26 Weeks - A Head of Lettuce

*I'll be playing a bit of catch up this week- I'm actually at Week 28 now. Also, I've started getting a ton of spam comments, so I'm going to be annoying for a while and activate that comment verification tool. Sorry to the 1-2 people that sometimes comment that aren't spammers ;-) 

September 11, 2014

Photo Thoughts: Surrounded by boxes- ah, the joys of moving.  Also, tired much? Sheesh!  I'm trying to find a good spot in our new house to take these weekly photos. Clearly, this is not the place. 

How I'm Feeling: Tired! Packing and moving is never fun, but packing and moving while pregnant just amplifies all that.  I probably lifted more boxes than I should have, but it had to be done.  And I even survived unscathed.

Baby/Bump: I'm housing a head of lettuce this week, apparently. This week, baby boy is further developing his eyesight and immune system. He's also starting to take little practice breaths of amniotic fluid. 

 

I get the feeling that the bump is about to have a big growth spurt. I've had a couple days where I experienced a "burning" sensation just above my belly button, and I can only imagine that it could only be "growing pains." 

 

Look at that gut hanging over my seat belt ;-)



 Symptoms: Lower back pain, but I think most of that can be attributed to all the moving and packing.  On Thursday 9/11 (our actual move day), I don't think I sat down for more than a few minutes the entire day. I finally flopped onto the bed that night and remember thinking that I don't think I had ever felt so totally worn out. 

Weight: Same as last week. Phew- I was hoping I would hit a little bit of a plateau. So, total I'm up about 17 pounds.

What I'm Stressing About/Worries: Lots of stress this past week with the move- as is to be expected.  But on top of that, my sweet grandmother passed away on Saturday, so it was a tough week emotionally as well.  I ended up having to scramble to get our move date moved forward one day (it was scheduled for Friday originally, but I begged to move it to Thursday), so that I could leave early Friday morning to go be with my family and to attend her funeral service.  Luckily everything that needed to get done before I left got done on Thursday, but I definitely left the house (and David) in a total state of disaster with unpacked boxes all over the place. 

Sleep: I'm happy to report that I am still sleeping well (just never long enough), AND even better news is that I am sleeping really well in our KING BED!  The first night sleeping in that giant bed after it being in storage for two years was heavenly.

Exercise: Not once this week.  There just wasn't time with everything going on.  I guess maybe all the packing/moving might have counted for something?...

Movement: Still feeling movement daily, but I haven't really identified a predictable pattern just yet.  He used to move a lot whenever I would lay down on my back, but not so much anymore. A couple of times I have felt movement in two different places at once- must be a hand and a foot kicking/punching at the same time.  That is a strange feeling! 

Boy or Girl: Baby boy!

Look at the cute baby boy (well these are 6-12 months) shirts I scored from an Instagram sale- all that for $12!

Highlights of the Week: It was so exciting to get the keys to our new place.  And it also feels really good to have all of our belongings under one roof after two years of our stuff being in multiple locations across the world. 

Also, David and I finally set aside some time to head to Babies 'R Us to start our baby registry. We had the nicest lady walk through everything with us, and it was really helpful.  But it was also hugely overwhelming! Seriously, how can such a small being require so much gear?!  It was fun though, and it made this whole baby thing seem very real.

The employee insisted that David needed to try this carrier on, not me.

Totally excessive, but this is probably one of the top 3 things on our registry that I'm most excited about. I can't wait until they come out with an adult version. 

25 Weeks - A Head of Broccoli

September 4, 2014

Photo Thoughts: You can definitely see that the belly has grown since last week.  But I do also have to say that this particular outfit always seems to make me look more "bump-y" than most of my other clothes. 

How I'm Feeling: Pregnancy-wise, I still feel really good.  This week has been a little more busy and stressful than usual with trying to find a new doctor, our move, and some family stuff, so I feel a little more tired and overwhelmed than usual, but nothing too bad. 

Baby/Bump: Baby boy is the size of a cauliflower this week.  But I'm trying not to buy random foods that I won't actually eat just for a photo's sake, so I went with a head of broccoli instead- pretty much the same size, so it works.  This week baby is gaining a sense of equilibrium and knows which way is up and which way is down.  I hope he starts to get reeeaaaalllll comfortable in that upside down position pretty soon.  He is also gaining fat- so at least I'm not the only one anymore. 

The bump definitely got bigger since last week.  I can finally feel that the baby/my uterus in now above my belly button. 

Symptoms: I guess I didn't knock on wood hard enough last week, because the acne is flaring up again.  Yay.  Also, my lower back is still bothering me a little bit.  At work, the chair I usually have to sit in is the most uncomfortable thing in the world, so that doesn't help. 

