Surrounded by Love!

Yesterday was our first of two baby showers. 

This one was hosted by my older sister, Camy's Aunt V and our dear friend, Katie at my mother's home.

We had a wonderful turn-out of friends and family, many of whom I don't get to see often enough.

We had amazing food.. my favorite Tortellini Salad made by Katie, an adorable baby carriage carved out of watermelon  (by my brother in law) and filled with fresh fruit, veggies, dips, etc. 

We had a precious cake that read "Welcome Camryn Louise" and was made by the same baker that did our wedding cake! It was delicious, and I was so touched that Katie did so much investigative work to find the right baker and have the same flavor/filling made for our Baby Girl. 

The games we played were both fun and hilarious. Not your typical "sniff the diaper" or "how big is Mom's belly?" games. One game was a sort of fill-in-the-blank/word association game where Andy gave his answers the night before and the guests were to try and guess what Andy said. It was HILARIOUS. A few gems: "Nursing ____", Andy said "home". Um, baby related, hon!? "Bubble ____", Andy said "butt". Bwahaha. Good times. 

And oh the gifts.. we are truly blessed to be surrounded by such generous friends and family.. everyone happy to shower us with love and support as our family grows. We could never have imagined how much we would receive, and just cannot thank everyone enough. We got our crib mattress and bedding, our car seat and stroller, our cradle swing, exersaucer, and bouncy chair, our bath tub and nearly all necessary bath items, lots of clothes, blankets, and best of all - each guest brought their favorite childhood book to start Camryn's library! We got an adorable diaper bag, hangers, baby-proofing items, some baskets for organizing, a precious picture frame, some toys/rattles.. it was truly incredible. I was just in awe of all the loot we had to bring home, and stayed up until about midnight sorting through all the fun stuff!

Even with all Andy and I have had to go through with this pregnancy and our ever-changing financial situation, when I sit back and think about all we have.. our health and the health of our daughter, our home, our families, our friends... we are so so blessed. I am so grateful to God for all that we have, and for all the love and support we are surrounded by on a daily basis. 

It warms my heart to sit in Camy's room and just look around.. seeing all the ways our lives have already been enriched by her and all the ways our lives will change after she makes her arrival. 

Charting New Territory

Well, it happened. 

At 34 weeks and 1 day, Baby Girl finally found my ribs. 

Joy.

I had been getting this numb/tingling sensation in one particular spot near the bottom of my ribs, and asked the doctor what that was. He said Camryn has probably found a nerve she can hit just right to give me that tingly feeling. What a darling she is. She likes to hit that nerve at least a few times a day, but I told the doctor I was just glad she doesn't dig her feet up into my ribs like I've heard so many other women complain about. 

Jinx. Jinx. Jinx. 

Last night, just before getting ready for bed, Camryn found my ribs and promptly made herself at home. 

I remembered a suggestion I'd read somewhere to put an ice pack at the top of your bump and sometimes that will make your baby move down lower, out of your ribs. 

Yeah, she didn't care about the ice. 

I tried rolling a certain way, shifting and turning to sit in different positions that might encourage her to re-situate... but no such luck. 

It started to get rather painful after a while and difficult to breathe normally, so just as I was getting really uncomfortable and emotional about it (seriously, she was really shoving everything way up into my ribs and it started freaking me out!) Andy suggested I take a Tylenol PM and try to get to sleep. 

I thought about it a while and didn't want to at first.. but it was getting late and I needed sleep, so I caved and took half a dose and was finally able to fall asleep with Andy helping me by rubbing my back and playing with my hair. 

Luckily I woke up today and Camryn had balled herself back up lower in my belly. 

Thank! Goodness!

As mentioned before, yesterday was our 34 week OB check.

Everything is still progressing really well.. no protein spillage, great BP, perfect fundal height measurement, beautiful heartbeat, and minimal swelling! 

I made it through another week without peeing on my hand while trying to give a sample in a tiny freakin' paper cup.. seriously, I think they get their kicks from asking women toting watermelons in their abdomen to pee in a cup with a diameter of about 2 inches. Just how in the heck do they expect us to see what we are doing and actually make it into the cup?? Come on now! I am dreading the day I miss the cup.... 

