oh baby baby: preparing for the worst, hoping for the best

Official 32 weeks as the last shot I was 31 weeks and 5 days.

Yes those are my maternity jeans on under my dress yet again.

Here are some things we have been up to and thinking about in this the 32nd week of pregnancy:

• Recent pregnancy cravings: potato chips dipped in chocolate (seriously, try it! amazing!), hostess chocolate cupcakes, trail mix
• No matter how awesome/positive you feel about your changing pregnant body that will all vanish as you attempt to wear last year's swimsuit. We went to Atlanta last week and stayed the night in a hotel with a pool. I don't have a maternity swimsuit and was able to just barely squeeze into one from last year. Well it was a rude awakening to the softening of my body. On a more positive note, it felt wonderful to float in the cool water and feel a divine weightlessness. It was a nice break for my body and I plan on finding another pool soon and ignoring the chub poking out from around my armpits. 
• Last time I mentioned that I had made a list of the things I wanted to get done before the baby comes. Well here are all the things I got done recently: found a carseat (hooray for haunting craigslist!), got out changing pad and baby bath and cleaned both, got out swing and checked batteries and also put new cover on it, made wall hanging for above changing table, stocked up on post delivery personal supplies, got new nursing bras and started buying wipes.
• Another rude awakening this week. After a particularly draining day, I thought it would be nice to relax in a bath. Wrong. Rental apartment bathrooms are not the havens of relaxation we would all like them to be. As a 5'8", eight month pregnant lady it was hilarious to realize how much I do not fit in our tiny tub. On a good day (ie. non pregnant day), I can relax by alternating chest or knees submerged but this experience was ridiculous with at least 50% of my body not covered in water at any given time. Pregnancy Fail. 
• I also tried out an awesome stain remover on some of Henry's old clothing and some hand me downs. I used this recipe: 2 parts hydrogen peroxide, 1 part dish soap and 1 part baking soda. Some of these stains were over four years old and it totally worked. Only one item wasn't savable but the stains were significantly lightened. I also used a toothbrush to scrub it into the clothes and then let them set for an hour before washing as usual. The extra was dumped into a water bottle and I rubber banded the toothbrush to it for cleaning stains in the future. 
• If you're new around here then you might not know that last time I was pregnant I developed gestational hypertension in my 35th week. It pretty much means I had high blood pressure but it went away shortly after Henry was born. So in preparation for that this time, there is no way of knowing if I am going to get it again, I am mentally preparing to have everything done and ready to go by week 35. And while my blood pressure hasn't been great so far it has been steady so I am encouraged to take it easy as much as I can. I have had a couple of higher readings so I am prepared for the worst at this point but all of my labs have been good. Crossing my fingers!
• As much as it would stink to have this issue again which eventually led to bed rest, I know it is doable and I know what to expect. High blood pressure can cause damage to your blood vessels and kidneys. It also can be dangerous in pregnancy as it reduces the amount of blood reaching the uterus and can effect the growth of the baby in the crucial final stages of development especially in the lungs. It can also lead to preeclampsia which I didn't have last time but here is more info about it if you are interested. 
• Medically I have been participating in lots of fun tests and monitoring to make sure everything goes well with my pregnancy and my blood pressure. Blood and urine tests established a base level for my protein levels and my kidney and liver function. And it wasn't just your pee in a cup urine sample, it was a 24 hour collection. Thats right, I had to collect all my pee for 24 hours and keep it cold too. And if you know anything about pregnant ladies, we pee a lot. So how would you collect all your pee? Well they give you this white plastic pan that fits under your toilet seat and it collects everything and measures it. You then pour it in a big plastic jug and keep it in your fridge. Do you know what pee in a jug in the fridge looks like? Juice. Luckily Henry is not old enough to pour his own juice or we would have had an interesting conversation. And just in case you don't know what protein in your urine means, it means that your kidneys might be damaged or failing to function properly. It also means that you and your baby aren't getting enough protein because you're just peeing it all out. 
• I also have to have a weekly ultrasound which is kind of cool to see whats going on in there. Hence the picture below. I also was able to figure out it is her butt that has been digging into my ribs for the past few weeks. Seriously, she has a mega booty on her and she is aggressive with it.