34 Weeks

I still look fairly normal from the front...but not from the side!

Dear Natalie,

I thought you might like to know some things about yourself at 34 weeks gestation:

1. You love to sit on my right side! I don't know if it's your head or your little behind that is poking out, but you consistently make my belly look quite lopsided.

2. You are consistently active before meals (I think you must be hungry!); between 10am-12noon; and in the evenings, usually around 7pm. You are almost always moving, but I notice you most at those times. We can even see your little elbows, feet, and hands moving my belly around, though we’re never sure which appendage we’re seeing. It makes sense: Just a few weeks ago, you were only 2 pounds, and now you’re over 3 pounds. In only 6 more weeks, you will at least double in weight! You are so much more noticeably active than you have been.

3. When I sleep on my left slide, I feel your movements more intensely. Are you trying to tell me that you don’t like it when I sleep on that side? Maybe because it causes you to fall toward the left, away from your preferred right side?

4. Your movements almost never hurt me. When people ask, “Is the baby kicking?”, that seems to imply pain. Occasionally I will be surprised by the suddenness of your movements, but rarely does it hurt. I hope and believe that you will be gentle and kind like your father.

5. Your dad and I were talking yesterday about how we haven’t even thought about what you might look like. We don’t care! We are just so excited to meet you.

We love you so much, sweet girl.

Love,

Mom and Dad

In other news: feet issues! No, they’re not pregnancy-related - not directly, anyway. No swelling of the ankles yet! The first issue happened on Saturday, literally a minute after I thought, “Wow, my feet are looking pretty good.” (I have thoughts like this because I am so clumsy; I’m always stubbing my toe or scraping my feet on something.) I was, ahem, putting on my undies after a shower when I lost my balance. To the non-pregnant readers, this sounds ridiculous, but it is SO hard to put on pants and underwear when you’re not sitting down! Anyway, to avoid falling completely, I swung my foot out, and it hit the bathroom cabinet. It hardly hurt, but I knew I’d done some damage. Sure enough, about half of my big toenail had cracked. There was minimal blood, but it was pretty ugly.

I decided not to bandage it in hopes that it would heal faster. The next day, I was playing with Hallie when she trounced on my wounded toe and took the nail with her. OUCH! So much for not bleeding - by the time I hobbled to the bathroom, my big toe was covered in blood. I didn’t lose the whole nail, and it didn’t come completely off - but I’m guessing that will happen soon enough. Taylor bandaged it up for me, and I’ve been careful to protect it. Toenails take so long to grow back; I think Natalie may be 6 months old before my toenail is restored. :)

I went out to the yard a few hours later to turn on the sprinkler. I was in the grass for no more than a minute when my feet started itching and burning. I must have been standing on an anthill, because my feet were swarming with red ants! I “sustained” about 10 bites on foot and 5 on the other. My feet itch so badly!!

All in all, though, I think I’d prefer these injuries to being really swollen for the next 6 weeks...so that’s the answer to the ubiquitous question, “Are your ankles swollen?”