snow!

i have been thinking lately that i'd miss the snow, so it was a pleasant surprise that eugene experienced a snowstorm yesterday. i guess it only happens once every couple of years so the city is not prepared for it. all schools were closed yesterday and today and even the library closed early last night!

here is the view from our front door:






and a random photo of me, nice & cozy inside, cooking:

8th month update

i feel as if i haven't posted anything in a while. things are going very well. i feel that i've had an easy pregnancy. i've felt great throughout these past eight months- pretty much like myself, only bigger and slower.

our baby's movements are very different now. it's hard to believe that the midwife once said, "she's just a peanut". she is so big & heavy now. and while she used to bounce around from one side to the other, she now pretty much stays in one place and just kicks (and punches) from there. there just isn't enough room to flip over or swim around anymore.

one thing that is surprising is seeing and feeling so many bumpy, bony body parts. we can't always tell if something is a knee or a heel, a fist or an elbow. and though i always thought of a pregnant belly as similar to a basketball- round and firm, mine is sometimes more like a sack of potatoes! if she moves into a certain position, my belly is quite misshapen and we can actually see all these visible lumps.

we try to capture this on video from time to time but it seems like whenever we get the camera ready, she stops moving. but that's ok; i know there will be many opportunities to catch all of her cute & amazing antics on camera after she's born.


here are some photos from yesterday:

baby shower

we were so touched a few weeks ago when some of greg's colleagues said that they were planning a baby shower for us. it took place on friday and was so much fun! he really works with a great group of people and it was so nice to celebrate with them.

they had a great idea (which i highly recommend for anyone throwing a baby shower): everyone decorated a onesie with fabric markers. it is a fun activity and the parents-to-be come away with unique wearable art for their new baby. though they were all cool, i didn't have room for all of them on here and took some photos of just a few:

pregnancy photos

well, after some requests for photos, i realized that we need to take more as we don't have very many. but i'll put what i have here and we will try to be more diligent about taking pictures. my cousin lisa got married this summer and graciously shared her photos with me, so i have two from her wedding:





















with the beautiful bride! (5 months)
















with my sisters (erin & amy) and aunt susan; (5 months)





















playing carcassonne (6 months)





















making tea; (7 months)


















reading to the baby; (7 1/2 months)

breech no more

until recently, our little girl had been breech. her head, which felt like a little apple, was almost always right above my belly button. as with several pregnancy concerns, i was finding some conflicting information. on the one hand, they say not to worry- that most babies will get themselves into position before labor starts. (only 3% of babies are still breech at term.) on the other hand, the majority of babies have turned by this gestational stage. and i just wondered why she hadn't seemed to want to. it could just be because she's small; they say that once babies' heads get heavier, they tend to tip upside-down.

in any case, i'm no longer worried about this. at our last two appointments, the midwives found that she was head down. this is great news, since prior to this she was breech at every visit ever since our 20 week ultrasound. (we are 31/32 weeks now.) even though many people (including greg- many times) assured me that there never was cause for concern, i do feel relieved.

-------

i am feeling great as we begin our last two months and everything is going well. the baby is much bigger and seems to be very strong- her movements are powerful and we can now see her moving around when we look at my belly. we will have our first (of six) childbirth classes this coming monday evening and we are looking forward to that.

also, we are so, so happy and excited that, at least for the first four years of her life, our baby will have a president that her country can be proud of.

third trimester!

well, here we are at the third trimester and things are going very well. we had an eventful appointment last week at the birth center. it was time for my glucose screening test to rule out gestational diabetes. the sugar drink made me extremely lightheaded and i had to lie down.

we also met with the lactation consultant, who signed us up for their breastfeeding class. i was really excited to meet with her because i care a lot about learning how to breastfeed correctly so that we can avoid problems. i did have a dream many months ago that the baby latched on without a problem and started nursing like a pro so i'm hoping that will prove to be a good sign.

our birth center is certified "baby friendly" by unicef and the world health organization. facilities that have earned this distinction have taken certain steps to ensure successful breastfeeding among their families. it is one of only 67 in the US with this distinction, so we feel pretty lucky to have found it.

finally, we talked about selecting a pediatrician and the midwife gave us some lists and literature. how exciting! we think we have found one. we are going to visit with her in a few weeks. if it all works out, it'll be awesome because her office is just a few blocks away from the house. (and proximity is really important as we're still living car-free.)

first storytime

i cannot believe it didn't occur to me sooner (must be the "pregnancy brain" phenomenon i've been hearing about) but a book suggested reading to the baby in utero. i thought it sounded like a great idea so we started today. i pulled a few books off the shelf in her room, waited until she was awake and moving around, and then started with "one fish, two fish". it was fun!

i can't help but think that it would be so cool/amazing if we read certain books often that then seem familiar to her later, when we re-read them again after she's born.