25 wks (4ds)

So in direct contrast to my last post, I actually took this picture Saturday and wrote this today since I had no time to sit down and write this. I'm down visiting the parental units for the week! I'm excited, because my family is finally getting to see me looking pregnant - and my Mom got to feel Bebe kicking finally too! The other night at dinner my sister was astonished to hear that I would, in fact, be getting bigger. Much bigger, sorry to say. As my second trimester comes to it's final two weeks (oh dear God, how is that possibly true?) symptoms are starting to come at me hard. Like the fact that a few days ago there was a tiny damp spot on my shirt. I was like, "Really, you have at least 3.5 more months before this is necessary, let's not get over eager." Fortunately, my mammaries listened and they've been good for a few days now. But then there was Epcot. So those who know Jason and I know that our weakness is Disney. It is what we always give each other for Christmas/Birthdays: Renewal of our Annual Passes. And one very big reason why is the Annual Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. THis year it runs September 30-November 13 and we literally wait all year for it. Last year we were trying to get pregnant during that time so when I would find out I wasn't pregnant (this happened twice during the festival run time) Jason would take me there to cheer up and let me drown my baby-less sorrows with Toasted Cherry Coladas at the Puerto Rico booth or champagne at the Dessert booth. This year no such sorrow drowning is necessary and I consider it Epcot's personal baby gift to me that they do not have Puerto Rico and it's Toasted Cherry Coladas this year to taunt me. Instead I have been salivation over the idea of Belgium's waffles and berry compote and Ireland's chocolate lava cake and Canada's cheddar cheese soup. We had been counting down to September 30, so when that day came we hauled ourselves over there in excitement. We started in France where I enjoyed a milk chocolate creme brulee and made our way to Belgium for my waffles and Jason enjoyed some mussels in garlic cream sauce and a beer. It was super hot so I'd already gotten a water bottle and finished it while we lounged in the grass and then in a shop to cool off before heading to Hops & Barley so I could get a lobster roll. I sent Jason inside to the Liberty Inn to get a table and waited in line - ordering another water. All of a sudden my vision just went spotty and darkened. So I opened the water bottle and chugged half of it, but it didn't help. By the time I got my lobster roll my hearing was fuzzy and my vision hadn't improved. I kept thinking "I am going to pass out and Jason will never know and I just have to get inside and I'll be fine." So somehow I managed to walk from the stand to Liberty Inn and saw him and sat down and put my head down and oh my goodness did it suddenly hurt. Eventually it passed and I ate my roll to have food that wasn't technically considered a dessert. We went next door for the 30 minute America! presentation thing because it was dark and air conditioned and I felt a lot better by the time it was over. I had a ravioli in italy after, but needed substantial food so we at pizza at Via Napoli and I was able to walk back to the car after with no problems! But oh my goodness, what a way to start my beloved festival. When I go next week I'll be sure to eat plenty before attempting to eat every dessert they offer there.

Aside from a brief foray into lactating and botching the Food & Wine opening, I'm still doing good and can't believe how close my third trimester is! We have plans this month to put up a fence, paint the nursery and get our crib delivered so I feel a little more in control of everything. And next month I have my shower (November 12)! With showers come, of course, registries. Let me tell you all how Target is the bane of my existence and probably run by minions of the underworld. I registered at Babies 'R' Us first, but decided Target seemed a good supplementary registry so registered there. Then. Oh, then. They completely changed their website and it is EVIL. It refused to let me log in or send me my password and when I called I was told to create a new account and registry and it would be merged. It never was. So I re added everything from my old to my new. Well then my old registry popped up in searches and I couldn't access it so I called AGAIN and they deleted the other registry. Yay. All is well and good. Of course until I tried to add something to the registry. It popped up with the "This item has been successfully added to your registry!" thing but when I actually viewed my registry? Nope! NOT THERE. Hours later and this is still the same thing. I tried logging out and back in. I tried different browsers. I tried different computers. Nothing. By this point I had a migraine and was close to tears. Eventually Target stopped letting me see my Registry at all and instead sent me Error messages. Which is when Jason lost his patience with me losing my patience and declared "Oh my God, just register at Amazon!" This advice proved to be my lifesaver. Amazon was quick, painless and easy. I could even use their Universal Wish List to register for things only available at Target without actually registering at Target! Of course Target refused me access to my registry so I could delete it for almost two weeks, but eventually i got in and it is gone as well as my headache! My hatred of Target was only cemented when I went there to try and purchase and send a gift to my cousin for her wedding and after three days I still got an error message whenever I tried to select the item on her registry. I gave up and used her other registry without difficulties. Burn, Target.com, burn.

But frustration hasn't been the only thing I've experienced lately. I recently registered for all Jason's and my pregnancy classes! They're offered through the hospital I'm delivering at, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, which makes it super easy. Our first class on the 17th is the Hospital Tour and then Wednesday we start our first of a Four Week series of classes called 'Preparation for Birth.' Then after we finish those we have a Basic Infant Care class. Two weeks after that is our Pre Natal Breastfeeding class, then next week is a class where we learn about early infant illnesses and things, then finally the next week (12/21) is our last class which is Planning a Positive Birth. I'm sure you'll all hear about these as I take them and share about them when they happen. But I'm really excited to begin classes! It makes it seem real that this is actually happening and SOON!

How soon? Well at 25 weeks Bebe is 13.5" long and weighs about 1.5lbs, making her around the size of an eggplant. She's long and skinny right now but she'll be filling out more as the weeks pass. Her hair is really starting to come in and apparently if I could see her I'd be able to tell what color and texture it is. This is still a topic of conversation and Jason and I are venturing to guess that she'll be born with darker hair and it will lighten to a dark blonde color similar to Jason. I'm hoping she has his hair's tendency to curl as well. My mom still thinks she'll be a redhead like my sister and my uncle, but we'll see in 15 more weeks I suppose!