33 Weeks

I'm (almost) 33 weeks pregnant with our fourth child.  Our fourth baby.  I still don't know when all of this happened.  Just a few years ago, we were trying hard for our second...and now here we are -- rounding out the Walden clan with our fourth.  Incredible.

And, now that we're in the home stretch, I could not be more excited.  I still can't really wrap my head around it completely, but I'm still excited.  I love babies.  I love newborns.  I could live in newborn land forever and ever. 

So, what's going on at 33 weeks?  (This is mostly for my documentation, so you won't hurt my feelings if you kind of skip over this part.)

At 33 weeks, I have lost most of my cravings.  Rather, I have had a sensory switch of sorts.  I feel like my senses are on overdrive.  My skin is so sensitive, I'm very picky about fabrics, and frankly, would just rather have no fabric on my skin at all.  I'm very sensitive to smells, to touches, to tastes, etc.  I LOVE the feel of the breeze, am so thankful for a mild summer, and am absolutely addicted to a nightly bath.  Sometimes a bubble, sometimes a detox, sometimes two in a day, but I love baths.

I've gained 17lbs, and am really, really hoping to keep my weight gain somewhere close to this (I will give myself five more pounds if I have to, but I'd like it to be closer to three).  It's crazy, I know, but if you follow this blog, you know how crazy I can get about this.  My scale broke, which would be a huge deal, but I haven't replaced it in two weeks, so that's a major improvement for someone like me. 
Major.

The baby still isn't much of a mover,  He/she rolls around a bit, especially when I start in on my ice-eating first thing in the morning, but I don't think I have ever felt a real kick.  Not one.  I even checked on US to make sure the baby was still able to move all four extremeties, and it can.  It must be positional.  Or just lazy. 

Speaking of ultrasounds, it doesn't look like I'll have a late one performed at the office.  Bummer.  I was really looking forward to a 3D/4D image of the face.  From what I can tell on a simple 2D, the baby looks to resemble Leo.  Size-wise, it's comparable to Baby Hatchie, but otherwise Leo.  He/she is adorable.  A little squishy now, but adorable.

All of the previous ailments I was experiencing have completely dissipated.  I feel pretty great.  No blood pressure issues, no blood sugar issues (determined not GD, just very slow to process sugars, so I try to avoid them), no swelling.  I'm a little short of breath, but the baby is still pretty high, so I'll take it.  That will resolve in time...and be replaced with pelvic pain, no doubt.

I really cannot wait to meet him/her.  All of the curiousities about what it is, who it is, what he/she will be like, how Adam will react, how we all will adjust have started in.  I'm getting at the nursery sllloooooowwwllly, but I know I should probably speed that process up if this baby has a chance of having a finished room.  Something tells me I won't have a lot of time after he/she gets here. 

Ahhhh...babies.  Just the best little creatures there are. 

(And I have absolutely no belly pics, but here are a couple photos from last weekend. I had to throw a little Adam into this post. He doesn't get enough recognition.)

It Pays To Be Nice

Do you want to know what's awesome?  Nice people.  Thoughful people.  People who aren't all "me, me, me" and who take the time to think about others.  Small gesture, big gesture, doesn't matter.  What does matter, or go a long way, rather, is being nice.  And I'm happy to report that most of the people in my life are nice (I'd like to keep it that way).  For example:

Last week, after an especially long evening at work, I came home to find Adam asleep on the couch.  We chatted for a minute, and then he went back to sleep.  As I busied myself with picking up the kitchen, a pretty little package on the island caught my eye.  How had I missed it before?  It was a beautiful and incredibly thoughtful cookie arrangement, from a lovely individual with the initials JL.  (If you know her, you'll agree about the lovely part.)  Why did I get cookies?  For no reason, other than she's incredibly kind and generous and thought I could use them after having been a work widow all week.  I cried a little. Because I did.  Because at 1am, it was nice to feel special.  (Thanks again, JL.  You are the nicest.)

Being nice is so simple, and it doesn't have to involve cookie arrangements.  (But it's a nice touch.)  It makes people feel good.  It makes people happy.  And who couldn't use a little more happy?  Taken from http://shaznia.blogspot.com:

"The world today has become selfish, self-centered and indifferent. We no longer live in the days of chivalry and manners. Its every man for themselves. You snooze, you lose. Being nice is no longer a part of life. It needs to be reminded with posters and signs and even TV advertisements. It is an afterthought. Something you entertain when you have time to spare. Being nice is not considered a virtue. Merely a time filler to while away idle time and to boost up your image while you're at it. Why do you think all acts of kindness are highlighted in newspapers nowadays? Simply because true acts of kindness are rare. Why be kind or nice if you have nothing to gain from it?

If niceness is like an asset only to be used when it best suits you then why teach kids to be kind in the first place.?If they're just going to grow up to be cold-hearted and unfeeling then might as well teach them from the very beginning that being nice is not the best way to go. So what if they're bullies when they're just gonna grow up into bigger bullies?

But me being the oddball of the 21st century, I still believe that a little act of kindness will go a long way. To this very day I still remember and how a kind young man gave up his seat for me simply because he saw that I gave up my seat for an elderly man. If me, one little person, can propel another individual to do an act of kindness than I'm sure 10 other person can do the same.

William Wordsworth once said that "the best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love". So be kind and nice people, because niceness is NOT overrated.

 

It pays to be nice.  If for no other reason than you get a semi-anonymous shout-out in a fairly obscure blog, it does.  Because people never forget you when you are nice.  At least, I won't.

(And if you are currently in the process of being a jerk, just stop.  It'll be easier on you and people will really appreciate it.  And even if I don't know you, if you let me know how you stopped being a jerk, I will give you a shout out, as well.  It's that important to me.)