During the heartbeat check, the doctor took a little longer to hold the wand in one place. He usually finds her heartbeat right away and will hold the wand steady to listen for a minute or two.. but this time I thought he found it just as quick, but he kept moving the wand around, waiting a second, moving it a little more. I asked him if everything was okay and he said (unconvincingly), "Yeah, it sounds good." That wasn't the reaction I was looking for or the way he normally responds... so I asked if he was sure. He said "Well, her heartbeat has slowed down just a little, but that's nothing to worry about. It slows down just a bit at the end." I still wasn't convinced that everything was fine.. and I think he could tell that I was getting worried. He assured me that her heart sounds very healthy and if he was concerned at all he would set us up in the NST room for a while. I'm trying to believe him and trust him, he has taken very good care of us all along.. but I walked out of there a little concerned. However, all her crazy movements today have me pretty confident the doctor was right again - all is well. 

And as for the swelling, my hands are getting a little puffy and I've given up on wearing my rings, but my feet/ankles still look great. The doc even commented on how beautiful my ankles are! He said he's impressed I haven't had any swelling in my feet at all yet.. especially given the triple digit heat! Yay for my ankles! :)

So there's our 34 week update. 

We are just 19 days shy of hitting "full term" and 40 days from our due date. 

Nesting, Day 3

What did Mama get accomplished today? Let's talk about that... 

• Made a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy more drawer dividers for Camryn's Nursery.
  
• Folded and put away the last 2 loads of Camryn's clothes.. well, the last until after Saturday's Baby Shower.
  
• Made a trip to Target to buy a bucket and scrub brush. [Can you tell I'm not the "deep clean" type since we owned neither a bucket or a scrub brush before today? I'm more a Lysol Wipes kinda gal in my normal state of being.]
  
• Stood on the dining room table with the vacuum so I could clean the chandelier. Never done that before.
• Changed the 3 bulbs in the chandelier that I would bet money have been out since the day we moved in.. 18 months ago.
• Scrubbed the wood blinds and window sill in the dining room.
• Scrubbed the walls of the dining room. Never noticed how icky they were before!
• Scrubbed the baseboards in the dining room and kitchen.
• Dragged the step stool into the kitchen so I could vacuum the kitchen fan and light.
• Scrubbed the kitchen cabinets.
• Scrubbed the blinds on the kitchen window.
• Scrubbed the inside of the front door and the walls of the entry way.
• Applied Camryn's vinyl wall letters. Finally. And hated every minute of it. It was NOT easy. I would scrub baseboards all day long before I volunteered to apply more vinyl wall letters.  It was beyond frustrating and resulted in a wee bit of shouting (from me to Andy). Ugh.

How's that for productivity? I've never cleaned so much in my life. And I am still dissatisfied with the state this house is in. How is that even possible???

Ya know what today is?

34 weeks. 

Ya know what that means?

Our OB won't stop labor.

Oh. My. Word.

Is that crazy, or what?? 

While Andy and I were fighting with the vinyl wall letters, I had a braxton hicks contraction and just nonchalantly said "Aaannd, that's a contraction". 

I think Andy remembered what today's milestone was because his immediate, slightly frantic response was "What? A real one?" (picture his eyes bugging out of his head at about the moment "real" passed the plane of his lips!). 

I quickly clarified that it was just a BH and informed him that I would take on a tone of much more urgency when the "real" contractions make an appearance. 

He kindly asked me to always preface "contraction" with either "real" or "fake" unless I want him to (and I quote) "throw me in the car and haul ass to the hospital". 

I asked him for clarification this time..  "define 'throw me in the car', please". 

And clarify he did. Looks like when I'm in labor I will be treated like a sack-o-potatoes and just tossed into the closest vehicle. 

Awesome.

We have our 34 week OB check tomorrow. 

It's my last pants-on appointment, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. 

I am glad I get to keep my pants on tomorrow, that's not what I mean... 

But to think that every appt after tomorrow will involve a labor progress check scares the bajeebus outta me!

I am not ready for labor checks. 

*Seriously, eyes tearing up now just thinking about it*

We have wanted to start our family for as long as I can remember.

We tried for 8 cycles to get pregnant before being successful.

