Loch Ness Monster vs. The Belly

Hello, all!

It's hard to believe how quickly the last few weeks have flown by...and here I am again, apologizing for not having posted since earlier this month. To say that time moves at a different and surreal pace these days would be an understatement. : )

It's also time again for a new belly shot......here I am, 4 weeks later, at 28 weeks (taken on Monday):


I have LITERALLY been gaining all of my weight (limited as it has been) in my belly. Already, I cannot see my feet, or bend over much at the waist. Very soon, I will also no longer be able to:

* sit in a car without denting in the dashboard (or drive, for that matter)

* hula hoop

* pull my shoes on while standing, without tipping over

* wear 90% of my current wardrobe

I've come to realize, though.....even though this belly has taken over my body and my life, I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. : ) Sprout has been getting more and more active as the weeks progress.....he usually goes a little crazy when he's hungry (ie. before I am due to eat a meal) and late at night (fun times), and will even kick in reaction to certain noises. I've been really into spicy foods the last few months, which also seem to really get him going. : ) He also has a clearly developed stubborn streak....whenever I try to have Jeff feel some of those kicks, suddenly our little boy calms down and stops moving around. What a little stinker. ; )

Jeff and I have made it through the first three weeks of our 8-week Labor & Delivery class, and so far are not TOO traumatized. (I think the one hit-and-run that Jeff had a couple of years ago with the Discovery Health Channel has made him immune to any sort of panic induced by labor and delivery videos, however.) Actually, the classes have been really awesome.....the other couples are so nice (one couple even shares our exact due date!), the instructor has been amazing and helpful, and the material hasn't made us change our minds about wanting to be parents (haha). In this week's class, we discussed pain management options, which has really made me question my earlier thoughts on epidurals. Everyone always says, "GET THE EPIDURAL. It is a GODSEND." But now that I really evaluate this option, I wonder.....do I actually want to be numb from the waist down? I'm sure most mothers will respond with a resounding "YES", but I'm not convinced. Looks like I have a big decision to make!

We also had a tour of the Birthing Center and Postpartum wards at Fairview Southdale Hospital.....even though we'd been there before when Jeff's sister Kris had her babies, we were definitely viewing it through different eyes this time around. The hospital has made some nice renovations and upgrades in the past year, so we are very happy with our choice to deliver there.

We have our next appointment coming up on March 4th, and from this point on we'll be seeing the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe we've already reached that point! Anyway, they will be taking one last ultrasound, so we are excited to be able to see Sprout again. Here's hoping that this third trimester continues to go well!


Lately I have been stressing about not having any control over when, where and HOW Sprout is going to make his appearance into the world. (Yes, it is shocking that a planner like myself would feel compelled to plan even this moment in our lives.) In particular, I worry that I will be at work, in the middle of a meeting in one of our boardrooms, and my water will break. I realize this isn't a very likely outcome, but you never know! I had a dream last night that Jeff and I were hanging out with my family in ND, and everyone suddenly wanted to take off and head to a beach in California, where a sea creature (I think it was a multi-headed Loch Ness Monster) had been sighted swimming along the shoreline. I was the only one who thought it was a bad idea, but I went along anyway. When we arrived, we saw the sea creature bobbing around in the ocean, with swimmers of all ages climbing all over it. The only problem....the multiple heads on this creature kept attacking and killing those daring enough to hop aboard! And yet, they just kept on coming....it was ridiculous. When I woke up this morning, I was still shaking my head. I looked up "sea creatures" in a dream dictionary online to find out what it might signify, and here's what I got:

You are afraid that something or someone will overwhelm you in your real life, or put you in a situation that is out of your control.

Hmmm....point taken. Obviously, this is one pregnant lady that needs to stop worrying about all of the "what-if's" regarding going into labor! No matter where or when it happens, the end result will be a beautiful, healthy (hopefully) baby boy.....and I can't really ask for much better than that. : )

Jeff and I are taking a 2.5 day weekend starting this Friday as a sort of "babymoon".....we are heading to a B&B along the St. Croix River, where we will spend the weekend relaxing, getting pampered and doing a bit of fine dining. We both can't wait....it has been AGES since we've gone anywhere together, and we know this is our last "hurrah" of sorts before Sprout arrives in May. We can't wait to be parents, but we also know that it is important to nurture our relationship as a couple!

We'll be in touch soon....look for new ultrasound photos next week!

Love,

Jeff, Farrah & Sprout