This really feels like the third trimester...

So the past couple days have been pretty rough to say the least. My feet are swelling again, and I honestly don't know why - well, other than just being pregnant. My desk is so low that it could be used by a "little person," and I'm drinking plenty of water every day. Still, they swell and swell. It sucks. I ran out of my Protonix, and I need to get a refill. With that said, I've had some horrible heartburn. I've also had so much pain my tailbone that it feels like it may snap in two. In other words, this is really feeling like the third trimester. 


Okay, I got all of my complaining out in one paragraph! It's just been rough lately, and I keep thinking, "I have up to 12 more weeks of this?!" Moving on to positive things, I have been feeling much more energetic - thank you, crazy iron supplement! - so I was even able to make it to the gym and walk our dogs a couple times this week! It's nice when I can workout and feel better in general. Also good news, Derek seems to be all healthy again. He's still chuffing and coughing, but for the most part, he seems to be much, much better. 


He was able to get a relatively clear shot of me, so here I am at 28 and a half weeks:

yay pajamas! 

That's Derek's t shirt, so you can tell that even his clothes are getting tight on me. My belly is pretty darn big at this point, and the other day, a coworker jokingly said to me, "You're having twins - right?" I was like, "Uhm, no. Definitely just one in there." Although, I have to agree with her. My friend Jessica is expecting twins, and size-wise, we're pretty similar. On the bright side, one of my former students from fall quarter saw me, and she goes, "You look really good!" It's always nice when you hear that, rather than, "Damn! You're as big as a bus!" 


Anyway, we finished our last "Baby Basics" class last night. It was a great class series. We learned about the 5 Ss, Infant CPR, diapering, bathing, and even some safety product tips. I am glad to be finished since that means we won't be staying after work until 8:30 again. The infant CPR was pretty hilarious. Of course, Derek's a natural since he did all that combat medic stuff. I'm like beating the doll's chest with two hands and I forgot to support it when we did the choking stuff. I was basically smacking the doll against my knee. Derek was cracking up. He goes, "Uh, you.. uh," and pointed at my knee when he realized I wasn't supporting the baby at all. It's hard, people! 


We have our next class on February 5th, and that will be our "Prepared Childbirth" class. It's all day long, and I'm glad we'll get a tour of the labor and delivery area of Memorial Hospital. Then, February 22nd will be our last class, "Breastfeeding." I'm looking forward to that one since I am very nervous about getting breastfeeding right. 


From what I understand, my mom and mother-in-law will be hosting our Ohio baby shower on February 6th. I feel so badly that we can't be there, and I really wish I could be. There's no way I can take time off work, and I can't just fly in for the weekend - too far along for that. I do plan to call in and thank everyone for being so sweet and kind as to think of getting gifts for Stella. Speaking of which, we ordered a couple books for her today. Books for children ages 0-2 are so cheap - they were like 5 bucks a piece! If only her future textbooks could cost that much... 


Altogether, February is going to be a wacky month for us: Childbirth class on the 5th; Valentine's Day Weekend (our last one alone!); Moms visit on the 19th and I have the Southern Regional ACIS from the 17th-19th; then on the 22nd our Breastfeeding class; then our maternity photos right after that on the 26th. Crazy! 


Our plan for the rest of this month includes getting things organized. After our infant CPR and safety session in Baby Basics last night, we've decided that we need to relocate a lot of the cleaning supplies and generally hazardous stuff in our house now while we have time. We're going to reorganize all of that so it's out of Stella's reach. Then, we're going to organize her closet and our closet so that it's convenient and easy to keep neat. We may invest in some organizers. I'd like to find a small bookcase that we can keep her books in, so we'll probably search for one of those, too. We're still in need of a floor lamp, but one thing at a time. On top of all of this, I have a hair appointment! Nothing exciting - just a trim. :) 


I can't believe how quickly time has passed! Some days, it seems like I just realized I was pregnant. Our friends Neil and Lindsay in Ohio are now at 36 weeks, and I'm so happy for them! I can't wait to finally be at that point! :) Time really flies by! :)