2 months!

So, I have officially decided to only do monthly updates on the Hunt-man, because I get so busy that weekly updates are getting away from me! These past two weeks Hunter and I have been on vacation, so we have been just going, going, going! This update and picture is a week overdue, so he is actually two months and one week, but that's ok. 


As for Hunter.... he is doing AMAZING!

I don't know why it wouldn't let me take the red eyes out :(

Sleep- he is consistently sleeping the first stretch 6-7 hours... even on vacation! Now that I am seeing his sleep cues, I am able to get him down for lots of naps, ranging from 45 minutes to 2 hours per day. Sometimes, we will get a 3 hour nap in during the day, but that is not the norm! The first few days on vacation were hard for him sleep-wise, but I can't blame him! He was in a new house, filled with about 20 people running around, AND it stayed bright light until about 9:45-10:00 at night. Who wants to sleep when it looks like playtime?


Car Seat- This is still an issue, which was kind of terrible on vacation since we were going non stop! We would spend whole days out of the house going from store to store, we even drove a six hour trip! He pretty much needs to be full, clean, and dry when he gets put in the car seat, swung or kind of shaken/bounced on the way out to the car, and then get to driving pretty much the second he gets clipped in. This will mean that he can ride happily for a while, and then he may fall asleep or get bored/hungry and start to cry. I mean scream. This is a work in progress that I hope can get better before the 10 hour drive to Florida in August!


Eating- He is nursing so well! One day when we were out and about, I forgot his pre-pumped bottles and had to nurse him during the day, sometimes in public (with a cover, of course!), and he did wonderful! When he does drink from a bottle he eats 4 ounces. He has been at 4 ounces for a while, so I fill it to about 4.5 or sometimes 5 ounces, but he doesn't usually finish it or he does and then he starts to spit up and I know he ate too much.


Alertness/Awake Time- He is SO alert! We get comments on it pretty much everyday about how alert he is, how pretty his eyes are, and how well he holds up his head. This is probably because he likes to be held on your shoulder, which kind of draws attention when you are pushing a stroller or shopping cart and holding him like that. Also, he still looks pretty small to be holding his head up so well in that position, which means we are constantly getting stopped and asked how old he is. 

This is how he likes to be held all day, lol!

Tummy Time- This is NOT going so well. He hates it! I got a good idea from my cousin, and she said her doctor told her to try to do it after every diaper change, so he will get in at least a tiny bit here and there all day. Definitely going to try that and will hopefully have a better report on this next month!


Play Time- He is getting so darn social! He loves to smile, and some mornings he wakes up so happy that I swear he does a laugh as I unswaddle him! He likes to smile at high pitched sounds, and can sometimes be tickled just a little bit. 


At his two week appointment, which actually took place at 7 weeks, he got his vaccines which literally BROKE. MY. HEART. He had to have one oral vaccine, and that was okay. Then he had to have three shots in his tiny little legs. I couldn't watch, and I am so thankful that Tim went with us. He was as sad about it as I was, but was able to help calm him down. He didn't feel very well for about 2-3 days after, and needed Tylenol to keep his mild fever down. That afternoon, though, he would just kind of seem in pain. His little legs hurt him, and he was telling me by stopping eating and just whimpering. I felt so bad. I had moved the appointment up so that he could have his vaccines before getting on the airplane, and even though it was only a few days early, I felt very guilty and like a bad mommy. 


His appointment also gave us new measurements, and we all know how much I like updated measurements! He weighed 10 pounds and 11 ounces; and is 23 inches long. He is in the 25th percentile for height, 25th for weight, and 35th for head circumference. I feel like he is big because of how rapidly he is growing! Two inches longer in just two months?! I know he must be on the smaller side because of his percentiles, but many people comment on how he looks long and lean, so I am curious to see how the next appointment goes!
Here are some of his silly faces from our mini photo shoot:

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Hunter: 6 and 7 Weeks

This week Hunter turned 7 weeks old! I can't believe how much he has changed in 7 weeks, it really just amazes me! 


Due to having a freak out momma, he has been to the doctor a few more times than usual. We went at 2 and a half weeks because I thought he had an eye infection, it was really just blocked tear ducts. We went at 3 weeks because daddy had a staph infection and Hunter woke up one morning with a red dot on his chin. That one turned out just to be a red dot. We also went at 6 weeks because mommy was convinced he has acid reflux due to a sudden start of spitting up and being more fussy than usual (is that possible?) She gave us a prescription for Prevacid, and we gave it for a few days, then quit because his behavior didn't change while on the medicine, but it has changed since taking him off! If he starts to get fussy after a feeding like maybe he has 'heartburn', I give him a tiny bit of Maalox, and that usually gets him to quiet down and relax. 


