31 Weeks

Champ's Development:

- Size of a squash (they keep saying that now, week after week and it's pretty unhelpful because there are too many squash varieties out there)
- More specifically: 15"- 17" and 2.4-4lbs
- Rapid brain development
- All five senses fully developed: iris color appearing and baby can see faint light filtered through belly
- Baby is "practicing" breathing which helps stimulate surfactant production, the solution that allows the lungs to inflate
- Baby at peak of movement in uterus and will likely turn head-down around this time



My development:

- Shortness of breath worsening as Champ is still breech and his head is up around my diaphragm. It sometimes gets stuck between me and the table as I'm eating. I've been practicing yoga-like inversions to encourage him to turn over.
- Feeling lots of movement, sometimes I think he's digging a hole to China. He had a case of hiccups this morning.
- Have gained 25lbs and increased 2 cup sizes!
- Getting LOTS of comments at work. First stranger to ask to touch my belly was in the bathroom of a bar. Luckily she asked first, but she touched my belly like it was a crystal ball as she tried to guess what his name will be... weird.
- No heart burn, no leg swelling, and no stretch marks yet!
- Had failed my initial glucose screening, but then passed the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, so feeling relieved about that
- Switched providers last month to a pair of nurse midwives who practice in a hospital with OB back-up. We wanted to have the full array of options: water-birth to c-section available and providers who would let me eat, move around, and not have an IV during labor. They are great! http://www.intownmidwifery.com/
- Done with month 1 of internship in the ICU, and on to month 2 in the emergency room. Have 10 hours shifts at any time of day: did some 9p-7a, and now on 9a-7p.



Kyle development:

- He's been keeping up with reading: "The Expectant Father"
- Still brainstorming names daily
- In week 9 of P90X, a rigorous 6 day/wk, hour long work-out series. He's been trimming up and losing weight. We're now neck-and-neck in the "who will weigh more at the end of 40 weeks?" race. Expect a proclamation from him sometime soon...
- Having bizarro dreams (that I'll let him describe) which have been causing him to jump out of bed. I think he's prepping for a crying baby...