Week 31

Another doctor’s visit this week and Baby Girl & I passed with flying colors!  Up to 21 pounds gained in total.  And heart rate for Baby Girl was 160 again.  What a strong, healthy heart she has!

I have had heartburn return in a serious way.  Not popping Tums yet but mostly because I keep forgetting to pick them up at the store and I’m all out. 

We found out this week that Curt & Vanessa are going to be having a BOY cousin join us in April.  We can’t wait!  I imagine he will be playing a lot of Barbies with the “triplets” or finding ways to harass the three of them concurrently.  It is so fun to have four babies on the way at the same time in our family.

This week was emotional as far as physical changes.  I found what I thought was a stretch mark on my side and started crying.  Andrew was really surprised that I reacted that way and I guess I was as well.  I know that these are changes that happen but I had a hard time facing the reality.  When I went back to check the mark in an hour, it had disappeared and I realized that my t-shirt had just made a red impression on my side.  Duh. 

Then I was convinced that I had found two varicose veins on my legs.  Gave it a few days and those disappeared as well.  Just bruises. 

But the apparent physical changes have really put me on an emotional roller coaster.  I wish that wasn’t the case but it’s true.  I knew that my body would change but I guess you can never fully prepare for these things.

Baby Girl has become increasingly sensitive to sound.  For many weeks, she has reacted when I hop in the shower and the water hits my belly.  So I like to warn her before turning the water on.  At about 25 or 26 weeks I started singing some songs to her at night that I hope she will begin to associate with our nighttime routine.  But it’s not working anymore.  Now she seems to get more excited when I sing.  So back to the drawing board with that idea. 

And a funny little story from this week:

I was using our food processor to make all the elements for Chicken Pita Sandwiches.  The first time I turned it on, she jumped like crazy!  I had woken her from her morning nap.  So I started talking to her and rubbing my belly to warn her each time I was going to use the food processor.  She seemed to do better.  But after a ten-minute break, I forgot to warn her again before turning it on and I startled her again.  Poor thing!