Going to the doctor more often than usual gives us pretty accurate weight updates, though, and I do like that! At 6 weeks he officially weighs 9 pounds and 8 ounces, which is exactly three pounds up from his birth weight. I think with the next one, I will make sure to embrace the tiny-ness of the first few weeks, because Hunter has grown up so fast. I know, I keep saying that, and one day I will blink and he will be 18, but he really is just growing up before my eyes! 


He has started rolling over more consistently, I even have it on video now! Not that I want to show anyone, he is a crying mess and it makes me so sad and look like the worst mommy ever! He had rolled over twice happily, and then I ran to get the camera just in time to catch the third time when he had clearly had enough tummy time!


He is so alert now when he is awake! Each week he has been more and more alert, but his big blue eyes just look all around the room, usually at windows and light fixtures. He still loves to be on your shoulder, which may have to do with his possible acid reflux since gravity works in his favor when on my shoulder. He holds his head up like a champ, and can keep it up forever when he is looking around on your shoulder!


He is getting to much better at getting dressed. He has never liked getting dressed and undressed, but now he can stand it.... don't take too long, but if you're quick he will be happy from start to finish! Does any baby like to get dressed?


I think he is growing new hair underneath all of his baby fuzz. When he was born, he had an old man style receding hairline going on, but now underneath all of that and up front he has tiny brown hairs growing in that you can see when the light hits it just right. 


Sleeping has gotten much better at night! He gives us between a 4 and 5 hour stretch when we first put him down, then 2-3 hour stretches after that. I have read that it is very common for the first chunk of sleep to be longer than the rest of the night so he is right on track. Now that I am better at picking up on his sleepy signals, he is also napping on a pretty good schedule. He has a pretty consistent sleep, eat, awake pattern which means that he is going about 3 to 4 hours in between feedings during the day. He also is a huge fan of all the white noise. No longer does he sleep through anything like in the newborn days! He needs peace and quiet in a darkish room with some sort of white noise... be it a hair dryer, vacuum, bathwater running, or his sleep sheep! We even bought another mini sleep sheep to put on his car seat! We have a pretty good routine in the mornings where he wakes up, eats, is awake for a while, then when I see the first sign of a yawn or heavy eyelids, I swaddle him put him in the bouncer on vibrate, then do dishes with the water running and I bounce him with my foot. Usually, by the time dishes are done, he is asleep! 


For the past few nights (almost 7 weeks old), he has given us 6-7 hour stretches for the first part of the night! I cannot believe how much better I feel in the mornings and throughout the day when he does this! The other day, he slept from 8:15 until 2:15, then until 4:30, then I let him nurse while laying down in bed, and he slept for a while, woke up after a while (not sure of the time), and then we switched sides and he did the same and slept until 8! I woke up before him, and that is a first for us!


I have discovered a new type of swaddle since I have a little Houdini on my hands! He always manages to get his hands out of the bottom and I can tell that is exactly what wakes him up. He used to grunt and groan and fight that darn swadddle, but with this new style he keeps that to a minimum. I am sure that this is what is accounting for our long sleeps at night! 


During his 6th week of life he started to socially smile! He has already smiled a few times at me and Tim, and once at the fan.... he loves that thing! I am so ready for him to start interacting and smiling as a result of being happy. I think this will help take him out of his fussy days. He is probably not what you would call a 'fussy' baby, but he is a pretty high needs/high maintenance baby. He likes to be held over the shoulder, hates any carried that I have put him in, and has started NOT falling asleep in the carseat. This means it is really hard to get any errands done. I used to rely on him falling asleep on the way, then sleeping through my errands. Lately, he has been waking up which has left me either bottle feeding him in the car seat in the cart, or going to a dressing room to nurse (yes, my errands usually have dressing rooms, lol!). The biggest problem is that he doesn't like to just..... 'be'. Once he is awake, no matter how clean, dry, and full he is, he still will fuss to get out of the car seat! I know it will get better, but I am ready for that day to get here!


Here is a photo dump, I have gotten in the habit of just snapping away while at home, but when we do things that need documenting, I forget to take pictures! I will try to get better about that!


Week 6:

With Brynna, she is two weeks younger

Supposed to be his home from the hospital outfit, but he was way too tiny!

Lost his shoe!

His 0-3 month clothes

week 7:

mid-roll!

looking at daddy's fish

He is starting to enjoy his crib :)

Starting to smile!!

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Post Pregnancy: One Week (the good, the bad, and the ugly!)

I am used to posting belly pics and increasing belly measurements and weights.... hopefully, this will be the reverse of that!

