34 wks - starting the countdown

Sorry, I didn't get any pictures yet, but I'll try to snap one or two this week so you can see the ever growing monstrosity that is Preggosaurus! :-D

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 34 wks - ONLY 6 WKS LEFT TILL MY EDD!! :-O  I was booking my next few appts yesterday and was shocked to realize that I had booked right up to the week before my due date, SCARY.  It made me realize how "urgent" some of the things on my to-do list are - like taking maternity pics and finding a pediatrician and pre-registering at the hospital.  I've got some phone calls to make this week for sure.

Size of Baby : averages say ~18-20" and my ultrasound yesterday said he's 4 lbs 14oz, right on track.

Total Weight Gain : ~27 lbs

Maternity Clothes :  I was so excited to get a package in the mail this week from Jordan full of nursing bras & nursing tanks.  (There was more in there to be excited about, but those were the clothes for me)  I had started thinking I might have to go buy a few of each, but now I've got about 5 tanks and 6 bras that ought to work pretty well for me through nursing months.  YAY :)

Best Moment This Week :  Thanksgiving was awesome!!! I also had a great time working on the glider cushion covers with mom.  It was just a GREAT 5 day weekend of fun.

Gender : according to yesterday's ultrasound, he's STILL a boy :)

Movement : mom was excited to get to feel him move.  At first he was trying to be a brat and as soon as mom got her hand on my belly he'd stop.  But it didn't take long till she caught him squirming, and by the end of the weekend she'd seen the alien belly move by itself and even caught a few hiccups.  He's been getting hiccups a lot lately, but from what I've heard that's good... it means he's practicing breathing.  Also, since he's head down, I'll occasionally get a kick in the lungs or ribs or sides... whoo, that'll make you go whoa! :)

Food Craving : always chocolate, though six weeks is starting to feel bearable... I do month-long treats fasts, six weeks isn't much longer than that.  The hardest part is that this will go through C-mas when all the sweet goodies are out there... *sigh*  I did take a taste of mom's skinny peppermint mocha yesterday - mmmm. 

What I Miss Most :  I miss being able to breathe the most, I think, but a close second is definitely just being able to move freely.  It's starting to get hard to get up off the floor and stuff, which is no good for my job. 

Sleep :  I realized that some of my worst back pain issues were from sleeping propped up on a couple pillows and rolling to my side, so I went back to just one (my preggo pillow).  Which has been nice, except for the night I ended up sleeping sitting up against 4 pillows b/c I woke with vomit in my throat and nose twice.  But otherwise it has definitely helped the back pain and is more comfortable.  Though I can't wait to go back to sleeping like a normal person :)

What I Am Looking Forward To :  besides the aforementioned being able to eat and breathe and sleep like a normal person, I'm starting to look forward to meeting this little guy.  I mean, I've been happy about that for a while, but I'm really starting to feel it.  I was playing "find the feet" today with him and thought how much fun it'll be to actually grab his feet instead of just poking them through layers of skin and muscle and fluid.

Belly Button : it's out enough to be occasionally visible through clothes, but still not what I'd call an outie... just that little nub is gently sticking out.  But it's also getting "lower", almost out of sight for me if I stand up straight.  HAHA, my body is SO misshapen :)

Symptoms :  reflux, back ache, breathlessness and occasional fatigue... you know, the usual.

33 weeks and pics

Here are a few pics.  If you want more, I'll be updating my albums on FB soon.

This is my belly bump at 32.5 wks.  After my shower, I was starting to droop a little.

I need to call JoAnn's and find out why they haven't called me to come pick up Hobbes yet... He's the only major thing missing on this wall; minor items are a container for our wipes and the cloth wipes we'll be using on the right hand shelf.  We've got the hamper, the diaper pail, the trash can, the changing pad cover, the super heroes and bear... It's coming together!!

This is the book and toy shelf getting full.  L-R top : "lovies", books, hard toys; bottom : board books, soft toys, stuffies.

A pic Elijah took at the shower

I have no idea what I was talking about but the way I'm sitting cracked me up.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 33 wks

Size of Baby : averages say ~17-20" and 4-5 lbs.

Total Weight Gain : ~26 lbs

Maternity Clothes :  nothing new this week...

Best Moment This Week :  my Saturday was full of fun if a little exhausting.  Our meeting w/Kari (our doula) went pretty well, though she had just assisted in a delivery overnight and only got 3 hrs of sleep, so she was a little out of it, poor thing.  My shower was a blast!!  It was so fun to see people I haven't seen in a while.  And then topped the day off with one more shower for Josh's coworker.  I was pooped when I got home, but it was so much fun.

