32 Week Pregnancy Update

I can't believe that I'm past 32 weeks already. I keep remembering how at this point in my last pregnancy, I was on bedrest, dilating, with only 1 week left in my pregnancy. This time is, thankfully, so different. At my ultrasound appointment, yesterday, Isabella was measuring 3 lbs. 13 oz., which is slightly small for her gestational age (14th percentile), but nothing to worry over. Everything looks as perfect as it can be and she seems to be progressing right on track. Unfortunately, she was very camera shy and despite my prodding, she wouldn't move her right hand from in front of her face so I don't have any new pictures. I have one more shot at a good picture before she comes (36 week ultrasound), so hopefully she'll be in a posing mood that day.
As you can probably tell from the belly pictures, I have started my Lovonox (blood thinner) injections. Unfortunately, the twice a day injections do nothing to make my belly look pretty for pictures. Instead, I get a ton of ugly bruises and marks (and I'm showing you my good side). I guess I should just count my blessings that bruises, unlike stretch marks, will fade in time. The bruising is, frankly, the least of the side effects that comes with the Lovonox. Lovonox has put the fear of blood in me (my own blood that is). Everytime I shave my legs, I will bleed for apparently no reason at all. So, naturally, I'm worrying about what the heck is going to happen to me when I'm in labor? Granted, by the time I go into labor I will have hopefully been switched to Heparin, which has an antidote (whereas Lovonox has no antidote or reversal). But still... it makes me nervous. On a lighter note, I have turned into a mosquito magnet. This is not a documented side effect of Lovonox, but there is no denying it. I am swarmed by them the second I step outside -- I have 15 new bites since the weekend!
It seems that I have entered into the phase of pregnancy where exhaustion strikes. It's not the sleepy feeling I had in the first trimester, but a winded and hot sensation that's entirely new to me. I feel like an old woman in menapause (or so I'm told). Needless to say, Gabe has nearly mastered all the sign language on his Baby Einstein signing DVD and Ari immediately recognizes and claps to the Barney sing-along songs. Yeah, they watch their movies now... and not just when I'm making dinner.
I'm not proud to announce this, but my strange cravings are back. They happened late in my last pregnancy and they've returned once more. I crave towels -- yes, fluffy bath towels straight out of the dryer. And the smell that comes from my car air conditioner. And Home Depot. If I could sit in my cleaning closet all day, I would. I have not given in to these cravings with the exception of the towels (obviously, they don't get eaten, just chewed on). I've learned that I'm not alone in this... it's called Pica, and in my defense, it's fairly common in pregnancy and not a sign of mental illness :). One of the most common Pica cravings is laundry startch and soap. Pregnancy is so strange.