These are our official Pregnant Belly Photos. They were taken at 36 weeks (about 1.5 weeks ago), by our fabulous photographer friend, Michele Bennett. 

Look at that belly! It's bigger than Doug's head! And it looks like some strange sort of egg! 

These are some of the PG photos. There are other really cool ones, but they are more like PG-13, so they will only be shared upon request (but feel free to request). 

There are other fully non-scandelous ones too, if you'd like to see them. 

I think I'm getting book happy in my last days here. Doug and I already have a general baby care book (What to Expect the First Year), which I am trying to read as much of as possible before the baby comes. We also have a book called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, which was loaned to us by a friend and we/I liked it well enough that I bought a copy for us.

Now I've bought a book on breastfeeding (The Nursing Mother's Companion) and a book on baby/child nutrition and feeding (Super Baby Food). The breastfeeding book will come in handy because it should have a lot of information on problem-solving, etc. I won't need the baby food book for about six months, but at least I'll be prepared when the time comes. Now I have to stop buying books!

I'm 37 weeks pregnant now - only three weeks to go! Give or take... My pregnancy is now considered full term and Lila probably weighs a little over 6 lbs and is just over 19 inches long. That's based on average baby development - don't know what's *really* going on in there! I'm noticing some changes in my body near the end of pregnancy. Some things we just won't talk about.

I'm really not having many (hardly any) Braxton Hicks or "practice" contractions. Even though I know better mentally, I have this paranoid fear that my bag of waters will break while I'm in the shower and I won't know it. That is statistically VERY unlikely though. Having your water break as the first sign of labor only happens in about 15% of women and even if I'm one of them, what are the chances that it would happen in the 10 minutes I'm standing in the shower?

We had our doctor's appointment yesterday and all is well. Lila is still in a head-down position. Apparently the pain and upheaval that I felt in my body on Tuesday evening was just her *trying* to turn. And, since I'm officially full-term now (or will be as of tomorrow), all restrictions on my activities have been lifted. I plan on going to the gym on Monday, mostly because I CAN.

I keep forgetting to mention the disturbing thing that's going on with our cats. As of last Saturday evening, we've been putting them out of our room when we're sleeping at night (so they'll be used to the arrangement before the baby comes). The disturbing part is that they are putting up no resistance! They are taking it so calmly that it's making me nervous... :o)~

Well, I think my child has been up to no good. I'm not sure yet, but I suspect that she turned again last night. That is, turned back to a breech position. She was definitely up to something because it was rather painful while it lasted. I won't know absolutely for sure until I go to the doctor tomorrow morning, but I should be able to get a good idea today based on her movements and what I can feel where.

Funny Story: I just poked at Lila a little bit and she started moving. I patted my belly and said, "It's okay, Sweetie Girl." Cordelia, who is laying on the guest bed behind me, thought I was talking to her and opened her eyes and stretched. When she did, her tongue came out of her mouth about half an inch. She then closed her eyes again and is just laying there with her tongue sticking out. Silly girl!

I'm 36 weeks pregnant now! Can you believe that? On Saturday, baby and I will be considered full term! That doesn't mean there's much chance that she'll be born anytime soon, but if she were she wouldn't be considered early! However you look at it, I'll be giving birth very soon! The anticipation is maddening. We won't be going anywhere out of town from this point on. Actually, I don't anticipate us leaving town again before Thanksgiving!

And it might be quite some time before I set foot on an airplane again. That doesn't bother me though because I don't like flying. Things are quite busy for both of us, but more so for Doug. He's trying to get things wrapped up at work in preparation for being gone for three weeks and during the evenings/weekends we're trying to get things ready here at home, and we were supposed to figure out how to install our car seat this weekend - oops!

Positive part of Post:
Went to the doctor again yesterday and all looks well. My blood pressure, etc. is normal. Lila *has* been a good girl and turned back to a head-down position. Hopefully, she'll stay that way. I'm also a whopping one centimeter dilated. For those who don't know - that really means nothing. I'm not going to have her early.

