mommy woes

i am now approaching 30 weeks and i am beginning to have more difficulty moving. i used to still be able to move around pretty fast but now, i really have to take extra precaution. getting out of bed and up from the sofa is harder now...it's harder to drive because i feel as if my stomach's in the way of the steering wheel so i have to scoot the seat farther back. i really try to move more slowly because the quicker i move, the heavier my tummy feels. i haven't exercised in almost a week because i'm getting scared the baby might decide to make an entrance (an exit from my body) as i exercise. that's how it feels whenever i try to go for a walk on the treadmill. she kicks me so hard now she makes me wince. i didn't realize how much a 3 pound baby can hurt me, but now i do and will no longer underestimate her strength. it's painful and scary. i think i'm starting to really feel what they call 'the braxton-hicks contractions' it's contractions that are similar to the actual contraction at childbirth. this is another scary occurance because since this is my first pregnancy, i don't really know the difference between the braxton-hicks contractions and the real one. i hope they are the fake ones because i've been feeling them for days and i don't want to go into pre-term labor.

im also starting to feel sad that paul has not been with me to any of my prenatal visits. =( we are to wait about 4 more weeks before he arrives and we are both getting impatient having to wait so long. he's getting frustrated with the american embassy in the philippines since he has to go back and forth and wait long hours only to find out that his papers have not been forwarded to the right office. i try to encourage him whenever i can and hide my own frustrations. our frustration wont speed up the process anyway.

i have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and i will request for another ultrasound to confirm the sex of our baby. i believe she's a girl but i want to be 100% sure because i want to get her all the right things in all the right colors =)