Parker, be nice to your mommy...

I am slowly passing out of the honeymoon phase (aka second trimester) and moving into the "not so honeymoon" phase (aka third trimester). Although things are not unbearable yet, I am beginning to get uncomfortable. My back has been a huge source of discomfort for me. My lower back is constantly aching and throbbing. It might have something to do with this beach ball I am carrying around on the front of my body. It doesn't matter if I am sitting or standing, I am constantly in pain. Lying down flat seems to be the only thing that helps. Standing, bending up and down for little people, and sitting in tiny chairs at tiny tables all day is only making things worse. Ms. McKoy, my TA, has just been wonderful and has helped me out a ton in the classroom. I don't know what I would ever do without her (for more reasons than I can count)!

Also, Parker has decided that when he is not in motion, he enjoys spreading out across my belly. With him being about 15 inches long and not having that entire space in my belly, he loves to make himself comfortable underneath my ribs. LOVELY! Having a constant knee/leg/foot up under my rib cage is just incredible (sarcasm). I love you buddy, but you have to give mommy's insides a break at some point. It's really starting to hurt....badly.

With all of that said, I am still enjoying and loving every minute of being pregnant. It's such an amazing and out of this world experience. The stuff your body goes through and the changes that occur are nothing short of a miracle. We love to feel Parker rolling, kicking, and punching every day. Aaron's favorite part of every day is still laying on my belly at night, talking to his baby boy, and feeling him move in my tummy. He has been such a supportive husband and father already. His excitement and support only makes me that much more excited about this adventure we are about to begin...

We started our birthing class on Monday night at Rex Hospital, the hospital where we will give birth. We are in a 5 week course with about 12 other couples. Last night we talked about the anatomy of the pregnant body and what exactly is happening on the inside over the 40 weeks of growth. We also had a chance to talk about Pre-Labor symptoms vs. True-Labor symptoms...which I thought was very helpful! Even after hearing that we don't have to head to the hospital until contractions are 5 minutes apart...my Type A, planner husband will have me sitting in the car when I am having contractions at any time interval(he would say it's just to be prepared). I might find myself sitting in the car for 5 hours, just as a preparation haha. We also ended the class with some relaxation exercises. Aaron and I got into a giggle tantrum just as the instructor turned out all of the lights, had everyone take deep breaths, and asked us to start thinking about a relaxing place in our mind. It was quite embarrassing, but you have to keep things fun, right? Hopefully this won't happen again next week...

Aaron and I have a very busy couple of weeks ahead. We have a lot of traveling to do (both for work and pleasure) and we have many things left on our "Baby Bucket List" to complete during the time in between. But most importantly, we are making our alone time together a priority. We understand that this last three months is so important for our marriage and our time as a couple. We are going to do everything we can to savor our last few months of "us time."

We are in for a big change...ready or not, here he comes...