Negative part of Post:
Just before pregancy, there is sex. Just after pregnancy, there is a baby. These are very good things. Everything in between is the pits! If you've been pregnant and you enjoyed it, I'm honestly happy that you had that experience. If you've never been pregnant and you don't understand how it could not be wonderful - just ask me. :oI~

Hello all! Well, I can't be 100% sure, but I *think* that Lila turned herself back to head-down position night before last. She's definitely doing SOMETHING different in there. And because of it I have finally experienced this 'feet in the ribs' thing that I've heard so many pregnant women complain about. It really is not comfortable! Anyway, I guess a couple of days of laying in funky breech-turning positions worked.

I spent much of yesterday trying to get somewhat prepared for her arrival. That is, I packed my bag for the hospital (as much as i could). I read a couple more chapters in "What to Expect the First Year". I started sorting through all the stuff we've gotten at our showers. I also gave myself the first half of a pedicure, which (for reasons i can't explain) I feel compelled to do before I go into labor. :o)~

Here are the latest belly photos - 35 weeks. I look really tired in them because I am. 

I look like a balloon about to burst! 

There's the belly! 

I'm 35 weeks pregnant now. That seems like it's crazy close to the end, but at the same time not close enough! There's not much room for Lila to maneuver in there now as she should be over 18 inches long and over 5 lbs. Unfortunately, that means that she may or may not be able to turn herself back around out of the breech position. Most of her development is complete now.

I can't wait to meet this little person that's living inside my body! She's mostly concentrating on fattening up for the next few weeks. There's not much more room left in my body for growth though. Things feel *so* tight and stretched sometimes! My uterus is now about 15 times its normal size. That's just disturbing! She's getting big, but she's still going to seem so tiny once she's out here in the world. :)

Well, I had my doctor's appointment on Wednesday and it was nothing *major*, but it was a more exciting appointment than usual. We got verification that Lila, as I suspected, has turned breech. Troublemaker! :) Given the fact that I have a funky uterus, they can't turn her manually. So I'll be trying some odd things to get her to turn back on her own before it gets too tight in there (like laying in bizarre positions and burning a root near my toe).

If she's still breech in the next couple of weeks, then they'll go ahead and schedule me for a c-section, just to "reserve my spot". If she turns back to head-down before that date comes, then great! Also, as of now, I am up to weekly visits. I'm not due for five more weeks, but I'll be officially full-term in just a couple of weeks - crazy!!!

It's a short week and it's already halfway over! (almost) It's odd how some days/weeks seem to drag by while others seem to fly. Doug and I need to get a pediatrician chosen soon. I guess it's something that we have decided on a pediatrician over a family doctor, but we need to pick a specific person. Like, before the baby is born.

If you live in Austin and have a pediatrician that you like, let me know. There's one that we've met and are considering and I like her well enough to choose her (after all, if i start taking the baby to her and decide she's not a good fit, then we can always change our mind). However, Doug wants to shop around a bit more. It's our classic personality difference. I describe it this way: I look for a *good* deal. Doug looks for the *best* deal. It can be challenging. :)

Here's the beginning of the Baby Room Makeover. The ceiling has already been de-popcorned and retextured and primered and now the crazy turquoise primer is going on the walls. 

Here is the wall color going on over the crazy primer. The ceiling has already been painted blue at this point. 

Here's an action shot of Irene putting the first color on the crib. This is the crib I slept in as a baby! :) 

Here's the room after the ceiling and walls are all painted and mostly dry. 

Here are some crib pieces after putting the second color on them. 

Here's the crib with the new paint job and put back together. In the corner is our new changing table/dresser. 

Here is Doug putting a sun on the ceiling. 

For the pregnancy update - I'm 34 weeks pregnant now! Crazy! It's so close to the end, but some days I wish it were a lot closer. If our baby were born today, her chances of surviving and thriving would be excellent. Hopefully she won't be born before her time, but it's reassuring anyway. By this week, she should weigh about 4.75 lbs and be almost 18 inches long.

I'm still really hoping that she doesn't turn out to be huge! Her skin is smooth now and she's layering on the fat she'll need to control her body temperature out here in the world. Gotta keep that little body warm! I'm still staying pretty tired, largely because I am uncomfortable at night and have to get up every hour and a half to go pee. I look forward to not have a giant uterus pressing on my bladder!

