Yeah. That's big. And low. What. The heck. Is going. On. I’m one day away from Week 36 and I suddenly feel like a ton of bricks has landed in my groin, and not in a good way. (I’m sure there must be some instances where that’d be a good thing. Look, I’m not thinking very clearly at the moment.) Also, my husband reports that I look different -- my belly's shape has changed.
 
Seems to me that the baby has dropped, but what that means sort of evades me.

I rolled past this photo of Golda Meir on my way to deliver Penelope!Now that I’m halfway through Week 35, my visits to the hospital have gotten quite long. I match up my doctor visits with the antenatal testing, which means I am a bit of a logistical nightmare. And there’s so much to tell!

First of all, when the nurse peeked at my babe via ultrasound, GUESS WHAT: She had flipped over! Her head’s still down, so she can peek out my hoo-hoo like a periscope, but now her butt is on my right side, and I guess I’ll start feeling her kicking and punching to my left. Oh. Ow. Yeah, there she goes.

The cool part about that is -- when Randy and I got into bed last night, I noticed there was unusual activity going on in my abdomen. “Check it out,” I said, poking him. Together we watched a mysterious series of lumps undulating across me. “Whoa,” he said. “You’re at the Alien stage of all this, huh.”

Purely precautionary!Friday, I had to face the music. I mean, I'm in Week 27, and the three-hour fasting glucose tolerance test, determining whether I have gestational diabetes, has to be completed before Week 28 -- I had put it off as long as I could. I combined the test with a doctor visit, since both required a trip to my hospital, and finally got it over with. Phew.

I found myself bargaining with the test the night before. "Do I have to fast for 12 hours before the test?" I asked online. "No, just no food after midnight!" I was told by many of you, and I was relieved to be able to tuck into a bowl of cereal at 11:30 p.m.

Morning dawned, and I was nervous.

A play-date with Martha (and her mom)I've been trying to look ahead to Birdie's birth (just 13 weeks away!) so it can be as easy as possible for Penelope, who'll be 22 months on the due date. (I'm going on the assumption that I'll go pretty close to term. According to my advice nurse, the 17P progesterone shots make an overwhelming difference.)

Of course, nothing's going to make it smooth and painless for my precious girl, and I'm trying so hard not to fret about it. What can I do but my best? In the long run, she'll be glad to have a sister so she won't have to deal with her crazy mother all on her own. In the short run, though -- it rips my heart out to think of anything robbing her of my attention or making her feel the least bit unloved.

Then again, given the overwhelming and possibly smothering amount of love and attention I want to slather on the poor kid, dividing my attention might be the first best thing I do for her!

And it turned out ... it was all a dreamI had myself a classic pregnancy dream: I was flirting with a guy and finding myself failing miserably. None of my usual tactics were working -- what was I doing wrong? Suddenly I realized I (a) am pregnant and (b) wear a wedding ring, both of which rendered me invisible, sexually. I was simultaneously bummed and horrified at myself. Then I woke up! And added very guilty to the mix.

Why am I having this dream now? That's such a first-baby dream. My sister refers to the process of packing away your single self as "killing the maiden." That is, as you fully emotionally commit to this thing you're doing -- renting your body out to a very uncomfortable tenant, making a transition from party-girl to mom, coming to the slow realization that it'll be years before you do Sunday brunch again -- you have moments of temper-tantrum. Then the baby comes, and you just -- do what you gotta do.

Margaret*  is expecting her first baby on November 5 and sharing her experience each week for the next nine months. 

Week 13

Learning about pregnancy intimidates my husband and me. We've announced that I'm pregnant. And now the comments are rolling in.

We've decided to not use a social-networking site for pregnancy or child-related news. Alternatively, we're creating our own website that's password-protected. I chose this option because many of the contacts we have aren't close friends or family. I'm not sure I want folks having that much access.

Margaret* is expecting her first baby on November 5 and sharing her experience each week for the next nine months. 

Week 11

We made it! I'm very happy to see our child make it to this milestone. At this time during my pregnancy, I'm beginning to slow down. Not only in my physical exertion, but also mentally.

I've witnessed many friends hurry their pregnancy along. At 30, I'm much more capable of letting nature unfold than I might've been a few years ago. Interested in each day, the pregnancy teaches me more about my values. I believe in acting slowly -- in speech, in eating, in love, etc. When I slow it down, I'm more present in the moment rather than dwelling in the past or reaching toward an unknown future.

Margaret* is expecting her first baby on November 5 and sharing her experience each week for the next nine months. 

Week 11

My body is changing. I'm trying very hard to manage my emotions. It's not that I've gained a lot of weight; it's more that my abdomen and breasts are swollen, different.

I began my pregnancy at the top of my weight range. I also notice that my joints ache more from exercise that was easy two months ago. I've decided to purchase compression socks on the advice of a friend who's a trainer. These socks help your circulation and help prevent varicose veins, and they also help minimize swelling.