Weight: Ugh- don't get me started... +18 total.  I had a big weight gain at my 24 week doctor's appointment.  Their scale said that I had gained 8 pounds since my 20 week appointment, and two pounds a week is a little crazy.  The new doctor that I was scheduled with (not my choice) was less than reassuring about this, and actually made me feel quite bad about it (more on this later).  I was pretty upset, so I did my own weigh in on Friday morning right when I woke up, and got a number that was a little more reasonable.  So I do think I need to be a little bit better about doing my own weekly weigh-ins (I'd skipped the last 3-4 weeks), so that I hopefully won't have anymore surprises at my appointments.  It's just so frustrating since I don't feel like I have changed anything about my eating, and I'm still working out very regularly.  I'm not saying that I expect to not gain any weight, but if I continue gaining more than a pound a week from here on out, it's not going to be pretty.  Maybe I'll hit a little plateau in the next couple weeks?...

What I'm Stressing About/Worries: Lots this week, unfortunately.
-Finding a new OB: So I went ahead with the doctor that my current practice transferred me over to for my 24 week appointment to see if I liked her, before I put any effort into looking somewhere else entirely.  Well, she was pretty terrible.  She spent maybe 4 minutes with me- MAX, and the time she did spend with me, she just seemed rushed, and totally indifferent.  As she was on her way out the door, I half-heartedly protested and asked her if we would have some time for questions or to discuss plans going forward since I would be her patient now.  She said she had not been informed about my situation and didn't know anything about a transfer of care.  So I got out of there as quickly as possible, and started calling new doctors.  I've already been turned down by one who isn't taking new patients, and I should hear by the end of this week if another doctor recommended by a friend will take me.  Fingers crossed! 
-Our upcoming move: this is actually really exciting, but I just wish we could skip all the nonsense that goes along with it.  You know, things like packing, unpacking, cleaning, transferring utilities, blah blah blah.  Just anxious to get past all that and get settled in our new place!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping really well.  I fall right asleep, and one of the most difficult parts of my day is actually dragging myself out of bed in the morning.  I usually get up once a night to use the bathroom, but I get annoyed because it's usually only about an hour or 30 minutes before I have to wake up anyways. I always fall back asleep, but I like it better when I can look at the clock and think I still have a few more hours to sleep.  Oh well.  One morning this week when I got up to use the bathroom, I woke up curled up on my side in a very tight ball, and when I stood up, my stomach felt SO weird and tight and compacted into one little area because of the way I was sleeping.  It was the first time that I actually felt like I could feel that there was a person not just some random full sensation in there.  And I could tell that poor little baby boy was basically all squished up in there.  Oops, sorry, little man. 

Exercise: Still sticking to 4-5 times a week... which is obviously helping keep my weight gain in check.  Oh wait...

Movement: Yep!  I can feel him moving multiple times throughout the day- but not really any regular pattern yet.  The movements are getting a little bit stronger, but still feel kind of weak and "distant" most of the time.  I have noticed though that if he's moving and I put my hand on my stomach to try and feel it from the outside, he always stops!  But if David puts his hand on my stomach to feel his movement, he doesn't stop.  NOT FAIR!  ;-) 

Boy or Girl: Team blue!

Highlights of the Week: We got the keys to our new place and will slowly start moving our stuff over the next week.  So excited to finally feel settled in a new place (with more space)!  I'm also excited to finally have a space to use for the nursery!  My baby actually has a room!! Crazy!

I scored some great Labor Day weekend deals on maternity clothes!  Most of my shopping was online, but I also went into Destination Maternity at the mall and got a couple cute tops.  This is me trying on a shirt while wearing the "7 month belly" that they have in the dressing rooms. Haha!  It seems like I will NEVER get that big... but I know I will be soon. 

Another highlight this week was a fun date night last weekend.  David and I finally took advantage of Houston Restaurant Weeks, and made a reservation at one of our favorite restaurants- Indika.  This was where we had our very first date, and this is also where David took me to dinner on the night he proposed.  We hadn't been back since then.  The food was amazing, and they even had some really good mocktails on the menu, so that was fun too! 

24 Weeks - A Canteloupe

August 28, 2014

 

 

Photo Thoughts: I'm not sure why my shirt looks all freaky and psychedelic.  It is just a normal, striped shirt- promise.  Bonus photo this week that I took one morning before work when I was feeling particularly "bumpy."

How I'm Feeling: I feel good still.  And I definitely feel more and more pregnant as the days/weeks go on.  I guess that's how this thing works, huh?  But I guess the growing belly and the fact that I'm feeling more movement make it all more real.

Baby/Bump:  This week, baby boy's skin is becoming less translucent as it takes on a more pink-ish tone with the newly formed capillaries.  From here on out, he is going to put on about 6 oz a week!  Grow baby, grow!