I think that I have done fairly well post pregnancy, I am down to 9 pounds over my pre-pregnancy  weight, which means that I have lost 16 pounds. I know that I lost about 10 in the hospital with baby, water, and placenta.... but then after a few days I was swollen like nothing I have ever seen before! I woke up from an hour and a half sleep stretch and felt funny. My wrist felt like I slept on it funny, and knees and ankles felt like they were asleep or something. I look at my wrist and my whole hand and arm are swollen, same with my feet, ankles, calves, and knees. I had to call the doctor because I felt for sure something must be wrong! She said it was totally normal and that your body has so much fluid running through it while pregnant that it gets reabsorbed into the body, which results in puffiness. By day 7 I was feeling much more normal, but still some residual swelling.


I can't wait to see what happens to the baby weight after I start taking walks and jogs! I still look about 4-5 months pregnant, and I am ready for that be done with. I don't mind looking pregnant if I actually AM pregnant, but now that I am not, I want to feel like my old self again. I truly miss being pregnant, I have even cried about it, but if there is no baby bouncing around in there, then I want to be skinny and fit again! Gosh, it was just a couple of months ago that I was looking at my old pictures missing that body, but I would not be sad if I woke up with a pregnant baby belly!


My milk came in at about day 4, and boy is there sure a difference! I have never had to buy Large sized bras before, but now all of my sleep nursing bras have to be large or they cut into my boobs. I wake up and they are rock hard, and I either need to pump or nurse in order to be comfortable. I think I messed myself up because of the trouble that we had in the hospital. Hunter was a little bit jaundiced, and I only wanted to breast feed. Not having milk resulted in not many wet diapers, which resulted in the bilirubin levels remaining elevated. We finally broke down and gave him some formula to help flush out his system, but when we got home I started pumping just to see what exactly he was getting while breast feeding. This created a higher demand, and my body is certainly making up for it!


Also, I did NOT get away unscathed. I have found 2 stretch marks. The one that I thought was a mark attached to my appendix scar, and then another one all by itself on the other side of my belly. I have heard that they fade, and I am hoping this is true! I know that I got off easy, so I am not complaining! I am also wondering how long it will take my linea negra to go away, or at least start to fade. It looks even darker now that the skin is not all stretched out. I knew that they usually go away, but was surprised when I researched it that it may take up to a year!


The couple of days after giving birth resulted in some major swelling, ahem, down there. I had no idea things could get so swollen! Saying that, I was surprised that things were pretty much back to normal after about day 6. I am ready for the bleeding to stop, though! After 10 months of being scared of seeing blood, my body is making up for it big time!


I think that's everything as far as momma goes, Hunter's updates will be separate, but his is already posted!

35 weeks, 35 days to go!!

I mean, 35 days to go IF I make it that far! My doctor seems to seriously think that my return to work will make me go into labor before that.... and secretly, I hope she is right. Ok, maybe not so secretly! I am just so excited to meet Hunter! He kicks like nobody's business, hiccups like it is going out of style, and is just an all around wiggle worm. 

My mom came with me to my almost 35 week appointment, and she got to see another ultrasound! This one was pretty special, and immediately afterwards I was kicking myself for not asking her to grab my phone so I could video part of it and send it to Tim. It was just a growth ultrasound... he is 5 pounds by the way, and head down... but the ultrasound tech was being kind of rude! She never cracked a smile, and would answer my questions with one word answers. Usually, I ask what they are doing or measuring (even on the off chance that I already know what's going on) and after a couple of questions they kind of get the idea that I want to be informed and then they start just telling me what they are doing. Not. This. Time. Here is how it went down:

• What are we listening to? (I could tell it obviously was NOT the heartbeat)
• Cord.
• What are you measuring right there? ( I was pretty sure it was the femur, because they always measure it)
• Leg Bone.
• Can you tell what position he is in?
• Head down.
• Mom and I get excited because we thought he was still breech...
• Nothing. (from the tech)

I just felt weird because usually they are nice and friendly... or, I am by myself so I don't care too much because I am enamored with my baby. This time, though, my mom was there and I didn't want her to think the techs are always rude(ish). They also usually have warm jelly, and this was fah-reeeeezing! AND she kept digging the wand into my belly button even after I told her it was uncomfortable. I was even trying to suck in my belly to make it more obvious that it kind of hurt!!

