Last Minute Christmas Gift: Homemade Stuffed Animals!

I was eight years old when my mom became pregnant with my sister.  We had a craft project at school and we all learned how to make teddy bears.  It was perfect!  I could make my sister a teddy bear for when she arrived!  And I did.  It was pink, it was clearly made by a third-grader, but it was special.  And if you have a last-minute-gift that needs given and you want a project that is easy enough that an 8-year-old can do it...well saddle-up!  Here's the perfect little gift to make!  This past weekend I made a little stuffed teddy bear out of an old sweater:

We named him Franklin.  It took only a few hours and is a great little project to keep your hands busy as you watch that Christmas movie you've already seen a hundred times.

You'll need:

• Fabric.  It can be a yard of store-bought fabric OR an old t-shirt or sweater. As long as it's snuggly, it'll work!
• Scissors
• Needle and thread
• Stuffing.  I used this kind for making a pillow and this bear. Still have over half a bag left.
• Straight pins
• Pattern that you sketch
• White chalk

Here's how to make it:

1.  Sketch out a pattern of the animal you want to make.  I did a teddy bear because it's simple and sweet.  Thinking about doing an elephant for my next stuffed animal though!  Feel free to get creative.

2.  After you sketch the pattern, fold piece of paper in half.  This way you know you're going to be cutting evenly.  Don't cut on the lines of the actual sketch though.  Make sure to leave room around where you sketch so that you can have room to pin the fabric.

3.  Pin the pattern to the fabric you're using and cut around the pattern.  If you're using a sweater or shirt, make sure that you've pinned through to the other side so you'll have two pieces of fabric to sew together.  If you're using a piece of fabric that you bought a yard of, just fold it in half as if it's shirt and pin the same way.

4.  Once you have both pieces of fabric cut from the pattern, turn the fabric inside out.  Make sure the side you want facing out when you are done is not the side you see when you sew!

5.  Pin the two pieces of fabrics together all around the edges.  You'll be sewing inside where you pin.  Remember that there is excess fabric beyond your intended pattern.

6.  Take your needle and thread and start stitching!  Here's a video to help if you don't have much sewing experience.  Trust me, I don't have much sewing experience either!

*For this project, I started at the inside of the left leg and moved around the edges until I got to the right leg.  I left the right leg open for stuffing.  We'll get there in a second, but just wanted you to know where I started!

7.  The arms and legs are pretty easy to follow but when I got to the head, I wanted more distinct lines  to follow on the fabric.  I sketched the neck, cheeks and ears on the fabric with the chalk.  Then I got sketch happy and kept going all around the right side too.

8.  Once your stitches get to the right leg, knot off your thread and turn your fabric inside out!

9.  Now here's the part that was trickier for me than it had to be.  When I stitched on the face, I had to keep putting my hand into the small hole that I left for the stuffing.  A better idea?  Stitch the face FIRST onto the fabric before the two pieces are joined together.  Turn the fabric inside out and then stitch together as listed above.  

*For the face:  First I sketched it on with the chalk.  Then I did small "x"s, like cross-stitching, for the nose. I did the nose first so that I could use it as the center of the face.  Then I used a simple running stitch for the eyes and mouth.  

10.  Once your face is complete, stuff that animal!  Just keep adding stuffing in small batches, making sure it's evenly spread and not too lumpy...and not too full!  You'll know when it's right.

11.  Sew up the hole you used for stuffing!  Make sure to start the stitch on the inside of the fabric so that the knot is inside the stuffed animal.  Use a straight pin to join the two fabrics.  This makes it easier to finish sewing - you won't have to keep putting the stuffing back in and juggle holding the fabric together while you stitch.

And you're done!

Already part of our stuffed family

It's quick, simple and the perfect little handmade treat for someone that you love!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful rest of the holiday season!

End of the World

According to some, the Mayans predicted the end of the world would be tomorrow.  I think they were one Friday too late.

