Week of pregnancy: 30 (7 1/2 months)

Time left to go:  2 1/2 months (yikes!)

Weight gained: enough, and that’s not a subject I like to discuss

Recent medical discoveries: negative on diabetes (hoo-ray), also negative on the Rh status (not so hoo-ray, it meant getting a shot, but not a big deal)

Baby supplies purchased: uh, that would be a big, fat zero

Baby supplies still left to purchase: I’m not sure of the number off the top of my head, but all of them is about right

Things still left to do: too many to count or remember

We couldn’t be more excited that our little girl will be here before you know it.  For a long time it felt like the end would never come, and now we’re in the home stretch.  It is also unbelievably frightening, and I wake up every morning in a sense of panic that we won’t be ready.  I know we will be, but this isn’t like packing for a vacation or starting a new job: this is a complete and absolute and permanent life change.  In 2 1/2 months, our lives will never be the same again.  But they will be better.  I can’t wait to meet her.

I had an idea the other day.  I was sleep deprived, as I’ve been for the past few months, and I was thinking about what it is gonna be like once the baby comes.  Now, my sister swears that the reason you can’t sleep when you’re pregnant is to prepare your body and mind for not sleeping once the baby comes.  And I think that sucks.

I think, that as a reward for doing all the hard work for 10 months, not to mention actually giving birth and doing the even harder work after, mother’s should be able to store sleep.  Like, stockpile it for a rainy day.  It should start the day you find out you’re pregnant: you would sleep an extra few hours a night, and that extra sleep would go into a sleep savings account.  Once you enter the no sleep portion of pregnancy, that stored sleep would kick in, and you wouldn’t feel like a zombie and look like Bea Arthur for the next 4 months (not to knock Ms. Arthur, she was awesome).  Every night, a little more sleep would be transferred into your sleep savings account, so your storage levels wouldn’t fall too much, and when the baby was born, you’d have enough to get you through the first few months.  I think it’s a pretty brilliant plan.

As you can probably guess by now, the lack of sleep has started to affect my thinking.  The amount of time I have devoted to developing my plan for sleep storage is a concern, but when you toss and turn all night, your mind tends to wander, and I have no control over where it goes.  I tend to freak myself out a little bit when I think about impending parenthood too much, so instead I formulate impossible plans for inventions that will never happen.  Everyone copes in their own way.  But you have to admit, it’s a pretty fantastic plan.

I am now 7 months pregnant.  My lovely little daughter, who at the moment is pushing her adorable little foot into my bladder, will be born in approximately 89 days.  It seems strange to think that it’s almost over, especially since it feels like it’s just begun. 

Being so close to the end has also really started to freak me out.  I have so much to do in the next 3 months, I’m not even sure where to begin.  Aside from all the “stuff” we need to get, we also need to do the following, in no particular order: find a pediatrician, sign up for cord blood banking, take an infant CPR class, find a bigger home, pack and move into said home, decorate, and generally prepare for the impending arrival of our little one.  It seems like plenty of time to do all that, right?  I would think so too, except I’ve been meaning to do it for the last 7 months, and I haven’t, so now I’m feeling the crunch.

I’m trying not to get too freaked out.  I want to relax and enjoy these last few months as much as possible, before our lives change forever (for the better, of course).  And stress doesn’t help anyone, especially a pregnant woman.  It would be really nice though if I had a pregnancy assistant, someone to help with all the little things that pop up and need to get done.  I think that would be a great business to start, if anyone is interested.  I would certainly employ your services.

In the meantime, I’m left to do everything myself (*sigh*).  With the help of my loving and patient husband, of course.  And the things that can wait, will wait.  If it impedes on my rest and relaxation, it’s probably not gonna get done.  I’ve got my priorities in order people.  And my sanity is priority numero uno.  Until August 14th.

Don’t be alarmed, I still have them.  What I miss is what they used to look like.  And feel like.  And what they used to be able to do.  And most of all, being able to actually see them.

I had pretty cute feet before I got pregnant.  They were a pretty average size, all my toes and toe nails were the same size and proportionate to the foot, no corns, callouses, or bunions.  Good feet.  Now, not so much.  Pregnancy has ravaged my feet.  I think of all the changes that are apparent thus far (aside from the ever increasing roundness of my belly), my feet have been the hardest to get used to.  I’ve had to buy a new pair of work shoes (ugly, boring, comfortable work shoes no less) because my cute Sam Edelman flats no longer fit.  Sad.  I was expecting some mild swelling, but my feet actually getting bigger was a blow I was not prepared for.

