31 weeks baby 2.0

chugging along at 31 weeks.  another busy week.  we are working hard on the front room/nursery/big boy room project as well as looking for a new, bigger vehicle, refreshing our minds about labor and newborn care and all that.  today i saw the nurse about how to use my new blood glucose monitor so i can start checking my blood glucose 4 times a day.  hopefully it all goes well and i don't have to be on insulin.  today i also pretty much finished up getting all the office stuff organized (kind of) into the new bookcase system we just finished installing in the front room.  now i just need to get the rest of the room organized, and there are still a few things i want to do like get a new futon cover, add art/pictures, get a rug, hang the rest of the curtains, stuff like that, but all in time.  now the main focus is on finishing the nursery.  hubs finished scraping the ceiling free of popcorn and painting it, and i put the first coat of paint on the walls.  i did that during Z's nap time and over exerted myself because later that night i was having lots and lots of braxton hicks contractions, some cramping and back pain which freaked me out. so hubs took care of putting z to sleep and i took a relaxing bath.  that did help, but i still have some lower back pain so i'm hoping it goes away soon.  and i have still been experiencing a lot of braxton hicks.  i saw the midwife this week, everything is great except the gestational diabetes, baby's heart rate is wonderful and she is not too big, i am measuring right at 30 weeks and she said the more intense BH and aches and pains is normal for subsequent pregnancies.  i still feel like i am sooooo pregnant, much further along than i am, and i swear this baby is going to come out early.  but i am trying to hang in there! hubby has been beyond wonderful, working so hard to help get everything done on my list while still getting the things done he wants to (like yard work and car wheeling and dealing), picking up the slack on housework when i am just too tired/physically unable, all while still working his butt off at his job.  i am so thankful and appreciative of him.  z has been busy, too, of course.  he likes to try to "help" us with our projects.  he likes to give baby sister kisses through my belly.  his vocab is crazy right now and whenever hubs or i do something like use the drill he says, "don't hurt yourself mama/baba, be careful!" or when i have to take a moment to sit down and breathe through an intense braxton hicks he asks "are you ok mama, did you hurt yourself?" he has also started saying things like "i WILL touch this/turn on the water/run outside/whatever it is that he wants to do". it kind of cracks me up and kind of annoys me at the same time.  he definitely knows what he wants to do and is not shy to let me know that he WILL do it.  baby sister is moving around, squirming, kicking, bouncing and using up all the room in there.  recently she has been pushing something, a shoulder or a bum?, really hard right where my belly button is.  let me tell you, that is not a pleasant feeling.  she is the most busy at night, especially when i am trying to fall asleep, but whenever i wake up in the night she is still moving around.  she is putting way more force behind her movements now.  i am so so curious about her---what her personality will be.  today i panicked a little bit when it hit me that i need to be a good role model for her, to teach her and show her how to be a strong and independent lady, modest, helpful, intelligent, trusting in God but discerning.  to not be afraid of being who she is no matter what her peers are, to not be afraid of being different, of being smart.  this is quite a special task.  i hope that she can see the good qualities in me as she grows up and can understand that when i am not at my best or make a mistake, i try again and again, that it is ok not to be perfect but we always strive to be and do our best.  for some reason all this is so much more apparent to me, the importance of it, with this baby girl.  of course i felt and feel that way with z, but it is different.  i want him to be aware of and practice the same virtues but with him i want to stress the importance of the equality of men and women and how to be kind and gentle but also stand up for himself when needed, to learn that it is ok for a guy to be sensitive, kind and gentle.  i guess i want all those things for both my kids, but i feel very strongly about really educating my daughter about all of this, and leading by example.  of course she will learn from her baba as well, but because i am a woman and she will grow up to be a woman, i feel more responsible.  anyway, i am glad she will have some other people in her life to show her these things, too! ok, shall we get on with the weekly update?

How far along: 31 weeks  
Size of baby: about the size of a coconut, 18 inches long and a little over 3 lbs, baby is putting on fat, making trillions of brain 
connections and sleeping at more regular intervals
Total weight gain: 25 lbs, up 3 lbs from this time last pregnancy 
Gender: baby girl!
Movement: i mentioned this above, but yea, she moves a lot.  with force.  especially at night.
Sleep: off and on.  it has been taking me awhile to fall asleep because i am so uncomfortable, and baby girl is kicking and moving around so much, and then i wake up a lot during the night
What I miss: being free of all of the symptoms of the third trimester 
Cravings: any kinds of food, cravings for sweets has declined a bit since i've been cutting back on sugary treats, but the other day i saw a recipe for french buttercream and almost licked the screen...i do 
crave munching on crushed ice though.  oh man it is so good---the coldness, the crunch, i can't get enough
Symptoms: i remember having such bad heartburn last time, it was so bad, but thankfully this time it is manageable.  but i have pretty
much all of the other symptoms, especially really intense and frequent braxton hicks, some lower back pain and cramping, and all the ones i talked about last week.  but, just 9 more weeks!
 Best moment this week:  making progress on the house projects, spending time with my folks 

z really wanted me to wear this.  i'm a princess!