31 Week Check-Up

This pregnancy has flown by pretty quickly. I just had my 31 weeks check-up this morning and am seeing my doctor every 2 weeks. It won't be long before that schedule's accelerated to weekly visits. I realize I haven't written much about my check-ups or this pregnancy, so this post is going to be long.

Baby girl, who still doesn't have a name or blog nickname, has a strong heartbeat and is quite the mover and shaker. Her movements are so strong that J will be watching TV while sitting next to me and see my belly jetting out to one side in his peripheral vision. She also likes to curl up into a ball and lodge herself onto my right side not only making my belly lop-sided but pushing against my diaphragm making it very uncomfortable. Whenever she does that, I just push against her and she backs down.

It's really amazing to see her react to J's voice when he talks to her. She doesn't do that for everybody, just her daddy.

Similar to my pregnancy with Peanut, I don't have any swelling so my rings and shoes fit fine. I'm also not seeing any *new* stretch marks, but the old ones are still there and being used. In the July 2010 issue of Real Simple, there was a short but informative article about stretch marks, how to prevent them, and make the ones you have less obvious. I clocked in at +31 pounds, which means I'm on track to gain 40 pounds by delivery. It's about the same amount as with Peanut, which I lost, but that doesn't make it any easier to think about.

My C-section is scheduled for a Friday, which means J will only have to take off one day of work. We also are lucky to have coverage for the first 2.5 weeks post-partum spread out between Chachi, Nana Ruthie Pooh, and my mom.

The baby's nursery is in a holding pattern until mid-August, but I've been squirreling away goodies for it. I also dug through Peanut's old stuff to see what clothes and equipment baby girl can use. It was fun reminiscing as I combed through his clothes. Of course J thinks we can reuse *all* the clothes but I know he wouldn't be so quick to say that if the genders were reversed.

I still feel energetic and am doing water aerobics about 3 days a week. As long as I'm moving, I'm OK, but once I sit down for a break, I definitely feel my muscles from supporting the extra weight. I've been thinking of a weight loss plan and how to stick to it with two kids, breastfeeding, C-section recovery, and lack of sleep getting in the way. I am determined to lose the fertile fat a lot quicker than I did with Peanut.

Peanut is aware that a baby is coming but I'm hoping the siblings class he'll attend in a few weeks will really help it sink in. When asked "are you having a baby sister or brother?" He answers correctly. He also comes up to my belly and says "be gentle with the baby" then softly caresses it. But 95% of the time, he doesn't even notice or care.

This is my belly at 31 weeks. It's not as pretty as my friend Jeahlo's who's sporting this perfect little baby bump. And no, the photo below is not overexposed. My belly is really that white.