Oh, hai.

Technically speaking, I’m now just three months away from my due date of Dec. 30. Wowzers! I’ll be full-term in about 2.5 months, but I could still be pregnant for 3.5 more months (mid-January!). No way to know when my baby’s birthday will be, but it’s coming up fast. It’s kind of like preparing for a surprise party. The guest of honor doesn’t know exactly when he’ll make an appearance, but neither do the hosts. So, surprise! to all involved.

Today marks the beginning of my 27th week. Just as I had some confusion the last time I transitioned from one trimester to another, I’m not completely sure if I’m at the beginning of my third trimester now, or if that won’t happen until next week.

I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit in the last few weeks. My belly has taken on a much more rounded shape, and if I’m wearing a more fitted shirt, there’s absolutely no mistaking my baby belly. Although, it magically disappears if I wear a sweatshirt or something really baggy.

A few days ago, my stomach skin was really tight and uncomfortable. I put some lotion on it and tried to stay hydrated. Maybe that helped, or maybe I grew just a little bit more. It’s not so fun to feel like you’re about to explode out of your body. Now I feel fine.

Wanna know an annoying yet unexpected pregnancy symptom? Heartburn! I’ve never really had serious heartburn before, but my goodness I’ve had some bad spouts with it lately. I’ve found that staying propped up (even if that means using 3 pillows) helps a great deal. It isn’t constant and seems to pop up when I’ve eaten certain foods. Go figure.

My belly button is pretty flat right now. Sometimes, part of it even sticks out a little. So crazy.

—-

Over the weekend, Shane and I went to Indiana. It was our last scheduled trip. We likely won’t be back until either 1) We’re too ridiculously homesick to stay here any longer, regardless of other circumstances or 2) Baby is old enough to be a decent passenger for a 400+ mile road trip. Yikes. I’m already pondering the logistics of such a trip. I’m not sure how this is gunna go. Driving through the night is a lousy option, because it just makes us really tired and we have to sleep a ton upon arrival. If our baby is asleep for the whole ride and we’re awake, then I imagine he might be awake when we’re trying to sleep. And we’ll have to make several stops no matter what. I’d rather stop during daylight hours when stores are open and it’s a little safer.

I think we might have to stay at a hotel at the half-way point. But then, we have to track down a legitimately safe crib in an immaculately clean hotel. Do they have those? For less than $200/night? Ugh. Maybe our pack-and-play would work.

I doubt I’d want to fly. Flying is such a pain. Plus, you can’t hardly get a direct flight from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis anymore. I think they offer like one per week, if that.

So, uh…I have no clue how we’ll do this. Maybe he’ll be really awesome for long car rides. Maybe he’ll be extremely angry with us and scream the whole time. Guess I won’t know for sure until next spring/summer. In the meantime, people will just have to visit us out here.

—-

I didn’t exactly have a baby shower while back home, but I did get some lovely gifts! A shower simply wouldn’t have worked out. There wasn’t time, and plus I didn’t really want the fuss of a real shower. Just something about my friends and family guessing my girth in terms of toilet paper squares (common shower game, yes?) didn’t appeal to me. Nor did playing any other games, or opening presents in front of a buncha people.

Several friends surprised me with lovely gifts anyway! I got all sorts of great stuff. They got me things that were both cute and practical. Yay! I <3 my pals.

—-

So, things are good. I feel good. Our preparations are making progress. October will be quite a busy month for us. We’ll start our Bradley course, I’ll have a visit or two with my midwife (glucose test is next week, oh yeah!), and we’ll try to finish all the major baby projects. I want to order a crib this week, and our car seat within the next week or two. We’ve got to finish decluttering as much as we can possibly stand. The baby’s bedroom needs a final organization, and I need to pick up some bins or baskets or something to stash baby stuff. Toward the end of the month, I want to steam clean the carpets and tackle any other final deep-cleaning projects.

In November, I hope I can start taking it a bit easier and stick to tasks I can handle while sitting. Well, except for cooking. November will be the month of cooking mass quantities of food to be consumed after Baby is born.

Finally, Shane’s parents are coming for a visit in a few weeks, and my parents and sister will visit right after them. Yay! October is one of my favorite months, and I’m excited about this one.

–

From BabyCenter.com

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

See what your baby looks like this week.