28 Weeks Pregnant

Sorry about the horrible quality of this photo. It was dark outside so we had to use the wretched flash.

I'm officially in my third trimester now! I seriously can’t believe how quickly time is flying by. I only have 12 weeks left of baby-baking before we get to meet our sweet little boy. I can’t decide if I am more excited or more terrified.

Baby Boy Alba weighs in at 2 ½ pounds and is about 15 inches long. My favorite development of the week is that he now has eyelashes. I hope they are long and dark and hang over his eyes in the same mysterious way as his daddy's. He has been more active than ever during the past few weeks, but gratefully, his movements don't wake me up in the night yet. Once I'm asleep, he lets me stay asleep. I know once he's born, that won't be the case, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can.

Even though I feel him moving all the time, it still doesn't seem real. When I look at his ultrasound pictures, I feel like there is a disconnect between what I'm seeing and knowing that the thing I'm seeing is my son, the one that I feel moving inside of me. I don't know how to explain it. I don't know if reality is going to hit me until he is actually born.

This past week I felt one of Merlin’s body parts for the first time, which was really cool and creepy at the same time. Instead of just feeling movement in general, I pressed on my belly and was able to feel a little spot that was significantly harder than the rest. I poked at it and it poked back. Darling or eerie? I can’t decide.

I have been an emotional disaster the past few weeks. I am constantly on the verge of tears for no real reason and I freak out at the littlest things. The other day, I forgot to take the clothes out of the dryer and hang them up right when the cycle was finished, so they got really wrinkled as they cooled. When I pulled them out and realized that I would now have to iron everything before I could wear it, I got so mad at myself! I. could. not. let. it. go. I walked around the apartment in a huff, yelling and screaming like a crazy person. These hormones are making me blow everything way out of proportion. As my dad would say, "You’re making a 2 a 10." Poor Adam has taken the brunt of all of my meltdowns, but thankfully, he has been really kind and patient with me even though I don't deserve it.

My dreams about the baby have being getting more frequent and vivid. The other night, I had a dream that my belly was as thin as a tissue. I could see the baby's outline perfectly every time he moved, like he was living inside a latex balloon. Whenever he stretched, he would press his hands and feet against my balloon belly and I could see each one of his tiny fingers and toes. Sometimes, he’d even press his whole arm out and I could see the chubby rolls on his arms and the dimples on his knuckles. I loved that dream so much and couldn’t stop thinking about him the next day.

A woman at work told me that I’m “starting to look pregnant from the back now and not just the front.” What is that supposed to mean? My butt is spreading? I’m getting love handles? My saddle bags are getting more padded by the day? Lovely, just what I want to hear…