Gender : boy

Movement : Well, it seems like he's finally switched sides and is hanging out on the left side mostly now.  That whole insanity last week was apparently his efforts to get over there.  Congrats, baby, you made it :)

Food Craving : always chocolate.  I'd LOVE a peppermint mocha. 

What I Miss Most : I talked to Jenna this weekend about running next year.  I think we're going to sign up for a local fall half so we've got a goal to work toward, and plenty of time for me to get back in shape.  I can't wait to start running again.

Sleep : I tried out a wedge pillow and after 1 1/2 nights I'm taking it back.  We have a soft foam topper on our mattress and the pillow was so hard/stiff I just couldn't get comfortable.  So it's back to just sleeping on an extra pillow.  Oh well.

What I Am Looking Forward To : Mom comes Wednesday for almost a week.  I'm really looking forward to the time together, Thanksgiving with her and Linds and M&M, finishing up the nursery, and maybe spending a little of my Target gift card money on things that I haven't gotten and still need.

Belly Button : still just poking out a little bit.


Symptoms :  reflux, back pain, occasional breathlessness and fatigue... I mean, pretty much all the unavoidable third trimester symptoms.  But overall I still tell people that I'm lucky that reflux has been the only consistent issue, and I've been relatively "comfortable" (for a preggo) this whole pregnancy.

32 weeks and no pic yet

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 32 wks

Size of Baby : averages say ~17" and 4 lbs.

Total Weight Gain : ~26 lbs

Maternity Clothes :  nothing new this week...

Best Moment This Week :  Josh had a four day weekend (I had a 3 1/2), and it was really nice to hang out together this weekend.  We picked up a game he's been looking forward to (Skyrim) at the midnight launch on Thursday night, and he played a lot while I read and knitted.  We also hung out with friends, toured the hospital, shopped for our small group Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, went out for lunch... it was just a fun, productive AND relaxing weekend.

Gender : boy

Movement : as he grows and the amt of amniotic fluid surrounding him decreases, I'm feeling more and more movement.  Though he can't get enough space to get in a full kick, so most of the movements are more like squirming and more gentle kicks.  He's done some strange things in the past day or two and I'm not fully sure what position he's in anymore.  I THINK he's still head down.  He also still spends most of his time on the right side, but when I wake up from sleeping on my left side, he's switched.

Food Craving : I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner!  And we're having a mini-Thanksgiving with small group this week, so I get TWO :-D  I'm just excited b/c it's a whole meal of things that shouldn't trigger my reflux, and that hardly ever happens.

What I Miss Most : life without reflux and the ability to exercise... this week I didn't even have the energy for a walk most days.

Sleep : waking up lots at night to pee; I really do feel like breast feeding through the night will hardly be different.  The VERY worst experience of pregnancy sleeping so far was this weekend, though.  I snuggled up to Josh instead of my preggo-pillow and ended up falling asleep with him for the first hour Sunday night.  Then after about 80-90 min of lying almost flat (instead of propped up on pillows), he moved and I started awake and realized my throat was full of food and acid.  I don't know if I vurped when he moved and I started awake, or if it had been sitting there for a while.  I DO know that the horror, the taste in my mouth, and the burning sensation were atrocious; and after getting up for a drink of water and some Tums, and of course settling back into bed with extra pillows under me, it took forever to get back to sleep, and my throat still burned when I woke up Monday morning.  Josh says maybe it's time to get a heartburn wedge; I think he's right.  I wake up every morning with a little burn in my throat. :-þ

What I Am Looking Forward To : this weekend is super busy but fun.  Saturday is our first appt with our doula @ 9:30, my baby shower @ 12, and a shower for one of Josh's coworkers @ 3.  Sunday is church, groceries, and a pampered chef party.  Monday is last minute prep for mom's visit.  Woohoo!! :)

Belly Button : Just barely poking out, and only one little part of it... as small as the tip of your pinky finger.  Nothing visible through my daily clothes b/c I always have 2+ layers on my belly, but you can see it when I only wear 1 layer.

Symptoms :  they seem to come and go, so one day I'll be saying how great I feel and the next I'm miserable.  The reflux is still bad from time to time even with the med increase, though worst in bed or after eating a know trigger.  I can only eat tiny frequent meals most of the time now too b/c my stomach is squished and gets backed up quickly.

I've started getting really shaky if it's been a couple hours since I last ate as opposed to getting hunger pangs which only happens maybe once a day.  I'm taking the shaky, lightheaded feeling as a cue to eat.

