less than 10 week left

This will just be a quick update, because I forgot to write stuff down again.

First, here is the latest belly picture. 30 weeks 4 days.

I look at this picture and think, gee whiz! I look enormous! And then I remember that I still have at least 9 weeks left and I am only going to get larger. Then I variety of emotions ranging from self conscious  to nervous to just sad.

My big belly continues to interfere with my day to day life. I decided the third trimester would be a whole lot easier if I had lived my entire life without ever bending over. I dread when things fall on the ground! Depending on the position of the baby, sometimes I can still bend down- but most of the time I have to do this weird awkward squat.

We were walking back to our car and walked between two cars that turned out to be too close together- I couldn't squeeze between them because their side mirrors were too close. Nathan was like " just squat down and walk under them." HA!! Yeah freakin' right!! Sorry, but squat waddling is not something I am willing to attempt. I am pretty sure that would end horribly. I just walked around the other way, feeling totally embarrassed.

I still struggle to sleep peacefully at night. I wake up like dozen times to roll back and forth, trying to find a comfortable position or I have to pee. I don't think that I get more than about 90 minutes of consecutive sleep. I suppose it's good practice for when Xander gets here and is waking me up all night for feedings and changing and all that.

My stomach has started making horrifically loud and embarrassing noises. When did it start doing this? Oh, in the middle of me visiting teaching! I was like "I am so sorry, this has never happened before!"

My only other symptom is being sore like...pretty much always. I am constantly achy.

In other baby news- we got our first official baby gift in the mail this week! My friend Laurie, who lives in Washington sent us the most adorable little card and diaper genie with a refill! Nathan came home and was like "There is a Diaper Genie on the front porch...." It was funny. We were both really excited. I am anxious for the day of my baby shower to get here. Only a few more days!

Babies R Us had been advertising a "Baby Expo" on the What To Expect message boards, so my mom and I decided to go check it out. It was totally lame!!! It turned out to be 2 tables shoved in the back of the store, covered with random babies items, and staffed by 2 Babies R Us employees. It was crowded and cluttered and unappealing. I was expecting something much more organized and informative. It was by no means an "Expo."

While we were there though, I bought a diaper bag! I am very excited because I found one with a wipe dispenser on the outside, and easy access from the outside to diapers and a changing pad. And it's black and red- not at all girly- so if Nathan needs to take it somewhere he doesn't feel like he is carrying a purse.

Also, my mom was kind enough to buy me a belly support belt. I came home, put it on without reading the instructions, and it felt amazing! Later I looked at the instructions and realized I had been wearing it backwards all day. Doh! I put it on the way it's supposed to be worn the next and it wasn't as good. I think when I go out somewhere I am just going to wear it my way. It's not like anyone can see it under my clothes and can tell that it's on wrong- and honestly, it's all about comfort for me these days.

Our latest doctor's appointment was short and uneventful. Everything looked good and normal. No ultra sound this time- which was kind of a bummer- but no big deal. My next appointment is in 3 weeks instead of 4 and after that it will go down to every 2 weeks. I am starting to make a list of things to talk to the doc about- because I never remember until after we leave.

Well that's all for now. My next post will be more exciting because it will talk all about my baby shower! Yay!!!