29 weeks and twinkling...

I don't know about my fellow preggos, but there is something very daunting about the 30-week mark. Perhaps because 30 doesn't seem that far from 32, and 32 doesn't seem that far from 38 and it's not totally rare to deliver at 38 weeks. Really, once you hit 30 weeks you are out of 2-digit change range. Whoa.

Yesterday I got to talk to my darling sister, Meredith, who freaked me out by noting that I have less time left before Baby Cute comes than I'll have on maternity leave after he arrives. Just 11 weeks. Whoa.

I feel good today. I've had my semi-familiar and not always pregnancy-related ups and downs the last few days. It's a combination of wanting to get out of town, stay at home and do nothing, get everything done at work, plan for the future, read good books, go shopping, eat too much, weigh a lot less, run a 5K, find a new job, see my Mom and cry. Delightful feelings, really, but much more enjoyable when they don't all come at once. My David has been quite resilient and is very good at handling my need to just cry sometimes. I love him.

Speaking of my beloved, DMS turns the big tre-tre (that's 33 to you and me) this weekend. One of my greatest fears about parenthood is turning into that couple that A) Loses their individuality and personal interests, B) Call each other "mommy and daddy", and C) Forgo all once romantic and thoughtful occasions because they are too broke/tired/busy/stressed/obsessed with the responsibilities of their life. I feel very lucky to have had David all to myself for the last 7 years and think we've had a wonderful journey together. I realize our path is changing along with our priorities, but I always want him to know how special he is to me, and how much I adore him. His birthday is generally the time I try and express that, so I'm feeling a little stumped with the combination of our crazy schedules, money constraints and my desperate attempts to not turn immediately into a hypocrite.

Perhaps I will be inspired tomorrow...

Before the customary 29-week update, here is a list of small things that make me happy in recognition of my easy descent into pessimism. I apologize in advance that many of my happy thoughts are food-related. I'm a big fan these days.

--Chicken on the grill.
--The prospect of seeing my sister Meredith this weekend.
--Having three friends with baby boys by Christmas.
--Leftover lemonangelfoodcakecoolwhip dessert.
--Not paying return shipping on orders from JCPenney.com.
--40% off coupon code at JCPenney.com.
--Brainstorming about rugs and curtains with my Mom.
--David's birthday.
--Runa Kitty.
--Driving myself to work and singing loudly with my friends, Girlyman.
--Getting weepy thinking about Baby Cute liking my music because of my belting.
--Finishing my baby registry.
--Maternity leave.
--Granola-crunchy doctors who wear Birkenstocks and are against circumcision.
--Tiny blue sweaters.
--Small Halloween costumes.
--www.thepioneerwoman.com
--Lofthouse cookies.
--Nate's blog post about getting kicked by Baby Cute.
--Hugging my sister Melanie in less than a month.
--Being forced to read Harry Potter slowly.
--My MommyChair with gliding footrest of wonder.
--Waking up with David's hand on my belly.
--Getting kicked by my darling baby boy.
--Counting my blessings.

BabyCenter: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

BabyGaga: If you’ve been feeling butterflies moving around in your belly, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety. No, it’s your amazing baby with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point resulting from practicing breathing for their big birthday. In addition, to getting a round of butterfly-like hiccups, your little swimmer has arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight. Yeah, compared to we adults, it’s not a lot, but when they’re little like that—it’s certainly a healthy (and warming) accomplishment in its way. Another fantastic accomplishment: your baby's spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis—the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components. Another fantastic-accomplishment: your little monkey has been peeing into their amniotic sac for a little while now (this is why potty training takes a while) and if you didn’t know, actually swallows it along with the rest of the amniotic fluid. Although the concept is nasty, their urine is sterile and as part of the amniotic fluid base, is replaced several times throughout the day. So if you didn’t know before, now you can tell people, that yes, you drank your own urine—you were still in the womb, but nonetheless, you’ve been there.