28 Weeks - Hey There Third Trimester! Wait, What?

How far along? 28 weeks... Officially in the 3rd trimester! Mind Blown.

Baby size? She weighs more than 2-1/2 pounds and measures about 15 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. The baby's main job right now is to put the finishing touches on major organ systems, such as her brain, lungs, and liver. She's also working on gaining layers of fat. Her body fat is about 2 to 3 percent. Her sucking and swallowing skills are improving.

Total weight gain/loss: It's certainly up there. I officially have issues scooting my chair in enough at the dinner table because my belly gets in the way. Anyone who knows where to find some super cute mom bibs, give me a holler. 

Maternity clothes? All day every day.

Stretch marks? None yet. Shout out to my mom's phenomenal genes for that one!

Sleep: They say that women in their 3rd trimester are known for not getting a good night's sleep. So far (knock on wood) I'm doing pretty well. There was only one bad night last week when I couldn't fall back asleep at 3am. I shook Joe awake after about an hour of being up to see if he'd like to suffer through insomnia with me. When he finally opened his eyes, he scolded me for interrupting his beer sampler at Ben Franks. Yes, in his dreams, my husband drinks beer and eats hot dogs. I love that man.

Best moment this week: Since I missed the 27 week update I've got a couple. First, my amazing book club girlfriends threw me a surprise baby shower at book club. They had a "she's gonna pop" food theme, with little popper-style foods (DEELISH) and some adorable decorations! 

They also got me some great books, "Mustache Baby" which is as awesome as it sounds and "Porn for New Moms" which is basically a picture book that shows dad's saying things like "You look great in those sweatpants" and "Don't worry honey. Your mother and I will take wonderful care of the baby while you and your girlfriends are at the spa". Best book ever.

The following week, Joe and I went to our first Giants game of the season! It was perfect weather, and such a great game. Here's a few shots of our day...

Me and Hubs in his fancy new glasses. He could actually SEE the game!

Beautiful Day!

Zito Bobblehead Day! All of the fans got one.

Me and Belly

"Giants Fan on Deck"

Not a bad little game eh? And the best part? GIANTS WON!!! OK fine... the "real" best part? Being pregnant around all of the stadium food...

That. Just. Happened.

Awkward moment this week: Putting on socks. I finally resolved to Joe helping me zip up a pair of boots one morning because I have such a hard time reaching my feet. I foresee lots of slip-on shoes this summer.

Miss anything? Self-applied pedicures. Can't reach my toes, so at-home polish is a thing of the past.

Movement: She moves all the time now! Unfortunately it's not on command yet and anytime I tell someone to come feel her kick, she stops. Which makes me look like a big pregnant liar. Very funny baby girl, very funny.

Food cravings: Strolling the aisles of the grocery store, I had an epiphany and immediately needed to make this for lunch..

Pregnancy Food Craving...

Sponge Bob Square Pants Kraft Mac & Cheese with chopped up bread & butter pickles. PHENOMENAL.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I've had a couple of days with nausea on and off. I was starting to fear that I was re-living first trimester, but then I figured out that it's just an effect of heartburn making me queasy, so on those days I've got to have Tums handy. Bigger baby means smaller stomach space means heartburn. Blah.

Have you started to show yet? Yep. 

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: None. And I like it that way.

Belly button in or out? Almost half and half. The top part of my belly button is just about starting to pop out but the bottom half of my belly button is still an innie. 

Cankle Watch 2013: No cankles yet. Just sore feet.

Wedding rings on or off? On. But tight. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, unless I've been on my feet a lot and my back & feet start aching.

Looking forward to: Third Trimester Ultrasound this week! Not a routine visit, but since we're keeping an eye on baby girl's growth with the two vessel umilical cord, we get an extra "photo shoot". Can't wait to see the progress she's made since 8 weeks ago!

26 Weeks - Weight Gain & Back Pain

How far along? 26 weeks... 14 to go!

Baby size? She weighs almost 2 pounds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? The network of nerves in her ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both my voice and Joe's as we chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And her eyes are starting to open.

Total weight gain/loss: I am wearing black these days. Why you ask? I am in mourning. The time I most feared has come. I officially weigh more than my husband. A bit overly dramatic you say? You're talking to the lady who cried in the store when Safeway ran out of Vlasic Dill Pickle Halves. Now, imagine how I'm handling this. 

Maternity clothes? If it ain't maternity, I ain't wearin' it.

Stretch marks? None yet. Which is a miracle considering how big I've gotten.

Sleep: Like a baby. Or at least, like the baby I hope we get. Only up once a night and sleeping well otherwise.

Best moment this week: Finally bought a crib!!! My dad and stepmom were amazingly generous and helped us get some important nursery goodies, which feels SO great to have checked off our list! The crib will take a couple months to get here, so Joe's got plenty of time to research crib-construction and I can be sure to have my camera fully charged for the ensuing hilarity of the experience.

Oh and it was my first Mother's Day! (kinda, since she's not technically out yet) Joe bought me flowers, a balloon and a delicious decaf flavored latte. I could get used to this whole Mother thing! 

