21 Weeks

I am now on a downhill slope, and good thing it's not a steep one. I predict the next 19 weeks (which sounds long) will go by quickly and be full of "to do" lists. Between Paul & I, we have absolutely nothing ready. Oh, except for being registered at the hospital! But now that Paul's 30th birthday party has come and gone, we can start concentrating on getting the house and ourselves ready for our lil' bean.

We've trashed an old couch, the old bar that was left here and an old coffee table so far this week. And now that that's out of the way, we can go out this weekend to pick up materials for the downstairs closet. After that's been built, I can start putting away some of the odds & ends that have been lurking in awkward spots since we demolished the upstairs closet.

There will be more renovations that need to be done before baby but I won't get into that right now. What's really on my mind is my anatomy ultrasound later this week. I can't wait to see my lil' bean again and hopefully find out if I'm having a boy or girl. And I'll finally get to see all the movement I've been feeling, which has become stronger & more frequent!

Most of the guys at work are also offering their help a little more than they used to. It's nothing too big but they offer to take my garbage out for me, or help me carry supplies back to my room. It's nothing I can't handle at this point but they seem to really want to help so every once in a while I let them.

What I wish someone could help me with is this acid reflux. It doesn't happen every day but at least 3 or 4 times a week. I'm hoping it won't get any worse but who knows. As my lil' bean gets bigger, everything will migrate up and I think I'll be running for the Tums more and more. But I guess it doesn't hurt to hope for the best. And then there's the itchy skin. Winter always does a number to my skin but my growing belly is making it worse. I find myself using lotion everyday, sometimes twice a day. And if I don't...it feels like someone is jabbing me with needles all over. Not a good feeling but the lotion is doing a good job of keeping the needles at bay. I can't wait for some warmer weather. Even though this winter hasn't been too bad so far, the shorter it is, the better!

As the time passes, I find myself thinking about birthing classes and what kind of experience I'd like to have during delivery. At first I thought about a specialized birthing class like Hypnobirthing or the Bradley method but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's not for me. It's not that I think I can't do it, but I know how I like to procrastinate and all that extra time I'll need to put into a class like Hypnobirthing won't work to my benefit. After talking to Paul about it, and of course he's leaving it up to me, I've decided on a doula and a general information birthing class. I think it'll be the best way for me to reach my goal of an unmedicated delivery. After all, I don't do my own taxes, or fix my own car. I leave that up to the pros. And to me, a doula would be worth her weight in gold. She'll know exactly what to do when the time comes so that I can concentrate on my breathing and staying relaxed. And an extra person around to encourage me can't hurt!

And of course there's my lil' bean, who this week has grown to be the size of a carrot. His/her permanent teeth are still developing and the fat that my lil' bean will need at birth has started to form in places like the chest and neck. He/she will take the next few months to build up enough fat to keep him/her warm. He/she is still practicing swallowing and will continue until birth. As for now, my lil' bean seams to be having fun jumping around and I don't mind it at all.