So I guess this is for real??

Hello again friends. I am now 27 weeks into this little adventure. You would think that given the length of time I have been working up to this point in my pregnancy, I would be more used to being pregnant. But, for some reason, this has hit me all of a sudden.....I'm PREGNANT. Like really pregnant. Like when I finally get settled on the couch and have the pillows arranged just the way I want and then look over to the coffee table only to realize the remote control is just out of reach, I consider actually just staring at the TV, that is not on, because the time and effort it is going to take me to get up and then re-situate just may not be worth it. Yes, THAT pregnant. You'll see in the picture that follows what I mean. I am sure that every pregnant woman feels like she can't possibly get more pregnant at some point, but I just thought that point would be around 36 weeks. Maybe it is for some women, it's not for me. I'm pretty sure that I have reached capacity. I even have a pain in my stomach just above my belly button that my doctor seems to think is just the feeling of my stomach stretching.....I'm convinced it's my stomach giving me an ultimatum: its me or the kid, but we're not both going to make it. Luckily, I have been able surprise myself in an aspect of stretching I never thought I would be familiar with. Let's hope it keeps up.

This week has been....different. On Monday I started feeling some Braxton Hicks contractions. I knew I had felt them before (not uncommon for someone even at my stage in pregnancy), but these seemed to be coming more often than before....like a lot more often. After a couple of days of lots of noticeable contractions at short intervals, I called the doctor on Wednesday, who had me come in immediately. I was very concerned with her sense of urgency, but comforted by the fact that I wasn't going to have to wait until today (Friday, my regularly scheduled Dr. appt) to find out if something was really wrong. When I got to the office she did a series of tests to make sure my body was not prepping for labor and that what I was feeling were ligitimately Braxton Hicks contractions and not the real deal. She also had me go in for another sono to check on the baby as well. Results from all of the tests came back and everything is perfectly fine. She informed me that chances are I am just one of "those" women who tend to have BH more often. She said there was nothing to worry about unless they became much closer together or painful, up to this point, they have been neither, although they have continued on a pretty consistent basis since. Once I knew everything was ok after the sono tech informed me that my cervix (sorry guys, but this is a no holds bard kind of blog) was long and closed, I could sit back and enjoy seeing my little girl and her perfectly proportionate (that's all I got from the tech) limbs. She weighs in at a whopping 2lbs now! I still have yet to figure out why her little 2 lb self has already cost me 24 lbs.....but i will take that up with her later ;-)

I went back to the doctor today for my regularly scheduled visit. Today was the glucose testing. I had to drink some orange crap that tasted like someone had made coolaid with only half the water required. I guess it could have been worse, but it wasn't good. I should get the results back from that test, which tests for Gestational diabetes and anemia, in a couple of days. The doctor said that if everything was good, she wouldnt call, if she calls, I will have to go through another series of tests that I hear is far less simple and involves an even grosser concoction - please pray for no phone call! Besides that, we now progressed to doctors appointments EVERY 2 WEEKS!!! WHAT?!?!  Only people who are REALLY pregnant have to go to the doctor every two weeks.....how could that possibly be me?! I just got pregnant like last week! I guess this means that this is not a drill. I am really going to pass a watermelon through a small opening in my body and I'm going to do that soon.

As far as my little princess goes, she is doing awesome! She moves around constantly still. Her little kicks are getting stronger and more agressive. I try not to take it personally though, as I'm pretty sure she's fighting it out with both the skin on my stomach as well as my bellybutton. In my opinion, they both had it coming ;-) The other night when we were laying in bed, Dan started talking to her. He was leaning in close to my right side and after hearing his voice, she mosied her way over to perch up right next to him. I love it, a Daddy's girl already :) It is so cool to think that she can already recognize our voices! I guess this means I should probably stop screaming obscinities to all the moron drivers who seem to follow me wherever I go.....we'll just go ahead and put that on the ole to-do list, right after teach Luci how to let herself out.

Well I guess that's about it for now. I really am starting to slow down a lot more. I need more sleep, and more help getting up from a sitting position. I know I still have a ways to go....but I am happy that the days between now and when I get to see my little girl are closer to 0 than they are 280. I will still say this has been a pretty incredible experience and as much as I complain, and sweat, and grunt and bitch that I have nothing to wear, I wouldn't trade a day for anything in the world.

Please continue to keep our little family in your prayers!

I have included 2 pics below.....I figured there might be a time that you guys don't want to see what's going on under my clothes, so I'm transitioning into that now ;-)

that's A LOT of belly - 27 Wks

this is me demonstrating that I can still wear my pre-pregnancy shirts ;-) that poor shirt is fighting for its life here :) 27Wks