cravings & such:  at this point, i am just trying to eat as much good food as possible.  i am sneaking in veggies whenever and wherever, upping my protein intake, consuming plenty of healthy fats, and trying to take it easy on those carbs…but i gotta have my granola and my super seeded, grainy bagel on the weekend.  yum.  in addition to the everyday menu, ben and i are scheduling out some fun date nights for the next few weeks leading up to elinor’s arrival.  we are going to hit all of our favorite spots to savor the flavors for a last time as just the two of us.  so crazy that the next time we visit those locations, it will be with our baby girl.  i plan to bring her to all of our haunts so she can get acclimated.

the bump:  oh yes, it is a-growin’.  and let me say, the belly veins are giant and blue and kinda freaky looking. hurray for preggo circulation!  the belly button still hasn’t popped yet, but it does look awfully goofy.

cool & cute things:  the little miss weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17 inch mark.  and according to my sources, she is also [quote] “losing that wrinkled, alien look”.  well, thank goodness!

new things:  her skeleton is hardening but the bones in the skull aren’t fused together which allows them to move and slightly overlap.  this makes it easier for baby girl to fit through the birth canal.  these bones don’t entirely fuse until early adulthood so they can grow as her brain and other tissues expand during infancy and childhood.

meaningful moments:  at 17 inches long, i’m pretty sure that she is awkwardly folded up in there so she violently flails about in a sassy act of aggression.  it is getting serious.  her favorite position seems to be curled up with her head in the lower-left portion of my belly, with her bottom in the lower-right.  this allows for her legs to curl upward and tuck in right under my ribs.  i think that she alternates between kicks and fist jabs, using my ribs and diaphragm as her target.  eek.  i must say that it feels pretty crazy…but i know i will miss that feeling once it is gone. so, i am savoring every kick-punch session with my wee little kung fu boxer.

the countdown:  49 days. gaaahhh!  under 50.  i can’t believe it.

current size:  a pineapple