Science Project, Week 35

Here we are at week 35! Only 5 weeks to go until my official due date on August 12th. Most first time moms are late, but so far I know of several people who were early, so you never know! I'd like to be about one week early. That would be most convenient. Don't I get to choose? I now know of 5 people (3 in the last month) who have given birth at Group Health Capitol Hill where we'll be going, and all of them have raved about how wonderful it is. That's really reassuring to hear.

Two days ago I had a check up, and everything is right on track. After my next check up in 2 weeks I'll be going weekly. Many people still comment about how I don't look big enough to be 5 weeks away from delivery, but I guess I'm just lucky! I'm 30 pounds heavier than I was when the Science Project started. That's why I get so out of breath just climbing stairs!

I've been feeling pretty stretched lately. The Bean has run out of room and is now really testing the limits of his environment, aka Me. The gentle aquatic blorping movements have turned into somewhat violent pokes and jabs. He's settled with his head down, and tends to like to have his back and butt along my left side. An arm or leg feels permanently lodged in my right side. Sometimes he pokes his hard little butt straight out towards the world right above my belly button. Sometimes he kicks me in the side and makes me jump. Some people like to do daily fetal movement counts to make sure their baby is OK, but I tell ya, I don't need to count. He's definitely frisky. One of my favorite T-shirts has become a pretty good portrait of him.

My friends Sandy and Laurie organized a baby shower for us in early June, and in addition to getting some good swag, we had a really nice visit with some friends I haven't seen for a while. One of my favorite gifts was a bunny that is the softest stuffed animal I've ever felt. Maybe I will keep him and not give him to The Bean.

Happy 3rd Bunniversary!

Today marks three years since we found our bun in Woodland Park! Happy Bunniversary JoJo! I made you a special snack of clover flowers and one whole strawberry!Wow, is that for me?

I love clover!

Mmmmm, a whole entire strawberry! This is worth it, even if I fudge my bed later.

Do I have any strawberry on my lips?

Thanks!

This year JoJo gained some weight, went on a reduced-treat diet and regained some of her figure, got her proper digestion under better control, learned to dance for her bananas, discovered the joys of snoozing in front of a heater, and switched from sleeping in a ditch made out of a blanket to sleeping next to a rolled up "buddy" blanket that she licks and licks. She loves her buddy. She decided that she loves TV, and when we start watching a show in the evening she throws herself into a flop next to her buddy and stretches her bun sticks out (back legs). In nice weather she continues to dig in her gravel pit hole, which mysteriously gets filled in occasionally. That helps her keep her girlish figure.

May we have many more bunniversaries to come!

Baby Hummer

Michael's eagle eyes spotted another hummer tonight. Michael had spotted the guy having a bath in the rain a few days ago. Tonight we were inside watching So You Think You Can Dance, and from our couch he spotted one sitting outside in the bamboo. It looked like the right shape, but when I got up to look it seemed wrong somehow. Too dark. A white spot. Kid of fluffy. We carefully stepped outside to get a closer look and realized it must be a baby! We took some photos, and he flew off briefly followed by one or two adults who buzzed us and took off. The baby hovered in confusion and then resettled on my buddleia. Cute little fella. It's good to know they can happily reproduce around our neighborhood!

Tiny Showers

Yesterday we had a brief shower after weeks of dry weather. A hummingbird had a shower and a bath on some leaves, and a baby chickadee got wet for the first time.

Science Project, Week 32

8 months gone, 2 to go! Sometimes, when I think about how I'm going to keep getting bigger, two months seems like a long time. But then when I think about what comes after birth, two months seems much too short!

Last week at our labor and baby class, a lactation consultant inundated us with information. The most shocking bit? In the first few weeks after birth, I can expect to be involved in some aspect of nursing for 40-70 hours per week! Good lord.

I've had a weird side affect of pregnancy appear about 3 weeks ago: I noticed I have no hair on my legs! Normally, women stop losing hair when they're pregnant, and then about three months after birth all the extra falls out. I first noticed that my head hair had resumed its normal shedding, and then I went to shave my legs, and there was nothing there! My legs look polished, but the rest of me still has hair. When I had an appointment 2 weeks ago I asked my midwives about it, and they had never heard of such a thing. I had my thyroid levels checked, and they're normal, so I guess it's nothing to worry about. Very convenient for summer! The Bean continues to thrive, so my wonky hormone levels don't seem to bother him.

