The end of the world as I know it. . .

. . . and I feel fine.

I recently heard that REM broke up. Pity. I did like their music and grew up listening to them, one of those bands that I can listen to over and over again. REM brings happy thoughts.

In other news, yep, still prego. I've got two due dates, by the way. Last known Cycle puts me at November 16th. Ultrasound puts me at November 13th. So basically, I'm on my last week before I enter the realm of over due. My midwife told me that chances of me making my due date were slim, but that I still could. That was over three weeks ago. She could make her arrival at any moment, and there has been a few close calls where I wasn't sure what was going on.

So, that puts me at around 39 weeks, give or take a couple of days. Some days I feel fantastic, other days I feel bleh. I'm just trying to stay calm and mellow, and trying to ignore my carb cravings. I lived on carbs up until a couple of weeks ago, and it's a pain that I can't just live off of them more. Dang, carbs are in EVERYTHING. And I can't really stomach greasy foods at the moment, so it basically makes me feel like I need to eat like a rabbit. Tomorrow I'll pick up some salad, or something like that. I'm usually a carnivore at times, but lately I don't really want to eat anything that's meaty. I can't win with this right now (sighs)

So, due to popular demand (somebody requested it) pictures of my pregnancy thus far. And me and my belly baby in all of our glory.

The picture above was taken while I was still being mum about the whole thing. I was having difficulty with eating and I actually lost five pounds in the first trimester. Bleh! This was at about eleven weeks, since there was no sign of belly, I didn't see a point in taking a picture every week. I wasn't showing at all. But baby was definitely incubating.



Enter Week 14. Still not really showing, looking a little thicker through the midsection, and in fact probably just looking like I normally look. Nobody would know I was pregnant unless I told them, which was fine with me at the time. I still fit in all of my clothes, and the morning sickness had largely gone away. I just realy felt like me, until I tried to lift something, and then I did recieve a little reminder telling me I probably shouldn't do that. Oh yeah, right, silly me, heheh.



Week 17, and showing the faintist of baby bumps, but it could be excused as me having gorged myself on a food baby. For the most part, still hiding it, when I told people I was pregnant, and how far along I was, they were going 'huh?' Funny, when I told my family I was pregnant, they all told me I would gain all sorts of weight and bloat, because that's what we do in our family. I did not want that for me, no thanks. So i was perfectly content to stay trim and healthy, even though, due to previous miscarriage, I was taking it easy with the pregnancy so as not to cause any problems.



Week 19 showed the first signs of an obvious baby bump. We were posting pictures of our trip to Hawaii and people were all aghast that I was suddenly showing! And of course, it puts me off my usual picture taking cycle, usually I'm displaying my belly facing right, now I'm facing left. But lookin' stylin! Sportin that little munchkin (who at this time, we were still not sure whether munchkin was a she or a he).



Ok, by week 21, we found out Kidling was a girl, and now there is no ifs ands or buts, I'm definitely preggers. Depending on what I was wearing, I could still hide it, but entering summer, most of my clothes were starting to feel a bit tight, well, it was time to just focus on wearing more maternity wear. Must embrace the pending motherhood. It's alright!



Week 24 brings us to family reunion time, and I met up with my cousin Rocia who was rockin' it with her fifth child at 37 weeks. Girl looked fabulous (and was quite gutsy to make that trip to the ocean, but she's an old hat at it by now). I had a great time, my belly was extending a wee bit further, and hoodies made me look fat, or so I discovered.



27 weeks gone by, and I have given in to the lounge pants. The only way to go for any pregnant girl to be really comfortable. Belly protruding a bit further, and feeling a little less agile, but still feeling for the most part rather fine.



My sister takes pictures and at week 31, she offered to get some of me for a maternity session. I think this is one of my favorites out of the bunch.



Week 35, getting closer! Up until this point, overall I had a pretty easy pregnancy. I felt relatively healthy and active, didn't have to much of a waddle when I walked, and overall just felt pretty good. She woke me up about this time and I found myself barely able to move my legs without groaning. Not a fun point, had a few concerns, so called my midwife and she informed me that baby had indeed dropped and my cervix was starting to dialate.

Starting the next week was my regular check up, I was supposed to have my baby shower that Tuesday, and I woke up with really bad back labor and all sorts of preterm labor symptoms. Going in, I was informed I had effaced 90%, still dialated at a one and the baby was at -2. I was a little concerned because it was still pretty early, but she informed me I still could be pregnant for a couple of weeks. I still could make my due date, nothing set in stone. Was worried and called my instructor, thinking maybe I needed to drop out of class because it seemed like baby was coming at any time. Canceled the baby shower, in the end, no big deal. Cause I'm still pregnant.



Week 37 is the magic milestone we were aiming for after our preterm labor scare. I wanted to hit this because this is officially when the baby is at term, and in truth the longer she's in there, the better for her. Of course, we also learned news of our glucose levels being a bit elevated, and now I have to watch what I eat. I don't feel like I'm a threat for gestational diabetes, I've felt pretty good so far. Well, let me tell you, as a pregnant woman, they are a pain in the butt. Ok, so we got to week 37, now I'm ready when the baby is.


Week 39. Well, I hit week 39 yesterday, according to the ultrasound, or I'm at week 39 on Wednesday, according to that lovely last known monthly constitutional. A couple nights ago I felt a bit under the weather, thought maybe this was it, but no, it lingered for to long and eventually went away. So this is where we are at. Me feeling ready to explode with my belly hanging out there and just trying to remain comfortable. I feel now that I'm watching what I eat, I'm actually not eating as well as I used too *why does EVERYTHING i crave carry carbs???* and the nesting instincts have kicked in. Baby is bound to come sooner or later.

Taking this one day at a time, was hoping to go to Portland for Thanksgiving to spend it with the husband's family but that is looking more and more out of the question. In truth, I've still got plenty of time for this baby to make her arrival, I'm giving her until the end of the month before I induce, but I am trying to go natural so avoiding medical induction and all other interventions. I've been healthy for the most part. the gestational diabetes thing has me hoping for an earlier rather than later baby though.

Maybe she just wants to be a Veteran's day baby and have the designer birthday of 11/11/11. You know, that would be pretty cool, and be rather easy to remember, if not a little bittersweet.