31 Weeks

Another week has slipped baby. In Baby Mia's world:

• She measures about 16 inches long, and 3.3 pounds. That's about the weight of 4 navel oranges.





• She can turn her head from side to side, and her body is plumping out.



• The level of amniotic fluid is decreasing in order to make room for her growth, so all those kicks and jabs and rolls can be felt more strongly (no kidding!). However, those movements will start to be felt less in the coming weeks, as Baby Mia starts to run out of room. I've got mixed feelings about this. Generally, I like the movement, because it assures me that all is as it should be. On the other hand, there are times I want to tell her to just settle down and take a nap! She's a feisty little thing.

On a different topic, Kevin and I have sort of been Valentine's Day duds the last couple years. A couple weeks ago, he surprised me by announcing that he'd made reservations next Friday at 1789, a restaurant in Georgetown. It's one of those places that we wandered past regularly while we were college students, but knew it was way out of our budget. Then we moved away, got "real jobs" and moved on. Now we're back in the area and splurging for this fancy meal. Meanwhile, my wardrobe, especially dressy pieces, is rather limited since I haven't made too much of an investment in maternity clothes. And now even some of the clothes that I do have are getting tight. So...

This weekend, I'm on the hunt for a nice dress. Something that I can wear next Friday, to my shower the weekend after that, to my birthday dinner the week before Mia is due, and for Easter, if she's still hanging out then. I'm not a fan of "specific shopping." I'm more a wander-around-and-buy-if-it-appeals-to-me type. I tend to get a little stressed when I feel pressured to get a certain item by a deadline. Here's hoping for a successful shopping trip.