31 weeks and going strong!

Okay, so it has been a while since my last post, but that seems to be an almost acceptable thing when you are vacation! We are still on vacation, and I am with my mom now, but she asked me if I was still going to post while we were here in Georgia, and I thought it would probably be a good idea! So, seeing as today is my turning day, I thought I would post about my 31st week.

Hoppy is now rounding out around 4 pounds and 18 inches long and he will put on about half a pound of weight each week from here on out. All of his organs are now matured and the only things that aren't fully ready are his lungs. He is putting on more and more fluff to look like a regular Michelin Tire baby when he comes.

As for me, I seem to be putting on more and more fluff as well, but I am no where near as cute as a Michelin Tire baby, or even the Michelin Tire man for that matter! Hoppy has always been positioned...awkwardly... meaning he is usually horizontal instead of the typical vertical up and own position most babies like, and he is still continuing that trend. Which does wonders for me not having back pain or a squished sciatic nerve (both were common issues with my other babies) but it does mean that my pelvis bones are really sore and he seems to stick out a lot more than the other kids. He is just a really poor player of hide-n-seek, I guess! My mom and sister have been teasing me this week because I am "waddling." Actually, for the most part I can still walk like the rest of the human race to which I belong, but if I have been sitting too long (like the hour and half ride up to my sister's house) or walking too much (like the three miles of letterboxing the kids and I did one day), well, then I start to waddle! But I think that is acceptable, right?! At times I give in to their taunts and will quack back at them just for fun! If you can't beat them, join them.

Sleeping has become an experience lately. At home I had just taken to sleeping on the couch so I could have a strong back support, and here at Mom's house I have been sleeping in her bed with my back along side the headboard ~ which works out nicely because all the kids want to sleep with me, so this way all four of us can fit in her queen size bed without anyone feeling left out! I have been drinking a lot of water at night to help prevent that yucky night-time swelling, so that means lots of bathroom breaks. And then add the uncomfortable hips and sleep is something your body needs and you desperately want, but really dread doing! Last night I was up every hour on the hour and finally gave in around 5 and decided to take my chances at going to Kohl's on Black Friday to get the kids a really great Leapfrog Globe that I have been eyeballing for the past three years. (That experience will probably be the last time I try doing that again! It took me 5 minutes to find the globe and almost an hour and half to get through the line!! The ratio of shopping vs standing in line is a bit skewed!)

Other than the normal uncomfortableness of being as large as a beached whale, and the random brownouts that are still hovering around, life is going pretty great. My mom has been able to feel Hoppy dancing and kicking and dealing with the hiccups, so that has been great. I have been able to see some of my dearest friends who live here in Georgia. And I have been able to spend time with my sister and her family (pictures of her wonderful 7 kids will follow later, I had a ball taking pictures of them yesterday after our meal and got some really great ones!) I have also been able to see my Grandmother who I haven't seen since I was 7 weeks pregnant with Teagan - so it has been over 1o years! I miss my hubby intensely, and I have at least one child crying each day because they miss him as well (today it was Teagan). But has has been at his parents spending time with them and some of his siblings, got to have a shooting contest with all the big boys in the family yesterday, and went ice caving today... so all around our whole family is doing pretty great! Here is a picture of the four generations in our family that were there yesterday after dinner. My brother-in-law, Louis, took the picture. That is my sister, Jennifer, that I am standing next to - she is sort of hiding behind one of her daughters! We are supposedly the same height, but what do you think? I've heard that the camera can add 10 pounds, but can it take away 4 inches as well?! My mom is in the red and white shirt, next to her is my Granny, and then my mom's older sister, Shelia, is the one in black. Surrounding us are the 10 cousins, ranging in age from almost 16 to almost 4 (they both have birthdays in December, so it really is almost ages for them!) I'll do another post with more pictures later, but aren't they a great bunch of people?! I love my family!