Week 34

A donut and water gave me heartburn this morning for breakfast.
My Tums are giving me heartburn.
I'm not complaining. Really.

DesvousJunior weighs 5 pounds this week!! I essentially have a canteloupe in me! I can really feel the weight of it and was quite uncomfortable last night. Every other week or so, I can really feel things stretching and growing, so today I'm wearing my "girdle." The extra support really helps my skin and muscles feel better.

Baby is filling out, putting on fat and its skin is smoother than ever. Its lungs and nervous system continue to develop from here on out until birth. Click on the photo to the right for a closer view of baby and some more facts.





At my doctor's appointment last week, I mentioned that I hadn't felt the baby move all day. Well, they FREAKED and made me drink apple juice as fast as I could and then put my feet up (hel-LO heartburn!) in a recliner while attached to the fetal monitor. I kept saying, "Guys, I'm sure it's no big deal!" But they didn't want to take any chances. Of course, after ten minutes, the baby went crazy from the juice and we heard a nice, heatlhy heartbeat that ranged from the 130s-150s! It was pretty cool to see my baby's heartbeat printing out while I got to listen for almost 15 minutes. Poor Richard was stuck at home. This was the first appointment he missed and it was killing him not to be there if something was wrong. Of course, though, it turned out just fine! To date, I have gained 23 pounds and am thrilled about it!

Pumped

I'm pumped.
I spent last night organizing and putting away all my shower gifts. By my count I only need ONE MORE THING to be ready for DesvousJunior to arrive!!
Putting away baby gifts is a million times more fun than putting away wedding gifts. I had no idea!
More belly photos coming soon, I promise!

Dear Kris H.,

This is what you missed.

I'm so not kidding. I could not stop crying when I walked in to the shower and discovered that my friends had hung up pages from my blog for everyone to see. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness and how well they really know me...
And from there my heart just filled and filled.
I couldn't even begin to list the highlights of the day, because it was all so overwhelming and wonderful at the same time.
My car was so full when we left that my sister had to thumb a ride home with another guest. (I'm not kidding!)
What a wonderful day, everyone. Thank you so much.
I don't know what I expected, but I was honestly not prepared to be so overshelmed by love and kindness.
In an effort NOT to wax emotionally dramatic, I think I'll sign off.
I told the girls, "I'm going to bed very exhausted and very happy!"
I'm hoping Aunt Kris will send me her photos tomorrow so I can post some more soon (hint, hint).
Sincerely yours,
Erin


























Hey! Who's got the photo of Erin, Sarah, Cara & Naomi??? I want it!

Speaking of Which

The other day, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work. I paused at the donuts (hmmm...where did I put the donuts?) to pick out a few glazed heavenly yummies.
A gentleman came up behind me and waited his turn.
I said, "Sorry! I'm almost done." [Smile.]
He said, "I'm in no hurry. Take your time!"
I said, "Well that's good because I'm not moving very fast these days!"
We shared a laugh.
Shortly thereafter the same gentleman was in line a couple of people behind me as I was grunting to reach the back of my cart for the last item.
I bagged my groceries and made my way to the car.
He followed me out and said, "Can I help you with your groceries? You just look so...uncomfortable."
Cue intense humiliation.
"Oh! Thank you so much, but I'm fine. I'm almost done!"
"Well, at least let me take your cart."
"Ok, thank you! Thank you so much!"

I'm NOT that uncomfortable, though, folks! That's why it was so embarrassing.
Oh well, apparently chivalry hasn't gasped its last in Oakdale.

Also, Jolene, yes, everyone holds doors for me, while smiling directly at my tummy.
It's a weird feeling.

Dear Shoppers, Drivers, Pedestrians and Other Millers-About,

I'm only going to say this once:
GET. OUT. OF. MY. FREAKING. WAY.
Can't you see that I'm pregnant here?
Sincerely,
Erin

A Shower for Sarah

I had the honor and privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for Sarah yesterday at church.
We have been friends for over twenty years, and it is so fun to get to share this special time with her! The timing on our pregnancies can only have been ordained by God, so I can't wait to see what He has in store for our children.

Ruthie, stealing the show and helping Sarah open gifts.




Cara, we miss you!

Week 32

Well, I missed a photo for Week 31. So sue me.

I'm starting to feel pret-ty pregnant. I'm having trouble getting up from the couch, sitting up in bed, and of course, putting on socks.

This week, DesvousJunior measures 19 inches long from head to heel and weighs in at a whopping four pounds. This means that Baby won't get much longer, just basically double in weight. It's hard enough as it is to reach my feet! I can't imagine how I'll feel in a couple weeks!

By this point, DJ has all the hair it is going to have by the time it's born, whether it's a full head like those Plumm babies, or a little (though respectable) peach fuzz like the Dufferts. We shall see!

Last night, I laid on my back on the floor and Cara taught me how to feel for the baby's head and bottom. VERY cool! The head feels like a little baseball right below my belly button.

Naomi, Lauren, Emma and Pedro all got to feel. Then when Richard came upstairs I showed him. We got worried that we were poking the baby's eyes, so we stopped. : )

Not much else to report at this time. My face has cleared up without having to use the cortizone cream that the doc sent home with me, so that was nice. We're still not quite sure what happened there.