25 weeks?

The thought of going into early labor – this early – kind of freaks me out, but then again it’s not hard to freak me out right now and I’m trying to keep that in mind.  I really can’t afford to just run to the doctor these days JUST BECAUSE – especially not the hospital.  Then again, the thoughts of what if I wait too late …yeh.  *Sigh*  Apparently I am now experiencing pregnancy induced anxiety.  Woot.

Oh, and just for the sake of chronicling things a bit better (I’m feeling really badly that I don’t have an actual journal dedicated to this pregnancy like I did with L), I had some major crampage earlier.  You know, the remember to breathe sort where you clench your eyes and everything kind of becomes hard to concentrate on and the text on your laptop gets blurry?  Yeh.  That kind.  No contractions, just major OWW – and then it went away.

Okay.  Cramps.  Again.

And, I’m out.

As I promised, belly shot this week (excuse the marks, I had been sleeping)! We’ve finally reached 14 weeks – and, very soon we’ll be finding out whether baby “A” is a he or she. (By the way, we’ve nicknamed the baby “A” because the main names we like begin with an A.)

Sooo…. here’s your chance to guess. Is it a boy or girl?

Feel free to ask me questions before you make your guess, or to request that I do some odd “tests” (like the pendant over the belly, and whatever else). I’ll subject myself to most of them unless it involves pain or explosives. And, your “test” can’t be the ultrasound (that’s cheating).

So, what say you?

My notes (for me):

- I haven’t puked for 2 weeks!! Still nauseous and sometimes I wonder, but doing much better…
- Really tired. If I don’t get in bed by 9 pm, I start feeling sick.
- Food and I have a really weird relationship. I do much better at a restaurant where my glass is always filled and I have a huge menu just waiting for me to make my choice.
- I can’t get enough water, it seems. And, if I don’t drink an ocean every hour or so, my body gets very cranky.
- Still itchy.
- The exercising? Yeh, I tried and mostly I just thought I was going to die halfway through.
- I just started back on prenatal vitamins, as my body seems like it might actually tolerate them now. The bad news? They’re like $40/bottle and I need a new bottle.
- No cravings, but I have been wanting more “fresh-tasting foods” still. And, very little meat (not often). Unfortunately, I still don’t know exactly what I want when it comes to planning these meals.
- My face seems to be clearing up a bit, but my hair is still shedding like nobody’s business.
- And, God forbid, but I might just be getting the beginning of heartburn. It’s in spurts and only here and there, and definitely not full on – but, I’d like it to please go away now.