29 weeks

I was at the doc's office yesterday for my glucose tolerance testing (screens for gestational diabetes) and other third-trimester bloodwork and am glad that's over with. Now let's hope I don't get a phone call between now and my next visit as that will mean all of my tests came back normal. I think I may pop for anemia, which wouldn't be the worst thing except that it would mean more bloodwork. And, as established in a previous post, I do loathe needles.

The part I was looking forward to was getting weighed. Per the doc's office scale, I'm up two pounds for the month. Which is crazy because I grew a legit belly this month and it FEELS like it weighs quite a bit more than two pounds...at least the way my body has been struggling to carry it. This two-pound addition puts me at a total of +8 lbs for the pregnancy; the suggested minimum is 25. Granted, I could gain a lot in these next 11 weeks as this is the rapid growth period, and my doc still doesn't seem concerned because the general goal is to gain weight vs. attaining a certain weight figure. And, again, most importantly, the baby's gaining weight and is right on target.

We still don't have a name picked out, but I think we're getting close. We've got the possibilities narrowed down to around five (for now) and Kenny gets to make the final call since I'm fine with any of them. A friend at work has started calling him "KJ" in the interim (Kenny Jr) and that seems to be a useful placeholder until then.

The nursery has yet to be created, but that's reserved for this weekend. I'm going to start putting together furniture and formally claim the space for KJ. It will feel good to mark something off my "residual-baby-stuff-to-do" list. I still need to pick a pediatrician. I've interviewed a few and am not ready to make a decision, but it's hard to tell what kind of medical advice they'll be doling out without a baby to receive medical advice. I'll probably just pick one that seems best now and change providers later if the fit isn't right. It's just proving to be another research project and I'm rather burned out on baby-related research.

Physically, I'm doing pretty well. My balance is off and it's getting harder to rock myself out of bed. I did buy a $10 Target body pillow and that seems to have helped the sleeping situation...for now. I'm having to pee rather frequently, and am up to twice each night - I won't be surprised if that number increases. My lower back pain is on par with last week with no increase in severity. I did get around to at least one round of yoga this past weekend and have been trying to watch my posture (more for the heartburn relief) so maybe that's helping. I'm definitely investing in a belly support band because my low-ab ligaments are working overtime and it's starting to be more than a slight pain carrying this boulder around and it's only going to get heavier...

Ever the cheerful optimist, I'm still feeling very fortunate to be this symptom-free this far in. I enjoy the baby's movements more and more as I can feel them more and almost make out what he's trying out in there. I've also been able to sleep pretty well this week, and am still active at the gym which I think is helping minimize many of my potential ailments. The only thing I'm really struggling with is...reality. Kenny commented the other night that I was seven months pregnant, and I hadn't put it into those terms - it seems like a lot. My team at work noted that I had two months and some change before going out on leave. That's so little time left! And mom was trying to make me feel better about Monday's bloodwork by pointing out that I only have one routine thyroid lab workup to deal with...which also just hit home how soon baby KJ will be here. I don't know exactly what I'm apprehensive about...but it's just crazy to think we're on the home stretch now (especially when I was complaining at times that it wasn't coming soon enough!)

I have to start going in for doc visits every two weeks now, solely because I'm in the third trimester. It's kind of a scheduling inconvenience, but at least I'll get to monitor my weight and listen to the baby's heartbeat more frequently, which means more frequent, formal health updates. Here's some generic info on the baby's growth in the meantime (he should be the size of a loaf of bread now): http://3dpregnancy.parentsconnect.com/calendar/29-weeks-pregnant.html