27/28/29 weeks

27 weeks home from dinner with friends

I started out 27 weeks feeling small, although because belly baby likes to lay sideways I would sometimes feel sorta mutant.  Thanks goodness for big warm coats and baggy sweaters (many of which are getting less baggy by the minute).  This whole transverse routine makes it look like I'm hiding a long watermelon under my shirt.  The midwife actually said I was measuring strangely because the baby was pushing out on the sides so much.

You'll notice I'm saying "the" midwife because at this point I'm again a patient floating in the wind.  "My" midwife left the office practice "to spend more time with her family," which I can understand and appreciate.  However, this means that the great connection I felt I'd built with her is pretty much moot.  There is a slight chance that she may be filling in for someone on an "as needed" basis when I go into labor, but the chance of ever seeing her again is not very high.  Oh well, I'm just not meant to have a strong connection with my medical providers.  Good thing my husband has that Husband Coached Birth book on hand... He does have one birth under his belt, so his experience points are racking up.  ;)

My big U-shaped pregnancy pillow rejoined the pile up of pillow in week 27.  It's like having a third person in the bed really, so I was slow to reintroduce it this time.  I finally had to break down because of this babes' insistence on laying sideways and kicking so that he almost feels like he's marching.   He loves to be up late at night (between 3 and 3:30 routinely!) playing belly soccer by pushing off with his head and bouncing off the other side with his kicky feet. His position pushes in and out on my belly button, and one evening my belly button looked like it was pulsing in a pattern.  It was the baby attempting to give me some morse code message.

29 weeks after Valentine's storytime 

I will say that the timing of my job ending could not have been better because I can't imagine trucking into work in this weather.  I have an informal breakfast club with my friend where we've taken a pretty wide tour of all my favorite breakfast spots.  The other day the stars aligned when the Liberty Elm Diner had peanut butter chocolate chip muffins.  I chipped into my peanut butter allowance to indulge.  My friend was nice enough to make dinner for us and she even thought to be sure there was pasteurized cheese in the butternut squash risotto.

Aiden really seems to understand that he has a baby brother on the way.  He claims he likes my belly "in the way" because it's comfy on his back when he sits in my lap.  I try not to "blame" the baby for anything like when I'm slow to roll out of bed when Aiden's ready for his yogurt in the morning.  Aiden, instead of protesting, helps me by pulling my hand with his "super strength."  The other day I was commenting that it felt like my belly shelf was sloping and he rushed in to prop his little hands under my belly, saying, "Mommy, I'll help hold my baby up!"   I need all the help I can get.