30 weeks

I had my 30 week check-up on Friday and all is well.  I have gained 26 pounds so far, but the doctor that I saw this most recent time was not concerned (such a relief, as I was starting to dread these appointments. I need to avoid the crazy-weight doctor I think - he stresses me out.)

 30 weeks pregnant - look at that belly!

We have some big decisions that we need to make in the next two weeks, including:
1. Who our pediatrician is going to be
2. Whether or not we're going to have the little guy circumcized

I have some pediatrician leads that I need to follow up on soon.  There's a practice within a few minutes of the daycare that we'll be using that has gotten good reviews on some of the boards that I've been reading, and I think they seem like they'll be a good fit for us.

As far as the circumcision thing goes, I don't really know. I think I just assumed we would do it, but DH feels like it's medically unnecessary.  Does anyone have any information on the pros and cons of this?  I don't even know where to begin (other than good old google, of course.)  Opinions are appreciated.

 From the front

My stomach continues to grow at what seems like an unprecendented weight.  I said it once, and I'll say it again - I can't believe I'm going to get even bigger than I already am, and still survive.

But that said, I am also very content with this whole pregnancy thing.  I have very little to actually complain about.  Yes, I feel enormous.  That comes with the territory.  Yes, my feet have been swelling, I'm hot all the time, and my back hurts a lot, but I don't have heartburn, am not excessively tired, and am more or less able to go on with my normal life without any problem.  I just get the added bonus of random kicks here and there to remind me that something is going on in there.

And of course, I need show you how big it REALLY is - clothes hide a lot

Speaking of back pain, I have received a referral to see a physical therapist, as they believe that the back problem might be more than just sciatica (which is fairly common.)  I haven't had severe back pain in over a week now, but I've also been avoiding exercise at all costs, since that usually triggered it.

I also experienced my first REAL bout of swollen feet - if I thought my feet were swollen before, I clearly had no idea.  After 5 and a half hours of driving on Friday evening, I noticed that my feet felt weirdly cold.  I rubbed them to try to warm them up and realized that I couldn't really feel them at all.  Then I realized that they had doubled in size!!! They were so ugly and bloated that they didn't even look like they should be connected to my body.  It took over 24 hours so them to get back down to their normal size, and on the return drive home yesterday I made sure to wiggle around constantly so that I wasn't cutting off the circulation.  Although not entirely safe for driving, the wiggling seemed to help with the feet, and they were only mildly swollen by the time I got home.

All in all, all is well.

As of this coming Wednesday, I technically only have 9 weeks to go!!!  Never at any point in this process did I ever say, "I wish time would go faster," and I'm glad for that now.  I had enough "holy shit, only X number of weeks to go!!!" to keep me in line when it came to appreciating the time that I was given before this kiddo arrives.  I always knew this time would come quickly, and I know the next 9 weeks will fly by.  We're nearly ready as far as physically having everything we need.  But really, is any first time parent ever truly "ready" when their child arrives?