30 week u/s - our tiny man

Look at that chubby face! Oh, I can't wait to kiss his chubby little cheeks all over! I think he has his Daddy's lips - they are bigger than my lips! But that wide little nose looks all Swedish to me! Hee hee. I think he is so cute and I can't wait for him to come out!

The u/s went good - he is doing just fine. He currently weighs an estimated 3 lbs, 4 oz. which falls right about average. He is going to come out in 10 weeks - I am so excited! The only sort of bad news though was that the placenta is riding kind of low. It is 2.5 centimeters from the cervix which is in the gray zone. If it was 2cm or less, I would definitely be having a c-section. If it is 3cm or more, I am safe going through a regular vaginal labor and delivery. Since I am in the middle, they will have to determine when I am in labor if it is safe to delivery naturally. They can tell if I am having more bleeding than usual, or the baby isn't faring well during labor. Isn't that just great? I hate being in the gray zone! So, now I have something else to worry about now. But, the baby's head is pointed down already so that is good anyway!

Gall bladder all clear!

You are probably like, say what? Well, the chiropractor I was seeing thought I may have gall bladder problems because I have been having pain in the front right side under the rib cage as well as the back pain. The gall bladder could have had stones or be infected in some way and this can lead to referred pain the in back. But, apparently, it was vice versa. My back is causing nerve pain that appears not only in my back but wraps around my side and into the front. I am having burning pain in the front as well as numbness there. I know my gall bladder is all good because I had an ultrasound of it last week. They also scanned my pancreas, aorta, spleen, liver and kidneys, so I know those organs are all good! Whew! I also got to see a glimpse of the baby on u/s. His head is down apparently - so all these limbs and parts that stick out on the right must be his tiny little baby butt, or his feet. I saw his hand move too - so cute! It was a very brief look at him to check his heartbeat. We have our 30 weeks u/s today so I will have a lot more info on where he is and how big he is, etc. I am hoping to have some great pics to share with you too! I am very excited!

So, I am currently seeing a new physical therapist who specializes in pregnant women. The last one I saw didn't seem to know much about pregnancy and was asking me if it was ok to do certain exercises, etc. Like, who is the expert here? This new therapist did a thorough examination of my spine and told me exactly what was wrong and now we are working on fixing it. Thank goodness, because I don't know how much more of this back pain I can take! Basically, my spine is twisting to the right. It starts in my lower back, but by the time it reaches the mid back where my pain is, it has rotated way out of whack. I have pain in my tailbone area too after sitting for a while - because that is affected as well. I am going to a "women serving women" physical therapy clinic which I highly recommend. They specialize in women's needs, such as pregnancy, and really know their stuff! I have only seen her 3 times now, and probably won't see total relief for a couple more weeks, but I will keep you posted on my progress.

My uterus is showing!!!

I've noticed people looking at my belly out in public.  It's kind of weird - I mean, my uterus is so big now that it is sticking way out and people can see it! hee hee. So, here is a more revealing photo of my belly and me. We took a bunch of photos on the beach in Puerto Rico and I will share some of them with you. However, we lost some of them - long story - but I still have a few to show. I hope you don't mind seeing me in a bathing suit! I just look very round! :-D

Puerto Rico belly shots - 27 weeks

I have lots of belly shots from Puerto Rico to share with you. I will try to share one every day or every couple of days. Here is the first one! We had just had a great dinner at a place called Pamela's on the beach. I look pretty round in this dress, but it is very comfy!

Belly perspective

Here is another perspective on my swelling belly. I took this photo on a whim in Puerto Rico and it is one of my favorites! We were sitting on a park bench in a square in front of Cafe Berlin (just a little restaurant in Old San Juan that bears my maiden name). Berlin will probably be our little man's middle name by the way.

It's amazing how wrapped up in this whole baby thing you can get. Before, I was so wrapped up in getting pregnant and those mostly painful memories have really faded (thank goodness) and been replaced with all the joys and pain of carrying this new life inside me.  However, the feelings of struggling with infertility do not completely go away. I still feel like I've been singled out and can't quite join the crowd of happy pregnant people. There are always these thoughts in my mind of resentment towards other people who seem to have it so easy and take it for granted. And, I told myself over and over how thrilled I would be to get pregnant that any amount of suffering during pregnancy, childbirth and those sleepless nights beyond would never compare to the pain of not knowing if I would ever even be a mother. But, in the midst of this pregnancy, I find myself doing a lot of complaining about how much my back hurts or how many times I wake up at night to go to the bathroom or to move (because my back hurts!). Being pregnant is difficult, there is no doubt about it. It must be this way to prepare you for what is to come - being a mother. But, I've already suffered dammit! Don't get me wrong, I am still enjoying being pregnant. When he kicks me after I sing him a song, or rub some little part of him sticking out, my heart just swells with joy! I love looking at my belly and knowing that I am growing this life inside me. It is a wonderful feeling too to have a piece of my husband growing inside me because I love him so much! 

I don't want to say that my pregnancy is any more special than anyone else's, but it sure is special to me! This is the biggest blessing of my life and I am so looking forward to more backaches, sleepless nights, crying babies, and all the other joys and pains of motherhood.

Easter belly - late I know!

I know I owe you some belly pics! This first one is from Easter Sunday - so 25 weeks, 4 days. The second one is just a week later at 26 weeks, 3 days. I have a lot of great belly photos from our trip to Puerto Rico and promise to share some of the good ones soon!