28 weeks - Cole

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along :  28 weeks. Officially the third trimester, no matter how you're counting it. Also, I like the coincidence that Ash is 28 months old and Cole is 28 weeks in utero.

Size of Baby :  ~15-16" long & ~2.25-2.5 lbs

Total Weight Gain : ~ 15 lbs.  That's 8 lbs less than where I was last time, but I also know I'm carrying a lot more muscle this time around - so I'm definitely in a better place.  Although my body would beg to differ after pushing myself hard at Body Pump on Wednesday and throwing myself headlong into errands and chores Thursday :)

Maternity Clothes :  100%. I'm officially fed up with my pants, so I was excited to wear capris in the warm weather this week.  Some of my "maternity" shirts are ALREADY getting too short to cover my belly all the way (with under-belly pants).  Not cool, dude!  I'm gonna be seriously limited when the weather gets hot and my belly is EVEN bigger :)  I have a feeling I'm going to spend the month of July in the same few pairs of shorts/capris and the same few "long & lean" tanks I have. :)

Best Moment This Week : I really enjoyed my OB appt on Monday. Talking to Dr Weary always settles my nerves. He explained to me the bio-mechanics of why I feel like I'm going to pass out at what I think are random times (he says they're not random at all!), and understanding it makes it way less disconcerting. He reiterated the contraction concern signs (6+ painful contractions in an hour that DON'T go away when you pee, drink, and lay down), which I needed to hear again. I feel like I'm having contractions all day some days, but it's not hitting the threshold for concern, so that's reassuring too. Basically I just walked out of there feeling at ease about everything. 

Gender : It's a boy! Over the weekend we're planning to get some work done on the nursery. Josh has Memorial Monday off (and he's taking Tuesday as a personal day), so we'll have some time to work together on getting the crib put back together (it won't fit thru doorways, so we had to take it apart to take it out of Ash's room) and tame the chaos.  I spent some time in the room on Thursday just getting little things straightened and ready to jump in this weekend.  I'm a little bummed that it won't really look like a nursery for another 4 months since we're leaving the guest bed set up in there until after all our family is done visiting mid-Sept, but excited to get as much as we can done so it's not hanging over my head.

Movement : Cole is a strong boy!  I love feeling him move.  Unfortunately his most predictably active times are when Ash is sleeping (when I'm more likely to sit still), so I haven't been able to let Ash feel his little brother moving. But he does like to say "hi, Cole" to my belly sometimes.  Also, Cole is a butt-head, and every time I grab Josh's hand to feel him kicking, he stops!  Little stinker :)

Also, I experienced hiccups last Friday night at small group for the first time this pregnancy. So funny!

Food Craving : I've eaten an unhealthy amount of peanut butter this week.  But I guess there are probably worse things to binge on.  Like the DoubleStuff Oreos I ate for lunch on Thursday :-D I'm also craving (but not indulging) sweets of all kinds, especially donuts, ice cream, and a caramel ribbon crunch frapp. 

What I Miss Most : feeling "normal".  My digestive system needs help to work, my energy levels are mediocre at best, I can't get comfortable no matter what I wear or what position I choose (except snuggled in my cocoon in bed, and that's not an option most of the day)... I'm just definitely feeling pregnant, and a little alarmed that I still have 3 months to go!

Sleep : same old - waking up at least a couple times a night, peeing and rolling over.  I'm starting to get used to it, though I am feeling pretty tired this week. 

What I Am Looking Forward To : making some progress on the nursery.  Hanging up the maps this weekend and (in a few weeks) sewing up the curtains (gonna try my hand at a Roman shade!). 

Belly Button : same.

Symptoms : I'm getting the beginnings of carpal tunnel. The last few mornings I've woken up with my hand tingling in that old familiar way. But it fades quickly after getting up, and doesn't bother me at all during the day, so I'm not too worried. Last night when I woke to pee, I put on my old wrist brace and it was fine by the time I woke for the day; I'll probably start wearing it regularly. Otherwise it's the same old - reflux, aches, exhaustion.

Compared to last time : I'm happy to report that this pregnancy seems to be treating me as well as the last one in general.  My energy is a little more of a struggle b/c I'm trying to keep up with two toddlers and the house-keeping too.  And I definitely ~feel~ bigger even if I'm not that much bigger than I was.  But so far, they're nicely parallel.

My small group (who has never seen me pregnant) can't believe I've still got almost 3 months to go!