I've been lucky to have a nice long torso to fill up, so I haven't looked or felt over big, but this past week The Bean filled up his vertical space and started coming out towards the front more. I also feel him under my ribs, which forces me to have good posture, since slumping makes my ribs feel like they're bending out. I took the belly pictures and strung them together, and you can see how sometimes he seems to grow a lot more in three weeks than other times.
People keep asking about The Bean's name. Well, we've got a big list on the fridge, but we haven't felt any need to winnow it down. On the 28th I'm going to Fiddle Tunes for a week, and when I come back I guess we can get serious about names, getting the car seats installed, and stuff like that.

Scratch 'N' Sniff Edition

Oh if only there were eSmells! My garden is not an abundant one, but it has some nice old friends in it that are thriving now. The most spectacular is my jasmine vine which is packed with more blossoms this year than I've ever seen. The smell wafts around the yard and in through the back doors upstairs and downstairs. My resident hummingbirds love to sip from the jasmine, although it seems like a lot of work to eat from so many little blossoms. I also have a star jasmine which is getting ready to bloom.

I also have a nice honeysuckle around the side yard, and sweet peas on the back porch. Ahhh, summer!It occured to me the other day that my night blooming cereus should be blooming this year just about the time The Bean is born!

The Bean's Room

The Bean's room is coming along! I finally feel it will be possible to physically fit him into our house.

Today I moved my coats and dress-up clothes into another closet and removed the sliding doors on the closet. Removing the doors turned out to be very easy, which I am thankful for. The cleaned out closet space is for his crib, and possibly the bureau, too, if it fits. If I can move the bureau into the closet, we'll have room for a changing table where the bureau is now. Changing tables aren't totally necessary, but they can sure save your back.

To the right of the Bean's closet is comfy chair for nursing. The rest of the room is still mine and filled with bookshelves and my desk and computer. The Bean will just have to share.

Science Project, Week 29

Here's the new belly in all its/my/our glory! I had been worrying that I wasn't getting much bigger and the Bean wasn't growing, but it's nice to be able to compare photos and see that I am making progress! In this picture I relaxed my abs to exaggerate it a bit. Still, with loose clothes on people still say I don't look very pregnant. I'm really lucky to be carrying it well!

My back has been bothering me more and more, and I 'm getting short of breath, but really I'm having a very nice complication free pregnancy. Lucky again!

In the last week the Bean's kicks have changed from little pokes to some serious calisthenics. I think he's doing flips while he's still got the room. Pretty soon he'll outgrow the space and be a lot more cramped.

I have a midwife appointment on Monday, and I expect everything will be fine. Meanwhile, Michael and I continue to go to the labor and childcare prep classes. We're halfway through the series, and it's been a good investment of time and money. I especially like the parts where we practice how Michael will massage my back. Mmmmm.

That's all I can think of! Things are pretty uneventful these days. Sometimes I even forget I'm pregnant until I try to bend over!

Lilacs, Kicks, and Nesting

My lilac finally bloomed this year! I'm so happy, as I really love lilacs. When I moved into this house there was a beautiful old lilac hanging over the back fence from the neighbor's yard. It was neglected, but I tried to keep "my" part trimmed and pruned. The house is a rental, and tenants often make a stab at gardening and then let the yard languish. One new set of tenants got all gung-ho and decided they were going to put a compost heap in where the lilac was. They asked me if I minded if they cut it down. I truthfully said I'd really miss it. They slowly hacked it apart with what looked like an electric carving knife. Then they left it half dead and never put in the compost heap. Big surprise. Morning glory vines re-colonized the place. It made me sick at heart! Three years ago I put in my own baby lilac and finally got some blooms this year! I feel like my yard is complete again. Ahhhh.

A couple of people have said they were eagerly awaiting my next update! Wow, I didn't really know if anyone was out there! I do belly updates every three weeks, so look for an update on Wednesday!

I've been slowly organizing and cleaning spaces to make room for The Bean and his stuff. I was finally able to make a visible contribution to his room. I cleaned out a bureau, lined the drawers, put some little clothes and blankets in it, and topped it all off with some stuffed animals. He has three bunnies, a wombat, a small rhino, and a wooden crocodile waiting for him.

The Bean has been kicking a lot. The other night I was sleeping on my side, and Bijou was snuggled next to me partially propped up on my belly. Then The Bean woke up and gave her a good kick. She moved away, like what the heck was that! I figure this is only the first instance of the boy bothering her. Bijou's probably got a lot of future annoyance coming her way. She'll probably love all the blankies and sleeping places, though.

Happy Birthday, Squeaky-Ji!

On Cinco de Mayo my beautiful Bijou turned 15! She's the oldest cat I've had so far, and she's still going strong! May she be around for many more years.