29 Weeks

I have crossed over into my seventh month of pregnancy, deep into the throes of the third trimester. This is when people raise their eyebrows when they ask you questions about when you are due. Aside from a funny feeling that this baby is coming early, at least five people have said the same just from looking at me. Everyone else also chimes in: I'm carrying low. And some seem to suggest that means things are not as far off as they may seem. Who knows. It may be yet another tale, but I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize and move swiftly with preparations.

My husband and I have diligently been getting our home ready. Electrical work, check! Washer-dryer plan figured out, check! And some major painting and carpentry work will be done by the first week of March. If we really get ourselves in high gear (and our budget allows), we'll be ripping out carpet and putting in new flooring in March. But, I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself here. We'll survive with ugly brown carpeting for a bit longer if need be.

What comes with these 29 weeks? BIGness. ROUNDness. And it comes fast. Like literally I see a friend on Monday and then when I see her by Friday, things have already grown a bit. Soon, I will enter into that 1 pound a week phase. Little may now be on her way to 4 lbs. I'll find out for sure on Thursday at my next ultrasound. We'll also be meeting with the lactation consultant and midwife, and we're taking a tour of the delivery unit at CHOP.

With a belly this big, it feels like I'm just rolling around from place to place. Getting out of bed requires slow movement, and it always feels little painful. Getting out of our living room bucket chairs takes some extra oomph. After my showers or when I get into my pajamas at night, I take a stroll of the house naked to find my husband and say: Look at this! BIG! He smiles and gives me big eyes. And then I shake my booty as if to say, I still got it. Honestly, though, who knows if I still got it. I can't see what "it" looks like anymore!

I can see a few things though: a chubby round face, little hints of stretch marks in tiny, curvy places, swollen feet. All of my shoes feel tight now, though I still just squeeze my feet into them anyway.

The worst of it all though is the carpal tunnel. Apparently, the swelling in your joints can contribute to pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel. I have it bad. My hands fall asleep all through the night and I wake up to them throbbing. Even throughout the day, when my hand is raised holding the bar on the subway, or when I'm walking to work holding a hot beverage--my hand falls asleep. I may resort to wearing a wrist brace before all of this is done to try to deal with the symptoms. I just hope that it goes away after I deliver. I read that normally it does, but in some cases it becomes an ongoing problem. Ugh. Tingling fingers crossed.

Some days I feel like the hunger of a beast that I remember from my first trimester has returned. Other days though, I am satisfied with much less. I assume the current balance will soon sway towards super hungry more of the time.

I'm still working out at the gym, trying to keep a schedule of some kind of physical activity at least 3-4 days a week. I do work out hard when I go to the gym, and the stares I get are difficult to ignore. I always feel on the verge of being fresh with people when they stare, but, alas, it's not worth it. I am clearly the only person who is 7 months pregnant doing kicks on a stepper, so, eh. Yesterday, a woman at the gym said to me: You are doing a good job, I mean it. I laughed, and felt slightly impressed with myself. It's true. It is NOT easy climbing into weight machines and doing leg lifts and the like. I'd say prenatal yoga is some of the hardest activity I'm doing (besides climbing the two flights of stairs at my house, of course) because I'm not naturally flexible though I know flexibility will make delivery a lot easier.

Yesterday, I ran into another pregnant woman at the bagel shop. Ha ha, I know. Bagels for preggers. Shockingly, her due date is one day before mine. We fell instantly into conversation. There really is something about connecting with pregnant women, but something even more intense about connecting with someone who is in the exact same place as you, wondering the same things, dealing with the same changes. Anyway, it was a LOT of fun talking to her for only 10 minutes. She extolled much praise on red raspberry leaf tea which I subsequently ordered online. It apparently has properties (an alkaloid called fragrine) which strengthens the uterus and can shorten labor. My new friend told me it can make labor more intense but shorter. I'm down for that. I did some reading online and I'm on it. My bulk order just shipped!

Last night for the first time, I had a moment of sadness. A pause for reflection about how many things I'm saying goodbye to. I wish I had one more night of senseless dancing at Kung Fu Necktie because that will be that much harder to do with a child. Or one more night of hours pre-partying with my girlfriends. Pre-partying? What is that? What am I partying in preparation for now? Bed! I keep teetering on the verge of writing a mass email to all the women I know begging them to go out dancing with me. Oh boy, think of the stares I'd get then. I'm fine jumping around and getting sassy on the dance floor but I dunno if the general public likes seeing preggers do all that. Hm, I guess I don't care. But it still won't feel the same. Literally.

With all that said, for every moment I grieve my previous life, there are at least 1o full of overwhelming suspense and excitement about meeting our little girl. Every morning when I first feel her move, I say good morning, and I yearn to hold her in my arms. When I open the fridge to make dinner, I kiss my fingers and touch her ultrasound pictures held up by magnets. When I get tired of feeling her kick the heck out of me (btw, she moves all day every day), I wipe away my thoughts and just feel so so so thankful to still have her with me, and elated that I'll have her to hold in such a little while.

She clearly reacts more to her surroundings. Last week when I was babysitting Sydney's baby Grayson, she accidentally kicked my belly. And wouldn't ya know, Little kicked her right back in the same spot! They are already interacting, BFFs-to-be. I love it!

The seven months went by like a breeze. I guess that's what happens when you start counting? I can't believe I'll be 30 weeks in a few days.

I have a hunch that Little has a name. Neither me nor my husband will admit to it, and we'll swear up and down that we're still thinking. Technically, we still are. But favorites are favorites, and the conversation is narrowing. Little won't be Little for much longer. :)