The bump is definitely growing steadily.  Of course, it kind of varies on the time of day or what I'm wearing.  But I'm definitely past the point where I can "suck it in" or where I would feel like my stomach is significantly flatter again (relatively speaking) first thing in the morning.  I'd still say that I'm not large enough that strangers would easily peg me as pregnant, but I don't think that's far off.

Symptoms: My acne seems to be slowly clearing up a bit (knock on wood).  A few times this week, I noticed that my lower back was hurting throughout the day.  A couple times I even woke up in the middle of the night with my back aching.  Time to start pillow shopping- move over, David!

Weight: I keep "forgetting" to weigh myself each week.  I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday though, so I guess I will face the truth soon enough. I do know for a fact though, that I officially weigh the most I ever have.  I have surpassed my weight gain for my "beer/cafeteria food baby" during my Freshman year in college. 

What I'm Anticipating: I'm getting excited for the baby shower that my mom and sister are throwing for me in Phoenix in October!  I bought my flight to Phoenix this week, so all that's left to do is show up :-)  Oh, and register... Am I a bad mom already because I have yet to register? 

What I'm Stressing About/Worries: I had a minor scare this week when I went to pick up some moving boxes from a friend's house.  I was carrying the folded boxes sticking out in front of me with the edges resting on my stomach (smart), and I ran into a wall (clumsy).  So the boxes jabbed into my stomach really hard- it kind of took my breath away.  I almost called the nurse line at my doctor's office like a true paranoid first-time preggo because I didn't feel any movement after that for a few hours.  But then things seemed to pick back up to the normal amount of movement I'd been experiencing, so I calmed the heck down. 

In other news, I got a call this week that my doctor is mysteriously no longer practicing in the clinic any longer.  At first I was really confused and thought that just meant that I would be going to the hospital for my appointments with him, but the receptionist explained to me that no, that would not be the case.  So I am basically without an OB right now.  I already had my 24 week appointment scheduled for this Tuesday, so they just transferred me over to someone else in the practice for that appointment.  I wasn't too happy about the whole situation, but I will go to that appointment and at least see what I think about the new doctor.  However, I'm already thinking that unless I LOVE this doctor, I will switch to a new practice (if they'll take me).  I got a great recommendation from the wife of one of David's friends, so I'd love to try and see if this doctor will accept a new patient.  Totally weird and annoying though that I wasn't given any sort of heads up that this change of plans might be in the cards, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it now.  We will see how Tuesday goes...

Sleep: I'm mostly still sleeping really well, except for the few times where I woke up with some back pain. 

Exercise: Still sticking with it as best I can.  My goal is to make it to the gym or a group class 4-5 times a week.  I have noticed that sometimes (especially if I am running on the treadmill), my stomach starts to get really tight and a little painful.  But if I just stop for a couple minutes, or walk for a bit, the feeling quickly passes.  Oh, and I definitely cannot make it through a gym session without having to pee at least once- even if I go right before I even start working out.  Annoying.

Movement: Yep! I can feel him moving around daily now.  There's still not really much of a pattern that I can discern yet though.  But if I lay down for a while, I am sure to feel at least a few kicks almost immediately.  David can feel the kicks sometimes too, which is really neat. 

Boy or Girl: Baby boy!

Most "Entertaining" Question/Comment of the Week: On Monday, my co-worker said, "Wow, you really puffed up over the weekend!"  Puffed up?!  Excuse me?  I was able to kind of just laugh her comment off and say something to the effect of, "what is that supposed to mean?"  But still, I just can't get over the crazy things people say to pregnant women.  It also baffles me that the only rude comments I've received have all been from women... mothers, no less.  That seriously is the most shocking part. 

Milestones: It depends on which resource you consult, but according to one pregnancy website I regularly read, week 24 is "viability week" which basically means that if the baby had to be born from this week on, the doctors would take measures to keep the baby alive- with the help of a lot of interventions of course.  And supposedly over half of babies born at this point survive.  Crazy!  FYI- do NOT do what I just did- which was google what a baby born at 24 weeks looks like...

Highlights of the Week: We got a new car (well, used- but new to us)! Even before thinking about starting a family, I knew that I wanted my next car to be an SUV, so that is what we focused on during our car search.  We ended up with an Acura RDX, and so far we love it!  It's definitely "family friendly," but I'm telling myself that it's not overly "mom-mobile-ish."  Mostly, it is just SO nice to finally have two cars again.  We were a one car family for over two years, and surprisingly it wasn't actually that bad at all, but with our move approaching and baby on the way, it was definitely time for another set of wheels.  Now I just need a name for my new car.  You name your cars, right?  Any suggestions?  It's a girl car, by the way.