I got a Sloth in my Belly (and more):

As I’m coming down to the end, Jude is growing – and running out of space. Over the course of the pregnancy there has been a pretty regular change in the types of movement I experience. This is all normal of course, because he’s going from being a pea trapped in a cantaloupe to a watermelon in a spandex suit. (probably very poor analogies – especially the second). It was normal at first to feel little kicks or punches in one small spot at first. Later it was normal to feel BIG movement from one side of my stomach to the other, at various speeds and pressure. Now, it’s just as common to feel kind of a mix of the two. Typically his movement now feels a lot like slow moving pressure (or just non-moving pressure, like he’s trying to push his way out very slowly) starting on one side and slowly swooping. It’s pretty neat how it’s changed over time.

In other news we got our car seat inspected. I had read that typically the best place for the car seat is the back/middle of the car and that generally everyone installs them wrong. When installing we put ours on the passenger side of the back seat (that’s where the latch system was and they recommended using latches over the seat belt), so were prepared to be told we were wrong. I did however return all the car seat gadgets I bought – except for the little decorative caterpillar for the handle – so that I’d at least get a nod for doing that right (hah! Who was I kidding – this guy didn’t compliment me on any of my efforts – he was very knowledgeable though, so I don’t want to bash him too much).

We went in, got a run down on how to put the baby in the seat and then went outside for the actual inspection. He asked if there was a reason why I chose the passenger side, not the middle. When I told him there was no real reason, just the latches he began to take apart all of our hard work. The latches aren’t the important part and the width of the strap on the seatbelt is thicker than the latch belt (I then asked if I needed the “mightytite” seatbelt tightner and got a very annoyed look) , so why not go for the extra safety. He reinstalled the seat in seconds and then began to tell me everything else I’d done wrong.

1. The caterpillar was a no-no, but since it’s on the handle and the handle gets folded back, it’s no real biggie, just more of a hassle than it could potentially be worth (and he forced that issue).
2. I have an SUV. Apparently as far as cargo is concerned it’s a big no-no too. He opened my back hatch and saw the stroller I had already neatly placed in the cargo storage compartment. He said it’s imperative that I get cargo tie downs for it or at least bungee cords to hold it in place because if I’m in an accident the stroller will flip over the seat – smack right into baby. I found that a little hard to believe (I assumed it’d fly into the back of the seat…) but I guess I’ll be buying some bungee cords. Then he said that since SUV’s have a higher chance to roll over, anything not tied down becomes a free roaming object in the car if it flips, so I need to keep any random items also secured to the vehicle. I’m not sure how I’ll be getting my groceries home from now on… but I guess I can see where he’s coming from… and will try my best to not have too much junk in my car at any given time.