It is stinking *hot* outside! As in 104 degrees hot! I met a friend for lunch today and then ran a few errands afterward. I thought I was going to melt out there, so I checked the temperature when I stopped by the house to drop off a load of groceries. 104 degrees!!! I will not be going back out to finish my errands at this time. Instead, I watered the plants with ice cubes and closed all the blinds in the house.

One of the errands I ran was to Babies R Us. I was really there because we needed a new filter for our humidifier, but I went ahead and finished off our registry while I was there. The only thing we hadn't registered for was a changing table pad (we wanted to wait and see what kind of changing table we ended up getting) and covers. It took all of about 3 minutes and that was mostly spent waddling to and from the back of the store where they're located. Now we're really REALLY done. :)

TEX is going away!!! Nooooooooooo... (if you didn't go to UT or at least work there - my apologies. this will mean nothing to you) I have such memories of TEX. He made me happy. He made me cry. "The class you have requested," [pregnant pause] - will he say, "has been added" or "is full"? Alas, TEX will be laid to rest on July 15th at 5 p.m. In the words of William Livingston (the voice of TEX), "An era has passed."

Now all the registration and grade checking, etc. will take place on the Internet. The Internet just thinks it's *so* cool... It's a bit uppity, if you ask me! I suppose there are those who thought the same of TEX when he replaced the standing-in-line-for-hours method of registering, but he was the one for me!

"This is the Texas Enrollment Exchange for The University of Texas at Austin. ... Goodbye and Good Luck!" [sniff]

For this week's pregnancy update: I'm now at 33 weeks and seems to be going well since I was released from bed rest. Lila should weigh a little over 4 lbs now and be about 17.2 inches long. I have this fear that she's getting huge in there, but hopefully she's just right on track! She should be filling out and losing the wrinkly, alien look that babies have for much of their time in the womb.

Also, her bones are hardening. That is, with the exception of her skull, which will stay soft until after birth. And the woman who has to squeeze her through the birth canal says, "Thank you!" I am definitely waddling now and my belly has gotten wider. It's very round and seems to be taking over the rest of my body! Sleeping is getting less comfortable, but it's not so bad that it's keeping me awake.

Oops! I forgot to post after my appointment with the doctor yesterday. I was too busy eating a big, giant chocolate shake! :) Anyway, I have been taken off official bed rest. I still can't exercise and am supposed to "take it easy", but I don't have to stay sitting or reclining all the time anymore. We've been thinking about ways that I can get back to my normal routine, but without overdoing it.

Things seem to be going fine with baby and me. I haven't had any more bleeding since the first bout tapered off and I haven't developed any other unusual or worrisome symptoms. I have been doing the bed rest thing like a good girl all week and surprisingly haven't gotten *too* stir crazy yet. I go back to the doctor this afternoon and will post again afterward to update you on what she says... :)

For those who haven't already heard I'm doing alright, but it's been an "exciting" week. On Monday afternoon, I started bleeding a little bit so I called the doctor's office. She said to come on in, so I did and Doug met me there. I didn't seem to be in preterm labor, but she couldn't figure out why I was bleeding and my blood pressure was a bit high. So, to be safe, she sent me to Labor & Delivery to be monitored overnight.

By the time I got admitted and into my room at the hospital, the bleeding was already stopping and my blood pressure quickly came back down. They hooked me up to a monitor and for the next 12ish hours the baby was quite active and looked totally fine. All my labs came back normal and I seemed to be okay, so the doctor sent me home yesterday morning. I see her again on Friday and am on bedrest until then (at least). Who knows... :)

We're at 32 weeks now and it's getting awfully snug in there! Lila should weigh almost 4 pounds and be almost 17 inches long. The average woman should be gaining a pound per week now, but I've been gaining two per week. My doctor is still saying not to worry about it though. Hopefully only a normal amount of that is going to the baby and she's not working on being huge! I really don't know where all the weight is going!