All that aside, it was the COOLEST 2 minute ultrasound because when she did let us peek at his face we could see his eyes open. NO joking! We could also see him opening and closing his mouth, sticking out his tongue, and making sucking motions with his lips. See why I am almost crying now that I realize I don't have a video to share it with his daddy? Ugh. I have never seen a more clear 2-D ultrasound! Here is the evidence:

After the appointment, I was informed that there was going to be a blood draw. Fun. I seriously freak out. I am so embarrassed. If I have not said this before, I don't like it for the obvious reasons (needles and blood, eek!) and well as the fact that I am a super visualizing type of person. I am visualizing a needle in my vein and if I move or she moves or some freak accident happens that needle is going to poke right through. Plus, I am just visualizing a needle sucking blood out of me into all these test tubes. Yuck. I have said it before and I will say it again... it's all for Hunter, and I am glad to do it if it means we will be prepared for whatever comes up. 

As far as how the 35th week of pregnancy has gone.... it has been pretty uneventful! I am measuring at _____ inches around the belly and weigh _____. I think he may be dropping, but I am totally not sure. I am just noticing more of the I-feel-like-I've-been-on-a-bike-all-day feeling in the pubic bone and I am peeing more than usual. Not more liquid, more often. Sometimes I feel like I was going to pee my pants and a teaspoon of liquid comes out. I'm thinking he is either pressing on it so I feel like I have to go, or he is pressing on it so it can't all come out and that results in higher frequency. Either way, I am walking to and from the bathroom a ton! 

Heartburn is criz-zazy still. I finally succumbed to Tim's suggestion and started taking Prevacid. I like the Tums because it is pretty instant relief, but Prevacid takes a day or so to take effect. I finally started and have noticed that I still get heartburn, but it isn't killing me like before and it only takes one Tums to get rid of it. 

Last bit of important news is that I have been cleared to go back to work! I say that, but my doctor really did NOT want me to go. Tim heard her the first time back at 32 weeks and my mom heard her this time. If I can get at least one more GOOD week of work in before I go into labor, I will be happy!

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33 and 34 weeks!

Do you see the title? Only 6 more weeks until Hunter is due and I am in disbelief that the time has flown by so quickly! Of course, he can come early or late, I am selfishly hoping that he comes a little early because I am just so ready to meet our little man, but my very first prediction was that he is going to be super comfy in there and come late! 

My doctor thinks that he will come early if I choose to go back to work, and she is SHOCKED that I want to go back! I told her, "I am bored, so bored; want/need the paychecks; want to be able to say good-bye to my kids if I have to leave again; and if I can get one more good week in at work to clean out cabinets for the poor souls who are going to clean up my room for the summer, I'll be happy"..... She thinks that the activity is what put me into pre-term labor, so I have been thinking of little ways to be a tiny bit less active during the day. Teaching kindergarten is NOT sitting behind a desk. It is a day full of 15 minute increments; when the kids are working independently I am around the room checking on progress, up and down kneeling because my students are 3 feet tall, walking to various places around the school all day means a pretty good trek (kinder is in the very back of the school)... it is more physical that one may tend to think! Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm not stacking boxes, but I am definitely moving all day!!

So tomorrow I will be 34 weeks, which is technically eight and a half months along, but don't tell people that because then they think I am going to pop in the next two weeks! I still have 6 weeks, people!! By the time I am back at work, I will be 35 weeks, and just a couple weeks shy of full-term!

Things have started to change a little now that I have reached an all time high (weight-wise). Here is what is going on with Hunter and I:

• I have not gained any weight these past two weeks, wahoo!! My belly also is STILL measuring 39 inches, but I know that it depends on his position. When the doctor measures the fundal height it is right on track every week. So far, I have only gained 16 pound with this pregnancy, and I am hoping to keep under 20 for the entire pregnancy. Cross your fingers!

• I have heart burn pretty much all day. Straight up water gives me heartburn. No fun! I have gone through countless bottles of Tums, and need to have them with me at all times! I wish I could think of a better way to explain it, but it seems to be a volcanic eruption of heartburn when I have it. It literally shoots up my esophagus and will wake me up with a jolt!

• I have to pee almost once every thirty minutes during the day, and about 3 times at night. The other night I woke up to go, by the time I got comfortable enough in bed to try to sleep, I had to go again.

• Still no stretch marks.... another time I am going to ask you to cross your fingers for me that I can make it to the end! I have been using a variety of things on my belly, mostly just what I have laying around. At first, I was serious and bought MammaMio belly butter stuff specifically for pregnancy stretch marks, yada yada, then I ran out, but had just purchased Shea Butter from Bath Junkie and used that religiously every day until that ran out a few weeks ago. I had some Cocoa Butter, but truly cannot stand that smell so changed it up after a few days. Now I am using baby oil, and have been surprised to find that the itching is pretty much all gone, my skin doesn't seem so pink/irritated/stretched looking, and my skin doesn't feel oily all day like I predicted it would!

