FAQ's

I get a lot of the same questions when people see me, so I thought a brief run-down of FAQ's might be helpful for answering these questions all at once...

How are you feeling?
Short answer: Bigger.
Longer answer: I feel the way I imagine a water balloon would feel if you were slowing filling it up and it had a small octopus inside it. ;) I feel stretched out, heavy, and poked from the inside. I'm not terribly uncomfortable, but my hips have started really hurting if I walk or stand too much. My ab muscles, which are now located much closer to my rib cage than before, are consistently sore, like I've been doing sit ups. I'm also feeling "cute-pregnant" now, most of the time. Sometimes I feel just "big-pregnant," but the maternity tops are getting more fun to wear, and I've been blessed to be surrounded by people who are encouraging about my appearance.

Can I touch your belly?
Sure. I thought I'd feel more strongly about this, but turns out, I don't really mind. People are not nearly so pushy as I had heard stories of, and I don't feel like it's invading my space. You probably won't be able to feel the baby move at this point, since it's difficult when I'm standing up even for me to feel her.

When are you due?
10/10/10

Where are you going to deliver?
Most likely at the Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, though there's a slight chance that we'd be redirected to Anaheim if Irvine is full. The hospital is off of Sand Canyon near the 405 freeway.

Are you feeling the baby move?
Yes, quite strongly at times. She seems to be most active in the morning just after I wake up and at night, right when I first lay down. It's hard to feel her moving much when I'm standing, and I don't feel her at all when I'm walking or moving. I can sometimes get her to start moving if I sit down and stay very still after I've been moving around. I think she gets bored. ;) A few of my family members have gotten to feel her move (and of course, Jacob), but it's hard to get the timing right so that she's moving when others are around.

What names are you considering and have you picked a name?
We are close to picking a name, but have decided at this point not to share until she's born. We're not 100% sure of our name choice yet.

How are you going to decorate the nursery?
The crib bedding is really the only themed thing so far in the nursery, and that's a kind of jungle animal theme... giraffes, elephants, etc. I'm going with neutral colors on the walls and have an assortment of furniture items that don't necessarily match (but they were free!). My house has themes of maroon red, sage green and tan tones, so I'm using those kind of colors in the nursery, too. I'm really not an interior decorator, so am not doing anything fancy!

Any cravings yet?
No. Well, at the beginning of the pregnancy, I was sucked into McDonald's for their plain old hamburgers a few times, but I think that was more the only thing that sounded edible to me, rather than a true craving. Recently, I haven't experienced any cravings, and am curious if I will at all. My mom said she ate a lot of pumpkin pie when she was pregnant with me late in the pregnancy, but no such stories for me yet.