25 Weeks...A Week in the Life of Lulu Mae

I am 25 weeks prego today, which means a few things:

• Lulu is kicking very fervently and has established a pattern...our girl is a night owl and I get the best kicks from her in the wee hours of the morning. I am aware of this because I believe her to be kicking my bladder, and after having to relieve it three times a night, I get plenty of opportunities to feel her move. I love every second of it.
• I am growing quite steadily, as is my girl, and I am finding that I get winded a lot while at school. I teach on the second floor and by the time I get upstairs with my class, I have to catch my breath! We have stairs at home but I don't get nearly as winded, probably because I'm not pursuing a class of very active 8 year olds. Being a third grade teacher means never going slow, ever. So, I'm out of breath a lot more frequently.
• Speaking of breathing, I am now officially unable to sleep on my back, my preferred sleep position. Hubs tells my that my breathing pattern changes immensely when I roll on my back and it worries him, so now he insists that I sleep on one of my sides. He's actually very persistent in making sure I sleep on my sides...if he catches me on my back, he'll wedge his hand underneath me and make it so that I'm so uncomfortable that I have to roll over. He's a good guy. I just love him so much.
• I experienced a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday...or I think I did. I felt a tightening (but not painful) sensation go across my lower abdomen, it stayed for a few seconds, then went away. I think there were two of them. As long as they don't turn into real contractions, I'm okay. As much as I'm excited for her to get here, Lulu has a long while until she is ready to make her debut.
• Lulu's carseat arrived and I'm very pleased with it. We stuck with a gender neutral color scheme, because if we're blessed with any more Baby Kelsey's in the future, he or she will be inheriting big sister's. I like it though and I can't wait to put a baby in it.
• We did get some bad news this week. I turned on the TV and there was my doctor, the wonderful Dr. Kelley, being interviewed. At first I was worried; I really did not want my ob/gyn embroiled in some sort of scandal. I listened a little longer and found out that the hospital I wanted to deliver at, Southeast Baptist, is closing its labor and delivery department. It had to do with money/political issues. I was bummed because the hospital is so close to our house you could literally hit it with a rock (no joke; I was thinking of walking there to further my labor once contractions started). The good thing is that Dr. Kelley will be delivering at Methodist Metropolitan in downtown SATX. That hospital is only a ten-fifteen minute drive (no walking for me) and it has a state of the art birthing center for women. So, that's nice.
• This week, Lulu's little nostrils are becoming unplugged, which means she'll be able to practice breathing with them. And, her vocal cords are functioning, which means she'll be able to hiccup! At first I was wary of this, because I always get super annoyed when I have the hiccups, but apparently it's okay for her.
• Lulu went to her first Spurs game last night, but unfortunately for the Spurs, they lost to my husband's beloved Nuggets. So, even though the home team lost, I had a very happy husband, which makes me happy. However, there is nothing like a fourth quarter and a tired pregnant lady. At one point, after the Spurs called their third time out in a row, I asked Matt, "um, do they not know I'm pregnant and very tired and would like to go home?" I guess Coach Pop didn't get the memo. I do love our Spurs though; all of them are very positive role models for our community. They're good boys, something you don't see often in professional athletes (ahem, Tiger Woods).
• I learned that flattery will get you everywhere with me at this point in my pregnancy. Last night one of the workers at the AT&T Center told me how glowing I was and I'll be honest, I was happy to hear it.
• And finally, because my sister doesn't think I post enough prego pics, here's my latest: