27 weeks!

Sorry that I was a little behind on last week's post, but this one is real-time and now I can officially say I am caught up. (On all things baby related, that is.) Not much has differed from last week... still feeling very uncomfortable, and I have come to the realization that baby girl has just set up camp in my ribs and most likely will not be moving until she is ready to come out. I am sometimes able to kind of massage her down from the one spot, but within a few minutes she gets right back up in there. As long as she is comfortable, I guess! :) I do have the feeling, though, that she is going to be a long baby. (Not surprising, look at her father...) When she moves, I can feel her all the way down in my pelvis, and all the way up in my ribs at the same time. Needless to say, she is stretching out and taking up as much room as she possibly can in there. Lord knows that she doesn't have much, me being so tiny, myself.

Despite the pain and uncomfortableness (is that a word?!) I truly do enjoy being pregnant. It is the most incredibly feeling, knowing that I am responsible for this sweet little baby's life and well being, and my body is the one that is going to nourish her until she is ready to come out and meet everybody. It is the most unreal and amazing thing to feel and now watch her move all around, each day. As much as I just want to meet her already, I am doing my best to cherish every wonderful moment that I get to have with just her and myself. :)

 

How far along? 27 weeks!

Total weight gain? Again, I haven't weighed myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was at the 20 pounds mark already.

Maternity Clothes? Certainly.

Stretch Marks? None, yet!

Sleep? As much as I possibly can! (Might as well get it in now!)

Best moment this week? Totally non-baby related... but, going to Zack's graduation!

Miss anything?Being comfortable and fitting in my clothes.

Movement? Always.. she is a little spaz.

Food Cravings? Nothing really in particular... anything that I don't have to cook.

Anything making you feel sick? Just being hungry.

Gender? Baby GIRL!!!

Labor Signs? Negative.

Symptoms: Just the back and rib pain.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: Next week's appointment... just means that we are one step closer to meeting our baby girl!

On a completely unrelated side note, I want to mention how incredibly proud I am of my husband for graduating this weekend. I'm sure it was weird for him, especially since he hasn't really even been to the high school in about a year. Regardless, it was nice to see him recognized for all that he has done, thus far. 

We have truly accomplished so much together, just in the past year. And now, realizing that in just three short months we will have accomplished even more. Life is moving so fast, but I could not have asked for anything better. Things will certainly be hectic after the baby is born, but I am confident that we will be extremely successful in all that we plan to do!

Alright, alright... I'm done with the sappy, mushy-gushy stuff.

At 27 weeks, baby is about the size of a head of cauliflower! 

26 weeks!

26 weeks... wow. Time is going by so incredibly fast! I can't believe that in just 14 short weeks we will be able to meet our baby girl!

 The past few weeks have been a little rough... I am starting to get very uncomfortable (and I know, I know... the worst is yet to come). Not only is the heat killing me, but baby girl has decided to get very comfortable in mama's rib cage... NOT FUN. It's causing me a lot of back pain, and even causes my belly to go numb sometimes, in certain spots. I was a bit concerned about the numbness, so I asked our Midwife and she assured me that it is not a red flag, and although it really sucks, it is nothing to worry about. I also asked my chiropractor, who specializes in prenatal care, and she also alleviated my worries by telling me that the back pain and belly numbness is from the baby stretching the muscles in between each rib bone. Uncomfortable, yes... but an emergency, no. Regardless of the pain, I was very happy to hear that it was not something that I needed to worry about, and that baby girl is doing just fine.

 

How far along? 26 weeks!

Total weight gain? I honestly haven't checked, but I'm gonna guess close to 20 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? Certainly.

Stretch Marks? None, yet!

Sleep? Like a rock, lately.

Best moment this week? Realizing that we are down to double digits! Yay!

Miss anything? Being able to sit comfortably.

Movement? She never stops!

Food Cravings? Lemonade... it's hard to want food in this kind of heat.

Anything making you feel sick? I have found myself getting more nauseous when I wake up in the mornings... I think she is just hungry.

Gender? Baby GIRL!!!

Labor Signs? Negative.

Symptoms: Back and rib pain, like something fierce.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: My belly button popping out... it may not ever do it, but it is certainly becoming a lot flatter than it was! Here's hopin'.

At 26 weeks, baby is about the size of  a small head of lettuce!

25 weeks!