The world ended for so many last week.  For the lives of the 27 people killed in Newtown.  For the families and friends that have to figure out how to cope with their losses.  For the nation who sits, dumbfounded, wondering how this could happen.  Even though, since Columbine, there have been 31 school shootings, we are still shocked that this could of happened.  I'm ashamed to admit that when I first saw the headline that there was a school shooting last Friday, my first thought was, "Another one?"  I didn't feel shock and outrage.  But instead felt a surrendering of inevitability.  Like school shootings had become commonplace...because they had.  And with the mall shooting the week before and the Aurora shooting this summer, another school shooting didn't seem like such a surprise.  What a terrible thing to have become inured to. The age of the majority of the victims is what woke us up out of our stupor.  And it hurts even more that this is what it took.  People are angry.  People are devastated.  People are calling for change.  And I hope that change happens.  The world ended last week.  And now it's time to rebuild it.

I've been avoiding most of the coverage.  I can't handle the sadness that starts when I read or watch anything about the shooting.  But it's everywhere - Yahoo front page, Facebook posts, Twitter, every news broadcast...everyone is talking about it and it's nearly unavoidable.  And my attempts to avoid coverage means I'm thinking about it all the time.  A Hallmark commercial with a young child reading their list to Santa makes me cry.  Seeing parents with their kids while out shopping makes me cry.  Hearing "Grown-up Christmas List" while listening to carols makes me cry.  I don't know how those directly affected are making it through.  It's unimaginable and it should be.  No one should have to imagine coping with this.  This shouldn't have happened.

But it did.  So here we sit.

Even though I've been avoiding general media coverage, I have read/watched various things in the periphery of the tragedy.  Here are links to a few that you may have already seen but that I found hopeful or interesting:

• President Obama speaking in Newtown.

• Ann Curry's Twitter movement for #20acts #26acts of kindness to honor the victims.

• The "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" piece.

• Girl's Gone Child's links of where to donate and sign petitions.

• 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity

If you have any other hopeful or interesting pieces that you would like to share, please leave a link in the comments.  

Tomorrow the NRA is holding a press conference.  Yesterday President Obama appointed VP Biden to lead the task force to reduce gun violence.  These are steps in what is sure to be a complicated recovery.  There will be much more that we learn in the coming weeks and much more controversy and discussion along the way.  One thing is certain:  It should never have come to this. 

Handmade Treasures: Blanket Complete!

(Disclaimer: It's another knitting post...  Apologies to all you non-knitters out there!  If you ever wanted to learn how to knit though, read on!)

Stripes, stripes everywhere.

I finished my baby blanket!  Well, it's not mine anymore, technically.  Now it belongs to my baby.  But he's not here yet so I guess it's still habit to say "my."  I'll transfer over the possessive once he arrives.  Sure, there were some hiccups along the way and one point when I cried from frustration but that just makes it better, right?  I started this project at the end of September and worked on it mostly in the evenings watching Survivor or on the weekends while watching football.  Here are a few things I learned that are most definitely common sense to experienced knitters...but were not so much to me:

- Gauge is important.  I wasn't entirely sure what gauge was.  And I'm still not totally clear on it.  From what I gather from this article, it basically means how many stitches are needed to get the desired amount of inches in your pattern. All yarns are not created equal.  This is what I do know:  I do know that I knitted a blanket out of seven different yarns.  These yarns varied in color, brand name and...gauge.  So when I casted on the 130 stitches that the pattern called for with the first color, I continued to knit that many stitches for all of the colors.  As a result, the white and the light blue portions of the blanket look smaller than the rest of the blanket...as you can see.  Like I suddenly decided to nip things in a bit.  My blanket isn't so much a rectangle as it is a rippling wave or hourglass-shaped.  Had I known how important gauge is I would have chosen all seven yarns accordingly.  Instead I chose them based on their color and how they felt.  And the blanket is, ahem, clearly homemade as a result.

