Doctor visit! Baby update!

On Thursday the baby and I went happily off to my 28-week doctor visit. I am actually 28 weeks and 5 days. The receptionist never schedules anything early, so if you get off just a little bit, it can add up. No biggie. I left Big Sister home with her Grandpa because this appointment would be the big 1-hour glucose tolerance test.

Despite a very pleasant morning with Kalina, I was happy to go sit in a quiet waiting room with only Little Sister for company. First things first, I drank a bottle of fruit punch stuff. It didn't make me nearly as dizzy as last time, but it left me wondering:
1. Couldn't they have at least added some vitamins to it, just to make me feel a little better?
2. If they wanted me to have that much sugar, I would much rather it be delivered in the form of a large piece of chocolate cake.
Just a few things to think about for next time.

The doctor was right on time. We happily listened to the baby's heartbeat, and then we talked about my weight gain (14 pounds total) and how I'm really right on track.

And then we got out the measuring tape and the doctor measured my belly. I measured at about 25 1/2 weeks. So, about 3 weeks behind.

Which is generally fine, really. Remembering how I measured behind in my last pregnancy, and how, lo and behold, Kalina was pretty tiny, I didn't freak out. The doctor casually asked if I'd had an ultrasound to check the baby's size last time, and I said I did later on. Then she said we'd do one earlier this time, and so on July 20 I will have one.

Yay! Says the half of me that's not worried--after all. Uh-oh! Says the other half, which has been far too distracted to worry so far--or eat probably quite as much as I should, or rest as much as I should.

Most of the rest of my time before my 1-hour test was done was spent chatting in the waiting room with another expecting mom.

So, in less than 2 weeks, we'll get some more pictures of Little Sister! I'm trying (and generally succeeding) to be more excited than concerned at this point.

Baby Update:

Little Sister, who has been making her presence known for months now, has graduated from cute little taps to attention-demanding rolls and kicks. A week or two ago she held her own mini-Olympics as I was trying to sleep one night, and then spent so much of the next couple of days recovering that I became slightly concerned lest she might still not be in there (she was).

The girl always pushes back whenever her sister shares a wall with her on Mommy's lap--possibly to the annoyance of Kalina, but I'm not sure.

I believe Little Sister had her first case of hiccups (that I noticed, anyway), the other day. They were quite close together and cute, but haven't been repeated. She prefers instead to work on expanding the boundaries of her domain using sheer physical force.

As for me, I could tell when the second trimester hit (ah, relief!) and I can also tell that the third trimester has hit (aargh, discomfort). With the second trimester going so smoothly I could almost forget I was pregnant, the third has come like a ton of bricks. I've learned that I can no longer bend over quickly--which is quite inconvenient if Kalina is picking up a nondescript berry from the ground to sample, I can no longer sing toddler songs after chugging up the stairs (I have to catch my breath, first) and in the past few days, sleep has been mostly a dream. I could go on, and I probably will another time.

We're working on emptying out the baby's room and shifting all of that stuff to other places in our (or other peoples') house. And we thought we'd cut back before Kalina came. But I'm also managing to cobble together a very sweet nursery quite economically in my quest to make sure Baby #2 doesn't get too slighted. Kalina is helping, mostly by answering with an enthusiastic "yes" when I ask if we should get a cute little ____ for the baby. I love my little shopping buddy, and I love having a new little person to shop for!

Little Sister received one of her first presents the other day, along with a birthday present for Kalina (thanks, Krista!). Kalina dove for a handmade cloth ball that's intended for the baby, and excitedly rolled it around the floor. I gently reminded Kalina that the ball was for the baby, and Kalina proceeded to hand it to my tummy, and then put it back in the box. I then garnered Kalina's agreement to teach the baby how to roll the ball at some point after she's born. Aw! [I realize this story was mostly about Kalina, but I still think it's sweet--plus now Little Sister will know that I didn't allow Kalina to play with all her toys before she was even born.]

I'm getting excited to meet Little Sister, but am content that she's in my belly for the time being, as I'm ghostwriting a book and will need every day (possibly every hour) that I can get. I'm enjoying the project--it's a book on parenting--but I know I'll be relieved for a change of pace the second the baby is born.