Baby Birthin' Class

Hi guys—we're at 35 weeks now. 2-4 more to go. I say 2-4 because I just learned that 37 weeks is considered full term. Sweet. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I want to kick Sophia out of my warm and comfy uterus before she's ready, but after last night's eye opening birth class, I see several advantages to having a smaller baby!

The class was both educational and seriously entertaining. We had so many funny people in it, (including the teacher), that it was a blast. They're 3 hours long, and we meet once a week for a month. So much of what I thought I knew about birth simply wasn't true! Take for example that when a woman has contractions, her uterus bears down with 120 pounds of pressure to lower the baby down, little by little, into the birth canal? Meaning, you don't have to “PUUUUSSSSHHHH” until the very end.

And that the whole reason why active labor takes as long as it does (between 12 and 18 hours) is so that our bodies have a chance to stretch naturally? How about the reason why women's feet swell during pregnancy is because our bodies instinctively know that we're about to go though the birthing process and lose a lot of blood. Our bodies wouldn't be able to produce blood as fast as it'll be needed, so it actually stores it in our extremities. Is that amazing or what?!

34 Weeks . . .A House for Lauren . . . and a Birthday for Chris

Six more weeks. 42 more days. Is that possible?! Now that I pause to think about it, I suppose it is. All the signs are there—starting with me feeling like I'm going to pop. Things like me growing out of some of my maternity clothes, the difficulty sleeping, the way that I need Eric to basically pull me off of our couch after watching TV at night are all the validation I need.


I have to say, these last couple of months have been the most enjoyable for me. I LOVE feeling her move! Once I feel the first indication of her doing her thing in there, I look down at myself and I'm amazed because most of the time now, I can actually SEE her move too. I didn't know that was going to happen! It's wild.


I'm also feeling more of the stereotypical pregnancy stuff now too—things like cravings. You guys would be amazed by how much pepperoni I put away on a daily basis. Just writing about it makes me want to throw my laptop off my lap and pull some out of my deli drawer in the refrigerator. It's just so delicious . . . that perfect mix of salty and spicy, the texture. Mmm. You want some too now, don't you?


The other thing I can't seem to get enough of is Spanish olives. I feel a little less bad about throwing down 10 to 15 a day of those because at least they have some dietary benefits, (I don't remember what they are now, but I did Google it and I recall being pleasantly surprised).



Here's me from a few weeks ago wearing one of my favorite maternity shirts . . . a gift from my sister while I was in NJ in May.



Speaking of my sister—she and Chris closed on their first house a few weeks ago and have been in HGTV mode ever since. Beside their frequent trips to Home Depot and Lowes, they're not doing much of anything except home improvements in their spare time. I can't wait to see how it turns out!



Today is said Chris's birthday—HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS! We love you!