8 Months Pregnant: The Niceties and the Not-eties.

well....

-we went to our first (of 4) birthing classes last week. and giggled the whole time. there was this meditation exercise where you're supposed to picture a peaceful setting and then also picture your baby. so it went, "picture your baby, in the middle of the ocean." we thought we were going to die. WHY IS THAT BABY IN THE OCEAN? WON'T SOMEONE GET IT A RAFT? THAT'S JUST MEAN! and on and on like that. we crack each other up. not sure if the teacher felt the same way about us whispering in the back of the class. and it's 3 hrs long and not terribly insightful, so after this week, we might be birthing class drop-outs. unless we get kicked out first. we'll see.

-i went to an ob/gyn conference for continuing education credits late last week and it was wonderful. i was worried that all the lectures on 'obstetrical emergencies' would get me wound up, but it really wasn't too bad. and contrary to popular opinions that doctors are just out for their own gain, in the academic circles, the least intervention and the most natural birth that is safe is being promoted. so that was nice to see.

-i am getting huge. can see the baby move now, not just feel it. and the movement are very different. they're not tiny dancer pokes anymore, but broad, sweeping movements from one side to the other. it's bizarre/cool.

-but with my changing dimensions, some things are getting harder to do. like getting out of bed/the car... or wiping when finished using the toilet. (egads!). this one is perplexing. i mean, my arms just aren't long enough to get around the bump and do my usual routine, so i have to come at it from different angles, all acrobatic like. not pleasant.

-and i can't see anything below my belly button...so dealing with ingrown hairs and other common pregnancy skin probs is an adventure in not falling over or getting caught squatting over a mirror. sigh. and we won't even talk about front yard landscaping right now. ye-doggy.

-and the reflux is back with a vengeance. rolaids and zantac are barely getting me by.

-but i am 33 weeks and mostly feeling awesome! i had two great baby showers and now have a warehouse full of cute & functional baby stuff. we're feeling ready and excited.

-so far, nice still beats not.