So here we are at 25 weeks... I'm doing my best to catch up with these. 

The weeks seem to be flying by, and before I know it, I am needing to update the chalkboard.

Hopefully the rest of this pregnancy will continue to go by as gracefully as it has, so far.

How far along? 25 weeks!

Total weight gain? About 15 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Yes.

Stretch Marks? None, yet!

Sleep? I'm sleeping well, besides the frequent interruptions.

Best moment this week? Every day has been great.

Miss anything? Being comfortable.

Movement? Constantly!

Food Cravings? Still loving iced coffee and frozen strawberry lemonades. 

Anything making you feel sick? Nothing.

Gender? Baby GIRL!!!

Labor Signs? Negative.

Symptoms: Back painnnn. :(

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: Watching my belly grow even bigger in the coming weeks.

24 weeks!

Again, I'm slacking with the baby posts... I don't know what my problem is lately, I just can't seem to get a grip of everything that needs to be done each day. I chalk it up to baby brain! 

So I won't even lie... This picture, although it says 24 weeks, was taken on Friday which was technically the first day of my 25th week. But we can just pretend that I am timely and on the ball with these chalkboard posts...... 

(right?)

I SO wish I could have figured a way to take this picture without my face being in it. OH WELL. Here I am, a week late, looking like an exhausted mess after a 12-hour shift. 

But on the bright side, the chalkboard turned out super cute this week, and my belly just keeps on growing!

How far along? 24 weeks!

Total weight gain? About 15 pounds.

Maternity Clothes? Yes.

Stretch Marks? Not yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they started to show up soon.

Sleep? When I'm not awake from having to pee.

Best moment this week? Baby appointment, of course!

Miss anything? Being able to squeeze through small spaces. Hahaha.

Movement? Yes, still all the time! We can see her move now,

 and she is especially active first thing in the morning.

Food Cravings? Iced Coffee (decaf, of course!) I just can't get enough!

Anything making you feel sick? Nada.

Gender? Baby GIRL!!!

Labor Signs? Negative.

Symptoms: Sore legs and some occasional back pain.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy!

Looking forward to: Getting through the next 16 weeks!

I have been working a lot recently, trying to get as much time in while I am still (mildly) comfortable. By the end of the day I am super exhausted, but I know it will all be worth it once baby girl is here. 

Let me tell you, though... it is absolutely amazing how differently people treat you when you are carrying around another little life inside of you. As soon as somebody sees me taking a break, or holding my belly... basically ANYTHING at this point, they are quick to make sure I am okay and not going into premature labor or something. --I guess that's what I get for spending my days surrounded by nurses and doctors! :)

As much as I truly do appreciate everyone's concern, I won't lie, I can't wait until I can do things without people hovering over my shoulder 24/7 to make sure I am doing alright. 

(And, like I've already told them... if I'm going into labor, I'm gonna be doing a lot more than just standing there holding my belly. My butt is walking out that door and heading home!)

But, I digress. Hopefully 25 week post will be up within the next few days! 

(Seriously, who am I kidding?)

23 weeks!

Man, I am a total slacker. Hopefully I haven't left too many of you guys hanging... life has been completely insane these past two weeks. I am working almost every day and all I have time to do when I am home is sleep. So, please forgive me.

Baby girl is growing, that's for sure! 

How far along? 23 weeks!

Total weight gain? If the scale at work is right, about 17 pounds.

                                             (But I'm not counting on that being very accurate.)

Maternity Clothes? Yes.

Stretch Marks? No!

Sleep? When I get a chance. With frequent interruptions, though.

Best moment this week? Realizing how much my belly has really grown since last week.

Miss anything? I won't be a complainer this week :)

Movement? Still very frequent movements, but they are beginning to feel different.

She is getting squished in there!

Food Cravings? Orange Juice, always! Frozen Strawberry Lemonades!

Anything making you feel sick? Nothing at all.

Gender? Baby GIRL!!!

Labor Signs? Negative.

Symptoms: Exhaustion & sore legs.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy girl!

Looking forward to: My belly button popping out... I'm beginning to think it never will!

Here is something worth chuckling at... Belly comparison from when I found out at 5 weeks, and what I looked like this week at 23. Holy Moly! You don't really realize how much your body has changed until you compare them side-by-side. And I still have 17 weeks to go!

