32...

Okay, I will be really really glad for this week in pregnancy to be over. Everything is fine, but I am HUGE, HUGE, HUGE and pretty much constantly uncomfortable and/or in pain. I know this is totally normal, but it's still not pleasant. My lower back hurts, my abdomen hurts, my bladder hurts, my hoo ha hurts (I know, TMI, but just keepin' it real). I seriously have to pee constantly and would gladly move myself into the bathroom at home and at work just to save myself the trouble of having to haul my big a$$ to and fro.

Hudson is still "sitting" very high, which makes breathing a challenge, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep. Laying on one side will be okay for 30 minutes, then I'll have to switch sides, which is effort in and of itself. Getting off the couch or out of bed (which I do about 15 times a night) without pain and difficulty? Yeah, doesn't happen. And getting off the couch without help is a thing of yesteryear.

I had a dinner/movie date with my best friend last week and she had all kinds of pregnancy questions for me. Like...is it hard to go to the bathroom? I started laughing because I knew what she really wanted to ask - how hard is it to wipe your butt these days? I told her that it was beyond difficult, but still doable. Lately thought, wiping causes me to grunt, which I'm sure my coworkers who happen to be in the public bathroom with me probably find disconcerting. Whatevs.

Speaking of disconcerting, Chad got to see Hudson's sweet in utero dance moves over the weekend. He asked me in a semi-horrified voice, "WHAT is he doing in there?!" I wish I knew, honey, I wish I knew. What I do know is that he sometimes tries to Jackie Chan me in the bladder, but misses and nails my crotch. That's pleasant.

So in spite of the stretch marks, huge veiney boobs with dinner plate nipples, dry skin, double chin, aches and pains and exhaustion, we're doing good! Whoever insinuated that pregnancy was glamorous, fun, or enjoyable was obviously smoking crack.

Cheers to week 33!

Who Knew?

I feel like pregnancy is full of so many moments that make you question your sanity, your decision making skills, and whether or not God was POSITIVE that you would make make a good parent when He allowed the egg and sperm to meet.

This week has been so full of those moments - aka, hormonal overload. Let me just preface this by saying that I am not THAT great at making decisions. But up until now, those decisions have just been what we're going to eat at night. Since I got pregnant, I've been making decisions that directly affect my baby's life and I really feel like I've taken it to a whole new (and unhealthy) level.

I am placing the blame solely on the baby books. It seems like you really need to follow them, even above the advice of others because THAT makes perfect sense. I started reading the baby books right after the pregnancy test turned pink, so I've had 8 whole months of OCD overload on various baby products. The first terrifying hurdle was the car seat selection. Infant or convertible? Graco or Britax? Paper or plastic? (We decided on the Britax Chaperone.) And then, of course, was the stroller freak out of 2011 (we decided on the Britax B-Agile after trying out everything from the uber expensive Uppa Baby to the City Mini Jogger ). I spent an ungodly amount of time scouring the Internet for reviews, price checks, new product roll outs...and I've done this on virtually ever major baby product I've put on my registry. I kid you not. Every item has been thoroughly researched to death and caused major panic attacks that I'm going to permanently scar my kid because I chose the wrong bottle (we chose Born Free) or pacifier (lots of choices here, from Born Free to MAM to Nuk - just so he has a variety). I'm still freaked out about the mattress choice we made because it wasn't $300. Will it be worthy to hold Hudson's head? This is seriously my thought process. Ridiculous.

So the latest baby product freak out? The swing or bouncer debate. More specifically - I have registered for the 2011 MamaRoo, a $240 purchase. We still need to buy the stroller, breast pump (Medela Free Style), baby carrier (Ergo), and travel crib (Baby Bjorn). None of these are cheap. And I've heard so many mixed reviews on the MamaRoo. What if Hudson hates it, despite it's readiness to connect to my iPhone so he can chill with some sweet baby lullabies by The Stones? Yes it's very cool looking, but will it be comfortable to him? And if I don't do a MamaRoo, what is my other option?

This has COMPLETELY taken over Week 31 of Kelley's Pregnancy. Hopefully Week 32 will present a decision. Stay tuned.

3-0

No, I'm not in my dirty thirties yet. But my uterus is! I will actually be 31 weeks tomorrow, but I wanted to capture this week because it's been so busy and fun with snatches of annoying and obnoxious thrown in for good measure.

Hudson is doing well. We had our bi-weekly check up last Wednesday and everything is measuring on time, weight is good, blood pressure is good, and feet are slightly swollen. I am such a firm believer that you speak things into existence because the nurse at the doctor's office told me my feet were slightly swollen (I hadn't noticed it, but then again, I can't see my feet real well these days) and by the time I got home I looked like I had elephantitis of the foot. Just the one foot. Not AT ALL attractive, but it did go away. I have been worried about dealing with post-partum depression because of my past history with GAD and OCD and talked with my OB about it. I had considered natural alternatives, including encapsulating my placenta (just google it, it's real and it's also semi-disgusting), but she said we could just up my dosage of Zoloft to ward off any craziness. Bless her. She's just a few weeks behind me in her own pregnancy and was rocking the cutest zebra print heels and I am waddling around in my Rainbow flip flops. Some women can do it all.

I had a fabulous baby shower thrown in my honor by one of my mom's closest friends on Sunday afternoon. Aunt Jan is a caterer as well as the Martha Stewart of her neighborhood and she hosted all of us at her home with a spread of food that would make Gordon Ramsay proud. I'm talking homemade baked brie, homemade spinach dip, homemade crab salad, homemade chicken salad on croissants...oh I was in HEAVEN. And I was spoiled rotten by the gifts - so many things I registered for, adorable outfits, a beautiful bank from Hudson's godmother, layette items from Ralph Lauren (thanks Mom), a handmade crocheted blankie that made me cry...I was shocked at the presents! I am so appreciative to everyone who came and celebrated Hudson with us. His closet and dresser are overflowing with the cutest clothes, we have all of his kitchen things put away in their respective spots, and the car seat is in my car (not installed, I'm not that on top of things). I am so excited to get to use all these little gadgety things - like the Baby Bullet for making baby food when the time comes. Bless him, he's not even here yet and he's got territory marked in our house. :)

So this week I've been running back and forth between jury duty and work, which has been both boring and expensive in gas, since I work in Greenville and jury duty is all the way in downtown Spartanburg. I haven't even been picked and I've had to endure some of the nastiest bathrooms in the Upstate. I'd rather pee in a bush outside than have to go inside the courthouse bathrooms. Yuck.

Week 31 starts tomorrow. I can't believe Hudson will be full term in just 6 short weeks. And I can't believe that I have to deal with nonstop urination for that long (or longer). I'm just going to wear Depends.