• Sleeping is not really comparable to before.... I am on bed rest, so I get in at least one really good nap a day. I can also sleep in because I am not expected at work, so if I wake up for a while in the middle of the night, it doesn't bother me like it did before. Prior to bed rest, I would wake up, not be able to sleep, and then worry about it so much that I for sure couldn't sleep. Now, if I can't fall back asleep, I will try for about thirty minutes then get up and watch a recorded show, eat something, read, etc. and after a couple of hours I am ready for bed again!

• My sense of smell is at an all time high, and along with that come waves of nausea. I haven't thrown up yet, but one night my husband, sister-in-law, and her husband decided to cook some crawfish. I don't eat them, think they are disgusting, and can't stand to look at them when people are eating them in large quantities....like that night. I am allowed to do one 'thing' a day, so this day I chose to sit at my sister-in-law's house while they all ate crawfish. Before they were cooked, we walked over to the cooler and we all peered inside because apparently these were massive crawfish. As soon as the cooler lid was lifted, I got this overwhelming fish smell and almost fell over trying to get away from it. Everyone else? Sicking their head in the cooler to try to figure out what I was smelling.... and they still said that they couldn't smell a hint of fishiness. Watching them get eaten is what brought on the nausea...

• Hunter should weigh about 5 pounds. Crazy. Some full term babies are born at that size! I got the steroid shots so his lungs would have been more mature if he had been born this week. Since he wasn't, I have heard that the shot only works for about a week, but now that we are close to 35 weeks, his lungs should be able to do what they need on their own if her were to be born. 

• He doesn't like bed rest any more than I do. He rolls around all day long. Not kidding.... All. Day. Long. My belly looks like the ocean, with his movements making it roll around in waves of motion. I don't get many little kicks anymore, I get him sticking out his feet for about 10 seconds at a time and then you can slowly see that section sink back down. Last night at a dinner table with about 10 people, someone asked if he was kicking. I said, "Yes, actually he has been moving all night", all 20 eyes stared at my belly for about minute in awe of it rolling around. I like that they were able to see it because lots of times, Hunter will move and by the time I say something to someone who has been wanting to see/feel him kick, he will get settled in. They were surprised to hear that he does that ALL DAY. When was working, I think that he was getting rocked to sleep. Now that I am inactive pretty much all day, he is probably more bored! I also think that it is just one more way that he is like his dad.... impatient and incapable of sitting still!

I think that is pretty much it! I went to the doctor on Friday, we are doing weekly appointments since my pre-term labor scare, and everything is going as it should! The only thing left I have to be tested for is Group B Strep, which I originally thought was a blood test so I was NOT looking forward to that. Now that I know it is not a blood test and I know what really goes on.... I am looking forward to it even less. All for Hunter, right?

Week 30, 31, and 32 update

Remember how I said that I just had so much to do in March? Turns out, I was right. I haven't even had time to simply write my weekly bump post, and have gotten three weeks behind! Again, in a way... I kinda like it. It means that for the past three weeks I have not been just sitting around waiting for days to pass like a 5 year old waits for Christmas.


Here is a catch up:

I have enjoyed being pregnant so much, partly because I have wanted it for so long, and partly because apparently my body just handles being pregnant pretty well. That being said, I am 8 months pregnant now, and although I have two more to go (can we as a people just start agreeing that pregnancy really is in fact TEN months and not NINE?), I am getting more and more uncomfortable and tired. I think that if I didn't have a job that required me to be up on my feet all day, either teaching, walking, or chasing down a rowdy friend.... I may not be such a grump about this one. I'm not delusional, I know that so many people are pregnant and work full time with no issues. But, I also know that many jobs also allow for a few minutes of  sneaking a 'foot rest' under your desk, or even a long enough lunch period to allow a tiny nap.


I have also been getting some killer insomnia. I think in the last two weeks I have only had 4 full nights of sleep. This makes my 7:30-4:30 days feel crazy long, and leaves me feeling quite zombie-like. I usually am unable to fall back to sleep after my nightly pee break at about 2:00, and then either toss and turn until about a half hour before my alarm goes off, or I try to be productive by taking a shower, which makes me hungry, so I eat, which makes me tired, so I go back to sleep, and then my alarm goes off as soon as my head hits the pillow (or so it feels like), which makes me think, well I already took a shower, let me snooze, which restarts the whole tossing and turning. I'm starting to feel like I'm living in a Laura Numeroff  book (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie)... she could title it, "If a Pregnant Lady wakes up in the Middle of the Night..."


I have started to get some swelling. My wedding band fits fine, but my engagement ring is pretty tight in the mornings. As the day wears on, it loosens up, and I can wear both as usual. On the other hand, I have started to get the opposite problem with my feet! As the day goes on they get swollen, and I have to put them up for a while when I get home from work. I feel lucky that this just started as I hit 8 months!