We have endured a roller coaster pregnancy since finding out on Christmas Day that we are expecting. 

We cannot wait to meet our sweet girl and bring her home to this cozy little place we have prepared for her. 

But, I just cannot wrap my mind around the reality of the situation. 

Tomorrow is my last pants-on appointment because we have only 21-42 days before our daughter is born.

Are we really ready for this?

Oh my Lord. I just can't imagine being on the other side of this adventure. 

I remember my sister laughing when I told her I was 3 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Being pregnant wasn't even on her radar when she was 3 wks 4 days (she wasn't an OCD charter like I was!). 

I remember looking at how much time we had left from that day, Dec 25 - 3 wks 4 days, and feeling like the big day would never come. 

But there it is... in sight... just over the horizon.

Quickly approaching. 

Ready or not, here she comes. 

Instead of seeing "3 weeks pregnant" we are seeing "3 weeks til Full Term". 

:::Deep Breath:::

As Andy keeps saying, "We got this". 

Changing gears before I hit the hay - 

This week is full of excitement!

I get to visit with a dear friend of mine tomorrow morning before she heads back to H-Town!

Our carpets are being steam cleaned on Thursday!

I have a Frozen Yogurt date with some of my favorite ladies Friday afternoon.

My Sister, BIL, and sweet nephew arrive Friday as well.. and Sister, Mom, and I are going for pedi's. 

Then Saturday is my first Baby Shower! 

YAY!

Oh oh, and Andy will have the tile in the bathrooms done by Thursday (so he says). 

Its a good week. 

A really good 34th-35th week of growing my Baby Girl. 

Our Fan is Clean.

While Andy attended our neighborhood HOA meeting tonight, I took it upon myself to keep this whole "nesting" thing going. 

On my radar tonight was our bedroom fan, our master closet, moving the wireless router from the old-office-now-playroom to our bedroom, and cleaning the baseboards in the master. 

Closet was easy. 

Baseboards weren't bad. 

Moving the router took 4.3 minutes.

The fan kicked my Nesting Mama Bum!

We just changed our sheets on the bed a few days ago, and had yet to wash that load of laundry.. so I took the dirty sheet out and draped it over the bed in case we had a dust storm (yes, our fans were b-a-d! GROSS!). I then dragged the vacuum into our room and contemplated whether or not I should use the step ladder to reach the fan, or stand on the bed. 

Neither option seemed super safe to me, and I know had Andy been home he would have objected to both options -- but he wasn't home, I just couldn't bear the thought of letting the dust collect on that fan another day, and I really didn't want to waddle to the garage to haul the step ladder inside... so I opted for the standing-on-the-bad plan. 

I have never cleaned/dusted a fan before [that task usually falls on Andy's shoulders] and I may never clean/dust a fan again. It was not easy. I had to reach with one arm way up over my head to hold the blade steady, reach with my other arm way up over my head to try and vacuum the dust up, and do everything in my power to keep my watermelon-toting-body steady on the bed. I  bet I was quite the sight wobbling there on the bed in my ill-fitting white tank top and Andy's old pajama pants. Whew. I'm exhausted just reliving it here. 

But, I am happy to say... our fan is CLEAN!

And my arms are sore.

And my back is killing me. 

But the fan is CLEAN.

Now, I can turn my attention to how disgusting our carpet is. 

Why is everything in the house so appalling to me all of the sudden? Is that a part of this *nesting phenomenon* too? Nothing ever being clean enough? If so, we're in trouble. 

And We're Nesting!

Preparations for Camryn are in *almost* in full swing.. and I don't foresee things slowing down in the coming days or weeks! We've got our first shower this Saturday, and our second shower the following weekend. After that, we'll be able to complete her nursery and breathe a little easier!

It seems a lightbulb finally went off above our heads this morning, its about time we get down to business! 

Andy spent the day ripping out the old tile in our bathroom and got more than half of the new tile laid. He will finish laying the rest and then grout tomorrow. Woohoo! I was really worried we wouldn't get this done before Camy's arrival, then we'd be stuck with the old tile for several months more (the noise and dust are not things I'd like to deal with when we've got a newborn in the house!). Once he finishes our bathroom, he'll do the guest bath - which shouldn't take but a day. 

