30 weeks!

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bump watch: at this stage of pregnancy, it's not only bump-watch but also stretch-mark-watch. so far so good when it comes to the tummy, but i spied an unmistakable angry purple line on my thigh the other day ... oy. as for the bump itself, sometimes it takes on a life of its own with sweetpea's rolls and turns! 

sweet pea: weighs 3.2 pounds and measures 18 inches long, the size of a very hefty head of lettuce. baby is busy, busy, busy -- hiccuping, swallowing amniotic fluid, sucking that little thumb, and twisting and turning every which way. now that baby's starting to run out of space, his or her movements are usually less dramatic, but occasionally a wallop of a kick makes my stomach look like something out of an alien movie. 

best moment: passing my three hour glucose tolerance test with flying colors! and meeting with our new pediatrician, a diminutive Russian woman who achieves just the right balance of empathetic listening with unapologetic evidence-based recommendations. we're also signed up for a newborn care class and breastfeeding class next month ... it's all becoming so much more real! 

symptoms: return of the first trimester fatigue, check! weird popping and clicking in my hips as the ligaments loosen, check! a smidge more shortness of breath, check! crazy hormones (one night last week i felt ridiculously PMS-y), check! 

cravings: i was obsessed with the idea of chicken tenders earlier this week, and then lo and behold the very next day they served them for lunch at the hospital cafeteria! dipped in honey mustard, they definitely hit the spot. 

what i miss: my abs. and my Crest Whitestrips. 
looking forward to: making final arrangements with our doula, who happens to be none other than our Hypnobabies instructor! i think she'll be so helpful to both Nick and i during delivery. initially i wasn't sold on the idea of a doula, but studies have shown that the presence and expertise of a doula can help labor progress faster, improve pain control, reduce the change of c-section and improve breastfeeding in the immediate postpartum period... all while allowing the new daddy to provide emotional and physical support. sign us up! 

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