32 weeks... 8 more to go! woohoo!

This week I'll have completed 32 weeks... I can't believe how time has flown by and that we're almost to that finish line. It was hard to see it at 12 weeks when I was dog sick every day... but now, I'm getting really excited about seeing her in just 8 weeks (give or take)!

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I might miss being pregnant once I have the baby... strange, I know, but as a pregnant women, you really do get treated wonderfully. Everyone is nice to me and is concerned about my welfare (though most of it is for the baby :) )... especially Shel... he's always telling me not to lift this or that and not to do to much work or walking around. So cute... will never get that again from him... until the next pregnancy of course :)

There are other benefits, of course... like the prenatal vitamins that I take are doing wonders for my hair and nails! Truly... I haven't had such strong and healthy looking nails in years and my hair is fuller and stronger than it has been in a looong time. And, speaking less superficially, there is a general euphoric state that I'm in quite often (well, in the 2nd and third tri mostly). It's not every day, and sometimes it doesn't stick around that long, but it's there and feels great!

But, over all, I will be happy to say good bye to this pregnancy phase... All the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. I am uncomfortable much of the day and through out the night. I've developed SPD (Symphsis pubis disorder) which causes a lot of pain in the pelvic region... when I walk alot, get up from a seated position or even just roll over in bed. I won't miss that at all!
Also, I still have aversions to food... it's very flaky... some days I can't stand spicy food, other days I can't stand bland food... and most days I can't eat garlicy food, which I usually love. I also eat mostly vegetarian food these days, which is a good thing, I think, but sometime I lack protein in my diet. I also love fruit and veggies these days, which I usually do, but it's more than ever... and I hope that part of it continues after pregnancy. I also still feel nausea sometimes and get a feeling like I want to throw up now and then... though luckily it's very rare that I have these days.

But, most of all, getting past the pregnancy phase means that we'll finally have "her" with us.... which is going to be amazing! I never thought my motherly instincts will kick in, but maybe they're starting to... slowly but surely. I keep day dreaming about what it's going to be like once we have her... will she be a screamer or a quite one? What/who will she look like? Will I bond with her as much as I know she'll bond with Shel? ha ha... It's silly, I know, but can't help but think of these things.

Before the big arrival though, we still have much to do... We still haven't decorated her room, or bought a dresser, or picked out a name! Not having a name picked that we both love makes me nervous... I just hope and pray that we find just the right name for her by the time we need it.

I'm nervous about the labor/delivery part of it all... We went to our lamaze class last Saturday and it gave us a lot of information, but also kinda made Shel more stressed about it in a way. For me, I had mixed feelings... it scared me a little, but then it also made me feel more stronger about the process and my ability to get through it, possibly without an epidural. I never considered that before, but now, I think I'll really try to hold off on the epidural as much as possible and see how far I can get. Says me now... we'll see how I feel when I'm in the moment :)

In other baby updates... I can report that baby is moving around a lot these days! She shifts and rolls and kicks and punches. It's entertaining, but painful at times. I've gotten used to it, but sometimes I still have to stop what I'm doing to let her finish her thang and then go back to my task. At times, my entire tummy can be seen shifting... and sometimes it's powerful enough to shake me a little. :) She's a ball of energy in there. She's also hiccuped a few times... and has been doing it more lately. It's so cute... I've tried to get a video of the movements, but so far I haven't been able to capture the moments. One of these days I'll catch her in the act ;-)