As for me, I've spent hours today sitting on Camryn's nursery floor, surrounded by stacks of baby clothes. I spent the majority of my time just looking around trying to figure out what to do with all her stuff! Organizing her room should NOT be this difficult, but I've been totally overwhelmed.  The hard part about making the organizational decisions today was not knowing just how much we will end up with by the time she arrives. We already have quite the stash of clothing, but between the showers in the next couple weeks and whatever last-minute shopping we may need to do -- who knows how much these stacks of clothing and blankets and things will grow!! I just can't decide what to put where.. we have a cubby shelf with drawers, the dresser/cabinet, the shelves in the closet.. good grief! 

Diapers, Burp Cloths, Blankets and Sheets and Mattress Pads, Onesies, Pants, Skirts -- some single, some a part of a coordinating outfit, Dresses with Bloomers, Pajamas with Pants, Pajama Gowns, Sleep Sacks, Swaddle Blankets, Receiving Blankets, Socks, Hats, Towels, Wash Cloths... Seriously, this girl has (or will have) SO MUCH STUFF! 

So what did I do about this little dilemma? 

Started making another "OCD List", of course! 

I already have a list of tasks around the house that need to be completed before Camryn is born.

I already have a list of the important things we need to be sure to have on hand before Camryn is born. 

I already have a list of questions I keep handy for my OB and Camy's Pediatrician.

I already have a list of easy-fix meals for the weeks after she's born as well as meals I'd like to make ahead of time to freeze. 

I already have a list of what I need to pack for the hospital. 

And now I have a list of ways I can organize her room.

I think I must be a lazy nester. 

A lazy, list-making nester, as opposed to a productive go-get-em nester.

Oh, but do you want to know the best (read: worst) part about what little progress was made today?

After sorting through all the clothes we have been given and separating them based on size, style, and purpose.. I realized they all need to be washed. Awesome. All my sorting was done for nothing... its all been tossed in a laundry basket and added to the queue for the washing machine, just to be sorted and separated again when it's fresh and clean. 

I get to do it all over again in a couple days (when we get around to washing the baby stuff). 

But thats okay, at least I have some concept of how I'd like things to be put away now. And I guess I better get used to folding and sorting baby clothes, as I will be folding and sorting Camryn's laundry for the next who-knows-how-many years! Which begs the question? When will she be old enough to do her own laundry? ;)

The Total 180!

Tuesday held a first for us... feeling and seeing my sweet Camryn do a complete 180 degree turn in my belly. 

I was sitting at our dining room table, enjoying a nice bowl of Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream (heaven in a bowl) when I felt Camryn stick her little baby butt waaaay out on my left side. 

She likes to hang out in that corner of her confined little world.. so that was nothing new. 

Then I felt her little bum start moving across the front of my belly over to the right... again, nothing new. She likes to go back and forth, wiggling her little bum from my left to my right. 

Just a few seconds later though, I felt her little feet start tickling my left side - which was such an odd sensation it made me squirm in my seat! Then a few bites of heaven later, her feet were moving around towards my belly button. I knew it had to be her feet because of how tiny the little moving bump was and by the fact that she then started kicking right at my belly button. 

Camryn, darling, I don't know if you were trying to escape via my belly button or what, but I feel like I should let you know that my belly button is not your exit. Hang in there a few more weeks at least, then make your way to the exit  found a little further south. 

I think she stayed cozy in her roundabout position for a few days because Friday morning her Daddy, Aunt V, and I all enjoyed a game akin to Whack-A-Mole with Camy.. except instead of whacking, we were gently pushing, and instead of "a mole" it was her feet we were toying with. 

I was lounging on my niece's bean bag chair when I started feeling those crazy little belly button kicks again. I lifted up my shirt to get a good view of what was going on.. and it was hilarious and crazy and hilarious some more. Little tiny bump here.. little thump there.. A was completely in awe. It was like she was kicking in circles, right around my belly button. We would see one kick and gently push in that spot, then she would kick in another spot.. and we would try to "catch" her. That is the first time it seemed like she was responding to our touch. Our first little game with Sweet Camy Lou. :) Too much fun.

