30 weeks!

Gwyneth at 30 weeks in utero, just listening to some mumbo jumbo about how spending 800 billion dollars is supposed to be a good idea! She already knows better than that and she's still a fetus!
Well, Gwyneth most likely isn't going to be here for another 8 - 12 weeks or so and already life is basically revolving around her. The specifics of this involve physical changes, preparation for her birth & life and life changes.

Physically:
- I can't sit for more than like 40 minutes or so without getting really sore somewhere or stiff in my joints. Mainly I've been having a lot of upper back pain which I notice is exacerbated by my job.
- I cannot sleep comfortably through the night any longer. People tell me this is just prep for the sleep I will be missing when Gwyn is born. I'd rather not be prepped for that!
- I am having Braxton Hicks contractions... another thing to prep your body for the real labor, I really don't mind them, so long as they don't turn into the real thing yet!
- My belly is officially in the way of just about everything. This is especially annoying when trying to reach for things because as a very short person, I need to reach for a lot of stuff, which is now impossible. I also can't bend over very well or just reach under the couch to get the dog's ball out.
- I am eating way too much, especially in the sweets department. I really think I ate better before I was pregnant but I have renewed my commitment to being health(ier) and am eating loads of calcium, protein and vitamins and a DHA supplement. As a result, this child should have 20/20 vision and have exception brain function. Only time will tell on that one!
- I get heartburn & gas a lot!

Preparation:

- Taking hypnobirthing, trying to read the book at least 4 times before she is born, practicing techniques & other preparation along with that.
- Getting nursery ready (not very far on that one!)
- Getting all the gear purchased & assembled
- Looking for a good pediatrician, any suggestions??

Life changes:
- Eric's graduation & job change
- Me going part-time, still haven't decided exactly how many days I will be working
- Looking for a babysitter for the day or two I do work, any suggestions??
- The plethora of worries that go through my mind about the responsibilities of being a parent

I am sure there are more things I could add to each of those lists, but when you're pregnant your mind doesn't quite function at 100% so that is what I came up with right now.

One really fantastic thing about being pregnant is that I believe that is the reason I was excused from jury duty today! Yeah! Actually, if my working weren't so critical to our survival right now, I probably would have been intrigued by jury duty, especially the case that involved attempted murder! But right now, it would have been a real hardship, because I would have had to take at least a week off, possibly more! Now, my only gripe with the system is that the process is so inconvenient. They really could make it run much more conveniently and it would if it were a private enterprise but thus we see another wonderful example of government and how it seems to prefer to be inefficient. For example, I had to take one whole day off of work about 2 weeks ago to go to the court physically and fill out a juror information form that should be available online or by mail. Today I spent an hour and a half at the courthouse just reading my hypnobirthing book until a bailiff came out and read a bunch of names that could leave. I did absolutely nothing and it was a total waste of time. They could have called me, along with the other people they read out, on the phone and told us we didn't need to go in or perhaps informed us before we sat around for over an hour but that would be far too easy!

Well, the important thing is, I was excused! The reason for being excused, according to the juror information form I filled out at the beginning of February could be one of many reasons. 1) I am in my third trimester of pregnancy. 2) I would experience a financial hardship by serving jury duty. 3) I am a republican that listens to Fox News, reads the paper (mostly I do the jumble and read the comics), and supports the NRA. or 4) I am prejudiced against certain immigrants for several reasons one of them being I am sick and tired of being stared up and down and having inappropriate comments/noises/gestures made towards me that make me feel uncomfortable and degraded and these actions are always being made by male members of the hispanic population. Seriously, this has been happening since I was like 13 years old and continued into my current pregnancy. It is very disturbing!

Boy I have been long winded tonight! Here are some more pictures to cap this post off!

I am practicing my deep relaxation techniques, joined by Frankie and Roscoe. I bet they thought I was dead!
It was really fun to get together with these girls, and a few more, after the UDA convention last week. I can't wait until our next get together! I am really glad to have been able to stay in contact with so many friends from hygiene school. Hopefully this continues to be the case for years to come!
Now here was a fun experiment... I made this nursing cover and was trying it on to show my friend Meg. Which naturally led to a need for a demonstration with none other than...

My adorable and baby-like dog Roscoe! He wasn't quite comfortable with the situation but conformed enough to allow us the privilege of getting a really good laugh!Tada! Post "feeding", Roscoe is very content and happy in the nursing cover as I am sure Gwyneth will be also. Don't worry, the cover is machine washable.