30 weeks pregnant

This past week marked my 30th week of pregnancy with the bean. And according to the handy-dandy babycenter.com app I have on my phone, it says that Baby Amys is now nearly 16 inches long and weighs close to three pounds, and at my appointment last Tuesday, my giant belly was measuring right on the mark at 30-centimeters.

Wow. Look at that thing! Pretty amazing, huh? And I've still got another 10-centimeters to grow. Which is why I came pretty close to assaulting a fellow gym-goer who asked if I was due any day. Come on, People. There's a certain etiquette you're required to follow with giant, hormonal pregnant women. Learn it.

And even though the belly's right on the mark for where I'm supposed to be, I am definitely carrying this peanut different then I carried Miss Taylor, as nearly all of my maternity clothes I wore throughout her entire pregnancy stopped covering my belly about two weeks ago. It's borderline obscene. And thank goodness I don't have to worry about getting dressed to go to an office everyday, and I'm able to look super sporty in my yoga pants 24/7. People must think I'm the most active pregnant mom they've ever seen… And then they get a glimpse of my expanding fanny and thighs and start to guess the truth… That I've been sitting at home in my workout gear eating mass amounts of Fritos and Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.

And while I'm still trying to be good about breaking a sweat at least four times a week, I am totally giving into every single craving that passes through my growing body. Ham sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, Red beans and rice, Avocado burritos from Papas and Beer, ice cream sundaes with lots of peanuts, Special K bars, green grapes. I saw a slogan on a sign at some store that quoted, What's the point of counting calories when you're already fat? And I just nodded… Amen to that.

One particularly odd craving I have had for the past few weeks is for braunschweiger, which is a type of liverwurst. I'm sorry, but it's absolutely delicious. And even though it makes Chris dry-heave when he watches me eat it, I just can't get enough. And if you've never had it and are at all curious, this pregnant mama recommends it served straight up on a Ritz cracker. It's salty wonderfulness. Trust me.

So both the bean and I are growing at a noteworthy rate during this third trimester, and even though it's becoming a bit cramped in my belly, this baby is still super-duper active. And it's got a knack for feeling out all the neighboring internal organs next to my uterus and giving them a few roundhouses while I'm trying to sleep or relax. Ouch! So either Baby is already taking an interest in anatomy and going to become a future world-class surgeon, or I'm growing the next Chuck Norris in my womb.

And when it's not targeting my bladder and other inside bits, I enjoy watching this bean moving and grooving in my belly. Sometimes it looks like a tidal wave rolling across my stomach. And it particularly loves to party starting at seven at night and ending around midnight… Which I guess means I'm in for NO sleep once Baby makes it's arrival. Because if it's not sleeping inside my warm, quiet tummy, no way will it relax enough to snooze with a loud, toddler princess running around in plastic high-heeled shoes on the hardwood.

Chris and I have narrowed down our name list, and now we're just getting anxious to find out if it's a girl or a boy. I don't have any real convictions either way, but a lot of people have been telling us that they think it's a boy. But the other week when I was getting a much needed pedicure the Asian nail tech sized me up and said that it was a girl. So, there ya go.

And other then the first ten-weeks of heartburn, misery and morning sickness, this pregnancy has gone by pretty fast and has been relatively smooth sailing. Besides a few growing pains, I've been feeling really good and hope to keep that wonderfulness going for the next two months. I know I will reach a point soon where I'm just over being an enormous whale, but more then anything, I'm just so excited to formally introduce myself to this baby. And now that we're going to the doctor every two weeks, just being able to hear the heartbeat on such a regular basis makes my heart flutter with anticipation of being able to see it's face and snuggle it's warm, newborn body and kiss it's cheeks. Yes, Baby. Mama's gonna smooch those cheeks right off your face. Let's just call it payback for the swift kicks you've been delivering to my pancreas.