8 month state of the pregnancy address

All I have to say at this point in the pregnancy is: whaaaaaaaaaaatttt??

Seriously, this belly alone leaves me stupefied.

But really, where did the time go?  Seems like only a short while ago I was holding my breath before the end of the first trimester, so excited to tell people but keeping the pregnancy quiet.  I still get a little surprised when cashiers ask me about my baby, thinking quietly, "how did they know," only to look down and be like, "the giant watermelon under your jacket, duh!"  I also feel mostly the way I have felt all along, just cruising along without any pain, pressure, or major discomfort.  The Hunger has been a part of my life for so long that it's the new normal, and I have gotten into a pretty good routine with yoga and exercise to keep my joints feeling good.

In mentally preparing this blog post yesterday, I was fully ready to say that sleep is still miraculously easy without a single interruption for a bathroom visit, but I think karma heard me and decided to keep me humble, ala my first (and only) time skiing when I thought, "I'm amazing at this," immediately before taking an awesome tumble down the hill.  Last night was the first night I was physically unable to sleep on my back because of the pain of her pushing on my internal organs.  This was a whole new level of discomfort, compelling me to roll and heft my belly onto the Snoogle for support for the first time.  I'm usually a pretty active sleeper, rolling from one side to the other quite often, but last night I had to fully awaken, consciously heave myself over, and make sure I was properly aligned before I could sleep again.  I was hoping this had something to do with her turning from frank breech position, but sadly, no dice.  She just must be hitting a whole new size.  Given the fact that I have gained about 35 pounds so far, I'd say that's pretty possible!

At my last doctor's visit they said everything continues to be going well.  Her heartrate is strong, my blood pressure is normal, and my weight/belly are right on track.  Since she's head up I'm not dilating at all yet, and I have two weeks for her to turn into launch position before we talk birth options.

No crazy cravings this month, still not crazy hormonal, just a little extra weepy, and Jeremy and I are getting along very well.  As stated in a previous post, birth classes and breastfeeding classes have been accomplished, as has most of the nursery.  The only practical things to accomplish before the end are hanging the nursery bookshelves, organize her closet, wash her 0-3 month clothing, install the car seat bases in each car, assemble the swing, and finish packing the hospital bags.  I'm hoping that after Christmas we will have the time to accomplish these things, and I can distract myself from watching the clock, waiting for her to arrive.

Think head down thoughts for us!!