You're waddling.

So we get home last night after dinner and, as I'm walking into the house, I look at the husband. He has wide eyes and this strange look on his face as he watches me.

Me: What's the look for?
Him: You're waddling. (boyish grin on his face)
Me: I'm 7 months pregnant. What do you expect?
Him: I guess this is just the first time I've seen it.
Me: (no words, just continued to waddle inside after a quick eye roll and shake of the head...)

How far along?: 31 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 this week, +12.5 overall.
How big is baby?: 3.5 lbs and over 16 inches long. Getting fatter every day :)
Maternity clothes?: Sweatpants are becoming my at-home norm. I'd imagine they'll soon become my out-of-home norm as well.
Sleep: Afternoon naps are in order.
Movement: More intense than ever this week. I can't tell you how many times I've looked down at my belly and said "please stop, you're hurting Mommy."
Labor signs: A few BH.
Food cravings: Baked goods of all types. I cannot get enough. Trying very hard to fight the urge to make brownies, as the husband's been really good about eating healthy lately.
Gender: No idea.
Belly button in or out?: Getting flatter.
What I miss: Breathing normally. Apparently the struggle to breathe will let up some once the baby starts dropping, so I've been pushing her down all week (fully knowing this will not help.)
What I am looking forward to: Doctor's appt next week.
Best moment this week: Dancing with the husband at the wedding reception, though the baby belly did get in the way a bit :)
Milestones: 2 months to go!

Ready...

I'm ready for my baby to come. No, I'm not issuing an eviction notice or anything, as it's still too early for my little one to survive without some intervention. And of course I want her to be healthy and happy and come home with me as soon as she is born. But I'm ready to meet her. And hold her. And be a mom.

I'm sick today, and tired and uber-uncomfortable like always. But that's not even the reason. I just want my baby, that's all. I catch myself wishing I'll deliver early almost every day. Not now-early, but maybe 37 or 38 weeks. Because that's much shorter than the 9 weeks I have left; it's only 6-7. It's a completely selfish thought and I hope it doesn't come true. My precious child deserves the full 40-weeks to incubate and I'm going to give it to her, if she'll let me. But I'm getting impatient. I guess I need to start finding some time-fillers....

Ouch.

Things hurt. There are baby body parts jabbing into my bones all over the place today. Baby Reeder is also currently engaged in some sort of in-utero Jazzercise class, as there is a ridiculous amount of intense moving and shaking going on in there. If there were a webcam on me at my desk, you'd see lots of wincing and hear groaning coupled with very labored breathing.

Last night was a horrible sleeping night (more so than usual) so I'm sure this little one is just reacting to that. I hate having to ask my dear husband to roll over (to stop the snoring), but was awake so much that the poor man got the "hey babe, will you roll on your side?" multiple times. Coincidentally, my constant rolling around kept jarring the baby awake, just adding to the difficulty to get back to sleep. I signed up for a 20-minute massage at work today, so here's hoping that relaxes these aching muscles.

2 more months. 2 more months. You are sooo worth this, so just bear with me as I try to figure out how to keep us both comfortable for the next 2 months. And let's try not to wake up Daddy as much, okay?

Grown-up week.

We've had a very grown-up week in the Reeder house. Over the weekend, we passed the 2-year anniversary of the day we bought our house (and we still have empty, furniture-less rooms...) Plus, said house has been inundated with baby stuff, a sign that we're coming up on being handed the greatest responsibility of our lives.

Then yesterday was a majorly grown-up day. Daddy sold his car, which was quite a sacrifice for him. He is selflessly giving up his fun car for a more family-friendly version (make and model TBD.) Car seats just don't fit well in the back of a 2-door! After unleashing the car, we signed away our unborn child, i.e. we had our wills drawn up. I repeat, wills. If that doesn't scream "grown-the-hell-up", I don't know what does. Baby Reeder now has assigned guardians if something were to happen to us. It's a terrifying thing to think about, especially since he's not even here yet, but very necessary to have. We are now, dare I say it, adults.

