We're growing!...not just the baby...Laura too! =)

Here is my belly at 28 weeks! It is getting big and cumbersome, and the worse is yet to come. =) In the meantime, it’s at the very least entertaining!

What a week it has been! After a pretty horrendous experience with my thesis committee, I have not slept well this week, and the pain in my hips and lower back don’t help matters. I am soooo ready to sleep for about eight years. =)

Sam and I went to our first prenatal class Thursday night. We learned so much and got a lot of really useful information about babies’ sleeping, eating, diaper changes, health, and all sorts of things. I was so glad to have taken it! Sam and I both got to ask questions and practice swaddling a baby doll in a blanket—what Sam referred to as “making a baby burrito”! Of course, we made lots of jokes and laughed and had a great time of it. If anything, Dexter will have a great sense of humor.

Friday morning I had another obstetrician appointment. Dr. Mah told me my diabetes test came back normal, so I don’t have gestational diabetes. She and I listened to Dexter’s heartbeat, which was in the 150s and sounded very strong. We also discussed creating a birthing plan and how to alleviate the pain in my hips. There’s this thing called a Prenatal Cradle, which is like a support belt to help bear the weight of my stomach; as unattractive as that sounds, I got one, and hopefully, my aches and pains will subside some and I can rest like I so desperately want to!

Oh, and while at the doctor, I learned to never complain about low weight gain so early in pregnancy! Man, oh, man, let’s just say my appetite is very healthy, and there is no chance of Dexter not getting the food he needs! So, in this blog, you will never hear me complain about not gaining weight ever again! =)

More and more I am having dreams about Dexter. I want so badly to see him! Dreams I’ve had include one where he has striking blue eyes and a head full of dark hair and likes to kiss me on the face, and one where he can talk and get around shortly after coming home, and he put shampoo on his feet because he thought it was hand sanitizer. Hahahaha! My brain is doing some weird stuff these days!

Meanwhile, Sam and I are gearing up for baby showers, one in February and one in March. It is unbelievable how much stuff these new babies require! So far we are squared away on some of the bigger items we need (stroller, car seat, crib), but my favorite thing is the rocking chair from my dad’s house. It’s the same one he and my mom rocked me in as a baby. Dad and Rickie are having it re-caned to fix the hole in the seat. It will be a nice thing to carry on in the lineage…who knows, maybe one day Dexter will use it for his child.

Saturday we went to Sam’s cousin’s wedding. Kelli was pregnant at our wedding, and now I went to her wedding pregnant, so I feel like we came full circle. The service was very beautiful and sweet. Congratulations, Steve and Kelli!

Yesterday, we also saw my dad, my step-mom, and my grandmother, and Dexter gave them all a pretty good wallop! It was nice that they all got to feel him kick! And it was great to see everyone.

Well, I never could get my 24 week belly picture off my phone, so I had to skip it. Now, I’m posting the 28 week photo, and as of yesterday, we’re actually at 29 weeks. I’m just not staying on this blog like I should! I’m a writer, though, and it’s in my nature to procrastinate. =) (Once Dexter comes along, I’m sure my writings will get even more sporadic.) So, if I don’t write again before then, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!