Baby Bump @ 30 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. As baby's skin smoothes out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn -- her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

How far along?  30 Weeks! Because of our scheduled c-section, that gives us only 9 weeks to go (unless she decides to come early, which I've told her is perfectly fine with me as long as she gives me at least another 6 weeks).

How big is baby?  Petite. She's measuring about a week behind, but our doctor has decided not to change our due date. She just might be a little small and that's ok with us. I've been trying to stock up on newborn size jammies for her, but it's weird for me to buy newborn sizes. Logan started out in 0-3mos clothing so at first I avoided buying newborn for V until I realized that she'll actually be newborn size unlike her Monster-sized brother!

Weight gain?  18 lbs! I've gained about 6 during each of the last two months and then a total of 6 during the months before then. I've really been slacking on my exercise and watching what I eat the last month though, so I'm hoping to break the 6lb cycle this month so I can keep my grand total under 25.

Maternity clothes?  I can still wear a few non-maternity tops though most of them are getting too short now. My yoga pants still fit perfectly and are definitely my go-to outfit when I get home at night. Non-maternity maxi dresses are still my favorite but now the knee-length dresses are starting to get too short. I think it's about time to retire them until after the baby comes.

Sleep?  I'm so bitter about my current lack of sleep. I have over and hour long drive to work each morning and it's becoming increasingly harder to do without stopping for coffee. I was trying to be good about my caffeine intake, but I figure a little caffeine is better than a car accident. And don't tell me to go to bed earlier, because it doesn't matter when I go to bed, I still toss and turn all night.

Best moment this week?   Kyle's birthday last night. He loved all the presents from our babies!

Movement?   According to our ultrasound, V is lying transverse (meaning long-ways across my stomach rather than head down like she should be). This gives her the ability to stick her butt way up into my lungs while simultaneously punching me in the cervix or bladder. It's a nice feeling, I can assure you. Other times, she flips over and sticks her butt way down into my pelvis and it feels like she's going to pop right out. That might actually be an even more unpleasant feeling because the pressure is intense!

Food cravings? Fresh strawberries tops this list for sure! I stopped last Friday on my way home from work and bought 4 pints (quarts? whatever the hell size container they come in) with every intention of eating them straight out of the carton until they were all gone. Unfortunately these weren't as sweet at the last batch we bought so I still have 2 containers left.

Food adversions?  Beef....it's definitely NOT what's for dinner in our house lately!

Labor signs?  I feel cheated. My Braxton-Hicks contractions hurt! I had a few last night and they were so intense that I felt like I might either throw up or pass out because my head started spinning. I guess V is just making up for the fact that I didn't have any of these with Logan.

Belly button in or out?  It's out, but sunken. Does that make sense? My belly button itself has basically turned inside out, but the whole area around it is kind of sunken in so it doesn't really show through my tops. I think it's just the way V is laying right now. Maybe if/when she turns, it will all pop out more.

What I miss?  How about "What will I NOT miss once I get this baby out of me?" I won't miss tossing and turning all night. I won't miss vericose veins on my girly parts that hurt when I stand or sit on the toilet. I won't miss feeling like I injured my groin muscles. I won't miss constant back pain. And I certainly won't miss not being able to find a comfortable position to do anything in. I sit at a desk all day and it hurts. I think I change position at least once every 5 minutes but no matter what I do, I can't get comfortable. It ssssssuuuuuucks!

What I am looking forward to?  Getting the old couch out of V's room so I can get the furniture arranged and start hanging things on the walls. Re-finishing her 2nd dresser. Scheduling our 3d/4d ultrasound. And, of course, meeting her in a few weeks!

Emotions?  Grouchy and short-tempered. I've always been a little hot-headed, but my temper has been flaring up over less and less lately. My poor boys. Fortunately for Logan, Daddy steps in whenever Mommy loses it and sends me to time out.

Weekly wisdom/quotes?  You may get enormous vericose veins in and/or around your vagina. You probably won't be able to see that particular part of your anatomy at this point without the aid of a mirror, but you will be able to feel them and they will hurt. I honestly don't have any clue what you're supposed to do about them, but a bag of frozen peas between the legs seems to help take the edge off for me most of the time.

Milestones?  No real "milestones" this week. I passed my 1hr glucose test and our ultrasound results came back perfect, so it was all good news but nothing really exceptional.