Third Trimester

Ultrasounds
We have a series of ultrasounds hanging on our refrigerator. I rub my belly and point to each and say, "Baby, here you were a dot, then a donut, then a gummy bear. And here is your little spine. Here you are covering your little face. And here is a close up of your lips and in this picture we can even see you have hair!"

With regard to baby covering face in ultrasounds people would say, "Aren't you disappointed or mad you can't see?" I say, "Not at all! We are patient and can wait until birth to see baby if that is what our baby wants!" Others comment, "Baby is shy," which is cute-maybe!!

Morning Sickness

I still have it but much, much less. Sometimes a couple of times a week, sometimes not at all in a week. I never quite make it to two weeks without getting sick though. My mom feels bad for me but I am so used to it by now and plus, like I have been saying all along, with so many serious things that could be happening I am thankful my issues are manageable!

Heartburn

Has returned! What the heck! Not as bad as the first trimester-tums can *sometimes* do the job. Probably the grossest is the few times I have woken up in the night throwing up in my mouth due to the burn. At my ultrasound the tech shows me baby alrady has hair-maybe the old wives tale is true! Fun fact: a study has in fact correlated heartburn to babies having hair. Link to study

And futher: The severity of heartburn may correlate to the amount of hair! Link to that study

Sinuses
Mine have largely cleared and we have put away the humidifier. Chris thinks the move into the moister air of Spring has helped.

Gestational Diabetes

I fail my one-hour glucose test so I return for the three-hour. I technically pass this: you need two high numbers to fail, I have one high number. But due to my family history of diabetes they monitor me as a precautionary measure. I meet with a GD specialist who thinks, with my vegan diet and happenstance tendency to not eat a lot of carbs anyway, I will have no problem controlling numbers with my diet. And she is right. My numbers are almost always totally fine. The handful of times they have spiked I *did* have carbs. As long as I eat what I normally eat my numbers are right on. So if I have a big baby it won't be due to GD!

Belly

And speaking of big baby.... People begin to tell me my belly is "big" and asking whether I am having twins. Yet my belly and ultrasound measurements are right on track. But enough people (probably 6 strangers total) ask that it must be true that my belly looks big. I am short and have a short torso-there is nowhere for my belly to go but out. I do find it kind of rude the way they bug their eyes when I say I am having one. I start to ask whether they have ever been pregnant-and if no I explain women carry differently, it is all about body type. If yes I say, then you know women carry differently, it is all about body type. Their comments upset me b/c I feel it is insulting to baby in some way though I try to tell myself they aren't intending to be cruel. So I just use it as an opportunity to educate. I smile and am very nice about it even though inside it upsets me. This approach has yielded good results. In fact, I overhear one lady who I had this exchange with subsequently relay to her friend, "No twins-women just carry differently!" So I feel good that already the information I am sharing is having an impact.

Swelling

The swelling in my ankles and feet becomes comical as I near my due date. My left foot is always a little worse than my right. Even in the morning as my right foot and ankle go back to normal my left one stays a little puffy. And as soon as I am out of bed going to the bathroom and getting in the shower the full-on swell begins! By the end of the day, despite propping up my feet in my office, my ankles have a little fat roll and I can barely make it up or down steps b/c they don't bend! People used to look at my belly and then smile at me. Now they look at my ankles, my belly, and just slowly shake their head. A sympathetic stranger pulls over as I leave the house to walk to the train. She says, let me give you a ride-I remember how uncomfortable the last weeks are!

Sleep

I have actually been sleeping better this trimester. Though I pee more often in the night (sometimes 4-5 times) I can easily come back and drift right back to sleep. I try to prop my feet up at night to help with swelling but the cairn of pillows inevitably tumbles and shifts and it becomes a sleep interruption.

Walking/Moving

I ask Chris when did walking become such a chore? He laughs and says he noticed it about 8.5 months in-that I was lumbering. "Lumbering." Let me insert the formal definition here: "moving in a slow, heavy, awkward way." Gee thanks! But I know he is right. The walk from 30th street to 17th stree has become a Mt Everest bid. And while I don't fight it around the house, I refuse to allow my stride to change in public to that horrible pregnant gait.

Dates

I decide they look like cockroaches but I am trying to eat 5-6 a day because of this study.

The Nursery

Baby's room is all set save for our ottoman that we ordered months ago which they must be stitching by hand in a village on Mars.

Due Date

I have had one intenal exam so far. "You are not really dialted but you are thin." After which Dr says I could go into labor at any time now. He also says if I haven't delivered by week 39 we will discuss inducing during the 40th week.

Work

I am working til the end! My job is very accomodating, I am thankful to be in such a positive place!

Baby Classes
We have taken all the baby classes offered through our hospital which have spanned these last two trimesters. I type our notes and organize them with corresponding handouts into a binder for easy reference once baby arrives! Things like how many wet and poopy diapers we should expect seems important and I want us to be able to easily access that info as needed.

Sex
One of the things we learn at a baby class is to "have lots of sex" in the last month of pregnancy as semen helps soften the cervix. Hubby looks at me as nurse says this and gives me a thumbs up with a giant grin, "Dr's orders" he says. Goofball (:

Kindness of Strangers
The universe is sending good vibes to baby through the wonderful kindness of strangers. Giving up their seat on the train, carrying my bag, holding the door for an extended period of time because they see me coming (lumbering) from a mile away (: Even the guys in the city that ask for money-they don't ask me for money anymore. They say, "Congratulations!" (I tell this to the partner at work and he jokes he needs to get a wig and a fake bump.) The world is a happier, kinder, gentler place as I nurture this little human in my belly. And I can't help but believe everyone I pass on the street is sending their love to baby. Thank you thank you thank you to every single person that has shown us an act of kindness. You are already helping me teach baby what a wonderful world we live in!

Today we are 11 days away from our due date. As we savor our dwindling time together as a life of two we talk through tears of excitement about how our hopes and dreams for our life of three <3