Thunder thighs

I had to buy new maternity jeans this weekend because I had worn a hole into my old ones. This is clearly a result of my thighs rubbing the fabric away - in fact, the parts without holes are paper thin. Since I have worn these jeans since the beginning of my pregnancy, I definitely feel as though I got good value for my money. It certainly makes my top ten list of essential pregnancy clothing items.
For the last two weeks I have been having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions (henceforth referred to by me as BHs). They suck. Contractions feel like menstrual cramps, and can be quite uncomfortable (at least for me). During my pregnancy with Rebecca, I did not experience any BHs until 34 weeks gestation. That was a little unusually late to feel them, but every individual is different. It is my understanding that it is normal to experience these contractions earlier in a second pregnancy - so 30 weeks seems reasonable. However, I have also noticed that these occur multiple times a day - most days, which was certainly not my previous experience. Does it mean anything? Probably not. According to my research BHs can occur as a result of dehydration, full bladder, fetal movements, exercise, exertion, or simply your position. Regardless, I will be mentioning it to my obstetrician during my 32 week prenatal appointment on Thursday.
I have been wondering whether the baby has dropped. Again, as of maybe a week and a half ago, I became convinced that my tummy was lower than it had been. The only reason I noticed was because I had been carrying so high. Since the baby has been head down for the last seven weeks, I don't think this can be merely attributed to positioning. And yet - based on my research so far, in second pregnancies, the baby doesn't drop until very near labour, while in a first pregnancy, this supposedly can occur many weeks ahead of the delivery. (Funny how this is at odds to the situation with BHs). When I was pregnant with Rebecca, I don't remember ever thinking the baby had dropped - but perhaps she hadn't - given the circumstances. At any rate, this seems way too early. Maybe the belly just looks different to me because of the weight I lost during my pneumonia.