- Don't knit while watching Florida vs Florida State games.  The two times I made significant boo-boos happened as a result of knitting while being emotionally invested in what I was watching on TV.  Here's the thing:  I had been taking advantage of this football-season-time of year by knitting.  I got the most done on Saturdays and Sundays when football dominated the airwaves in our house.  And I had done plenty of knitting during plenty of Gator games.  It was great!  I'm not the biggest of football fans but I enjoy it enough to half-watch while knitting!  However, none of the games seem as important as the UF/FSU game because we are state rivals.  Like major rivals.  To give you an example, FSU has a "Florida Hate Week" leading up to our game.  Keep it classy, FSU.  I was watching and suddenly the stitches slipped off my needle and I couldn't figure out how to get them all back into place!  I panicked.  After crying from frustration and practicing my lamaze breathing, I got back on track somehow and now there is just a little area that looks a little gnarled.  And the Gators won, so it was all good.  Then I was watching a UF/FSU basketball game and the same thing happened again.  This time I laughed instead of crying but still... Wider lesson for everyone?  Don't knit when you know you might be emotionally distracted.  Knit when the knitting has a little more of your focus. 

- Circular Knitting Needles are awesome.  I was intimidated by them when I first got them.  I was frustrated by them when I couldn't figure out how to cast on and had to redo 130 stitches four times when I first started the project.  But once I got the hang of it, I loved them.  The needles hang out together, you don't have to worry about one falling in between the couch cushions as you switch sides, and now that I'm finishing up a scarf that I started on regular straight needles, I realize that the circular ones are just...better. 

- It's ok if you mess up.  This is probably my biggest take-away.  Knitting a blanket is the biggest knitting project I've taken on yet.  And, as discussed, I messed up along the way.  But am I proud of this blanket?  Heck yes!  Do I think it will keep my baby warm as he's all snuggled up in his stroller for walks around the neighborhood?  Absolutely.  Will my baby care that the blanket is a little 'wavy' and not exactly perfect?  He might make fun of me when he's older but, for now, no way!  He's going to have a misshapen blanket that his mama made for him with love.  And it's something that I hope he can use one day for his own children.  

In fact, true story: My husband's mom crocheted him a blanket when he was born.  She shipped it to us so we can use it for our first baby.  It's lasted thirty-plus years and is such an incredible gift to pass on.  Handmade treasures are unique and perfect in their own way...no matter how many hiccups happen along the way.

If you want to knit your own baby blanket, here is my original post about doing so.  It has links to the pattern, tips from one beginner to another and other knitting resources online that can help!

Hold On To Each Other

I met a friend for coffee this morning.  We caught up on how each other are doing, shared stories and talked about raising kids.  She babysits for a family that uses parenting methods that I don't know much about and so it's always interesting to learn more.  Before we knew it, an hour had gone by and I needed to move my car so I wouldn't get a ticket.  I moved to another spot and then we walked around the neighborhood a bit.  There is this street art covering the side of a building that I've seen before when driving on Sunset Blvd but never have been able to take a picture because, well, I was driving.  Since we were walking, I took a moment and snapped a shot.  The quote says,

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

I don't know if Audrey Hepburn said this and that's why it's the quote next to a depiction of her or if the artist just liked the saying.  But I just thought the entire thing is "pretty" so I couldn't resist.

When I got home, my phone alerted me that I had a text.  It was from my sister and it said, "Love you, sister. In disbelief of the horrifying news right now."  I thought, "What horrifying news?"  And then I wondered if it had anything to do with the headline I saw before I left the house about a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.  At the time all that was being reported was that there was a shooting and that the gunman was dead.  And in my optimistic heart, since no other deaths were reported, I thought perhaps there were people injured but he was the only one that died.

We all know now that wasn't the case.