Now, about that swelling.  I didn’t have the best circulation before I got pregnant.  And pregnancy has not improved the situation at all.  My feet swell, A LOT, all the time.  I work in retail, so I’m on my feet for 8 hours a day.  They start out fine in the morning, and by the end of the day, my shoes (the ugly ones) are noticably tighter.  I spend an inordinant amount of time with my feet elevated at the end of the day, which gets the swelling down just enough so my shoes will fit the next morning, and I can start the cycle all over again.  It’s awesome.

And if the swelling wasn’t enough of a kick in the pants (also much bigger, BTW), my feet hurt.  Pretty much all the time.  Standing and walking all day, while a pretty good form of exercise, is not exactly comfortable.  And while I think the shoes I’ve been forced to wear are in fact hideous, and I will throw them away as soon as I get home from the hospital, they are the only things that make my days manageable.  They have some kind of air sole or something, which I adore.  Even if they are ugly.

I think my poor toe nails may have suffered the most.  Back in my cute feet days, I loved giving myself pedicures at home (I have a weird thing about people touching my feet, so I rarely went to a nail salon).  Buying nail polish, sandals, peep toed shoes, all geared towards showing off my cute little toes.  But alas, my toe nails have been without adornment for some time.  Why, you ask?  I can no longer reach my feet.  Hell, I’ll be honest, I can’t even see my feet.  I’ve been meaning to go to a nail salon to finally get a pedi, but in the heat of the moment, a nap seems like more fun, so my feet lose out once again. 

Hopefully, one day soon, I’ll get to that nail salon and finally get a pedicure.  So when I catch glimpses of my big fat feet, at least I’ll like what I see.

First of all, I’d like to take this time to apologize for being a spotty blogger.  My intention when I started this was to post every day, or at the very least every couple of days.  But Momma gets tired.  And falls asleep on the couch.  A lot.  So, I apologize, and from here on out, I will make a concerted effort to post my preggy ramblings more often.  I’m going to christen this new leaf with today’s blog, full of fun baby things I love

• Chicco Cortina Keyfit Travel System: aside from being pretty snazzy looking, this stroller/car seat combo rated among the very best for safety.  And it’s not pink, which Daddy specifically requested. 

• Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack in Turkish Twilight: it’s stylish, roomy, and stain-resistant.  What more could you ask for in a diaper bag?  These really are the best diaper bags: they have tons of storage and pockets for all the little baby related items you’ll never use but need to carry around anyway.  And again, it’s not pink, so Daddy can carry it too.  available from our affiliate Layla Grace, http://www.laylagrayce.com/Products/Petunia-Pickle-Bottom-Diaper-Bag-Boxy-Backpack-Glazed-Turkish-Twilight__PPBBBGL00128.aspx?affid=GP

• Solid Colored Baby Bedding from Carousel Designs: Finding crib bedding had proven to be a tad difficult.  I’m not a completely girly-girly kinda girl, and everything out there is flowers or princesses or lace in various shades of pink and lavender.  Not our cup of tea.  Then I stumbled across these solid crib sets from www.carouseldesigns.com in great neutral colors.  We love the black, pink, and ivory.  Simple and understated, but right up our alley. 

• Safe and natural baby products: I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading on what goes into the things that we put on our babies, and I have to say, I’m more than a little disturbed.  I feel very uncomfortable bathing my little girl in soap that contains ingredients that I can’t even begin to pronounce.  And some of the chemicals they use in diapers are the same ones they use to clean pools.  Luckily, there are plenty of other parents that feel the same way, so companies responded.  There are a ton of products available that are chemical, dye, and fragrance free, not to mention totally and completely safe for our environment.  I’m loving Nature’s Babycare Diapers, Earth’s Best Baby Wipes, and the Method line of baby products.  Safe for me, the Earth, and most importantly, safe for my little girl.

So there you have it: just a few of the coolest baby products we’ve come across during our extensive research and data collecting.  If you have any questions about any of these, or want more product info or to know where you can find any of these products, please feel free to email us at littlebabyblog@yahoo.com, or find us on Facebook or Twitter.