I don't know when she managed to turn herself back around, but this morning she has resumed her normal bum-on-my-left position. I like this position of hers. It minimizes the bladder punches, it keeps the kicking in a manageable area (ie, NOT my ribs) and I can sit and rub on her little butt whenever I want. :)

Here is a belly pic from last weekend - I was 32 weeks 4 days in this picture. Forgive me for looking a little ragged - I was ex-haus-ted! And check out that belly button sticking out. So funny!

In other (quick) news: 

The new fan has been installed in Camryn's room. I think it looks so much better than the old one!

The floating shelves that will go above the dresser/changing table have been purchased and are waiting to be hung. 

My rocker should be in the next couple weeks - YAY!

My first shower is one week from today - YAY YAY!

And after this Tuesday, 34 weeks, if we go into labor, Baby Girl will be making her entrance. My OB won't try to stop it after that point. EEK!

33 weeks, 4 days -- only 45 days to go!

33 Weeks

• How far along?: 33 weeks!!!
• Total weight gain: I refuse to weigh myself at home anymore, so I haven't been weighed since my 32 week appt last Wednesday. At that appt I was up almost 36 lbs from prePG. 
• How big is baby?: About 3 1/2 pounds.. per my OB's prediction that she is in the 50th percentile.
• Maternity clothes?: I am currently wearing a pair of Adidas sweats that are not maternity, and it makes me happy. :) Sadly a good deal of my maternity shirts are quickly becoming too short to cover my belly. *sigh*
• Stretch marks?: Still just on the girls.. not the belly! Hooray!
• Sleep?: Actually this week I am doing pretty well.. only waking up once a night to go to bathroom. Sometimes I struggle to fall asleep still, but once I'm out I've been doing good about staying that way. 
• Best moment this week?: Feeling Camryn do a complete 180 in my belly. I will blog about that later. :) Tied-for-second-best: V and Baby Rylan coming to stay the week with us!! YAY!
• Movement?: I am feeling her move ALL-THE-TIME! And her movements are so big they often startle me or make me squirm!
• Food cravings?: Nothing specific this week - just eating everything in sight. 
• Labor signs?: No real labor signs (thankfully) though I have noticed an increase in the BH the last several days.
• Belly button in or out?: Still just the top half sticks out. I'm wondering if the bottom half will ever pop...?
• What I miss: Reaching my toes or being able to pick things up off the floor with any bit of grace. 
• What I'm looking forward to: We have a Meet-N-Greet with our Pediatrician tomorrow (I have been going to this Pedi for almost 6 years via families I've worked for but DH wants to meet him). 
• Milestone: Hmmm... I don't know about a milestone this week.. though to me, every week is a milestone. Every week completed is one week closer to meeting Baby Camy and one more week of growth for her. 

32 Week Appointment

Yesterday we had our 32 week appointment. 

No protein in urine (yay!), awesome BP (yay!), beautiful heartbeat (YAY!!), and perfect fundal height measurement (YAY!!). 

Great news all around. 

My weight is continuing to climb at [what to me is] an alarming rate, but both our nurse and the OB said I shouldn't be worried. Whatever you say doc - you're the pro. But seriously.. this seems like its kinda snowballing outta control to little (ahem, not so little) old me!

Doc commented on how awesome my ankles look - no swelling in my legs/feet so far. Woohoo. My hands get a little swollen from time to time, but its hard to say how much of that is pregnancy related and how much of that is triple digit weather! 

He asked about Braxton Hicks and was pleased to hear that we are only experiencing the dreaded BH from time to time.. never more than a couple at a time, and maybe 2 instances a week. 

Then, what really got me was the next bit of info he shared -- after our next appt (at 34 wks), if we were to go into labor, they wouldn't try to stop it. 

:::picture my eyes bugging out of my head at right about that moment:::

Okay, I KNOW that does not mean we will go into labor at that point.. but just knowing that IF we did, we would be having our baby and not trying to postpone labor FREAKED. ME. OUT. 

I immediately started thinking... "But we don't have a mattress, or bedding, or a carseat, or the rocker, or the fans in the house dusted, or the baseboards cleaned, or the bills organized, or the COBRA settled... " 

The doc must have seen the wheels in my head a-turning because he went on to say that we have no reason to believe I will deliver Camryn early.. all signs are pointing to a full-term delivery at this point. 

