A rocks an empathy belly

At our first Labor & Birth class, the instructor brought in a 35-lb empathy belly for the support person to try on. I made A volunteer, and he even had to sign a waiver - he certified he wasn't wearing heels, didn't have a hernia, etc. and vouched not to jump up and down or make sudden movements with the belly on - hilarious but the hospital is cautious.

First thing A had to do was wear a velcro band around his chest to simulate us pregnant ladies with decreased lung capacity. Check out how a mom's interior changes between not pregnant and pregnant below. The lung size decreases, as well as the stomach. No wonder I can't eat big meals or breathe! Also, the uterus goes from the size of a closed fist to being wrapped around the baby. It's so amazing how the human body was designed!

Source

Anyways, back to class....let's put that 35-lb empathy belly on!

At which point A started rubbing his belly as he would a Buddha statue at the entrance of a Chinese restaurant. Classy ;).

The apron covers everything nicely. A said it was really heavy. Oh, and below the belly, the instructor also stuck a bean-bag like thing to put even more pressure on his bladder....hehe....

A's belly was bigger than mine!

He said he really felt the pressure when sitting down.

Try to get your shoes now! Not so easy, is it?

Help, he's rolled over and he can't flip around ;)

It was a fun experience and good class. Next week, we start learning some breathing and relaxation techniques.

Custom stamps of baby's hand & foot print

The caption makes no sense, but aren't these the cutest little stamps? They are made from imprints of your baby's hand and foot that you send to them. Pricey for $100. I mean, you could pass off any hand stamp as your baby's. Who would know, right?

iPod shuffle

This is a pretty cool looking (and tiny) shuffle!

Apple

Week 30 - 18", 3.2 lbs

At my last check-up, I hadn't gained any weight. The doctor wasn't concerned since I had that 8-lb weight gain early in the 2nd trimester. But I sure feel like I'm carrying more and more each week. He's creeping up there on the scale, but I can't imagine that he'll gain another 3 lbs in the next 9 weeks! Can my abdomen hold anymore?

Hungry...nausea

Yesterday, A & I went out to lunch after church. I was so hungry. I ate an omelet, toast, and homefries and was so full afterwards. Not two hours later, I was "so hungry" again! So I ate something leftovers at home, but then felt a bit nauseated. It's a vicious cycle...hungry...eat...nauseated...oi! I think I should stick with foods that have higher fiber so I feel full longer and won't have to eat whatever is lying around when I'm hungry.

Now that's a lasagna

100 layers, to be exact

Onions

How To Dice An Onion from Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn on Vimeo.

Seems so simple, yet why can't I master this skill?

Other facts about onions:

• 5 tips on how to cut onions without tears
• An additional tip from Rick Bayless - soak them in water after being peeled
• Don't keep onions and potatoes together. They emit some sort of chemical that apparently spoils the other one faster. Huh!

Baby shower!

Saturday was our bi-monthly Couples/Young Families Fellowship meeting. It starts at 10:30am and the location this week was about an hour away. Friday night I ask A what time we should leave the next morning. I suggest 9:30 and he suggests 10. I then go on a little rant as to why he would want to leave at 10 when he knows that the meeting starts at 10:30 and we are an hour away. So we compromise and say 9:45.

Saturday morning, 9:45, and I'm ready to go. A says he needs to use the bathroom. I then go on a little rant as to why he would wait until we have to leave before realizing he needs to use the bathroom.

In the car and we still have to pick up some food for the fellowship. We finally find the ACME close to the meeting location and get the food. It is now 10:45 and I go on a little rant, saying things like "See, told you it would take us at least 45 min to get here. Why did you want to leave at 10?" and "It's only you and me right now, so I'm ok trying to get just you to leave the house on time. But when we have kids too, you gotta help me round up the troops. I can't have you dragging your feet too." A nods and says, "Yes, dear."

