Bumpdate: Week 33

Ah, another ... interesting ... week crossed off the calendar. This past week, I didn't feel like the best parent. And I barely had time to think about being pregnant. (Except in the evening, when I was forced to roll myself off the couch and into bed.) Instead, I spent the majority of the week wondering what the heck was up with my normally happy and smiling little boy, and trying to appease his pain through the likes of Children's Tylenol, food, and finally, episode upon episode of Thomas the Train. 

Even unhappy, you have to admit - he still looks pretty stinking cute.

I still don't know if he was teething, going through a growth spurt, or was just in the midst of some sort of crazy toddler phase, but Sunday night, as we both sat in tears at the dinner table (James was out doing an errand) after the most challenging day of the week (marketing speak used to cover up an expletive I'd rather use), I just kept thinking, "how the heck [yet again, G-rated language] am I going to manage two kids??" (Thankfully, two days after this happened, my happy little boy returned to being his usual happy little self, and I backed away from the ledge.)

Sigh. 

It also doesn't help that my What to Expect app's countdown feature showed this:

I know that most read that as a whopping six weeks and five days left before Baby Sister arrives, but to me, I just see SIX WEEKS. Six weeks!! How am I going to accomplish everything that needs to be done in SIX WEEKS?? We still have to finish up the kids' rooms, we have to transition Sammy to a big boy bed, we are potentially renovating a bathroom, we have a very important birthday to celebrate, along with a number of other weekend obligations, I should probably prepare some frozen meals for my family (though that task is downright laughable at this point), I have a hospital bag to pack, we have baby stuff to take out of storage, I have baby clothes to wash, and in between all of this, I'm supposed to be getting in naps and regular workouts so as to keep myself healthy, maintaining a relatively clean house, occasionally feeding my family (also laughable - luckily James does not seem to mind cold cuts for dinner), doing loads upon loads of laundry....  Oh yes, and at some point I need to play with, entertain and attempt to educate my current only child. Details, details. 

So yes, slight panic has set in.  

(And I know the world will not end if Baby Sister's room is incomplete upon her arrival home. Nor are these hardly real problems. But a pregnant girl can whine / vent yet again once in awhile, right?)

Anyway. Let's talk about what we can expect this coming week. Because that's always uplifting. As I enter into my 34th week of pregnancy, my uterus continues to grow, blah blah blah, my eyesight deteriorates (a temporary issue - though steer clear of the roads if you live anywhere near me, especially as many of you are already aware of my awful vision), blah blah blah.

On a much more exciting and happier note, Baby Sister could now be as tall as 20 inches and weigh as much as five pounds. She is apparently the size of a pineapple, which I totally purchased at the grocery store in celebration of this fact. Also, her fingernails may now reach the tips of her fingers, likely making a post-birth manicure essential. (Great - now I have to maintain the nails of two kids?? Any parent reading this knows the potential trauma that will likely ensue.)

Total weight gained: For once, the weight gods were with me as I attended my doctor's appointment this past week. It appeared that I had not gained any weight in the past month. Of course, the very next day, my scale showed otherwise. I'm okay with this though - we had a nice run for at least a few weeks. So depending on the time of day I weigh myself, I'm up anywhere between 22 and 25 pounds. If things go the same way they did when I was pregnant with Sammy, I'll likely gain another 10 pounds before Baby Sister is born. Not necessarily the prettiest number, but at least it's one I've dealt with before.

Belly / movement: Still feeling a lot of movement, and while reassuring, it's downright uncomfortable at this point. Several times this week, I've been able to pinpoint actual Baby body parts that are bulging out of my stomach. Kind of cool, but kind of painful.

Excuse the water stain on my stomach, and instead note where Baby's likely voluptuous bum appears to be hanging out. Needless to say, I know she has inherited at least one of my body features.

Also, while I felt like my stomach had maintained the same size the past month, this week it became obvious to me that that was certainly not the case. Apologies to anyone at my pool for the frightening show I put on as I scurry between the locker room and pool during my swims. I know I need a larger bathing suit, but with six weeks left, am too cheap to buy one. Also, I feel that my show is somewhat of a payback for some of the sights I've had to endure in the locker room. (Ladies, I've seen the future, and it's not pretty. Never again will I judge the cast of The Real Housewives of Orange County for all their ... er, enhancements.)

Sleep: Still waking up once or twice throughout the night, but overall, it hasn't been awful. 

Best moment of the week: It's hard to pinpoint one particular moment this week, but even amidst Sammy's mood swings, I had a few notable highs.

1. Seeing Miss Hannah (and her mom!) again. She is now almost three months old (where did the time go??), and I feel very lucky to have gotten in some key visits with her throughout her first three months of life. Plus, it was fun to see Sammy around her. (Though don't be fooled by the following pictures. While it looks like he is about to share Monkey with Hannah, and then gently pat her little head, instead he was focused on the toys hanging from her infant carrier, which apparently are way more exciting than babies.)

2. Spending a few hours outside. We are all dying for Spring here in the Nutmeg State, and now could care less what the temperature reads. So long as it's not raining or below zero, we're heading outside!

3. No pictures for this one, but I had another solid doctor's appointment (as mentioned above). My weight is good, my blood pressure is good, and Baby Sister is measuring exactly on schedule. Of course this now means that I most likely won't get a third trimester ultrasound after all, but I suppose I'm okay with that.

4. Also no pictures for this (you can thank me later), but I finally am back at the swimming yardage I reached in December before taking a month break from the pool. That means that in another week or two, I will attempt to swim an entire mile. Yikes! This distance might be no big deal to halfway decent swimmers, but having dropped out of swimming lessons after one measly summer at a very young age, and being terrified of the pool ever since, this will be an accomplishment for me.

Had all these melons been in front of me this past week,  none of them would have stood a chance.

Food cravings / aversions: I have absolutely no self control when it comes to cantaloupe. This week, Sammy and I (and I use "Sammy" loosely, though he definitely held his own) devoured two cantaloupes in two days. As for dinner, I haven't cooked a decent meal for my family in weeks. Primarily as I'm tired (and lazy), and primarily as I just don't have a taste / craving for much these days. I did, however, cook an entire meal for a fellow member of my mom's club who just had her second child. That counts for something, right?

Symptoms: No major Braxton Hicks contractions this week, which was good. Just lots of discomfort in my pelvic region, and most of it was felt over the weekend. Sometimes I wonder if I have all these issues during the week, but just ignore them as I'm busy with Sammy. But then over the course of the weekend, when James is home and able to help out, all my aches and pains become all the more apparent as I finally have someone around to complain to and sympathize with me. Ah, we pregnant women are a joy to be around near the end, eh?

Workout: I already mentioned my swimming highlight of the week. Another highlight was again making it to the pool three times this week. Swimming has seriously been a lifesaver throughout this pregnancy. Though I mentioned it last week and I'll say it again - I am beginning to miss running in a bad way. At this time last year, I set a new 5k PR in our local St. Patty's Day race and I so miss the way I felt after that race. It also doesn't help that my running nemesis (who has no idea who I even am) won her age group in this race this past weekend. (Last year we tied.) When we are back in the same age group next year, and I am back in shape, you can bet that this will motivate my training!

• Monday: Biked 16.72 miles at a 16.4 mph pace
• Tuesday: Swam 1200 yards
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Swam 1500 yards
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Swam 1500 yards
• Sunday: Unintentional rest day

What I'm looking forward to:
Having a little girl to adorn with (what I hope to be non-tacky) hair accessories...

"This is kind of humiliating, Mom."

... And sweet little smocked dresses ...

And seeing this guy become a big brother. Maybe two kids won't be so overwhelming after all.