Also, my Braxton Hicks are back to 'out of control' territory. I am getting them pretty much every time I stand up from a sitting position, if I walk too much, after I pee, etc., and I am also getting some cramping along with them. At our 30 week doctor visit, told her about my 'period-like' cramping, and she gets this serious look on her face, stops looking at her chart and says, "Are you having them now?".... I say, "No, I'm thinking it was just because we were walking around at the rodeo a lot the day before....." Then she informs me that period like cramping is the real thing and that if you have them a lot you NEED to call the doctor because you don't want to be in pre-term labor. Wow, seriously never thought I would be hearing that one! Every time I think it is something serious, it turns out to be totally ok, then then when I think it is not a big deal, turns out it could be huge! I am glad that I told Tim about them because then he could remember exactly which day I told him I was having them pretty badly. I am starting to tell him all of my symptoms so that if something comes up, I can say, "Remember when I told you ______? What day was that?"


So far, so good on the stretch mark thing. I am religious about the lotion in my belly, even though I heard it has more to do with how your mom fared with them. To be totally honest, I just assumed she got them. I don't know why, it's not like I ever saw any on her belly. I just knew she had 4 babies, 4 C-sections, gained quite a bit of weight with a couple of us, and then 16 years after her last baby she got a tummy tuck. I also assumed that it was not something you really want to ask someone, because if the answer is yes, then they may feel uncomfortable telling you. I finally asked her, and she said that she was very lucky as well! This gives me a glimmer of hope for the remainder of this pregnancy!


Speaking of vain and selfish things, I happened to look through my photo book of our Hawaii vacation last summer, and I cannot believe how skinny I was! Don't get me wrong, I wasn't crazy skinny, but compared to the beach ball tummy I have now? The non-exercise is playing a role in my thighs and upper arms jellying up, and the general tendency of pregnancy is causing my picture taking to seriously dwindle because I don't really like seeing swollen face me! Which brings me to....


Thing I miss:

• Sleeping on my stomach. It is so hard to sleep on strictly your left side every night!
• Exercise. Not that I lived at the gym or worked out everyday, but if I wanted to go for a jog or get back into P90X or something, I totally could. I can't wait for Hunter to get here so I can take him on walks, just to get my legs used to exerting themselves again!
• Having a regular 'sniffer'. My nose has gotten back into being on extreme overdrive since entering the third trimester and with that comes searching for the source of bad smells. I was seriously sniffing EVERY surface in our living room and kitchen the other day, and the only conclusion that I can come to is that possibly our sink disposal slightly smelled? Husband couldn't smell anything at all, and I could never figure out the source. It isn't fun when you can smell every little thing!
• Sleeping through the night.
• Occasional heartburn. I didn't mind having random bouts of heartburn, I mean, I don't like it but I can deal with it. Being pregnant is a whole new ball game! I get it after one bite of food, if I lean back past a straight upright position for longer than a few seconds, or if I lean forward too far for longer than a few seconds. One night, I woke up and it felt like it was shooting up my esophagus in a volcanic fashion. I swear it would have made it up my nose if I stayed laying down!
• Being able to put on shoes, change my toe polish, etc, etc, etc.
• Tanning. I still haven't heard whether or not self tanner is ok, so I haven't risked it. Not that I could rub it on my legs anyway.
• My old body. There. I said it. Thin, toned thighs. Slim tummy. Slender arms. We'll get back there, until then, I have pictures....

There are also things that I like about being pregnant. The compliments.... oh, the compliments! I must hear 10 times a day, "Aren't you just so cute?!", "You are ALL belly, you can almost see the outline of his little body in there!", etc. I must admit, I like hearing it from co workers, but I love hearing it from strangers. I have also been getting the royal treatment from husband. He doesn't mind helping out around the house, picking up food on the way home from work, and letting me go to bed early. I also got a pedicure before my first baby shower (more on that later!), and I have never been able to enjoy one so much. The back massager was heaven, but it had NOTHING on the foot massage. Those may be a once a week type of thing from now on!


My belly is still growing nicely, and my weight hasn't totally frightened me over the past three weeks. You can check out the info in the tab at the top of the page, but in a nutshell:


30 weeks: +15 lbs (still!!)..... 38 1/4 inches
31 weeks: +16 lbs................. 39 inches
32 weeks: + 18 pounds.......... 39 inches

I think that just about covers everything! I am down to two months until estimated arrival, but have a lot to look forward to until then!