I pulled up Yahoo news and started bawling.  I can't even type this without weeping.  The thought of those children, the thought of their families, the thought of those who survived and had their innocence ripped away from them...it's all too much for me to handle.  I can't understand it.  I don't know if an act like this - or the one in Oregon or Aurora or Columbine or Virginia Tech...the list goes on - I don't know if we can ever fully comprehend what would drive a person to take innocent lives like this.  The tragedy today is especially gut-wrenching because of all of the children killed.  But young or old, you should be able to go to school and feel safe.  You should be able to go to a movie theatre or a shopping mall and not worry if a crazed gunman is going to open fire.

I don't know much about gun laws or the Second Amendment.  I'm woefully ignorant on the facts.  But that is going to change.  I have to know more because I know that this can't keep happening and continue to be brushed aside.  We can't, as a nation, as a community, as a society, continue to say that "crazy people will find a way to kill and taking away guns won't change that."  Because I don't believe it.  The magnitude of these tragedies will only increase and become more unbearable unless action is taken.  And I can't continue to just theorize on it.

Today we have a doctor's appointment.  We'll listen to our son's heartbeat.  And I'll be thinking of the parents in Newtown who wish they could hear their children's heartbeats just one more time.

The best thing in life to hold onto is each other.

Hold the ones you love close tonight.

Story Time!

Cartoon by Dave Knott

So, where I live, we don't have washer and dryers in our units.  We have a community laundry room.  This is part of why I will not be cloth diapering.  It would take a whole nother level of dedication to go back and forth to the laundry room because of diapers and I don't think it will be worth it in the end.  But that isn't the point of this story.  This story is one that happened yesterday...

I have a pretty regular schedule of when I launder and, as such, I've become friendly with a woman who is a housekeeper for one of my neighbors, who also has a pretty regular schedule of laundering.   We say hello, how have you been, that type of thing.  Yesterday I went to go get our sheets from the dryer (Tuesday is sheets day) and there was my friend.  To paint a picture, she is a very pleasant woman, in her sixties and Hispanic.  Her ethnicity is worth mentioning because English is her second language and while she speaks English very well (better than I speak Spanish!), sometimes she has to search for a word.  This will become important to the story...

So I say hello and how are you and she responds with a sigh, "Not so great."  I say, "Oh no. Are you feeling sick?"  And she says, "No, it's not that.  My mother passed away last weekend."  "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" I responded.  It's never easy to lose a parent, no matter when it happens.  She went on to tell me about her mother's last days and how she was coping with it all.  Her mom died on her 98th birthday, so she had a nice long run.  But again, it's never easy, and she is having a tough time with it.  She told me a bit more and when she was ready to change the subject she asked, "How's the baby??"  And I smiled, "He's doing good! Getting big!"  And she smiled knowingly, "It's a boy?"  "It is," I said.  She says, "I can tell.  Because of your face."  And then it was my turn to smile knowingly.  I've heard the wives tales of how your face doesn't change much when you have a boy and I've been told a few times how my face "doesn't look pregnant."  So I thought I knew where this was going.

She went on, "With a girl, your face gets round..."  I nodded because I had heard this before too.  Then she continued, "With a boy, your face..." and she couldn't come up with the word.  She started pointing to under her eyes, indicating the bags.  So I tried to help. "You look tired?" I offered.  She sort of nodded, "Yes, yes, hmm, my mom always used to say it was like you had diarrhea face. Like you have diarrhea.  Your face is long and tired.  But with a girl, your face fills out and is happy."  I had to laugh.  I'm still laughing!  I was told I have a "diarrhea face"!  Not what I was expecting to hear!  And I had to agree...I DO have bags under my eyes right now.  But I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't been sleeping well this week.  Also, I never thought about someone looking tired as being related to stomach issues!  I think something may have gotten lost in translation but still...too funny.  And now I have a new nickname at my house.  Which sounds really disturbing to anyone that doesn't know the context...

All I can say is, thank goodness for makeup!

