32 weeks, 8 left

Seriously, where is the time going?  I'm really only thinking about getting through the next week or so and then it's Christmas.    I have recently accrued a ridiculous amount of vacation time and I'm really only work maybe 2 days till the end of the year.  It's going to be nice to be home and get things done and just relax!

I'm starting to feel like I'm pregnant.  I feel that I'm slower to get up and moving.  I'm getting a few aches and pains in the middle of the night.  Still no Braxton Hicks contractions or painful kicks/jabs from the kid.  I am waking up with pain in my hips from all my weight being on them when I sleep.  But the good news is that I am sleeping.  I'm falling asleep around 9:30 and sleeping till Reily wakes me around 1 to go out and again at 5:30 with my alarm.

Reily has become the world's best shadow.  When I'm getting ready in the morning or moving around the house, she has to be right next to me.  It makes for some close falls for Scott and I.  She seems to be in protective mode now and hopefully that will ease up a bit after the baby arrives.

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, it'll gain a third to half of its birth weight during the next 7 weeks as it fattens up for survival outside the womb. It now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Its skin is becoming soft and smooth as it plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.  I do feel the shortness of breath and needing to sit up straight more often.  I'm always hungry and need to eat more.  

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances.  If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.  I've had a little tightness in my back but that's due to how I have to sit at work.

Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.