Growing

How far along?  31 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain: 21lbs
Maternity clothes? outgrowing those too!
Stretch marks? nope, but this is the time when they could start showing up, so I'm still not counting out the idea.
Sleep:  It's getting hard...between big baby movements, shortness of breath when lying flat, and various aches and pains, I find myself tired from tossing and turning all night.
Best moment this week: Ultrasound last week and seeing our sweet girl looking big and healthy!
Miss Anything? Skinny jeans. Now that it's fall, I really want skinny jeans.
Movement: It hurts now!
Food cravings: Things that don't cause heartburn please.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Mostly I just need to eat smaller amounts at a time--my stomach empties more slowly, so after a big meal I feel miserably full for a long time.
Gender: Another ultrasound showed girl, so I'm feeling confident there can't be a mistake.
Labor Signs: Same stuff--contractions are getting more painful, but still not progressing, so I'm chugging along!
Symptoms: the heartburn and indigestion are the worst of it right now
Belly Button in or out? It's kind of out, but not completely...I still say in the middle
Wedding rings on or off? on, but last night for the first time they were really hard to take off! I guess the swelling has set in...so hopefully the rings continue to come off when needed.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Definitely more emotional...easily irritated and prone to tears over little things. We'll blame the hormones, but ultimately I'm just stressed lately and trying not to be.
Looking forward to:  Not having to get anymore shots--I'm almost done!

So, I've been waiting until I got to the right point to take the same picture in the same outfit and compare the belly from Adelyn to now, and I finally got there. I think I am much more round this time, which is probably because of all the fluid cushioning around the baby, whereas Adelyn made my bump more firm. Now just to see how much bigger it can get by making it farther than I did before--only one more week until I pass that milestone!

Other updates: growth ultrasound showed that baby girl is growing right on track and isn't even a little bit small for her gestation--she's almost as big as Adelyn was at birth now! My fluid level was also totally normal, so why my belly is measuring small, we'll never know. I really think it looks pretty big now, so knowing there's a big baby in there makes me feel justified in feeling huge!

I passed my gestational diabetes test and blood work all came back great, except for my platelet count. For now, it is low enough to be a problem but not to require treatment, which is kind of frustrating. I am hoping for an unmedicated vaginal birth, but right now even if I wanted an epidural I am not a candidate, and even more upsetting is that if I have to have another c-section instead, I might have to be put under general anesthesia--meaning once again I won't get to meet my baby right away. I HATE the thought of that, but I know that ultimately it's all out of my control and I need to make peace with the  thought that anything could happen, so while I hope my platelet count will be much better when we recheck in a few weeks, if it isn't I will just have to trust that God has a plan for this baby girl's entrance into the world, and it will be a beautiful thing no matter how it happens.