Ack! My belly feels so much bigger than it looks in the photos! It actually looks like I have a flat belly :/ Well, flat across the front anyway. Silly belly. It’s starting to get in the way now. Sleeping isn’t much fun anymore (baby zig gets a pillow now) and I’m having trouble tying my shoes. C’mon spring!!

We are also starting to think about logistics as the time draws nearer. Things such as what to bring to the hospital, when to go to the hospital, and where to put the baby once it comes. My baby shower is coming up soon (yay!) and maybe that will help us answer some questions. I’m sure it will be fun anyway :)

This weekend we have to go shopping for wedding cloths. I realized that Mike’s wedding is just a few weeks away. I have to find something to wear that fits belly! This should be interesting. I’ll keep you all posted.

Hmm…. I guess that’s it for tonight. Lots of thing happen on both business and personal fronts, but when I try to sit down and think about it and write about it… I forget everything. I’m gonna blame that on the pregnancy :) Or lack of sleep. You’re choice. More later.

PS. I hate the way this web side handles photos :/ I always spend like 10 minutes writing and an hour trying to make a few simple photos line up. Tonight I just gave up and left them a bit uneven.

So classes are in full swing. We took a breastfeeding class last night, which was interesting. We learned about “latch on” and “let down”.

Tonight was our first childbirth class (1 of 5). There are just 3 couples in the class, so it was interesting with lots of discussion. The whole concept of labor kinda scares me, but I guess I’m gonna have to do it at some point! I’m sure by 40 weeks it will start to seem like the better of the two options…

Belly is getting bigger now. I’ll try to post a new picture this weekend. I have to go to bed now though. The weeks are so busy.

Ok, the Amazon link is good to go. And tomorrow I’m good to go… to Franklin, that is!

Speaking of going… congrats go out to David and Suzanne who had a lovely (so I hear) baby girl yesterday! Congratulations guys! I hope everyone is doing well and I can’t wait to see her.

Ok, the Amazon link is good to go. And tomorrow I’m good to go… to Franklin, that is!

Speaking of going… congrats go out to David and Suzanne who had a lovely baby girl on Wednesday! Congratulations guys! I hope everyone is doing well and I can’t wait to see her.

Despite the fact that Amazon runs the baby registeries for both Babies R Us and Target, and the fact that both stores sell books, there is no way (that I can find) to add books to our existing registries. Blah! So I created an Amazon wish list for a few books we were told are must-haves. I’ve never used a wish list before, but I’m hoping it works like the registries do. We’ll see :)

Happy Wednesday to all!

— Upon further investigation, apparently it takes up to a week before a wish list becomes searchable. So I’ll have to update the link as soon as that happens. :/

I called today for the test results and everything is perfect. My glucose level is 75 and anything below 140 is good. I’m not sure if there is a point where it’s too low, but she said 75 is perfect. And my iron level is 38.6. Normal, non-pregnant iron levels are 37-40 and it’s not uncommon or bad for your iron level to drop to around 30 during pregnancy (baby uses lots of iron). My levels are nice and strong. The midwife asked if I ate lots of red meat (nope!) and if I’m taking my prenatal vitamins (yup). She said to keep up the good work :)

I took my 28-week blood test this morning. They give you tasty orange stuff to drink (like orange soda) that is basically orange sugar water. Its the equivalent of 13 jelly beans, said the midwife. Then an hour later they draw blood. The purpose is to test how your body is handling sugars, to determine if you (well, me) have gestational diabetes (GD). I’m not too concerned. I had to eat a healthy, low-carb breakfast before the test so Alan made me an omlete. He’s so good to me. Then we got bagels after the test :) What can I say, I’m a carb addict!

This evening he was craving donuts, so we bought some and brought them home. He grabs a donut and a piece of cheese. I said “You want donuts and cheese together?” and he says “What can I say, you’re pregnant!” :) Cracked me up!

They told me to call the hospital tomorrow to get the results of the blood test. Oh, they are also testing for adequate iron levels, and maybe something else. I can’t remember :/ The GD and iron levels are the main concerns. I’ll try to post the results soon. I’m sure they will be fine though. As long as they’re not testing for carb addictions ;)

On another note, our friends Jim & Julie bought a house! They survived the Boston real estate market. I’m so happy for them (and a bit jealous). I can’t wait to see the new place. Congrats guys!

Today I felt like a truly pregnant woman! I’m wearing maternity jeans (been wearing them for awhile) and a new maternity shirt that shows off the belly nicely. Instead of a pudgy person in a baggy sweater, I truly felt pregnant :) Then we ended the evening with session 1 (of 2) of “Taking Care of Baby”, a course offered by the Women’s Health Resource Center here. It was interesting. Session 2 is next week.

We also signed up for a breastfeeding class and a child birth class called “Exploring Childbirth”. The midwife pulled Alan and I aside after our last shared medical appointment (last Monday) and said we might be interested in the Exploring Childbirth class instead of the traditional lamaze class. I guess this one (series of 6 really) is designed for people who want to do things more naturally and it explores different ways to deal with pain. I’m trying hard not to think about the labor part of this whole experience.

All things are going well on the health front. I feel great, baby is kicking a lot, heart rate is good (don’t know the exact number), and the belly measurement (fundal height) was right on. All systems go. At the SMA we discussed healthy eating (funny, the Soft Batch cookies I’m eating now weren’t on the list…), braxton hicks contractions (“your uterus pumping iron”), and birthing plans. It’s beginning to feel more real. And we still don’t even know where we’re going to put this kid!! Maybe after the baby shower, once we have furniture and baby stuff, we’ll be more motivated to find a place to put it all. Someday we might actually have a nursery or something, but not for this little baby.

Figured I’d take more belly pics. I don’t think I look much different than I did at 21 weeks though :/ We also took a bit of an unusual “us” picture. That’s it for this lovely Sunday. Go Eagles!

I’ve discovered that my belly makes for a good bongo. Not sure little zig likes it much though as the kicking begins shortly after the bongo-ing :) Or maybe baby is bongo-ing back… hmm…. fun with baby J! :)

Time sure does fly. Last weekend we went down to Nashua (various reasons) and I took the opportunity to go shopping at Old Navy. They actually have a decent maternity section. I bought 2 pair of pants. One more underbelly (now I have 2 of them) and a pair of big belly pants! I couldn’t even try them on without laughing :) But I figured I’ll need them at some point so I’d better buy them. I still haven’t worn them yet though. I like the 2 underbelly pairs I have. They are very comfy :)

I’m gonna try to take (and maybe even post!) another belly pic this weekend. We’re at 25 weeks now and making good progress.

Happy Super Bowl weekend to all!