• Finishing his nursery. We just need some wall decor and the glider.
• Doctor's appointments. We have one scheduled in a couple days, I will write about that one because we get an ultrasound! We have been going every two weeks now that I am in the last trimester, but once April is over, we will be down to an appointment every week! So, 32 weeks, 34 weeks, 36 weeks, then every week after that. Crazy!
• 3D ultrasound! We also have this scheduled for in a couple of days.
• Breastfeeding class. I am so excited! This is the first 'official' thing that I will do for preparation of AFTER he gets here. 
• Baby Shower #2!! We are having our 'big' shower near the end of April. I say 'big' just because everyone is invited, from my mom's friends, to my friends, to family, etc. Our last one was just co workers. I am really excited! This will be our last one, I love parties and cake and getting gifts and all else that goes with showers, but it is hard for me to be the center of attention! Having only two showers helps with that!
• Easter!
• Possible lake trip??? Husband knows that I have been having a craving for water. Not to drink it, but to be on it or in it. He told me that he is trying to get a lake trip planned for a week end coming up. The weather has been perfect for it!

Also.... don't forget to vote :) Somebody has been! We went from 400 and something to 292! Yay, for sparkly heels!

29 weeks

Today is a great day! I turn over in weeks (only one more week in the 20's!!) and it is the first official day of Spring Break! 

A couple of things have started this week which are pretty cool, like feeling his hiccups! To me, they feel like a very slow, hard pulse. Not hard kicks, just something of his being thumped against my belly, whether it be his feet, butt, or head. At first, I thought it was my pulse, but they are much slower than that, and so much slower than his, considering it is still in the 120's to 140's. 


I also think I have a pretty good idea as to where he is at during the day. I have that silly heart shaped uterus (uterus of love...?), and so he is kind of limited as to what he can do in there. Most of the time he is head down, but not the good kind, he is facing the wrong way. So, his head is down and his body is up the right half of my uterus. When he decides to look for a change of scenery, he moves his head over to the left side and his butt follows and pokes out of the right side so he is transverse. I get the impression that this is happening because I feel tons of pressure on both sides of my belly, usually I am even able to feel hard lumps on each end, and during the movement process I feel all sorts of kicks and slides. 


As for me? Getting out of bed has become a major process. I have to determine whether or not I really want to get out and pee or just try to hold it. Getting out of bed always wins. Its not like I am a huge whale of a pregnant lady or anything. Its just that my stomach muscles have gone from so-so, all the way down to obsolete. It is really hard to lift straight up from a laying position, and even just switching sides is an ordeal. I also decided to super clean my kitchen this weekend, and found out that mopping takes a great deal of ab strength, way more than I thought it did, and way more than I have right now, haha! 


My rib pain is at an all time high, and I think it is because of how he lays. Any kick goes right to those organs. When I mentioned it to my doctor, she got a super concerned look on her face, which completely freaked me out! She said that it could be gallbladder disease, which is pretty prevalent in pregnant women because of the hormones, and if that is what it was then they usually try to REMOVE them in the first trimester! She didn't think that is what is was because of my history and body type, but you never know, so she ordered another ultrasound. They looked at my gallbladder, liver, and kidneys; but found nothing out of the ordinary, so it must just be his positioning. I am glad that I said something rather than just thinking it was all normal, because it could have been something very serious! 


At the appointment, I also had my 1 hour glucose test and an ultrasound. I finished my drink in 5 minutes as instructed, and had my finger pricked an hour later. I was so nervous that I would fail, have gestational diabetes, and have to prick my finger every time I eat. Nervous me had nothing to worry about, I passed with a 107! I think you are allowed to go up to either 130 or 140, so I was totally in the clear! Also, I didn't think the drink was all that bad. I was able to take it home after my last appointment and refrigerate it, and I drank it on the way. I can see how it may be gross if it was luck warm, though!

Here is a picture of our perfect baby boy :) I will say that I am growing more and more certain that he will have a 'large' nose..... about half of his pictures show a rather large nose and the other half show the typical cutesy baby nose. Either way, he is perfect! Have a look for yourself:

This was a growth ultrasound, and the tech was in no mood to just let us look in awe and wonder at our baby boy. I think we only missed a commercial break (they always play Food Network in the waiting room) and we were done in just a few minutes. Luckily, we will get another 3D ultrasound in about 2 weeks, and then another growth/position ultrasound in 6 weeks. Then 4 weeks from then (or sooner!) we will get to meet our little man!