Postpartum Workouts: Thinking Ahead

I've talked about how I've been using Sara Haley's workout DVD "Expecting More" to help stay in shape throughout my pregnancy.  This week over at SheKnows, they are running an interview series with Sara on The Daily Dish - a new clip each day - and since yesterday was Monday, they did a little intro.  I was excited to learn that she has a new DVD coming out soon that helps you get back in shape postpartum!  While that goal is what inspired the series, it's not just for women.  Or just for women who recently had children.  It sounds like it's for anyone that struggles to find time to fit in a workout into their day.  She has options for 5 minute, 15 minute, 30 minute and 45 minute workouts.  Well, she explains it better, so check out yesterday's clip below!

And if you're interested in more, head over to The Daily Dish every day this week to watch more of Sara's interviews.  Today she talks about the importance of kegels...for everyone.  It gets a little naughty - a fair warning to the shy!

Speaking of workouts, mine have become less frequent since I hurt my back last month.  I'm slowly getting back into a routine but it hasn't been easy.  I find that I get tired more easily and sore in places I haven't been sore before.  Particularly on my walks.  Something has shifted in my hips because if I try to walk "normally", it's a real pain in the groin.  It feels like I'm straining my ligaments.  I'm no doctor...can you even strain ligaments?  It just feels like everything connecting my lower body is saying, "Nope. Sorry. We don't work like that anymore."  So instead of walking with my feet pointed straight, I have to turn my toes out, like second position in ballet, to walk more comfortably.  Next stop: The Inevitable Waddle!

Grape Juice: Miracle Flu Preventer?

I'm a little in love with Pinterest.  I love that I can just tuck away recipes and decorating ideas and articles from wherever I'm at online and I especially love seeing what other people pin.  Secret confession:  I tend to scroll through new pin posts on my phone every morning...before I get out of bed.  Hey, I'm pregnant.  I'm taking advantage of the little "lay-around-me-time" I have left!  A pin from someone I follow really caught my eye the other day.  They pinned a link with the descriptor: "Tummy Bug Prevention - Every Mom Should Know This".  Well, having chosen not to get the flu vaccine, this immediately peaked my interest.  I thought, it's worth a read at least.  I'm sure it will just give me the normal specs: wash your hands, eat healthy, exercise, use hand sanitizer, bring your own pen for signing receipts, get enough rest.  All those goodies.  But instead, I was surprised.

The pin linked to a blog post over at I Should Be Mopping The Floor where Kristi, the blog's owner, had written about her secret flu prevention weapon:

Grape juice.

Yep.  She first heard of it's preventative magic from a local high school coach who was never sick and credited Welch's for his good fortune.  Then she saw someone post about it on Facebook.  Then she read someone else's blog that swore by grape juice's flu-prevention-voodoo.  She writes, "It's the acidity in the juice that's supposed to help the bug from settling in your digestive tract."  You could - and should - read all about it at her original post HERE.  There is also a link to an updated post that includes readers' tips and tricks, which is worth a gander.  

It got me to thinking...can this be true?  Could grape juice help prevent the norovirus (the most common strain of the flu)?  And if it's true, why haven't I heard about it before??  Why hadn't more people heard about it before?  Or had they heard of it and was it just something they assumed every else already knew so they didn't talk about it?   Because I certainly never heard of this!

So I did a quick google search and came up with conflicting reports.  Here's two examples:

• Stopthestomachflu.com:  

"...there have been studies done recently that suggest that cranberry juice and grape juice may have antiviral potential. In these studies, exposure to cranberry juice or grape juice decreased the infectivity of viruses similar to norovirus."   

"Dr. Azlin Mustapha, a food scientist the the University of Missouri, has done many experiments in petri dishes that showed that red wine and Welches grape juice kill salmonella, e. coli, listeria, shigella, and H. Pylori."

• Livestrong.com:

"While there's no effective treatment for a stomach virus, certain lifestyle and dietary changes might reduce your risk of developing this type of infection.  Eating grapes and drinking grape juice have certain health benefits, but they're not an effective way to prevent a stomach virus."

