Our little guy is doing fantastic - wiggling plenty, growing fast, and stopping for naps every now and then! He has assumed the proper head-down position for his big entrance and will probably stay there the remainder of the pregnancy. It has become quite easy to see his long limbs when they push out on my belly, and also, to elicit a response from him if we gently press on his feet or pat his little bum. He gets the hiccups from time to time and gets very active when I drink chocolate milk.
This Mommy, on the other hand, is quite sleepy these days, although also generally fantastic. My sleepiness has reached semi-disabling proportions in this home-stretch, and according to my doctor, this is perfectly normal. I promise that I am relishing this last opportunity to sleep before the baby comes, but must inform those who have never been pregnant that unfortunately, the quality of sleep is quite terrible for most women in late pregnancy and involves waking up every hour or so from various common symptoms. It is an excellent lesson in becoming a "sleep opportunist" - an important skill for early parenthood.
Also, the size of my belly is very large, my upper spine is a cantilevered beam coming off the 20 pound belly, and my body mechanics require much more forethought and care. Basic activities have become much more labor and time intensive. I am so thankful that my wonderful husband is willing to help me take care of myself and keep the household functioning. He helps me hang onto my dignity in countless ways; for example, he has some excellent toe painting skills and recently painted the toes I can no longer reach myself. I am so grateful for this because my feet have swelled well beyond the limits of all of my shoes, except for one pair of flip-flops we recently bought in desperation since the barefoot thing wasn't working out. I have to wear flip-flops all the time now, whether they match or not, and it is so nice to have toes I can be very proud of.