My weight is up 15 pounds and the belly measured exactly 38 inches this week. Still growing pretty consistently in the measurement department, not so consistent in the weight gain department. How can I go from 18 weeks of gaining zero pounds, to gaining one pound every week, and now I am up to gaining 3 a week?! This cannot be!! To look at all of the bump pictures and get a list of my weight gain and belly measurements throughout the pregnancy, check out the tab up on top that says: The Bump! I will update that once a week, because I like to compare them side by side :)

28 weeks.... 7 months

Seven months! Seven has always been a good number for me. My first horse was named Seven, and he was so good to me, even as a 10 year old. Ever since then, I have had a slight OCD 'thing' with the number seven. It started when I got him. I would count everything, but in terms of seven. For example, if I was running up stairs, which there were 16 of in our house, I would count it as two sets of seven with the last being said as se-ven so that it stretched out over two steps. Weird, I totally know. 

I digress. Tomorrow, I will be 7 months pregnant, and I think that it will be a great month! I have a ton of things to look forward to, lets take a look:

• March 6th: Guinea Pigs day at our school, these days are always fun, and seem to fly by
• March 6th: Good friend's baby shower thrown by her team, pictures of the diaper cake I made her to come soon!
• March 7th: Field Day at our school, these days are a BLAST, they go by fast, and I usually have lots of parents take their kids home afterwards. Not that I want all my kids to go home all the time, but I do love me some impromptu time with a smaller class so that I can get some organizing and work done!
• March 8th: Doctor's Appointment- Tim is coming with me so that is always a plus, I am finally getting my glucose test, although starting yesterday I am paranoid that I have it, AND we get a growth ultrasound!
• March 10-18: SPRING BREAK... need I say more?
• March 21: Meeting with the woman from the school district who can better explain maternity leave options
• March 22: Hunter's and my first baby shower, thrown by my co-workers
• April 3: 3D ultrasound!!

You see? I have something almost every week! Hopefully the last week in March can be spent organizing and putting away gifts from the baby shower so I can be occupied, or maybe I will need some rest after a busy month!

So, I finally took a bare belly picture to compare my before belly to my current belly. I won't take another one of these until 40 weeks, but I thought it would be fun to do it now!

 Yowza. Every time I think my belly has not grown that much, I can just go ahead and pull up this picture!

Here are some plain 28 week pictures:

Here are the current pregnancy symptoms:

• Braxton Hicks- have gone down significantly this week, I think I had less than 10 good ones all week.
• Movement- I went through a few days where I really didn't feel him move all that much. Since week 19, I have felt kicks and punches to where it feels like my belly is twitching. This week, I only felt some pushing. I almost thought that they were Braxton Hicks, but the tightness and pressure was only on one side so I am assuming that he was just pushing. Either way, it was all very different from the previous seven weeks. I came home from work on Friday, with my fret level at an all-time high, and easily found his heartbeat. It is am amazing how much stronger it sounds than at 9 weeks, haha! Go figure! Friday night, I woke up for my nightly pee, and when I laid back down, he started kicking and rolling and has pretty much been going ever since. Little man knows just when his momma needs some reassurance! I am wondering if my being sick had anything to do with him being a little more restful?
• Rib pain- Ohhhhhh man. I didn't know what women were talking about when they talked about rib pain during pregnancy. He isn't kicking me there (very often), but they must be stretching to accommodate everything and I can surely feel it. I am also feeling hip pain, and pelvic bone pain, and I am thinking that the relaxin hormone is just pouring out full force! It's letting everything shift and move all over the place!
• Fatigue...... is back. I will be the first to admit that I have always loved me some naps, and am never really just bouncing off the walls with energy, but I can usually make it through the school day. Lately, I have been barely able to drive home with out feeling like I am going to pass out!
• Weight Gain/Belly Measurement: So far, I have gained a total of 12 pounds, and the belly measured 37 inches this morning. I am definitely gaining at a faster rate....
• Sickness- no more sickness, but I did manage to find, send, AND upload the picture of Tim's meal that almost made me lose it last week. Remember those baby octopi? Here they are in all their disgusting, jiggly, tentical-icious, full bodied glory:

There my be an extra  trip to the OB this week. I have been having cloudy urine for a few weeks, but no other signs of a UTI so I didn't really think anything of it. I actually just thought it was a pregnancy thing, but didn't want to hit up the internet too quickly. You always find the scariest stuff there once you start looking up symptoms! Friday, I had a few hours off and on of some lower back kidney pain, and my first thought was that they were real contractions rather than just Braxton Hicks, but the pain stopped and I forgot all about it. Saturday it started again, and I woke up Sunday with pain all day. I am going to call the doctor first thing tomorrow (Monday), and see what they suggest. Of course, it was hard to resist internet research, and apparently kidney infections during pregnancy are a big no-no, and need to get taken care of immediately! Hopefully, I am being paranoid and all is well.

We have also done some more work in the nursery, and  I am excited to share the progress!