31 weeks

No signs of Braxton Hicks yet.  I may have over done it last weekend and pulled a muscle in my lower left side.  I've been taking it rather easy once I get home from work and lounge around until bed at 9-9:30.  The pain seems to be easing as the week goes on.  I guess I'm going to have to realize that I need to pace myself more in the final weeks.  The kid is moving around and feels like a full soccer game is going on.  Somehow it will know when Scott's hand is on my stomach and stop moving completely, then start-up again when his hand is removed.  It's the weirdest thing.

We started prepping the baby's room and we found a crib.  The room will look a little more complete after this weekend's painting session.  Here is the crib we decided on.  We do have the jungle theme but not this design that was on display.

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. It weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. It can turn its head from side to side, and its arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath its skin. It's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy

How your life's changing:

Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless. Frequent contractions, on the other hand — even those that don't hurt — may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have more than four contractions in an hour or any other signs of preterm labor: an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge (if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody — even if it's pink or just tinged with blood); abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping; an increase in pressure in the pelvic area; or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before

Activity in the Womb

As far as growth goes, your baby's still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. At 31 weeks pregnant, you can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet.   Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever.   Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

So what's your little dove doing all day while you're busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they're born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).