Basically, it seems that there have been a few tests about the antiviral and antibacterial qualities of grapes and grape juice.  In petri dishes, grape juice seems to have some affect on viruses.  But the data seems far from conclusive.  In fact, some research would say that grape juice has no affect at all on viruses already in the body.  That would make this whole grape-juice-preventative an internet  rumor that is spreading like a virus of it's own.

But...

I like it.  I like the idea of drinking a glass a day.  Or a glass when I get home from being around coughing people (which I did that last night after the girl next to me at our childbirth class kept coughing).  If some studies show that grapes have antibacterial properties, why not give it a shot?  It's a yummy shot.  And an 8-ounce glass of Welch's has two servings of fruit.  Empty calories, yes, but yummy calories.  And there is something to be said about natural preventatives.  Maybe it is just the vitamin C that's helping to combat any bugs trying to attach themselves inside of me.  But I also up my OJ intake this time of year.  Or drink some Emergen-C before and after flying.  And wash my hands.  And try to use my own pen when signing receipts.  And all of those other run-of-the-mill tips.  Maybe this is a brilliant marketing strategy by Welch's - "Start internet rumor : Drink our juice to prevent the flu!" - and if so, kudos to them.

...It's working...

Kickin' It (or my trouble with Kick Counts)

Ten years after I moved to NYC, my sister did the same.  Of course, I've been long gone from the Big Apple, but it's still neat that she is experiencing her own relationship with the city a decade later.  (If you've been reading, you'll remember that I was in a bit of an emotional tailspin when Hurricane Sandy blew through, hoping she'd be ok.  And she was, thank goodness.)  I bring this up because last night she went to see The Rockettes for the first time.  It's the show's 85th anniversary and I've been a few times, in my time.  In fact, the first time I met Dan's parents was when they came up for the show and we went with them.  My mother-in-law says she knew upon that meeting that we were going to be in this for the long haul.  She was right.

Thinking about those kick lines got me to thinking about my own little tiny dancer that keeps Christmas-Spectacular-ing in my belly everyday.  His kicks are getting stronger and more dependable.  By that I mean that he has his patterns and I can pretty much plan my day around when he'll be the most active.  And he doesn't seem to be much of a morning person!  Sure, he'll move around and adjust as I wake up but he rarely goes on a full-out dancing spree.  If I may indulge in wishful thinking for a moment, perhaps this lazy morning routine will continue post-womb.  Ok, fine.  I doubt it too.  I said it was wishful thinking!

So what's with all this kick talk?  I've already talked about kicking on here before.  Yawn.  But! I haven't talked about "kick counts."  And that's what I'm really thinking about today.  At my 24 week appointment my doctor gave me a little kick-count journal and said I should start keeping track.  I thanked her and decided not to worry about it much.  I mentioned it to my mom and she was like, "Kick count? What is that? We didn't have to do that."  I explained that if your baby hasn't been too active, you should count kicks and if you don't get to ten within an hour, you're supposed to call the doctor.  It's supposed to lower the risk of complications within the womb, especially the risk of still-borns.  For a more medically-sound explanation, you can read all about it here. I also explained that the idea of kick-counts makes me feel crazy.  It just seemed like too much!  Am I supposed to panic if I don't feel him moving around for awhile?  Doesn't he sleep in there?  If he has an especially active few days, doesn't it make sense that he's a little less active in the following days?

At our last appointment, the doctor mentioned the kick-count journal again.  And then today I became officially 29 weeks along, which means all my pregnancy apps updated with new info.  And my daily tip from my What to Expect app was this:

"Counting Baby's Kicks
Have you counted your baby's kicks today?  Once you've passed week 28, you should be counting them everyday."

Then it went on to explain to count twice-a-day and how to do so.  And on my BabyCenter app there's actually a Kick Counter tool where you start the timer and click the "kick" button.  It'll count up to ten kicks then you're done and it records the date and the amount of time it took to reach the ten-kick-goal.

