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33 weeks today. Squirmy is pushing five pounds and is moving more than ever. I love it when I can feel my baby moving.

I have re-written this entry a few times now. I feel so negative about myself and my weight gain (which is completely out of control in spite of my vigilant exercise routine), and for this reason I did not update last week. I have very few positive feelings to share.

I am a bit worried about having prenatal depression. As somebody who has struggled on and off with depression in the past, I can tell the difference between mood swings and a legitimate struggle to be happy. Will mention it to my OBGYN at next week's appointment.

Aside from that... I haven't got a lot to say. Updates may be less frequent due to how I've been feeling. I was okay today until I decided to update, and now I'm crying.

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Squirmy is comparable to a pineapple in size, weighs close to four pounds, and enjoys being sideways, meaning I get to watch the sides of my belly under my ribs move around quite a bit. It also means I get to rub my aching ribs and explain to people who ask what's wrong that it's just kicks.

The weeks left until my due date are in the single digits.

I am continuing to exercise regularly. Baby things are rolling in via friends, family, and Amazon. A great friend from church came and helped me just about finish clearing out the back room (the first half of this work was done only thanks to my fantastic visiting teachers a few weeks ago). This help is invaluable to me; there are some tasks that are just so overwhelming I can't get them done myself!

Having the back room cleaned out will make it much easier for my husband and another friend of ours take my old desk out of there and into the basement. There is another bigger, heavier piece of furniture I really want out of there in addition to that; we'll see if I can convince them to move it! Oh, the things I would do myself if I could...

Hubby has been such a sport and has attended with me classes on newborn care and breastfeeding, as well as the first of two birthing classes. Next week will be the final birthing class and after that it will be just more preparing and counting down to Squirmy's anticipated arrival into the cold world of Iowa in January.

I am cranking out seasonal table cloths on my grandmother's sewing machine, which my mother so generously paid to have shipped out here. I have two more table cloths to do-- then it's onto baby things! I have fabric for two Boppy cases, some fabric for a nursing cover, and a few other things I'm interested in trying my hand at like a nursing top and crib sheets. :)

Tell me this isn't adorable fabric for a Boppy. I might go get more for a nice flannel crib sheet...

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This post was delayed due to a busy weekend!

My husband and I were blessed with a nice little intimate family/close friends baby shower this weekend. We are overwhelmed at all the trouble people have gone to for us!

Squirmy is tumbling -- my belly almost did not stop moving during church today. So irreverent, Squirmy!

Belly is growing. I have handed over most laundry-hauling tasks to my husband. If I do laundry it will be smaller loads in smaller baskets. It is notably harder to get up off the floor from doing Pilates, and I am also turning over most bending-over tasks such as picking laundry up off the bathroom floor to Squirmy's to-be-dad.

Back is hurting. Sometimes it's tolerable, sometimes I stagger around like a drunk person trying to walk home from the bar because it feels like somebody jammed a screwdriver into the small of my back.

Anxiety is heightening. I still have so much to do to get this house ready for baby and I am steadily becoming more physically unable to do a lot of what needs to be done. Actually, the vast majority of these tasks I can't do because it involves getting heavy pieces of furniture into the basement, so I have to wait on my husband to have guys over to help him do that (it's been scheduled; I just need to wait now.)

Hormones are raging -- I cried today while doing my hair and makeup because I felt my efforts to look decent were absolutely futile.


Still trying to sort out what baby things we actually need/will use yet. So many people have given us stuff and it has saved us a lot of money. I am continuing to find good second-hand deals, such as a high chair and Baby Bjorn which I will be picking up this week. I'm afraid of paying for things I won't end up using at all, and I'm afraid of not getting things that I'm really going to want and am going to have to spend additional money on after Squirmy is here. I suppose both of these things will happen in some way and it's best not to stress. But I am, a little bit!