Hopefully I will be posting the 24 week post within a few days and then I will be back on track! 

At 23 weeks, baby is the size of a grapefruit!

22 weeks!

Sorry this post is a little delayed.. I can't seem to keep up with anything lately!

I don' believe that there has been anything too new and exciting going on since last week. I've been keeping busy with work and other things (ok... mainly work) and baby girl has been keeping me busy, staying active all day and night long. I'm lucky that I am so incredibly tired by the end of the day that her middle of the night kicks don't effect me... yet. 

She is definitely growing in there, though. Each day I wake up I can tell that my belly has gotten bigger overnight. Not significantly larger (I still haven't "popped" :( ), but it is noticeable to me. Maybe because I can feel that I am getting larger... who knows. 

The heat has not been my friend the past week or so. I was really hoping that because I am such a naturally cold person when I'm not pregnant, that it would stick with me and I would have a comfortable pregnancy this summer. NOPE! I can barely take the heat and the humidity. And I won't go on much further so I don't sound like a huge whiner, but all I can say is that this summer is going to be difficult and I am going to need a pool. And an air conditioner. Gotta love that air conditioning. (Never thought I would say that!)

For my 22 week chalkboard picture I decided to switch it up a bit from the normal size comparison and go with CRAVINGS! There are so many, honestly, I couldn't even fit them on the board. I just love food. I am very lucky that this baby is not picky-- I can pretty much eat anything and it satisfies us both. :) 

The big one I forgot (I must have been really distracted to have forgotten this one) is PANCAKES. I can't explain how often I think about and want pancakes. And, unfortunately, our stove doesn't like us, so pancakes are a no-go in this house! Luckily for me, though, my husband is an amazing waffle maker, and he spoils me with giant fluffy waffles with jam and syrup. What more is a girl to ask for?!

(I can't believe I just wrote a whole paragraph on pancakes...)

I went to another Chiropractor appointment yesterday, which is slowly but surely helping with my awful sciatica pain. The pain does return shortly after my visits, but I am learning how to take care of it myself and hopefully tame it enough so that it is bearable throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Lots of stretching, and learning to balance my weight are the keys to helping with the pain. Hopefully I can find something, anything to help.

The picture above was taken on Friday-- and this picture (below) was taken on Saturday or Sunday. Maybe my belly did blow up overnight, because it looks incredibly tiny in the top picture, compared to this one. 

I like the rare occasion that I get to dress up for work, instead of wearing my scrubs. Even though none of my clothes fit me anymore, work or casual. I was really hoping that I could get away with wearing a lot of my old summer clothes, and after going through them all a few weeks ago, I learned that that was not going to be an option :(. I have been slowly but surely grabbing some maternity (and some non-maternity) clothes for the summer, and by clothes I mean mainly dresses. Dresses and skirts seem to be the only thing that helps me tolerate this heat, so when I see one I like, I grab it like it's goin' out of style. (even if it is!)

(I really wish my full length mirror wasn't 

directly in front of my trash can.)

Yesterday, because I had to go to my chiropractor appointment, which is all the way in Ithaca, I decided that I was going to spend the day in town, because I had never been before. I had always wanted to go, but never really had a real reason to go and hang out there. I really didn't want to make the hour long drive to Ithaca for a 15-20 minute appointment, and then drive all the way back. So, I brought along a friend and we spent a good chunk of the day checking out all of the cool baby/kid stores. I would say that we had a pretty successful (and fun!) day!

Alright, back to baby-related news...

How far along? 22 weeks!
Total weight gain? I honestly haven't weighed myself.
Maternity Clothes? Yes.
Stretch Marks? Negative
Sleep? Like a rock.
Best moment this week? Seeing how big my belly is getting, each day!
Miss anything? Not feeling like I am going to die of heat exhaustion.
Movement? All day, every day! Baby acrobat!
Food Cravings? Refer to above picture... & paragraph about pancakes.
Anything making you feel sick? No, thank goodness!
Gender? Baby GIRL!!!
Labor Signs? nope.
Symptoms: back and leg pain!
Wedding rings on or off? On!
Happy or moody most of the time? Generally, pretty happy!
Looking forward to: This belly popping! Come on little baby!

At 22 weeks, baby is the length of a Spaghetti Squash!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy mothers day to all the mamas out there! I hope everyone enjoys their day!