Pregnancy Update

Well, it's been a while since I've written anything about this pregnancy (well...it's been a while since I've written anything...) so I thought I'd put a little update on here.  Right now I'm almost 34 weeks (8 1/2 months) along.  (How lame is it that if you go all the way to 40 weeks you're actually pregnant for 9 and a HALF months??  And what if you go over??  Only a pregnant woman would be indignant about that...)  Anyway!  Things are going pretty darn great.  My first pregnancy was pretty easy & this one has definitely followed a similar path.  There definitely have been some differences & at times this pregnancy has definitely been more difficult.  I can't really complain because compared to those women who have morning sickness the entire time, I get off way easy.  One major difference: this girl likes to MOVE!  She kicks & punches & does who knows what else in there the majority of the day.  When I lay down to go to sleep, she just wants to do somersaults. 

I'm strongly of the opinion that 9 months is too long & am, not surprisingly, very anxious to welcome this little girl into the world.  Now, logically, I know that once she gets here my life will be turned upside down & everything will be different.  I am going to be way tired all the time for the first several months & it will definitely be hard.  But what can I say?  I'm sick of waiting. 

I think that every woman hopes that their baby will arrive early (not too early, of course), and I am of the same mind.  I was hoping that I would follow in the footsteps of my mother...and sisters...and even sister-in-law (although we're not related through blood) & have my kids a week or two early.  No such luck with Steven so I'm not expecting much better this time.  Of course, every time I have any sort of Braxton Hicks contraction or pelvic pressure, a part of my brain thinks, "Oh, maybe that means she'll come a little early!".  (The things we tell ourselves...)  So then the other option besides waiting for nature to take its course presents itself: Induction of labor.  Personally, I am not a real big fan of it if it's done for convience sake.  Obviously, if there's something wrong or you're overdue, that's different.  I definitely understand wanting to do just about anything to get the baby out but I am also a big proponent of letting the baby choose it's own birthday.  My doctor would let me induce up to a week early this time around if he considered my body ready.    I am not going to do that but the few days after my due date comes and goes is a slightly different story.  Two of my sisters will be in town the weekend after my due date for something unrelated.  Part of my brain is thinking I don't want to induce unless I'm a week - 2 weeks late.  The other part of my brain is thinking it would be really lame to have so much family around (my mom & brother who don't live here will also be in town) but just have the baby the day after they leave.  Maybe sillly thinking but that's just where my brain's going.  Josh says I shouldn't worry about it because I have plenty of time to figure it out.  That's very true; unfortunately I tend to obsess a little about things until I decide on a course of action.  Who knows, though?  The condundrum of to induce or not to induce maybe a completely moot point.  I may have her 2 weeks early & not have to worry about anything else ;)  Anyway, sorry about the really long post & the babbling!  The following are a few recent pictures.

Not that recent, actually...me at 30 weeks. 

4-D picture of the little girl.  No, that's not a crinkle-cut fry in front of her face, it's the umbilical cord ;)

It may look like a skeleton to you, but it's really a baby!  If you look closely, it looks like she has HUGE lips :)