what's this??? a new post???!??

i know, i know. i've been hearing it from multiple sources, the blogosphere is crying out...i'm a horrible blogger and you want more blogging.

it's just that i haven't known what to write about...i've been in this calm, quiet place in my pregnancy, where not a whole lot is going on... my doctor checkups are all normal, nothing to talk about...they listen to the heartbeat, measure my uterus and ask me how i'm feeling. same old, same old.

i will say that i am still recovering from a bout with strep throat that started over a month ago and resulted in three trips to the doctor, two rounds of antibiotics, and nearly a solid week of bedrest halfway thru. i am feeling better, but it has been a slow recovery. my doctor says the pregnant body just takes longer to recover from such things.

this little girl is getting so big...some of her kicks just shock me...she's getting so strong, it makes me a little nervous for the fact that we have 10 whole weeks left until the due date, and i can't even imagine what she'll be dishing out by then. my one ray of hope is that as there is less room in there for her, she won't be able to wind up as much and pack such a wallop. although it is kind of overwhelming sometimes, i just love it when she gets in her active modes. sometimes i just sit at my desk at work and watch my belly move for 10 minutes or so. according to the doctor at my last checkup, she is in the head-down position right now, and i am getting a lot of action from her feet at the top of my belly lately. sometimes i chase them around, poking here, then she moves there, so i poke there, and so on.

it's getting harder to play the cello in a comfortable position, and although i'm oblivious to most of her movements while i'm playing, once in a while she definitely gets my attention! it does make it a little distracting to play. :)

derek adores feeling her move and kick. he's also been able to see her move just watching my belly, and that is always a little crazy. every day he kisses her goodbye before going off to work and advises her to treat her mom well while he's gone. then in the evenings, he checks to see if my belly button has popped yet -- it hasn't...well, not completely anyway. it's about half popped.

my belly is definitely looking pregnant. and my weight gain is good...i'm up about 15-16 pounds. my goal has been to gain a pound a week through the end of the pregnancy and i've been pretty well on track with that.

our birthing classes are half over now...we are really enjoying them, but are finding it difficult to allot the time for daily homework in the form of stretching and relaxation exercises. we are learning so much about my body and how it works during labor and birth. it's just amazing how complex it all is, and how well orchestrated. i'm definitely getting excited about the birth, and feeling more and more confident that i can handle everything without medication and intervention.

we in the process of selecting a pediatrician, and we're also in the middle of writing our birth plan. we have a baby shower coming up in illinois next weekend, and one of our neighbors in our building wants to have a little shower for us with the residents in our hallway sometime soon.

the house is in shambles. and i do not exaggerate. we are in the process of trying to attack one room at a time and get it completely restored. the goal was to get things in order before the shower so we'd have room for all the baby stuff...buuuuut, that's not happening.

also, i'm really into oranges lately. mmm.

well, i suppose that's enough for now. we are still taking belly photos, although we've been a bit lax lately. i'll post some soon. :)