Round Three, Here We Go

Well here we are, into the third trimester of our little munchkin’s development. The babe seems to be growing every single day (which in reality is probably accurate) and makes his/her presence known through lots more movement, kicking, shifting, and Braxton Hicks contractions. I’ve noticed a great deal of kicks when I’m sitting up in bed reading, after eating and just throughout the day. Although people tell me I don’t look all that big, I definitely feel the effects of the extra weight and mass in my front. I feel the pregnancy “waddle” starting to creep in sometimes, and just generally feel bigger and clumsier. I know, I know…I’m just going to keep growing from here on out, and I’ll probably continue to feel worse in these next few months, so I should enjoy what I can get at this point. We did recently have a great time at our friends' Sasha and Cameron's wedding in Portland though, and here is a photo of me and the pregnancy "cohort", Andrea & Francesca, both due about a month ahead of me.

Normal bodily tasks that I’ve always taken for granted - like bending over to wash my feet, getting up from laying down or sitting at a desk for long periods of time – are just a wee bit more uncomfortable these days. Sleep continues to be challenging, and I haven’t exactly found a truly comfortable position yet, so most of my nights consist of starting out on one side, then switching sides when the soreness in my hips becomes too much…ahh, I just dream about the days when I am able to sleep on my back and stomach again! I recently found out that I will need to take some extra iron to counteract some anemia, and I'll need to take a 3-hour glucose test to determine if I have gestational diabetes, so I'm hoping I pass that one, so as not to have to be on a restricted diet in these last few months. I will confess however, that I did have a craving the other night for tater tots, and Tom graciously went out (at 10:30pm) to the closest local bar (3 blocks away :-) to get me some. Yes, they were greasy, yes they were artery-clogging, and YES they tasted SOOO good.

With less than three months at this point, it does feel a bit like the pressure is on. Between finishing up our baby-related classes through the hospital, ordering furniture and organizing the nursery, dealing with the stresses of work, finishing house projects, and then somewhere in between enjoying the summer and eeking out our last precious moments of life as a couple, there seems to be a lot to manage and figure out. I do trust that everything will work out as it should and am finding that this is the best time to practice that deep breathing we learn in yoga and birthing class. It IS amazing what a few, focused, deep breaths can do to help create a sense of calm. (Hope I can remember that during labor!) All in all though, despite the “hardships”, I’m still enjoying the pregnancy process and find myself reflecting more and more about what this little one is going to be like. Dark, light, tall, short, chubby, skinny? Only time will tell how the genes play out…

Our trip to NY/NJ in early August was…let’s see…mostly good. We saw oodles of family and had a chance to catch up with folks we hadn’t seen in a while at a reunion evening to celebrate my cousin’s 40th birthday. Early in the week there was also a lovely baby shower for me at Hunter Mountain in NY, where I felt lots of love from many beautiful ladies in my life. Unfortunately, some sickness bugs that started to spread their way among nieces, nephews and mothers throughout the week, eventually put a bit of a damper on get-togethers during our later time in NJ. Towards the end of the week there was a lot of “hunkering down” and hand washing, so as not to spread the stomach “ickies” even further. Tom and I definitely got a taste for the challenges of dealing with sick children, and he put it well when he said, “the gloves really came off on this trip” – there was definitely no sugar-coating things. Such is life though, and maybe we’ll be just that little bit more prepared when we inevitably have to deal with it ourselves. Here are a few photo highlights (positive ones!) from the trip. More photos can be found through the link at top of the page, under All Photo Galleries.

Figs and tomatoes are the name of the game in the garden lately, and we had one week where the figs were completely out of control! Tom’s theory is that the cold “arctic blast” that we had in December, might have kick-started the fruit tree into serious production. Here is a photo of one of the harvests of our white figs. I found a nice recipe online for a fig balsamic vinegar reduction here, which tastes great drizzled on soft cheeses or used as a chicken marinade. And below are some shots of the rest of the garden, growing away. Soon we should be able to harvest zucchini, bell peppers and more cucumbers. (Still a waiting game on the corn) During our east coast visit, my mother gave me a good lesson in canning, and once I actually have something to cook and store, I’m going to try my hand at the process. Stay tuned…