Getting closer/34 weeks

Emails between me and my husband while I am at work:

From: Emily.Tremel
Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:14 AM
To: Matthew Tremel
Subject:

Either my crotch is just super sweating (as usual) or I’m leaking something I shouldn’t. I didn’t even wear tights today in the hope that it would cool things off, and my thighs are apparently just too attracted to each other.

His response was something like, "wouldn't it be funny if they were monitoring your emails?" Yes. And they probably are.

After the debacle that was my birthday, we had a relatively uneventful last two weeks, which is pretty awesome. I seem to go in spurts, though, so let's hope this next week continues to be smooth.

Bug is continuing her descent downwards. Sometimes walking is painful, and I fear that I will wet myself. We have never gone through this much Charmin, ever.



My attempt at a self-portrait of my belly, 34 weeks. Please note lack of boobage, and freshly opened box of Lucky Charms on counter.


Here's a proper one, now that Matthew was back home. *Edit: If you click on the picture, you can see my scruffy dog skulking under the kitchen chair. BASIE, I LOVE YOU.

Speaking of boobage, I just have to point out that I did try on one of my old bras this morning (I've been wearing a wire-free "maternity" bra with the three clasp ultra-wide back since, like, week 18) to see if I had actually grown any cup sizes, and it turns out... I haven't. I might just actually fill out old bra now (a massive 36B). Hmm.

We saw the nurse this week instead of the doctor since she was on vacation (I figure, go now instead of the first week of April!). She was very nice and dutifully answered all of my questions about leaking. I'm sorry if this is TMI, but it is basically never, umm, dry down there, ever. There is always something coming out. It used to be I was just happy when it wasn't a scary color. Now I'm paranoid that the wrong thing is coming out (i.e. amniotic fluid) after I read too many things about the "slow leak" that sometimes happens. I still have not gotten a definitive answer, but I do check every time I get up from laying down (which is pretty much the only position I'm in when I'm not at work) for any signs of "small gushing." None yet, which is good. (And they say if anything, you might mistake it for urine, but when you drink as much water as I do, your urine generally smells like nothing and is borderline clear, so that does not help).

She checked my cervix (and I swear to god it was, like, an elbow-deep check) and she could feel Bug's head, but everything is still closed ("you are going to be pregnant for another few weeks"). She also confirmed that Bug is quite forward in my belly, which explains the added pressure on my bladder. As long as she stays head down, I'm happy.

The crazy thirst has returned, to the point that Matt actually asked me last night while we were eating dinner if I would just prefer to have him bring up the hose. Crazy thirst + thimble-sized bladder = buy stock in Charmin. I tried Gatorade this morning, in the hopes that I could reduce volume while still quenching, but all that resulted in was two empty bottles of Gatorade.

I had to go back for a follow-up ultrasound today, and Joy (I find this name ironic since last time she was full of everything but) was such a pleasure! She was only supposed to be checking my fluid levels (totally unrelated to my leaking paranoia, and only because when I was at the MAC two weeks ago they measured borderline low) but she actually measured Bug's size and did a girl parts check. I was SHOCKED. I swear this was not the same woman, and maybe just an identical twin with an entirely different personality. She even offered up a picture to take home without me asking:



Hi, foot! I'm impressed that you are not jammed in my ribs. She said that her foot was about 7cm long, which is just crazy. Based on the rest of her measurements (which include thigh bone, abdomen and head circumference) Bug is measuring within one date of her previous due date (4/7 versus 4/8), and is estimated to currently weigh 5.1 pounds. THAT IS SO CRAZY. Unfortunately this is not indicative in any way to her actual birth weight, since no doctor/nurse/tech will own up to that, ever. She estimates she might gain a half pound per week, which would add about 2.5-3 pounds, but that is just based on average baby weight gain. So basically we have no idea.

Which brings me to the office baby pool, and can I just say that I love my co-workers? Everyone so far has guessed 8 pounds or less (except for my husband the jerk who is predicting 9+). Most put me after my due date, but I am less concerned about that than I am about the size of what I have to push out. I even got a "well you're so small" comment. WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU PEOPLE LIKE TWO MONTHS AGO WHEN YOU WERE TELLING ME I WAS SO BIG? Whatever, I'll take it.

Bug's room is slowly taking shape. And when I say slowly, I mean slowly. We finally went and ordered the crib tonight (don't worry, Bug will be in a cradle upstairs with us until she no longer fits). We have a rug and some dressers. And a mattress. And fixed walls.



The picture frames are for my art project for one of the walls. Which I SWEAR I will finish before Bug comes.

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: OK, true confessions, it is 32 pounds, but I know for sure now that at least 5 of those belong to Bug.
Maternity clothes? They should make them more breathable
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Last night we were up at 12:45 doing God knows what, with the hiccups. It probably doesn't help that I sleep on the couch until about 12:30, then brush my teeth and climb upstairs to bed. I'm probably confusing the poor thing with the movement.
Best moment this week: Seeing Bug again
Movement: I wish I knew how to translate what I felt into what she was actually doing
Food cravings: Lucky Charms, Starburst, clementines
Gender: Girl
Belly button in or out? In
Labor Signs: Hopefully no actual leaking
What I miss: Sitting with bad posture without my ribs hurting
What I am looking forward to: APRIL
Weekly Wisdom: Coffee is a fantastic laxative
Milestones: Crib ordered?