7+ months

I cannot believe that I am already almost 7 1/2 months pregnant! Time is flying! My last OB appointment went well, everything is looking great. I go back on April 10th for another ultrasound to see how big the baby is. I am looking forward to this appointment and praying for a nice AVERAGE size baby! I have a history of growing big babies though. Hopefully since this one has none of my genetics it will be smaller.
   Really there is not much to report, I am still feeling good overall, but sleeping less and less. I have noticed that the floor is getting much farther away though. When things fall on the ground there is serious thought put into if it NEEDS to be picked up or not! Then there is the major blessing of the third trimester..... HOUSE KEEPING allowance! It sounds petty but with 3 kids, 2 dogs, work, school and being big pregnant it is so nice not to have to worry about cleaning my house. Of course, I still keep things picked up and we do our own dishes and stuff like that but I don't have to do floors, clean the bathrooms, dust ect. I am seriously trying to figure out how to budget a permanent house keeper!
   Sorry for the short blog but things are going so well that there is not much to report! Ill add more after the next ultrasound, until then here is another picture of my ever growing belly!( For the record, I still weigh less than I did before my weight loss)

The third trimester begins

I CANNOT believe that I got an email from the agency saying "Welcome to the third trimester" already! Where has the time gone? This pregnancy is going so fast! It has also been VERY easy. I feel so good, there is really nothing pregnancy related to complain about. If I had to pick something I would have to say that I have no willpower when it comes to eating and really have not find time to workout and I am starting to have a harder time sleeping. Nothing extreme, nothing major, just a nice smooth pregnancy. I don't even think I have strange cravings. The worst is probably chocolate chip cookies dipped in orange juice, but I like that even when I am not pregnant.
   The baby moves a lot these days, but only when no one is trying to feel him!! Just today I got a few major kicks and as soon as Kimberly tried to feel it, he stopped! He has decided that he likes to keep his feet under my ribs and use my bladder as a punching bag. It doesn't hurt or anything, just a strange sensation. The baby's parents have sent me a few recordings of them speaking that I play for him so that he will recognize their voices and get to hear their language. He loves it!! He wiggles around at first but then goes still. I am so glad that the technology is available to do this!
   There is no questioning if I look pregnant or not these days! I don't feel like I am too big, but definitely pregnant! I am to the point that I am kind of avoiding some of my family now. Not because I feel I need to hide the pregnancy, but I really do not think that they could fully understand the process and why I would do this. I don't have the time or patience anymore for debates! I have been getting asked a lot if I am getting more attached now that I feel him moving, know he is a boy and know his name. No. Not at all. Of course when he is born I will want to squeeze him and love on him, but I am like that with any baby I can get my hands on! Some one described it as the birth of a niece or nephew and I think that is pretty accurate. We love him and his family, but more as family members than as a child I am carrying. I don't know if that all makes sense but to sum it up, it is a different feeling all together from carrying my own children. I still love to poke at him and feel him move but it is more of a hey that's cool thing than a bonding thing.
   I notice a HUGE difference in my energy and lack of connection since I do not have to do any baby prep. I had no idea how much stress I was going to avoid by not worrying about a name. or child care or setting up a nursery!
   My biggest dilemma is my upcoming graduation. I will complete my course work at the end of June. I am the first person in my family, on both sides, to get a Master's degree. Unfortunately,  the graduation ceremony is at the end of April..... in Sacramento. Due to my contract I am not able to travel over 100 miles from Mercy now so I cannot attend. Even if I could it is a combination of several National University locations so I am sure that the ceremony is going to be much longer than I could sit through without a bathroom break. Now, I knew that this was going to happen from the beginning of my pregnancy and I really thought I didn't care. But as I see my classmates preparing for the ceremony I am a little sad. I decided to get my Master's degree at my Bachelor's graduation when I saw the Master's get hooded. I wanted that too but now I have done the work and won't get the celebration to go with it. I guess what really matters is that I will have the degree. I will have "official" letters after my name (ok, I don't care about that) and I will have a couple of years worth of income in student loans to prove it!! Really, I have a huge sense of accomplishment. There have been several times that I thought I could not do it. I was overwhelmed and I did not feel smart enough. But I think back to a nasty old lady and a few others, that told me that my life was over when I got pregnant at 16 and that I would never go anywhere. I would love to see those people and give them a big fuck you!!
   In all actuality this pregnancy is one of the accomplishments that I am most proud of. Not many people can say that they helped create a family. Regardless of compensation I  have put myself through tons of medical procedures, the physical and mental effects of pregnancy and I will go through child birth for someone else. I don't really feel like I am doing anything special, maybe that is because I have connected with a great support system of other surrogates, but the last few days I have had quite a few people recognize that surrogacy is not for everyone. It is an exciting, wonderful experience but it is for sure not for everyone!
   I am trying not to panic about my weight, at almost 7 months pregnant I still weigh less than I did before I lost weight. Since the weather has been nice this week I have got to go on a few walks, which was nice. I am trying to work my endurance up so that I can walk in the Gnarly Neon 5k in May! (with my doctors ok of course!)
   Doctors appointment next week to check on how the little French Fry is growing and to get my Rogam shot because I have a negative blood type. Should be nice and easy!!