Whew. 

It was nice to hear him say that out loud.. even though deep down I already knew it was true. 

We discussed a few other things that I had questions about.. for instance, their policy on internals (they can start checking me at 36 wks, same wk they do the GBS test, but I have every right to decline them), what the heck is happening to my few little moles/beauty marks (he wants me to see the dermatologist down the hall), and what the heck Camryn is doing when her fetal movements feel like they are set to super sonic speed (totally normal, could be her kicking her feet or opening or closing her hands or flapping her arms - nothing to worry about and totally cute to picture!!). 

We go back in 2 more weeks for the last fully-clothed appt of the PG. ACK! 

Some sad news at the appt, though, was that the 3rd OB in the practice (who has been on bed rest for the last 3 months PG with triplets) delivered her babies just shy of 24 weeks and 2 didn't make it. Heart breaking. The third baby is in NICU and will be for quite some time, but the prognosis is good. So sad for her to lose 2 of her children, but thank goodness Baby3 is fighting and hanging on. 

And the evolution of *my* movement!

Oh, Baby Girl. I love you so. 

I love feeling you move. 

I love my round belly. 

I love daydreaming about what it will be like to meet you and hold you and love you forever. 

What I do not love, however, is feeling as though pregnancy has aged me 50 years overnight. 

I am full time waddler now. 

It takes me a good 7.3 seconds to stand up off the couch, and much longer to get out of bed. 

Rolling over in bed is a tri-phasic debacle where phase 1 involves untangling myself from my various body pillows, phase 2 involves grunting while attempting to rotate my lower half and phase 3 involves panting while trying to get my belly to follow. 

Bending over is a joke. Sometimes I am able to squat, in a very unladylike way, to get what I need.. but luckily your cousin Syd is old enough to understand what "Hey Syd, can you pick that up for Becky?" means. She's a good girl. 

I bruise like.. I don't even know what. What bruises easily? Cuz I'm whatever that is!

And I can pull a muscle just by sitting up. As I did last night. Something startled me in my sleep (I have NO idea what) and I sat up very quickly.. somehow in the process I hurt my shoulder. Enough that I woke up your Daddy to whine about it, and he lovingly rubbed it until I felt better. He's going to be a good Daddy!

Another pathetic muscle-pulling situation - kicking the recliner closed seems to have irritated my groin. Yep. All I wanted to do was close the recliner to stand up and go in the kitchen (my tied-for-favorite room in the house, with the bathroom being the co-winner!).. but instead I kicked it closed, cried in pain, and hobbled in there like a 98 year old woman. Sad, sad, sad. 

It scares me to think my belly will only get bigger over the next 7 weeks and 6 days. And the bigger it gets, the harder it will be for me to move around. I just can't imagine it being much more difficult than it is now.. but I guess I'll be finding out just how hard it really can be soon enough. 

Even with all this, and all the other little complaints I may have, I love you Baby Girl. 

I love that we are blessed enough to be able to grow our own little human, and I feel so blessed to be your Mommy. 

Keep growing in there, Little One!! Don't listen to me when I whine about all this.. I want you to stay put until you are ready to come out.

PS - Thank you for showing Daddy you aren't afraid of him like he sometimes thinks you are. He loved being able to feel so much movement from you last night, and he was amazed at just how strong you have become. He mentioned that it was the most movement he's ever felt from you at one time, and his face was just glowing with excitement at having that time to share with you! He can't wait to hold you and kiss you, Camy. 

32w1d

The Evolution of Your Movement

I remember the first time I *thought* I felt you move, Camy. 

I was sitting on the couch, kind of curled up funny, and felt a little tickle in my belly. It was nothing like I had ever felt before, and I was just convinced that was you. I had a smile plastered on my face the rest of the evening, and probably most of the following day as well. It was so exciting to think you were letting your existence be known in ways that didn't involve me becoming violently ill.  I just sat there on the couch,  not wanting to shift positions at all.. waiting for you to move again. I felt the little tickles or flutters a couple more times but that was it.

They were the teeny-tiniest little tickles though. If I hadn't been sitting just the way I was, it would have been easy to miss or misconstrue. I think I told everyone who would listen to me for the next several days that I felt you tickle me.

