Mood: pretty good
i can't believe this is me. seriously, this is weird. i've really popped out in the past few weeks. i now walk past a mirror or large window and it takes more than a few seconds to recognize my own reflection. rups actually thinks it's funny how big i am getting. he's gotten into the habit of staring in awe and then laughing, which then of course gets me laughing.
about three days ago, i had the gestational diabetes test at my ob's office. i drank this incredibly sweet syrupy orange concoction that i think is really just raw sugar melted in cotton candy swirled with sugarcane juice. getting it down wasn't the problem, but i seriously felt more nausous after drinking that than i have my entire pregnancy! it was so gross, and then i had to just sit there for an hour till i could get my blood drawn so that i didn't burn any of the sugar. everyone knows i am not an excerciser, but i would have PAID to be able to jog around the waiting room! i'll probably get the results tomorrow. i'm a little concerned, since i love sweets and diabetes runs in my family, but i feel i've been making pretty good healthy choices about what to eat, and the ultrasounds show she's growing at a good rate and is a good size.
speaking of size, i've decided not to be concerned about my lack of rapid weight gain. i'm due in 10 weeks and i've gained 11 pounds. i know that doesn't sound like much, but she's healthy, she moves around a lot, her size is good and my mom didn't gain an incredible amount of weight and i was just fine, so i'm just going to not stress about it. my ob has even said she feels okay with the weight gain, as long as i gain a pound a week for the next ten weeks. i'll try, but we'll see... BG now weighs about 3 pounds and is 17 inches long. she is running out of room in there but somehow (thankfully) keeps growing. sometimes i'll feel or even see a big hard lump against my abdominal wall, and i imagine it is her head--either that, or her little behind. :)
oh, and i started having braxton hicks contractions about a week ago! i thought the pressure was just BG playing the linebacker and ramming her head into my abdominal wall, but i found out yesterday that these were actually the contractions i'd always heard about. don't worry, they're normal anytime after the first trimester and do not indicate the onset of labor--it's just a lot of pressure from the uterus contracting that lasts a few seconds, and they don't hurt, but sometims they are a bit uncomfortable.
i'm so used to being pregnant now, but to actually have a baby...i'm ready, but at the same time, it's like, "really? someone is just going to give me a baby and i'm going to be it's mom?" but when i think about her--actually think about her, not just about being pregnant--i feel like she's so completely mine and we already have this total connection. BG and i understand each other's moods, communicate mentally, and have this language that only we can understand. i already know what her different kicks mean, and if i ever have any coffee (maybe once or twice a week), she definitely shows me her disapproval by kicking for 24 hours straight. i've quickly learned not to have more than one third of a cup, and even then only if i need to stay up all night when i'm on call at the hospital. she let my sister feel her kick (oh yes, she decides who she's going to kick for) for the first time a few nights ago, and it was one of the top three strongest kicks she's ever given. anjali's hand virtually flew off my belly! i think that means she really likes her.
the 'stuff' we need to get before she comes is coming together, but now i need to focus on the 'whos'. i have to find a pediatrician, a daycare center, an attorney to make a will, etc. that all seems like such adult stuff to do! we're ready for it, though. rups has really been wonderful throughout the pregnancy--from running out to the store to buy milk (i go through a lot of milk) to making sure i don't carry anything weighing over 2 ounces to setting up the nursery/den to even going shopping for baby girl outfits. he'll listen as i talk on and on and on about whatever comes to my mind, even if he's heard it a hundred times before. it's really so cute, and it's clear he's going to be so involved with her life.
