32 Weeks*

How Far Along: 32 Weeks*
Size of Baby: A Jicama
Weight Gain: 21 pounds

Movement: Oh, so much movement! This little wee-bean loves to dance. I usually feel her moving around all day long now, with occasional periods of quiet time where I assume she is sleeping. At my appointment with my midwife this week, she was laughing while she tried to find baby’s heartbeat. She’d locate it, then it would fade away as the baby squirmed and moved away. Eventually she just ended up moving the doppler around my belly trailing after my dancing wee-bean.

On Wednesday night I woke up shortly after 4am to use the washroom, and I noticed that her movements felt very… regulated. It felt like she was pushing in perfect rhythm right against my skin–as steady as a heartbeat. After a minute or two of consistent rhythm, I realized that she had hiccups! It was the coolest feeling… until it went on for an hour and kept me awake the rest of the night. haha! She has had them twice since then–both in the night–but I’ve been able to fall back asleep both times.

Cravings: Chocolate chip cookies. All I want is chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, all warm and full of loveliness. YUM. (But since I have no time to bake my school’s cafeteria cookies will have to do. haha)

Food Aversions: Reheated food. I’ve been having a lot of trouble getting through lunch at work. I’ll love what I made for dinner the evening before, but the idea of reheating it is just not at all appealing to me anymore. Sadly this means I have to get more creative with my lunch ideas…

Symptoms: I’m tired. All the time. I know that my new job is playing a HUGE part in why that is, but today I could barely keep my eyes open. I cannot wait for the holidays!

What little sleep I have had time for this week has not been great. My head feels like it’s going all. the. time. If I wake up to go to the bathroom at night, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fall back asleep. I start thinking about work, money, Christmas preparations, housework, and all the billion things I still need to get ready before the wee-bean arrives and I can’t fall back asleep. It’s not fun.

More heartburn and back pain, but it’s still manageable. I’ve also had a few leg cramps at night… they happen when I start stretching, but quickly resolve when I push out my toes. They are uncomfortable, but never last long.

Belly Button Watch: Still an inny, but it’s very tiny!

Baby Prep: …prep? What?

Things I’m Thinking About: We are incredibly blessed. Sometimes when I think about all the amazing people we have in our lives my heart feels so full that it may burst. Last weekend the Hubster’s mom flew into town for his family’s pre-Christmas family gathering. It was so nice to spend time with her and his aunts and uncles, and while we were there they surprised us with an incredibly thoughtful baby shower! We received some beautiful clothes and some gorgeous hand-knit blankets. So the wee-bean may not have a room just yet, but she will be clothed and warm wherever she is. :)

We also went to a dinner with some of the Hubster’s colleagues from work last night, and as we were leaving a friend of his handed me a group card for the wee-bean that contained a very generous donation to the “wee-bean fund”. It was so thoughtful, and I hope to put the money toward decorating her room once it’s ready!

Full-time teaching is hard. Full-time teaching while 8 months pregnant is harder. Full-time teaching while 8 months pregnant in a situation where I have a months worth of assignments that I didn’t create to mark and no lesson help / direction sometimes feels impossible. Don’t get me wrong–I am in my dream job at my dream school, but it’s just hard. My department is fabulous and supports me in every way they can, but when I finally get the time to explain my job situation, it’ll make more sense. In any case, I feel like I am always so far behind in my work. Is it time for the Christmas holidays yet?

I wish I had more time to read my baby books. I have some fabulous reading material, and no time to even crack them open. I hope to spend much of the holidays with my nose in a book!

All is well with the wee-bean. I had another appointment with my midwife this week (I’m on a bi-weekly schedule) and I’m still so happy with my decision to go that route. She spends so much time talking to me about anything and everything–I never feel like a question is stupid or a waste of her time. Right now we spend a lot of time talking about everything that could come up during labor, and the more I talk with her about it, the less nervous I feel. It’s really, really nice.

Also, the wee-bean continues to cooperate and is dancing in a head-down position. Her growth is right on track and she’s rocking a very healthy heartbeat. All is well. :)

Lastly, there are only 9 sleeps until Christmas!