Here I am in all the glory that is 31 weeks. Bigger, rounder, but I can still fit into all my maternity pants!!! Actually, I consider this a major feat and I am quite thankful it has worked out this way since it would be a real pain in the ass to have to order more clothes from the U.S. to be shipped to me. 8 weeks or so left and I really hope this trend continues.

And this is what it looks like from my point of view. I totally can’t see my feet now, and it is almost a blessing that they got bigger. Once they got bigger and I couldn’t comfortably fit into any of my shoes I bought a pair of Crocs (I know, gasp, I should be flamed for such a fashion faux pas) and I have been happily slipping in and out of them for over a month now. Best $40 ever spent!

We had a doctors appointment today. It was brief, which is good. Everything looks good on my end. My iron levels are still good and they are actually higher than they were when I last had them tested during the first trimester. My blood pressure is looking great. I have no issues with swelling. My urinalysis has come out totally clean yet again. The ultrasound is showing a happy, healthy baby with a head that is about 8cm across. And, we are thankful, that the baby seems to have settled into a head-down position where we are hoping it stays for the duration of the pregnancy.

My weight is still below the recommended gain from the American Pregnancy Association (11-17 kg=25-37 pounds), but I am closing in on the recommended Japanese maximum (10 kg=22 pounds). I will write, another day, about how I think the Japanese recommendations are complete and total myth and how I don’t think a single Japanese woman actually stays within them, as every woman I have talked to here has told me her shocking secret that GASP she gained more than 10kg, including every single woman at my clinic due in the same month as me.