31 weeks!!!

last week was a particularly hard one for me.  on top of my normal complaining of pregnancy aches and pains i cut my finger and the next day it started to throb.  at the time it didn't bleed much and didn't hurt too bad, but it has caused me so much pain for days now.  it is better and i don't think it is infected but it is still tender and gets in the way of doing things.  and i get so grossed out when cleaning it that i blacked out and get faint.

i am still having a hard time sleeping at night and am very restless.  but moving around and switching positions is also difficult for me.  i have been napping almost everyday when bowie naps and that has been helpful.  my heartburn hasn't been too bad this week but there were a few days my appetite and snacking was out of control.  no new cravings or aversions.  i have been eating a lot of uncrustables, they have been a fav of mine since my college days.  i know they are not the best, but i know i could be eating worse too.  i could seriously live off of peanut butter and jelly.

weight gain this week = 2 pounds
total weight gain = 9 pounds

people are starting to comment that i am really starting to show and have "popped" out of nowhere.  i don't think they realize i am due in 2 months either.  i feel like that happened a while ago, but with the warm weather upon us i am not wearing big baggy sweatshirts that hid the bump pretty well for a long time.  not that i was hiding it, but winter clothes definitely made it hard to see what was going on underneath.  a lot of my pregnancy clothes from bowie are just too big for me and i have been selling them off.  kinda sad to see them go, but i won't ever wear them again.  and there are some pieces, especially a couple of maternity dresses and tanks that i love (so happy i am finally getting to wear them)!  i wonder how long i can get away with wearing those after the baby, LOL!

unfortunately i didn't make it to the gym at all last week.  any sort of physical activity will send me right into braxton hicks and it is uncomfortable!  it will be nice to get back into it, hopefully in late summer, but at this point i just need to listen to my body.  and it is telling me that i will either pay for it or i would benefit greater from the time to myself and let jarad take bowie to the kids room at the gym.  maybe it is time to put my membership on hold???  and let me tell you my varicose veins, they continue to get worse.  it is so sad and they are so ugly!  they are traveling down my thighs to my calfs now.  my doctor says they will get better after pregnancy, but i don't expect them to go away. 

one newer thing that has been coming up for me (although i have been feeling like this for a while) is the sensation of being "touched out."  this is a term more commonly used by breastfeeding moms and i feel very guilty feeling this way, but it has been getting worse and worse for me.  it is the idea that we are "touched" all day by our babies/kids and we begin to feel like our bodies are not our own.  i absolutely love bowie snuggles, hugs and being close to her in any form, but at night time is when i feel this way.  in particular bed time.  i go to bed shortly after her, at this point i am done.  i need my quiet time, space and room to relax.  lately she has been getting very wild at bed time and is running up and down the hall, hiding in our room, pestering the dog and gets a 2nd wind.  we go through our routine, which involves her sitting on my lap while jarad reads her books and then she drinks her milk and we cuddle until i tuck her in.  but there is little room on my lap and i am very protective of my belly because she always seems to poke or jab me with her elbows.  and she is so big that i can not sit comfortably with her anymore and it causes me back aches.  this combination of everything leaves me feeling touched out by the end of the day and very irritable at bed time.  in addition, this little guy is getting quite violent with his kicks and movements and can have me up for hours at night or startle me during the day.  there are times i feel like i have an alien inside my belly.  while i love feeling him, sometimes these movements cause me pain or are extra uncomfortable if i am dealing with bowie on my lap.  i was thinking back to my pregnancy with bowie and i had an anterior placenta which acted like a pillow and buffered some of those intense kicks.  this time around i feel everything and i am just waiting to capture one of those crazy pics where you can literally make out the body part through your tummy!

baby milestones...

~fat is accumulating under the skin
~baby could gain up to a half a pound a week until birth
~bones are hardening
~he is practicing breathing 30-40% of the time, although the lungs are the last to develop
~adrenal glands have doubled in size over the last ten weeks
~uterus is about 4.5-5 inches above belly button and space is limited!
~going through major brain and nerve development
~all 5 of baby's senses are in working order