Me and Momma

Awkward moment this week: Joe and I attempted starting a baby registry. Basically it went like this... We got the barcode zapping gun and were sent on our way through the store. We approached baby carriers, decided that we needed to research more reviews and skipped over to pack & plays. At pack & plays we looked at about 20 and then decided we needed to do some more research and skipped over to strollers. At strollers, well let's just say there was a pattern. I think we ended up with a registry of about 4 pacifiers and 6 bibs. After which, I decided those were no good and swapped them out for different ones online. To say we failed is an understatement. Baby registry is hard.

Miss anything? A cold beer and a hot dog. I blame baseball season.

Movement: If she's not napping, she's dancing. I love that she moves so much so often!

Food cravings: Teriyaki Beef Jerky and Ice Cream. But not at the same time. Although.... ?

Anything making you queasy or sick? Baby Gift Registration. Bleh.

Have you started to show yet? Yep. And this belly only gets bigger throughout the day so by the time I get home at night, I feel huge. I started having lower back pain on my right side after I've been standing or walking for a while which sucks. What are the odds that the only solution is a bigger belly? Hmmm yeah, didn't think so.

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Well it's not out. So, in?

Cankle Watch 2013: My ankles are still, in fact, ankles. For now...

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Despite the scale drama, back aches, and retail frustration, I cannot express how happy and excited I am for this little girl! 

Looking forward to: A prenatal massage!!!! My lovely, amazing mom got me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage this Mother's Day. I cannot WAIT to cash that bad boy in for some serious spa time.

25 Weeks - Feel the Heat

How far along? 25 weeks (24 passed by with no post, this may be a bi-weekly thing from time to time)

Baby size? 13-1/2 inches long and weighs 1-1/2 pounds

What's going on with the baby? She knows which way is up and down and can touch and hold her feet and make a fist. She has a regular sleep schedule and they say that Joe may be able to hear the heartbeat by pressing his ear against my belly. We've tried this, but so far he's only gotten a couple of swift kicks to the face. Which is equally awesome in my opinion.

Total weight gain/loss: A lot. Like, a lot a lot.

Maternity clothes? Made the mistake of going on a walk with Joe one particularly warm evening last week in workout pants that I hadn't tried on since getting pregnant. Well, only a few short blocks into it I felt every inch of love handle bulging out of me and broke down in tears. I mean ugly, hormonal, pregnant woman tears. Joe cut our walk short and immediately drove me to the nearest Motherhood Maternity store and bought me three new pairs of maternity workout pants. If you think he spoils me, just wait till you see what he does for this little girl :-)

Stretch marks? None yet.

Sleep: Still not bad. First trimester was much worse than now for some reason, but this can't last for long. The summer heat and our lack of A/C will probably contribute to that eventuality, aside from all the other joys that I have to look forward to with third trimester.

Best moment this week: I've been told that we've hit the "viable" stage. This means that though it would still be scary and no where near optimal, baby girl could technically be delivered at this point and have a shot at surviving with lots of help from the NICU. It's a weird thing to think about but whoa. 

Awkward moment this week: I drove to the mall on a lunch break one day and after a few loops around a very busy parking lot I noticed an amazing open spot right up front for expectant mothers! Looked something like this...

So as I start peeling out to grab this space (my very first time ever doing this), a woman who was no less than 72 months pregnant, waddles out of the store down the vast parking lot ahead of her, struggling to carry enough bags to cloth the small village of children inside her giant belly. I felt so guilty taking that spot, being a measly 24 weeks pregnant at the time, that I skipped it all together and parked about a mile down the way in the next available spot.

Miss anything? Cinco de Mayo just isn't the same without a fully leaded Margarita.

Movement: Little miss dances around all the time. Still fun and no where near painful.

Food cravings: Snowcones! And luckily the park down the street from us has an ice cream truck that's there every evening after work. Yes, it's one of those gross dirty vans covered with crooked old stickers of Choco-Tacos, Pink Panther bars and Nina Turtle Pops and a questionable creepy old man inside, but he has SNOWCONES! And that's all that matters.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Car rides and Bruno Mars songs. Both individually and together.

Have you started to show yet? Is the pope Catholic?

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Nada. 

Belly button in or out? In-ish? Definitely starting to flatten out to the point of not-quite-in but not-quite-out. I'm getting precariously close to a Kyle-XY phenomenon. (If you don't get that reference, good for you. It was a terrible show)

Wedding rings on or off? On. And I learned this week that after a 3 mile walk on a hot day, that sucker is ON. My fingers swell up and proceed to eat my ring in its entirety, leaving no hope of coming off. This may become a problem...

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy. Unless I'm being squeezed into clothes 3 times too small for my expanding waistline.

Looking forward to: The air conditioning at my work this summer. I may be pulling some "late nights" during the heat waves. Even if it means dusting the gap between every key on my keyboard.

And just for giggles, how about a belly shot with some actual clothes on?