The Baby Report: 32 Weeks

"Disgustingly normal" were the exact words of the doctor at the obstetric ultrasound unit this morning.

AHEM.

I prefer wonderfully normal myself, but what really matters in the end is that the babies are doing great.

They are both in the 50th percentile this week, so still growing well despite their cramped quarters – and it is getting crowded in there! Baby A is 17.8" and approximately 3.9 lbs. and Baby B is a full 18" and 3.95 lbs. That's almost 3 feet (and 8 lbs.) of babies! No wonder I look like I swallowed a toddler.

Today is the first time Baby B has measured bigger than his brother, even if it is by a hair*. Actually it was a day of firsts for Baby B since this was also the first time he's shown us his face – finally! We're just so pleased to know that he has one after all this time. : )

Everything else is equally disgustingly wonderfully normal and we were thrilled to hear it. Both babies are vertex (head down) once again so I got to breath an extra sigh of relief. Hopefully they're nice and comfy now and will just stick to the regular kicking and squirming until they're done baking – no more fancy maneuvers please.

*We also found out that they both have hair already! Eeeee!

- L.

Murphy's (Pregnancy) Law

At the exact moment you finally find a comfortable position in which to fall asleep, you will suddenly discover an urgent need to get up to pee.

- L.

How Many Squares?

I regularly participate in an online pregnancy forum and have found it to be a fantastic resource for expecting moms (particularly if it's your first pregnancy). Membership can also be quite fun. Last week a post went up suggesting a simple game – measure your belly around the widest part using TP squares and post the results (along with how many weeks pregnant) for others to see and compare. I measured a solid 11 squares at the time.

I thought the whole thing quite funny and told my mom about it. Since she lives several provinces away I figured it would also serve to give her a tangible idea about how big I've grown.

Of course, she had to try it out and found herself measuring a respectable 9 squares, which was a bit of a shock since it's only 2 less than a woman in her 8th month of pregnancy (with twins no less). If you know my mom, then you know she's in fantastic shape so this made no sense to either of us.

After comparing TP brands (which turned out to be the same) and double checking our measurements, there was in fact no mistake made – so I guess it's safe to say there really is a lot of difference in 2 tiny squares since I obviously look *very* pregnant and my mom clearly does not.

Of course, it's all in fun – but it begs the question... how many squares are you?

- L.

Desperate Times

In all fairness these could be uglier I suppose, so I'll try not to complain too loudly since they sure are comfortable and actually fit my swollen feet – not to mention ankles that lately resemble my Gram's. My only other criteria while shoe shopping yesterday was "must be good in snow" since I'm sure we can't avoid a major snowfall before the babies arrive and I'm nervous about taking a tumble.

On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I can still bend over enough to tie these myself. : )

- L.

Try To Act Casual

I'm not sure this is exactly the face of innocence:



But it's the face that's attached to the cat who immediately found the box with her name on it after we unpacked the presents my mom sent us for Christmas. Behold her handiwork only moments later:



Must be some serious catnip in there. Needless to say, this has been (safely) tucked away for the time being. Of course we'll let Zed finish opening it herself when the time comes – might as well since she's halfway there already.

- L.

LUSH Therapy

I am furiously knocking on wood as I write this post, but with my baby belly measuring 38 weeks I am reasonably convinced that Lush's Therapy Bar has been a wonder at keeping the stretch marks away. Yes, I realize conventional wisdom says that there's no avoiding them because it's hereditary – either you get them or you don't – but you can't blame a girl for trying anyway. This wonder product came highly recommended from a few sources and I tend to agree so I'll tentatively tag this post under "stuff that works" (for now at least). Also, it smells heavenly.

- L.

First Aid

Of course we've stocked it with all the basic stuff for babies – digital thermometer, Infant Tylenol, various bandages, etc. – but the main point of this post is to show off the cute little tin lunchbox we found to store it all in. The best part? It looks great sitting right out in the open with easy access at all times for fevers, bumps and boo-boos. Kisses are stored separately.

- L.