I'm back and bigger than ever!

As Salvatrice pointed out in the last post, I dropped out of the blogosphere. I apologize. I'm just not good at it, but I do promise to make this post a good one.

So I pretty much have 10 days left (after today) until my due date, July 30. I would love to have the baby in this month, but quite honestly I'm not holding my breath. And neither is my doctor, who said apologetically last appointment "Yea, I'm thinking 41 weeks." I do have an appointment this afternoon, though, so I'll update with any progress, but I'd be surprised if there was any.

As my pregnancy winds down to a close, I figured I'd post some things that surprised me or were at least unexpected.

• I didn't know how much my back would actually hurt, and how soon it would start. I was in significant pain in April where I ended up sleeping sitting up on my couch for a few nights because it was so bad. Amazingly, this past week my back hasn't hurt at all. I'm guessing the baby moved and I can at least have relief from that. I'm sure if I were to stand for quite a while, though, it would come back quickly.
• I also didn't realize your pelvis could feel like it was cracked in two starting at about 14 weeks. It got so bad at points that I couldn't walk for more than 5 minutes. It's not at the point where I just deal with it. I never thought I would be ok with the feeling of having my pelvic bone feel like it was broken at all times.
  
• How few people touched my belly. I was all ready to be on guard, but even friends and family hardly touched it. I never had a stranger or a co-worker come even close to doing so. For this, I am grateful.
• I never had anyone say "Oh my god, you're huge!" Thank the Lord.
• I DID have people ask my how much weight I've gained. I'm always taken aback at how bold people can get with questions once you're pregnant. Luckily I remained in the recommended weight gain so I could answer without feeling embarrassed.
• The reaction I got when I told people we didn't find out the sex. Many people told me "That's how it should be" or "That's great, we did the same thing". I've only had two people (who will remain nameless) give me a hard time about not finding out the sex. Oh and I did have one other person say "What are we suppose to get you for your shower?". Are you kidding me? Clothes were the least thing we needed.
• How many people really do ask you "How are you feeling?" And how I would feel unable to answer the question. I think most people want to hear "Fine", but quite honestly I have a small person growing inside of me, so I'm probably not feeling 100%.
• How generous people were at my shower. We got 99% of the stuff we needed/wanted. And had to return almost nothing. (See picture below)
• How it would actually start to feel normal to feel my belly shift to a completely different shape. There are even times I don't notice the movement anymore.
• That I would see the inside of my belly button, and that it would turn completely flat.
  
• How I would not be apprehensive about going to see my OB anymore. I've lost almost all modesty, which I guess is good since a whole bunch of strangers are going to watch me push something far too big out of something far too small in a couple days.
• How I would be an expert on my veins and having blood drawn. I have horrible thin veins that "roll", as the nurses like to say. I know a butterfly needle should be used at all times, unless you take blood for a living and have done so for 20 years. I know which veins are good and which aren't. I know which blood labs to go to and which to steer clear from.
• How I could fall in love even more with my husband, and the baby isn't even here yet. He has helped me so much, and has put up with my impatient nature lately.
• How NON-impatient I have been about finding out the sex and waiting to have the baby. My husband can't believe I still can handle not knowing the sex. I mean, I do want to know, but I know I'll find out when the time comes. I'm also not feeling desperate to have the baby yet either. Maybe when I'm 2 weeks overdue it'll be a different story, but I know it has to come out sometime!
• How we still don't have finalized names at this stage of the game, and I'm pretty sure we're going to go with the whole "look at the baby and see what name fits" scenario.
  
• That's all I can think of for now.

So here are some belly pictures I had taken.

These are either 31 or 32 weeks.

These are today at 38 weeks and 3 days.

This one is my bellybutton with my heart shaped hands.

This is Mr. Ellis and myself at a wedding reception in the beginning of June. I look ginormous, and the angle is taken from above because my father-in-law is 6'6".

This is all the stuff we got at my shower! OH! And someone sent us the Chicco stroller (in ORANGE!!! YAY!) that we registered for, but it had not information on who sent it. If you know who might have sent this, PLEASE let me know. I would like to thank them!

This is me trying to sit in the middle of it all. (Mr. Ellis's idea, not mine)

This is the diaper bag, quilt, and diaper cake my mom made for me. She is so crafty! I LOVE the diaper bag.

Mr. Ellis and I spent a weekend in Boston at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. My brother works for them and could get us a great deal on a room. Two sides of the room were complete windows looking over the Charles into Boston.

These are some of the views Mr. Ellis took pictures of.
And that's all for now, folks. I will try to be more diligent about posting.