The second time I felt you move was at your Aunt V's house later that week. I had just finished a big glass of Banana-Orange-Pineapple juice and was laying in bed reading a book when you got to squirming around like crazy! After a few minutes of you wiggling nonstop, poking and fluttering around, I called your Daddy into the room to see if he could feel it, too. He couldn't and was a little disappointed that he couldn't share that moment with you and me... but we knew it wouldn't be long before you'd be strong enough to feel from the outside. 

The first time it felt like a true kick from you, not just a little flutter, was just a few days later while I was making your Aunt V's shower invitations and leaning over my crafting table, which put a bit of pressure on my belly. You apparently did not approve, and poked me right where the table was. This movement wasn't like the rapid tickle I felt the first couple times, it was a clear and distinct poke/kick... and I loved it! I ran to find your Daddy to share with him the news and we were both so excited by that milestone. 

Well, sweet Girl, you must have been eager to show Daddy how big and strong you were, because it was just about a week later that he was able to feel you from the outside. I had just eaten a big bowl of oatmeal that I had dressed up with quite a bit of brown sugar, and I guess it put you on a big ol' sugar high! You were kicking and poking and dancing all around. I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel you on the outside and I was so thrilled that I could! I called for your Daddy to come feel, and then you stopped. He went back into the kitchen and of course, just seconds later you started kicking again... Daddy came running and you stopped. We both laughed then Daddy decided to sit down next to me with his hand on my belly and just wait.... after a minute or two he felt you kick and got so excited and wide-eyed! He even asked if that was me doing that or you -- I had to explain to him that there is no way for me to make one little part of my belly jump like that. Haha. Your Daddy -- he says some silly things sometimes! 

Since those first exciting weeks of movement, the way we feel you, and SEE you, has changed dramatically. 

There have been days where I startle at your big, sudden jolts or shifts.. then just laugh at how amazing and strange it is all at the same time.

There have been days when we see you turning, pushing your little bottom out and moving around. We love it when we can just sit and watch you move.

There have been instances where we see a little bulge poke out further than the rest of my belly.. and we sit and speculate-- is that a hand? a foot? a knee, maybe an elbow?

There have been times where your Daddy sees a movement that I didn't even notice.. I am pretty used to them these days, and sometimes don't even realize what you're doing.

There have been just a couple times where your stretching has actually hurt Mommy and I've had to remind you that my belly can only stretch so much. 

Then this morning, in the wee hours of the day, there was a movement so big and powerful that it woke me up!

You still seem to have a bit of stage fright when it comes to letting your Daddy feel you move.. or maybe its just a special game you play with him. I will feel a string of steady movement and call Daddy over.. and just as he puts his hand on my belly, you seem to get cozy and calm. 

We have been able to pick up on your patterns/habits now, as well. 

You are very active just as Mommy is waking up in the morning, which often means I stay in bed a lot longer than I should.. just because I love that time with you and want to sit and feel/watch you wiggle all day.

You get very active when I sit on the floor (with Sydnee) and I wonder if that is because you are squished when I sit that way. 

You like it (or maybe you don't?) when I eat crunchy foods.. you always move when I'm chewing on something crunchy. I always assumed that meant you liked it, but now that I think about it.. I wonder if you can hear me chomping and disapprove?

Really cold drinks seem to startle you into dancing.

Laying on my left side makes you stretch and squirm... laying on my back makes you poke your bottom up just to the left of my belly button.

It is so amazing to feel all the ways you move and groove in there, Camryn. 

We love knowing that you are big and strong in there, and we love getting to "play" with you throughout the day. 

I wonder what these last 8 weeks will be like in terms of your movement. I know you are starting to get cramped in there already -- its obvious by the way we feel somersaults and shifts/turns more as opposed to your pokes and kicks like before. Will you discover my ribs in the next few weeks (I am in no hurry for you to do so, so don't feel like you need to go exploring!)? Will you continue to punch my bladder from time to time? Will the movements become more painful for Mommy as grow and run out of room, or will they stay as entertaining as they are now? 

I can't wait to find out!

And I can't wait to meet you, little love. 

31w6d