32 Weeks, and a fun weekend ahead!

The baby is 32 weeks today!!  The baby center email compared her to a large jicama, but I have never bought one of those, so it's not the best analogy for me.  She's about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long, and she will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of her birth weight over the next 7 weeks.  She has toenails, fingernails, and hair, and her skin is also becoming more soft and smooth. 

I'm continuing to feel pretty good, although I have been feeling like I swallowed a dowel rod from time to time this week, so I think the little girl is getting to be pretty long in there.  I have felt the little one have hiccups several times this week, which is a strange but very cool sensation!  My back has also been pretty achy by the end of the work day, but it feels much better if I go to Jazzercise after work to move around and stretch.  My rash has almost completely disappeared (Thank God!), and I'm feeling much less itchy.  I haven't had any super weird cravings, but chocolate has been tasting quite delicious lately, as has a nice cold glass of milk.  Here's how I'm looking at 32 weeks:

We have some fun things going on this weekend.  First, we are having maternity photos done tomorrow morning.  I hadn't really thought this was something we'd do, but a friend of a friend from St. Mike's is a photographer, and she was looking to get into maternity photography and needed some pregnant ladies as volunteers.  Matt and I feel a little awkward about it, but I'm sure we'll be happy we did it in the long run.

My shower is tomorrow afternoon, which I'm really excited about.  I'm looking forward to seeing so many family members and friends, and I'm already in awe of how much love is out there for our little girl.  We've gotten a few early shower gifts, and one of them was the mobile, which we put up last night.  When I heard Brahm's lullaby playing, I got all sappy as I imagined our baby snuggled safe in her room.  Matt may have thought I was losing it, because I kept winding up the mobile to play the song over and over again as I gazed starry-eyed into the distance.  Here are a couple photos of the mobile and the valance in the room:

Due to the snow last Monday (don't even get me started on how grumpy I am about that), next Monday is going to be filled with baby-related appointments.  We have our ultrasound, then we are going to meet our pediatrician, and then we have our first childbirth class on Monday night.  I also have a regular checkup with the midwives on Tuesday.  Phew!  I think I'd better take a nap on Sunday!  Or, maybe I'll just relax and watch lots of college basketball.  I love March Madness!!  For those of you that didn't get to experience Monday's blizzard first-hand, here are some photos of it:

I'm glad we have a garage!!  I wouldn't want to dig those cars out.

Not amused...and this is in the part of the walkway that's shoveled!

Drifting snow stuck to every surface, again this is a post-shoveling picture

My favorite photo of the day - Matt came in for a snack while he was shoveling, and his glasses were so fogged up he couldn't see a thing!  His expression conveys how the entire state of Vermont felt that day!

A special congratulations to Matt and his band for winning the top float award in the Magic Hat Mardi Gras Parade last weekend, for the 4th year in a row!  Great job guys!!  (Matt is in that little hut covered with the blue tarp).