Finally at the meeting location, and A feels the need to honk at one of our fellowship members who's in the driveway helping another family unload their car. It's like "Ok, way to announce our late arrival, sweetie." We get inside the house and everyone screams surprise and all the kids are laughing hysterically on the floor. (I haven't gotten the idea yet because I'm distracted by the kids laughing hysterically on the floor) Then Alan says surprise to me and I'm like "Is this why you were trying to make us late this morning?!"

Anyways, it was a great surprise. The fellowship celebrated the upcoming birth of two families' babies that day (ours and another's). And I'm glad I didn't give A too hard a time that morning about being late. Which is surprising since I'm a stickler for time, but I guess I am learning to hold my tongue and be patient. Hehe...A  wouldn't agree with that last sentence. He's patient for putting up with me.

Week 29 - 17", 3.1 lbs

I am 10 weeks, 3 days until my due date. It sounds so close! But then again, I am about 5 weeks, 3 days from my thesis defense, so...

It's like after every meal, and even drink of water, I feel like my tummy can't hold anymore! Quite uncomfortable though understandable since I have a 17" long baby inside me! Craaazy!

Glucose screening & Braxton Hicks

I passed my 1-hr glucose tolerance screening, so that means no gestational diabetes (and no 3-hr test). Yay!

I was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" last night and came upon the part about Braxton Hicks contractions. So what I've been attributing to the baby rolling over (which was a sensation of pressure from the top of my uterus moving to the bottom) was probably actually a Braxton Hicks contraction. Apparently you can start feeling them after 20 weeks of pregnancy. They are just practice contractions for the real thing in a few months. Luckily, mine aren't painful :).

Bad dream

I think I had my first pregnancy/baby-related bad dream last night: I kept forgetting to feed the baby! Oi....

Weird or cool product?

The May issue of Parents Magazine featured some moms and dads who started their own companies based on baby products they developed at home. One product is called the Peekaru Original. It's a fleece vest that zips over a soft baby carrier (like the Baby Bjorn) and over the person wearing the carrier. It's kinda weird because it looks like you have baby's head growing out of your chest. But then it's cool because it does keep both the baby and person warm. What do you think?

Week 28 - 17", 2.9 lbs

I am officially in my third and final trimester. The past six months have gone by so fast! Our baby is about 17" (no longer measured crown-to-rump, but head-to-toe), which is close to how big he'll be when he's born, and almost 3 lbs. And boy, is space at a premium in the tummy area! Sometimes after I eat, I have trouble taking deep breaths because of everything pushing on my diaphragm. This trimester, the baby is beginning to turn in preparation for birth (head down toward cervix). Starting this week, I'll be visiting the OB/GYN every two weeks.

2nd wedding anniversary

Instead of going out to eat for our anniversary, my dear hubby made us a 3-course meal. It included an appetizer, main course, and two desserts (yum!).

First course: Stuffed mushrooms

Second course: Rack of lamb

And he doesn't even like lamb!!

That glass of red liquid was sparkling grape cider, by the way...

Last course: Chocolate-dipped strawberries and key lime pie

Great job! It was a meal to remember :).

LOTS of movement

I wonder if the amount of movement in the womb is any indication of how active a baby will be outside of the womb. Little baby Ng was moving non-stop from dinner time to the time I went to bed last night! He must want to come out and meet everyone ;). Just another trimester to go!

Week 27 - 15", over 2 lbs

The size of our little boy is can no longer be compared to fruit anymore. He's 15" (that's longer than a foot!) and over 2 lbs in weight! I can't believe that I am a week away from the beginning of my third trimester. The doc said I should feel regular fetal movement by Week 28, but he's been moving everyday for several weeks now. It's a crazy cool feeling. It's like mini earthquakes in my tummy.


Luckily, leg cramps first thing in the morning have gone away (it only lasted 2 days). Sometimes I get restless leg syndrome before bed, so I just make sure I'm really sleepy before shutting the lights off (usually reading makes me sleepy).

This week I'll go for a glucose tolerance test. It is a screening test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). I have to drink a glucose solution and then my blood is drawn after an hour. If glucose levels are high after that hour, I may have to go back for a 3-hour test. Wish me luck ;)!