How far along?: 30 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +2 this week, +12 overall.
How big is baby?: Almost 3 lbs. and 15.5 inches long. He's swimming in a pint & a half of amniotic fluid now!
Maternity clothes?: Already growing out of some - yikes!
Sleep: My least favorite time of day :(
Movement: The munchkin is pressing into my hip bone now, which is pleasant. At least my transverse baby's butt is no longer pushing into my lungs - bonus!
Labor signs: Braxton Hicks on occasion, my sign that I need to slow down.
Food cravings: Village Tavern chicken fingers and fries. Thanks for putting this idea in my head, family.
Gender: It's a boy week.
Belly button in or out?: Weird.
What I miss: Good sleep.
What I am looking forward to: Wedding weekend in Canton, for many reasons. It's the last and shortest of my road trips for this pregnancy. Plus I get to wear my comfy dress = no waistband squeezing my belly + sleevelessness heaven (Can you tell I am overwhelmingly hot right now? We're talking "could this be a Swine Flu fever?" hot.) Perhaps we'll take a "family" photo since the husband will be in a tux ;)
Best moment this week: My baby shower! LOVED it!
Milestones: Remember my "25% down, 75% to go" post? Yeah, reverse that! Hitting the 30's feels pretty major league to me. Single digit weeks-to-go from here on out!

Baby shower #2!

Our home has been invaded by baby stuff. We are talking baby overload. Everywhere you look, baby stuff. And so it begins.... (insert huge smile here.)

Where did all this glorious stuff come from? My baby shower on Saturday! My lovely sister and bestest good friend hosted a fantastic shower for me at Grandma V's house. Everything was picturesque. Brunch was beyond yummy, the decorations were adorable, and there was a killer pile of gifts waiting for me. I did have some helpers with the gift-opening, as the shower was sprinkled with lots of tiny girls that were eager to help.

My registry was just about wiped clean. This baby will be well-fed, well-entertained, and smell like heaven :) We got our stroller/car seat system, bouncer, swing, exersaucer, bassinet, and monitor, plus tons of diapers, toys, and all the other baby necessities. Not to mention I now have the most precious, to-die-for hospital outfits for Baby Reeder, 1 boy and 1 girl, just in case. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such generous women in my life.

Thanks again for a fantastic time, girls. You went above and beyond to make the whole experience very special for Baby Reeder and I! Love you!

Smiling.

I woke up not feeling so great this morning. Before he left for work, I asked the husband for a big hug, as I often do when I need a pick-me-up. Mid-embrace, Baby Reeder kicked me pretty hard, hard enough that he also kicked his daddy. It was as if he was saying "Have a good day, Dad!" Instant smile from mama. Definitely the pick-me-up I needed.

You're already melting my heart, little one.

Happy mama :)

I'm a happy mama today. I've felt pretty good this week compared to the 2 previous weeks. My back still has its moments, but has really improved. And breathing is still very hard at times. But I haven't had the same "how will I survive 2 1/2 more months of this?" panic attacks this week! Hooray!

How far along?: 29 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: -1 this week, +10 overall. sigh. Don't worry, I stopped at Servatii's for double chocolate muffins this morning to console myself. I love how we call them "muffins" to justify eating giant cupcakes for breakfast :)
How big is baby?: Approximately 2 1/2 lbs. and 15 inches long. Bones are really growing this week, so I'm going to do my part by chugging some milk and eating ice cream to supply extra calcium to get the job done!
Maternity clothes?: Comfy wintery maternity shirts were purchased and I'm in love. Also I've started wearing some of the husband's t-shirts (the ones too small for him to wear), as mine are just about done.
Sleep: Oh, the discomfort! You know the feeling after you haven't worked out in a long time or you do something strenuous that uses muscles you don't often use and then you wake up really sore the next day? Yeah, I feel that way every morning. I think I'm going to try Tylenol PM this weekend.
Movement: Rib kicks. Lots and lots of rib kicks. And rolling so intense it startles me. As does the shaking (as if the baby is shivering or something.)
Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then. Never more than 4 an hour though, which is the benchmark for calling the doctor.
Food cravings: Cereal, specifically Cheerios. Not so much a craving, but it's the only thing that always sounds good. I'm around a bowl a day now.
Gender: Preparing for either :)
Belly button in or out?: I don't think it will ever come out, but it may reach the surface.
What I miss: Long jeans. Maternity jeans are just too short for my preference.
What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this weekend! The girls have all sorts of surprises cookin'. I can't wait :)
Best moment this week: Securing a pediatrician for my little lady (and future children!)
Milestones: Baby Reeder is officially transverse. No joke this time (all those other times I said she was, I didn't know what I was talking about.) Hiccups have moved from way down south to my right side, so clearly there's a head over there. Craziness!