Saturday, March 17, 2012

Entering the Final Stretch

After typing the title to this blog post, I just realized that I accidentally made a pun. My first meaning is meant to bring attention to the fact that I am now in my third trimester! Woo! When I first found out that I was pregnant, I remember thinking how far away this seemed, but here we are. Booger will be here before we know it! The second, pun, meaning deals with the fact that my skin will go through its own final stretch. I honestly can't understand how my midsection can get any bigger, but apparently it's possible. I've already added a good twelve inches to my waistline. Yes, as in a foot.  While I don't have any tattoos to mark the changes to my belly, I have noticed that some of my moles have shifted their positions. One that's normally toward the front of my stomach has now migrated to my side. Crazy.

22 weeks

We had our last appointment two weeks ago today, and it went well. Unfortunately we weren't able to have our usual centering class because it happened to fall on one of the three snowy days we had this winter. The midwives' office actually cancelled because they didn't want anyone on the roads. So basically we drove up a week later (and a day after our move, I might add---more on that soon) for a fifteen-minute appointment. It was short, but the important thing was learning that Booger is still doing great. We got to hear his heartbeat again, and that sounds never gets old. I could honestly sit and listen to it for hours.

23 weeks

As far as my growth goes, I'm right where they want me to be even though both Craig and I gasped a little bit when we saw my weight. Belly measurement-wise, I'm "perfect," so that's good, too. Thing are cruising along nicely, and our next centering class will be next Thursday. With the way the weather's been, I don't think we'll have to worry about any winter storms this time.

25 weeks

Booger has been insanely active, which is great! I've even started to notice little patterns throughout the day. For example, he kicks right when I wake up and later right around the time I'm teaching seventh grade English. Yesterday, because of the nice weather, Craig grilled some burgers outside. They had a spicy kick to them, and sure enough, Booger started kicking soon after I ate mine. I know he's barely over a foot long and just over two pounds, but I imagine him kicking around with so much personality in there. When someone's kicking you from the inside, it's hard to imagine him being calm and mundane.

26 weeks

In other news, Craig and I went ahead and registered for baby gear at Target. I was really looking forward to it, but I quickly learned that registering on a Saturday afternoon at Target should be included as one of the inner rings of hell. Every other time we've gone to check out baby stuff, it's been completely empty. As in, there were crickets chirping. Not this time. It was so crowded, and it was made even more crowded due to the fact that half our population in that section was pregnant. Oh well, I'm pretty sure we still managed to register for the essentials (and some non-essentials, but come on, baby sneakers are just too damn cute!).

Ready to register!

Perhaps the biggest thing happening in our lives right now, as well as the fact that I haven't posted in a while, is the fact that Craig and I bought a house! I know, crazy, right? After several attempts over the years, we finally found ourselves in the perfect position to purchase a home. For kicks, we looked at this house last November after driving past it, but we didn't think we would actively start looking until after Booger's born. Well, after some talking, we decided that it would be far less stressful to get a house while Booger is still in the womb rather than outside it. Anyway, now here we are! We moved in two weeks ago, and we had wonderful family members and friends helping us (thank you again!). There's still a lot left to do, but it feels so great knowing that this is our home. As far as what's included, we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living room areas, a nice open kitchen, a fireplace, a finished basement, and a fenced-in yard. Also, we're three houses away from an elementary school! Yep, we love it, and we're pretty sure Booger will, too.

Our sunny front room

On the work front, Craig and I are both enjoying our jobs. Craig's currently applying to be a part of a special unit at the prison where he works. Basically, if there was a riot or something of that nature, he'd be part of the team taking care of business. My job is keeping me busy, but I'm now more than halfway through the semester. In fact, I've completed eleven weeks and only have eight left! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! I feel as though I've hit my stride. Still, I'll be happy when the school year is over so I can put up my feet. As a teacher, I'm on my feet most of the day, and I definitely feel it by the time I get home.

Darla and Teddy exploring the basment

I'll end this post with some funny stories. First, one day a few weeks ago one of my juniors said to me, "Mrs. Powell, don't take this the wrong way, but you really look pregnant now." Ha! It's true that I'm much larger than I was when I started teaching in January! Next, my sister Luci came to visit, and she freaked out upon feeling Booger kick. Also, I showed her my belly button, an image which I'm sure could prevent many teenage pregnancies. Lastly, even though I've added roughly thirty pounds to my frame, I don't feel as though I'm that much larger than usual. I quickly learned that lesson. I've been helping out with the choreography for our school's spring musical, Annie, and I attempted to hoist myself up onto the stage from the floor. Well, with my extra weight, I didn't get very far at all!

27 weeks

Well, it's time to go enjoy this beautiful weather. T-minus twelve weeks until Booger's due date!!