Today is the beginning of week 29 and I have officially gained 20 pounds since becoming pregnant. I’m not sure what to say or how to feel about this because it seems better to not think about it. Even though I gained less this month than last, 20 pounds just seems like a LOT. It also makes my goal of gaining 25 pounds total seem highly unlikely. I’m bumping it up to 30.

If you’re wondering what an additional 20 pounds looks like on someone who is only 5’3″, this is it:

In other news from my appointment this morning, my glucose test results were in fact negative (wahoo!) and my iron levels are high enough that I don’t need to take supplements (thanks Dan for cooking so much steak!). Baby Richards’ heart rate was in the 130s, and I was measuring exactly 28/29 weeks. I also had to get a rhogam shot (since I have O- blood) which feels like a tetanus shot and sucks. Before I left, my doctor asked me about my birth plan which was a real wake up call because that means I have to give birth, like, soon. What?!! When I left my doctor said “everything looks good, hopefully she’ll stay in there a few more weeks.” The fact that people are referring to the remainder of this pregnancy in weeks and not months is exciting, disconcerting and also a little bit terrifying.

The exciting part of getting towards the end of pregnancy, is that we are really starting to fill up the nursery with baby stuff (I haven’t even had my shower yet – but people keep giving us stuff which is awesome). So far a couple things have been purchased off our registry, we’ve received a bunch of hand-me-downs, and I’ve picked up a couple items on craigslist that I just couldn’t resist because the price was right and you all know how I love a bargain!

Here’s what we’ve accumulated so far (in the past few weeks):

The entire Fischer Price “My Little Lamb” newborn collection: Swing, Vibrating Infant Seat, and Rock N’ Play Sleeper (Thanks Daddy and Carol!)

A Crib Mattress

A Diaper Genie

An Exersaucer

A Jumperoo

An Extra Baby Swing for Traveling

An Extra Changing Table for the Playroom (used to be our office until it got filled up with baby stuff)

An entire box of “hand-me-down” baby toys, including some that are still unopened (thanks Holly!)

As you might be able to guess, our house is being taken over by baby stuff. It’s amazing how much gear a less than 10 pound (hopefully) human needs. It turns out, though, that is a good thing because last night our close friends Margie and Jerry brought their newborn baby Charlotte over for the first time (she’s a week old) and they didn’t really need to bring much because we are set up already, haha.

Charlotte was obviously adorable and awesome, and, on a very exciting note, Harley did very well with the baby. I was worried she might be a little bit “bull in a china closet” around such a small baby, but other than being nosy and trying to sniff her head, Harley was pretty calm and obedient, and more interested in licking up the beer that got spilled on the floor than playing with the baby. She did seem a little confused when Dan and I were holding the baby, but she remained “4 paws on the floor” 95% of the time, which is great! Here’s a picture of Harley doing what she does best, which is nothing. It’s a rough life for her, really.

In other news about Harley, she has become very interested in the baby gear coming into the house. To my relief, she hasn’t tried to chew anything. But a couple mornings in a row I have found her sitting in the baby’s room, nudging the infant mobile with her nose, and than watching it swing back and forth, back and forth…until it stops, and then she nudges it again. It’s good to know our dog is on approximately the same cognitive level as a newborn baby. Not surprising though, to be honest.

Also this week, Dan’s mom closed on her new lake house so we got to go hang out at Lake Sebago which was AWESOME. I am loving this warmer weather. Also my friend Taryn came up to Maine to visit on Saturday, and in addition to visiting baby Charlotte, getting lunch at Dan’s restaurant and catching up on 7 months of not seeing each other in person, we made delicious cupcakes as a trial run for the baby shower. They came out really cute and REALLY yummy!

Lastly, Dan and I decided to have a “date night” this week, which was really fun. Thanks to Groupon we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant (it’s so awesome that Dan works normal hours now!) and then went to a Portland Pirates playoff hockey game, all for $50 bucks total. It was so nice to go on a real date and eat yummy food. And even though the Pirates lost in overtime, the hockey game was very exciting and fun. Also, a 10 year old girl sang the national anthem and I cried thinking about how proud of her her parents must be. And it begins…

How far along? 29 weeks (11 weeks to go!)

Total weight gain: 20 lbs (only a 6lb gain this month vs. 8lbs last month. I’ll take it.)
Maternity clothes?  yep
Stretch marks? not yet..fingers crossed
Sleep: bad, my hips are killing me
Best moment this week: licking the bowl of cream cheese frosting after making cupcakes
Miss Anything? being able to paint my toenails
Movement: all the time – Taryn even got to feel a kick this week!
Food cravings: ice cream, cupcakes, tacos
Anything making you queasy or sick: fish
Gender: It’s a girl!
Labor Signs: Nope…but the “cramps” that I thought were back from the first trimester are actually contractions (what?!!) Doctor says it’s normal though as long as they don’t get more frequent or last longer than an hour.
Symptoms: heartburn, tiredness, stomach tightness and some minor contractions that feel like period cramps
Belly Button in or out? in still, but getting much flatter
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy 
Looking forward to: seeing my mommy for mother’s day this weekend