33 Weeks

I am at the point in this pregnancy that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable more often now; sometimes all day whereas it used to be only when I would overdo it with too much physical activity. I have also decided that those who are largely-pregnant during the hottest of summer months have it harder when it comes to trying to still "look cute" and keep from turning into a meanie-pants by the end of the day. Thankfully, monster has been pretty darn cute lately so my moodiness is kept at bay for the most part. But she still knows how to push buttons and I just have to pause for a moment to breathe before dealing with her.

My increasing discomfort comes with some unpleasant side effects, as to be expected I guess but still not very welcome. My left ankle now gets pretty swollen so I've been elevating my leg and icing it throughout the day for some relief. So far it's only my left foot but I'm sure as Nolan continues to move, my right foot will experience it too. I remember when I was pregnant with Mal and I was a month out from her due date, I was working a multi-day conference in SF and by the end of it my feet were like stumps; it was awful. This time I'm at least able to take more breaks when I need to. I'm also now experiencing the lovely pelvic bone pain that leaves me feeling sore and yearning to "waddle" when I have to walk anywhere. I try to leave the waddle moments for when I'm at home or when I know no one else it looking. I am having to tone down my running a bit - taking more days off in between. My support belt has become more of my friend lately, especially with the convenient ice pack that I can slip in. Oh the fun parts of pregnancy.

I experienced Nolan's introduction to hiccups this past week. I was wondering if he would get them in my belly; Mallory got them all the time and she still gets them pretty easily. Baby hiccups in your belly are definitely a funny feeling that make me smile when I notice they're there. He tends to get them more towards the late afternoon and/or at night - usually to match the lovely heartburn that I have going on. He's favoring the left side of my belly for his current position - explains the whole left foot swelling thing. He'll move himself all over contorting my belly as he goes, but he always makes his way back over to the left side.

I have my baby shower this Saturday and I'm getting super excited. I've been preparing everything this week and can't wait to see it all set up, and then to share the day with family and friends. I'm also eager because it's an ice cream party, and we all know how much I love me some ice cream. In other good news, I received the pictures back from our maternity photo session and I love how they turned out. I'll share both the baby shower and some maternity photos in upcoming posts, so stay tuned.

Monster is becoming a regular in the belly shots