I'm noticing Braxton Hicks pretty much every day at least at some point.  They're definitely worse if I am active - either going for a walk or just being too busy with errands or chores.  But doc says keep walking even if it triggers them, so weeks when I'm feeling okay and the weather cooperates I'm trying to get out every day.  Exhausted days sometimes I choose naps over walking. :)

31 weeks... wasn't 30 just yesterday?

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along : 31 wks

Size of Baby : averages say ~16" and 3+ lbs.

Total Weight Gain : ~24 lbs

Maternity Clothes : Yesterday I hung out with Lindsey and got a TON of hand-me-down clothes for Ash, but also borrowed her mid-calf boots, so I can finally wear my leggings again!  It's been too cold for me to get away with my little flimsy flats and exposed skin, but at last I can keep my legs/feet warm and look cute at the same time :)

Best Moment This Week :  All of yesterday.  I had a dr appt which went really well.  Everything is healthy and normal and on track.  I got some reassuring answers to a couple of my questions, had a hilarious conversation about circumcision (I think that's the first time I've seen my doc blush!), and can't wait to come back in 3 weeks with mom.  Then off to the AF base to say hi to Josh, drop off my shower invites to my friends at the CDC (and it's always fun to hear "you're looking GREAT" and "you don't look pregnant in your face, it's all in your belly"), then lunch with my dear hubs.  Then across town to Lindsey's to hang out with my favorite red-head and his mommy for the afternoon.  I scored more baby clothes than Ash will ever be able to wear, the aforementioned boots, and some really good sister-bonding.  Then home to hang out with hubs and pups, with a conscious effort to squeeze in a little couch snuggling before I retired to my preggo-chair.  All-in-all it was a great day.

Gender : boy

Movement : So the couple of times I've made Josh feel my belly in the past, he's said "it just feels like your stomach is gurgling" or "it's just like a muffled version of laying next to the dogs when they're dreaming", but finally this week a couple times he's felt what he'd consider real movement.  First time I was snuggled up to him in bed and Ash was kicking him in the hip :)  Then a couple times I've done the more traditional putting his hand on my belly when Ash is being active.  He didn't really get to feel a kick, per se, but could feel definite squirming that was undeniable to him as something inside moving around.  It's fun to finally have him experience it, and no matter how unattached you might feel otherwise, you can't help but reacting with at least a little surprise and wonder when you feel the baby moving... which was fun to hear in his voice.

Food Craving : still chocolate.  And also I bought some flavored creamers now that the weather is cold enough to want a hot drink most days - and my favorite is amaretto, but it makes me want REAL amaretto.

What I Miss Most : I'm leaving this b/c it's still truly what I miss most : I know I keep saying it, but truly I miss being able to eat whatever I want.  I'm having a hard time finding foods that DON'T trigger my reflux.  I think this may be PART of the reason for the slowing in my weight gain, b/c I just don't feel like eating sometimes.  And water makes it worse, so I miss being able to chug all I want when I'm thirsty.

Sleep : This past week I've mostly been only waking up to pee once a night (b/c I'm drinking less water probably), but sometimes I wake up and can't get back to sleep again.  This morning I barely slept after I got up to pee at 3am.  It was a long couple hours till Josh's alarm went off.  Then of course I fell fast asleep, so getting up when it was time for me to get up was hard. :)
 

What I Am Looking Forward To : Still to come in November : a 3 1/2 day weekend with Josh, tour of the hospital, meetings/classes with our doula, baby shower for me, baby shower for Josh's coworker, mom visiting, 4 day weekend with Josh (and mom), Thanksgiving dinner with family & friends, and another ultrasound/appt that mom gets to be here for.

Belly Button : Just barely poking out, and only one little part of it... as small as the tip of your pinky finger.  Nothing visible through my daily clothes b/c I always have 2+ layers on my belly, but you can see it through my pj's b/c I just wear 1 layer - a shirt with under-belly pants.

Symptoms : I talked to my doc about max dose of Zantac, so I'm upping my dose a little (and still well within prescription max) to make life a little less miserable.  I'm still avoiding anything with any tomatoes or chocolate in it b/c even on meds those will make me miserable.  And when I think about 2 more months of this sometimes I want to cry... but I know that these two months are going to fly by, so I try not to let it get me down :)

I haven't been sleeping with my wrist brace since the arm-burning rash incident, but might start again b/c my thumb is starting to ache/tingle.  But in general it's nowhere near as bad as it was.  I also think that trying to make sure to drink more water (hopefully the meds will counter the increase in reflux I often get from water) will help me retain less fluids and therefore experience less carpal tunnel.