30 Weeks!

Wow, I have LOTS of pregnancy updates! :-) Quinn and I went to St. Louis last weekend where our good friends Billy and Jess hosted a "couples baby shower" for us! Jess, Kristin and Catherine really pulled it together, we felt so loved! Also, my good friend Jodi gave us ALL SORTS of great baby things that were basically unused from her little one Amelia, as well as the cutest new baby clothing set! We are really appreciative of our friends and everything they did for us! The party started at 7pm at Billy and Jess'... There were appetizers and lots of "adult beverages" for the non-preggos in the room ;-), as well as St. Julian's sparkling wine for me. Billy, of course, had techno on, and we opened our presents and ate all kinds of goodies! I have to say... it was the coolest shower I've been to thus far. Then we went out, and I made it until 12:30am, which was pretty impressive for me as of lately. Also, it was 80 degrees and sunny for most of the weekend, which really did a lot for our moods considering the weather we've had here in Michigan! Here are some pictures from the shower...

Additionally, I have been asked to increase the frequency of preggo pics, so I will start posting them every two weeks now! It has been really fun tracking the progress and seeing how much things are changing. As I am sure you have noticed from the pictures, certain things have grown on me ;-)... Still feeling great, though! I am getting more and more heartburn, which I never got before pregnancy, but it is not severe. Bennett, who has been dwelling on one side and kicking me in the ribs has finally switched to the other side and is kicking me there too ;-). I had my friends feel him kick this weekend, and everyone that felt him pulled their hand away suddenly and couldn't believe how hard he kicks! I think we're going to have a very strong boy.

I have been finding that my "center of gravity" is definitely off... and I am now waddling a little bit. ;-) Not the prettiest, but it's okay! After my nurse friend Kristin told me what caused waddling during pregnancy, I researched a little more and found that "During pregnancy, the body produces a hormone called Relaxin. Relaxin causes the ligaments around the pelvis to soften to allow the baby out through the pelvis. This in turn leads to waddling. As your pelvis is relaxing, your uterus is growing, which changes your center of gravity. In addition to this, your overstretched abdominal muscles are not equipped to handle the entire weight of the uterus so your spine and back muscles will bear this extra burden." Exciting!! :-)

And today, it happened... I've been told for some time that it was bound to happen, and it did. While this is not a glamorous aspect of pregnancy or something that I am excited to share, I am sure you will all still love me after I tell you, and I am pretty sure if you are reading this you know by now I am an open book! ;-) This morning I had a tickle in my throat and so I coughed pretty hard... and... I peed a little! I KNOW!!!! It's HORRIFYING!! It was not major and didn't required changing or anything, but uncomfortable nonetheless! I guess it's official... I am a heartburn-having, waddling, off-centered, peeing pregnant woman! And I love EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!