For those of you keeping score at home, the baby is now the size of a bunch of cauliflower, but moves around a whole lot more.

As of Sunday we will officially enter the third trimester, and it’s starting to feel very real and a little bit more scary (at least for those of us contemplating birth in a few weeks).

Part of the third trimester “stuff” is that we’ve started our birthing class. We chose the one recommended by our midwives, called “Magical Beginnings.” It’s based on a Deepak Chopra book, which I suppose should have tipped us off, but we were not prepared for how hippy it is.

We spend a decent part of the classes doing visualization and/or meditation exercises. These are cool, but aren’t quite what this somewhat analytic, information-driven couple was expecting. We’ve still got two more classes to go, so maybe there will be a little more practical advice and a little less guided deep breathing.

It’s interesting to see the other couples in the class too. We are the farthest away from our due date, with one couple’s due date only a few days after the class ends. I mentioned to the midwife at our last visit that my bump seems to be as big as some of these women’s who are due a month or more before me, and she said it’s because I’m so short. It really is surprising how different builds impact how women carry their babies, and I’m pretty sure short chicks get a raw deal.

Anyway, for the most part the pregnancy continues to roll along without too many issues. Dan is hard at work sanding and staining all the new furniture that we got second hand for the baby’s room, and I think it’s going to look AMAZING when it’s done. The only problem is that it’s hard to fit sanding into an already busy summer schedule, so hopefully we will have finished pieces before we have a baby.

I had my first really bad day of back pain on Tuesday and ended up spending the better part of Wednesday trying to figure out how to make it go away. After yoga, a bath and a nap I was feeling almost back to normal, and it appears that not stretching after my Monday water aerobics created some very tight muscles that were making their displeasure known. So there is a lot of yoga and stretching in my future!

This weekend we’re getting together with another couple who are due a month after us to make a huge amount of gnocchi and ravioli to freeze for after the babies come, which will be one more thing off our massive “To Do Before Baby” list. It’s great having another couple so close to our date to hang out with, although I think the guys get sick of us girls talking about nothing but pregnancy the whole time.

Finally, I’m getting one last trip to Texas in before I’m too enormous to get on a plane. I can’t wait to see the family next week, but the prospect of 100+ temperatures is not enticing. I’m sure it will be worth it to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they feel the baby kick!