33 weeks pregnant

I bought a new pair of shoes on Friday. They are easy to put on and take off, which is great now that it is challenging to bend forward. They are Clarks brand clogs. See picture by Bob:


And here's a picture of me this morning, so you can see what I look like first thing in the morning and how big my belly is looking today:


On Saturday Bob and I went to a 2 1/2 hour class on breastfeeding. It was nice to see that there was a woman in the class who was also my classmate in the yoga teacher training program I did in 2006. On Saturday night Bob and I practiced perineal massage for the first time. We used coconut oil, as recommended by our birth doula (who we met with last Thursday evening). She explained to us very clearly how to do the massage, and we hope to practice it once or twice a week until the birth.

On Sunday I went to a pre-natal yoga class, and then Bob and I drove down to San Mateo and visited his step-sister. She loaned us some baby gear including a car seat, and she helped us out a great deal by showing us how to install the car seat. So now the base of the car seat is in place and ready to transport the baby. It feels really good to have that taken care of. I was concerned that it would be complicated or confusing to get the car seat securely in the car, but the LATCH system makes it easy. And of course having an experienced new mom set it up for us was great. We are very grateful to Kachina for her help and for loaning us baby gear!

On Monday I went to a water aerobics class at the gym. It felt great to be in the pool. I did some swimming before and after the class, too. When I got out of the pool, my belly suddenly felt very heavy. I didn't realize it while I was in there, but it is true what they say about how being in water takes the weight of the belly off of the back. I hope to go to the class every week for the rest of the pregnancy.