Baby should gain one-third to one-half her birth weight in the next seven weeks as she fattens up for life outside the womb. That just seems crazy after the tiny gains in size she's made over the past 32 weeks! Thankfully, my body hasn't been hurting too much lately, despite my growing belly. If I sit in one position too long, my back and or tailbone may start to hurt, but not as bad as a month or two ago. :)

I'm suffering from the "Pregnancy Blahs". I know that it's perfectly normal to get sick of being pregnant around this time. It doesn't help that I'm prone to depression in general. As the reality of actually having a child draws nearer, I get more freaked out about it! And since I'm tired much of the time (due largely to being big and pregnant), I'm more susceptible to feeling scared and down.

Sometimes I just want to think about anything except the overwhelming life change that I'm facing, but when you're this pregnant it's what everyone wants to talk about! :o)~ So, it's not so much that I'm bored and want the baby out, it's more like it's finally starting to sink in that this is real! The good news is, while depression is not something everyone deals with, these basic feelings of fear are quite common.

Well, I'm feeling better now than I was earlier, but this still goes down as one of my worst days ever. It wasn't my fault that I hit this animal (i never saw more than a flash out of the corner of my eye), but I still feel like a criminal. I'm praying for its human family to be comforted as they grieve their loss. :(

I am having my worst day ever. I hit something with my car this morning (not a person) and I don't want to talk about it. Just pray for me because I'm really sad and I can't stop thinking about it. :(

I'm 31 weeks pregnant now. That means we have about 9 weeks left to go. That's a single-digit number. And that's a little freaky.

Lila should weigh just over three pounds now and be a bit more than 16 inches long. That may not sound like a lot, but try having three pounds sitting headfirst on your bladder all the time! She moves a lot now, as she has for a couple of weeks. Thankfully she's not so active that I can't sleep, but sometimes she does move so suddenly and forcefully that I actually make some audible noise because it startles me.

I still really like it when she moves because it helps me know that she's healthy in there. I always worry if she hasn't moved for a while. I've been having a few normal "practice contractions", but they aren't painful. They aren't even uncomfortable - it just feels tight.

Cute photo of Cordelia. "Why were you taking pictures of him? I'm cuter!" :) 

Cute photo of Charlie. He loves to snuggle with my pillows after I get up! :) 

Cute photo of Cow Kitty. Please note that he's resting his head on a rock. :) 

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the vacation photos. If you are still interested, there are more (e.g. from our trip to ellis and liberty islands). Just let me know and I'll either post them or send you some. In the meantime, no more! However, I might be forced, in the next couple of days, to post some photos of my extremely cute kitties! :)

You know, given the fact that I'm normally a clumsy person and the fact that I'm pregnant (which can make it worse), I'm surprised that I haven't bounced Lila off any door frames or anything yet! I have gotten up a couple of times in the night to go to the restroom and walked into the wall next to the doorway, but my belly never made contact. It might help if I didn't try walking with my eyes closed at night...

These are a bunch of yucky looking things like gigantic crabs. I think they are actually fake, but they are supposed to have the same size and appearance as the real things - oogie. 

This is a picture of a dike in a a granite. Molten basaltic rock forced its way through a crack in the granite to form this dike. 

This is a garnet. Or, rather, a garnet-bearing amphibolite. 

This is another banded iron formation. The color on this one seems to be a bit more true. 

Now we're at the Natural History museum and this is a banded iron formation. It was more red in person - this photo makes it look rather orange. 

Well, it's been another busy week so far, but today is looking to be a bit slower. I spent 2.5 hours trying on maternity clothes yesterday. It was really a pretty frustrating experience. I'm big enough now that I'm outgrowing a lot of the things I already have, but I know I've still got 10 weeks of growing yet to go. It seemed that all of the things at the store either fit, but didn't leave room to grow or were just way to big in the shoulders. I found a few things anyway.

I'm starting to feel conspicuously large. If I weren't rather freaked out by the thought of squeezing out a baby, I'd say that I'm ready to get this kid out now! Actually, I decided yesterday that I'm not ready to have a child because I'm not grown up enough. Doug said it's too late for that! :o)~

This is a shot of the main lobby of the Met. It was right before closing, so there weren't too many people there. 

This is the last photo of old instruments that I'll make you look at. We spent a long time in this section! :)  

Yep, it's another old instrument. I'm not sure what this one is.