31 Weeks (3 CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS/FOAM FINGER) - 2.0: Mar 6-12

David always insists I put my hair behind my ear for this profile shot. I am not a fan, but at least my hair isn't blocking my whole face.

• Our last monthly midwife appointment was this week! now we move to bi-weekly, and then in April we're onto weekly appointments! Time is WAY too fast. 
• My BP: 105/69
• My Weight: 135lb
• Fundus Height: 31cm (Right on track!)
• Baby HR: 140BPM
• They rented me (for free) an SI belt to hopefully help with my hip/tailbone/pelvis pain. I want to to go the Chiropractor and get an adjustment and see if this helps hold the adjustment a little longer! After wearing it for a few days, I must say this thing is a life-saver! I can actually walk around the house and pick things up and my pain is at like a 2-3 instead of a 6-7! 
• I am going for additional bloodwork to check my iron levels next week
• They are always so surprised/amazed how active this baby is. Eep! I laid down to get my belly measured and to check baby's HR and right when they lifted up my shirt baby did a big roll. There was a nurse practitioner there who jumped back a little and commented on it :)
• Baby's position is confirmed head down as I (100%) suspected.
• They keep assuring me that because it's my second pregnancy, and because these two kidlets are so close together in age, my labor and delivery will be easier/smoother and less painful (as long as baby is in the right position). OKAY! I'm holding you that that Nargiss!
• Doing my weekly pregnancy readings, I came across the following blurb. Good thing I had already booked myself a spa treatment (okay... waxing... not relaxing at all!), and was thinking about booking a massage/chiro treatment as well. Sounds like I'm right on track!  
• If you’re feeling a little ho hum why not treat yourself? So much focus can be on the baby that you may be feeling you’re not as important as you would like. Have a massage, a trip to the beautician, a weekend away or just see a movie. Spending time with girlfriends and family can be incredibly restorative to a flagging spirit. Give yourself permission to invest some time into yourself and don’t feel guilty if you aren’t focusing on the baby every minute of the day. It’s time will come but for now, the best thing you can do is to care well for its mother.
• Baby Girl is almost at the length she will be when she's born. The next (x) number of weeks will be spent packing on the baby fat. I can't wait to meet her. I feel like it's going to be different this time around. When I had Dom, I was so overwhelmed by the whole labor experience I didn't realize I had the love of my life in my arms. I wonder if this time will be different; if I'll feel connected more quickly this time around since I know how good it's going to get. 
• My body is producing colostrum again! I mentioned this quite a while ago, but I'm wondering if that was just a blip in the hormones, because it went away for a long while, but it's back! Reminding me that I'm going to have a baby stuck to my boob for the next ever.
• I'm starting to feel nervous about labor again. I have a list for what has to go in the hospital bag, another list of what I have to do to prep for baby, another list of what has to be done before baby comes, and another list of what has to be planned for labor (do we hire a Doula? Who takes Dom? Who takes Sherlock? What if I go into labor in the middle of the night?). I'm not losing sleep over it just yet, but it's nagging at the back of my mind now. Time is flying and I feel like I'm going to blink and be 38 weeks pregnant. At least the midwife keeps assuring me it'll be an "easier" labor. What is "easy" labor? It's called labor for a reason!!
• I came to the realization this week that in May, when I'm due, I will have been pregnant for 2/3 of the last two years, and I haven't had my body to myself in over two years. Now maybe David can understand why I just don't want to be touched/hugged sometimes ;). 
• April 2016-December 2016: 9 Months Pregnancy
• January 2017-July 2017: 8 Months No Pregnancy, but Breastfeeding
• August 2017-May 2018: 9 Months Pregnancy
• May 2018-????: Breastfeeding and having two kids!
• Dom has started coming up to me and saying, "Ba ba" and trying to lift up my shirt to "see" the baby. He may or may not just point to my belly-button and say baba, but that's okay. I'll take it! He has no idea what's coming or how much his/our life is going to change. Any advice for activities for keeping a 16 month old busy while you're doing the newborn thing, or transitioning a 16 month old into being a big brother/sister?
• This baby is flip flopping back and forth constantly. Her head remains down but her feet are on my left, and then a big roll and then on my right, and then back to the left. It's all fun and cool and amazing, but it's so different than Dominic was. Dom stretched and kicked lots, but once he was in position (head down, back along my left side and feet out to the right) he did not change. He stayed that way until he came out. This baby's attitude makes me nervous about what kind of baby she's going to be (feisty!), and what my labor is going to be like (is she sunny-side up? is she going to do a whole flip and be breech? is she going to get stuck because she's such a roller?). Nothing I can do but wait and see I suppose!
• Lots of hiccups. I feel them every day. Sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right. Just depends which way she's facing. 
• The braxton hicks contractions I get are trying to tell me to slow down, or to get up and move. I get them most often if I've been sitting for a long time at work, or if I'm doing "too much" around the house. Sometimes they're kind of painful - not like pain pain, but like light cramping? Nothing regular though, so I'm not concerned at all. 
• My voice is super hoarse, and has been for the last 3-4 weeks. Apparently I had this with Dom as well around this time. People kept asking me if I was sick. I did some researching, and pregnancy can cause swollen vocal cords. INTERESTING! It doesn't help that I make many phone calls throughout the day.
• 31 Weeks Pregnant with Dominic
• I look so much less disheveled in my last pregnancy! Haha
• You can see how much lower (and out) my belly is this time around. Or... I can. Maybe I notice it more.
• I'm increasingly grateful I keep a record of my pregnancies. Things I think are brand new this time apparently are exactly the same as things I experienced around the same time in my last pregnancy. 
• 31 Weeks Huggies Graphic