Once upon a time, I wasn’t pregnant, actually did stuff, and had the motivation to write. These days, I’m super pregnant, have lost most of my physical capability and ability to do much, have little desire to expend what little energy I possess on typing, and spend a lot of time thinking about what is coming around the corner (giving birth to a human). I’m at a loss for what to talk about other than how this whole thing is going, mostly because my options are severely limited. It is difficult, uncomfortable, and painful (for me) to be 9 months pregnant — I can barely do anything but just exist.
My pregnancy has been uneventful, so not much has changed around here except for the way my body looks and feels, the number of things in our house covered in aluminum foil to keep the cat off, the frequency of my midwife and therapy appointments, and the amount of damage control needed to keep my acid reflux at bay. A lot of how I feel about this whole pregnancy and the various circumstances I’ve been in and encountered since I was last here at 28 weeks can be summed up quite well without a whole lot of words. Plus, using GIFs for communication helps me cope. Here is the shorthand, more entertaining account of the goings on, and various thoughts/feelings associated with being in this stage of pregnancy.
Beginning week 30, my response to questions about how far along I am
When someone asks how pregnancy is going
When I check the calendar for visual confirmation of how much time I’ve got until my due date
Lately, when I’m trying to get up off the floor
Life, after I had just spent the last several weeks successfully avoiding stories about horrible delivery complications 
When my therapist, midwives, and doula speak positively about my birth plan (which, seriously, is only to not die)
When someone tells me I am close to my due date but immediately points out that I’m still carrying high, and thus, no where close to being done with my pregnancy
When someone who can still walk without excruciating pelvic pain or can get up from a chair with relative ease tells me about their discomfort 
Looking around at all the pregnant women on our birth center tour
When I noticed tons of oxygen tanks in the hallway just as our tour guide pointed out the OR I’d be wheeled into in the event I needed a C-Section
What I heard when I was told I’d be restricted to consuming water, popsicles, and gummy bears during my labor
Learning about yet another thing that can go horribly wrong and kill you in childbirth
When a friend told me she was feeling fat at 10 weeks pregnant
When someone tries to start the medicated vs non-medicated birth conversation for the millionth time 
Talking to my therapist about why I dwell on my thoughts about the worst case scenario of childbirth
When I’m leaving therapy
When I’m sitting on the couch watching a movie and it hits me — again — that this birth thing is going down for real 
When the soft structured carrier and swing we were going to buy for the baby were discounted on Prime Day 
When someone asks me, the person who is heavily pregnant and uncomfortable, if Alex and I intend to have a second kid 
When they tell me we “have to” because she “needs” a sibling and “don’t want her to be lonely”
Becoming violently ill at 33 weeks
How I feel about letting our daughter eat any solid food ever after infant CPR class 
When I am trying to make an excuse for why, despite my severe pelvic pain, I insist on walking to run errands. 
How I felt when I got my sicknsss mostly under control with Zofran
How I’ve adapted as a pregnant woman in her third trimester
Whenever my midwife checks my blood pressure or gets ready to listen to the baby’s heartbeat on the doppler
Meeting with our doula, and talking about pain management techniques for labor
When someone asks me if I’m “ready to pop” or if I’m leaving the house to go have the baby right that second
My main interest these days
When a random person calls me “mama”
Attempting to make adjustments to the car seat
What I tell myself every morning at 2:55 AM
When a friend tells me that I’m going to “rock the hell” out of this childbirth thing
My life’s philosophy now that I’m 9 months along
When another car is parked too close to mine, and I can’t open my door far enough to squeeze my belly out
Trying to comfortably wear my engagement ring now that my hands are swelling
Looking at my pre-pregnancy clothes desperately looking to find something seasonally appropriate that I might be able to squeeze into, saving myself from having to wade through the pitiful selection at the maternity clothing store
How I feel about the next 4-6 weeks:
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Oh, and hi:
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