yes, once again no belly pictures this week. which for the record, i now regret not being more diligent about especially after seeing this. how beautiful and adorable is that woman?

this past weekend was pretty eventful. for one, i made some marmalade, in honor of my mom and printed the labels today. you can see it on my other blog. second, i got to see my friend lori and her family and we talked and hung out for hours and the time just flew by. her baby boy (5 months old?) is so adorable as is her 2 year old daughter. the sight of the two of them together interacting had confirmed my decision to have at least 2 kids (yep, its set in stone). and third, my friends Amy, Roz and Roz's sister Renee (who just moved here from Phoenix) took me out to a lake in livermore and we had a picnic and went swimming, sort of. but most importantly, i not only feel the baby move like crazy now, but i can distinguish body parts AND the baby even pushes back!!! it is so weird and cool at the same time.

the first such episode was when i was sitting on the couch with cw and we were vegging out in front of the tv. all of a sudden i feel this major movement, sort of a nudge. i placed my hand over the side of my belly and yep, he moved again and so i pushed on it a little and what do you know, he elbowed me back! it totally freaked me out and i was screaming with delight. cw just thought i was weird and couldnt grasp the idea of just how outstanding and creepy it all was. and it was certainly fun. i couldnt stop laughing. here i was playing with my son in utero. it was amazing. if i could bottle up the feeling - that moment - the excitement and manage to sell it - prozac would have nothing on it.

so yeah, im at my 33rd week. my friends are all in fear of me going into labor whenever i am with them. i still am inspired to try and tag myself along to things and outdoor events that i love - like camping, swimming and the likes - but i know it wont be for awhile. at this week, the baby is supposedly a little over 4 pounds and is about 17" (though I doubt this, he's probably more like 15") and his skeleton is hardening except for his skull. so they have this thing called fetal kick counts, but my baby doesnt really kick he just squirms around a lot. oh and elbows me. but every baby is different so, whatever. maybe in the next few weeks he will kick me..which i am going to assume might not be as fun and exciting as i think it sounds.

everyday i wake up with numbness in my hands. my hands also feel as though they suffer from arthritis. I cant even make a fist these days! and my feet only swell up if ive been on them too long or its hot. i pretty much only wear my flip flops.

i got my first batch of ordered books, so i'll be busy with that and trying to follow thru with writing a manuscript.