So...I guess I should start counting kicks?  The few times I've used the tool on BabyCenter it hasn't taken more than three minutes to reach the goal.  And the entire time I've been writing this post, Baby Boy has been having a dance party near my ribs.  Of course, I am at Starbucks and just finished a decaf Peppermint Mocha which may have something to do with his dance moves...

Anyone else feel crazy when asked to do kick-counts?  Or am I just being a sensitive pregnant lady?  I feel with all there is to worry about, this just seems like piling on.  I agree that it makes sense to be aware of your baby's movement...but counting every day?  Twice-a-day?  Are we too overloaded with information?

Kate Middleton should read this blog...

By now you've heard that Kate Middleton is having a baby next year too.  2013 will certainly be the year of the baby!  Both in my life and in the tabloids!

Just was having a twitter conversation with Red about how the poor thing had morning sickness so her pregnancy had to be announced. Can't imagine! Feeling miserable, being hospitalized because the morning sickness is so bad, and then telling the whole world, "By the way, it's because I have the future heir to the throne in my womb."  No pressure for the little one.  I wonder what that must be like.  We sit here and like to speculate about what our son might want to be when he grows up or what interests he might take.  Will he take after his mom and like to write, sing, dance?  Will he take after his dad and be good at math, art, athletics? I mean, sure, Wills and Kate get to wonder those things as well but as far as occupation goes, their baby's course is set.  Which begs the question: do you wish you knew exactly what you were supposed to do with your life from the time you were born?  Is there freedom or restriction in that kind of certainty?

****

Mr. John Braxton Hicks.
The obstetrician with contractions
named after him.

Wasn't expecting to hear the royal gossip this morning though and actually wanted to talk a minute about Braxton-Hicks.  I haven't experienced any yet...that I know of. When we went to our childbirth class this past Thursday, our instructor asked, "How many of you have been experiencing Braxton-Hicks?  Raise your hand."  We all looked around at each other with our hands in our laps.  "No one? No one here has had Braxton-Hicks?" she asked again.  Again, we all just shrugged our shoulders.  Then she said, "Well, I find that highly unlikely at this point in your pregnancies.  You're all having them.  You just don't realize it yet."  And the way she said it, it was like she was not only surprised but a little disappointed.  Like we were doing something wrong if we hadn't been having Braxton-Hicks.  She said, "Has anyone felt like their belly was hard all around, with pressure that takes your breath away?  They don't necessarily hurt but they are uncomfortable." So one girl said, "Oh, I think I have then!  I feel this like lightning feeling on the bottom of my tummy."  And the instructor was like, "I'm pretty sure that was round ligament pain," and she went on to explain that a bit more.  But of the nine women in the class, all of us in our seventh month, none of us have been having noticeable Braxton-Hicks contractions.  Apparently this is a rare phenomenon.  The instructor said that she expects that some, if not all, of us will experience them by the time the course is over.  And now every little twinge has me wondering...was that a Braxton-Hicks?

For example, there were a few times that I got up to use the bathroom yesterday and I felt like my tummy was hard.  And I read that having a full bladder can trigger a Braxton-Hicks contraction.  So I wondered, "Is this it?"  Because it wasn't that uncomfortable.  And I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't have a class on Thursday where the teacher seemed appalled that none of us are having this happen on the regular.  And then I read that staying hydrated can help ward off Braxton-Hicks so I thought, "Well, I do drink a lot of water. Maybe that's why I'm not having any."  And then I went to use the bathroom again.  It's a vicious cycle, isn't it?  Gotta stay hydrated during pregnancy but your bladder is squished by the human occupying the same space. I buy a lot of toilet paper these days.

The point of all this is to ask, if you're reading this and are/have been pregnant or know someone that is/has been pregnant, how often do/did Braxton-Hicks strike for you/them? (That was a lot of slashes.)  Or when did they start?  This might sound really ignorant, but I'm wondering if because I have a long torso I'll experience it later in pregnancy than "normal"?  Or is that just wishful thinking?  Third trimester, man.  Lots of woes it seems.   Would love to hear about your experiences!