Week 28 Bumpdate - Hello Third Trimester!!

Wow, week 28!  At the beginning this seemed so very far away and now I'm in the third trimester!  Things sure seem to be changing as my belly keeps getting bigger and harder, my chest is changing in ways I never though possible, the baby is more active and I'm not sleeping well. 

• How far along? 28 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is as big as a chinese cabbage (?!) about 14.8 inches long and weighing 2.25lbs!
• Weight gain? 10 lbs or so, maybe a little more, I will find out tomorrow
• Stretch Marks? Small ones, like 1/2 inch or less keep popping up above my belly button.
• Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  I feel like this is a pointless question at this point in the pregnancy.  I have been wearing one of Andrew's very fashionable winter coats since mine will no longer button. 
• Sleep: Oh what a biotch you have been to me these days.  Friday I was so exhausted that I left work early, slept in my car for 15 minutes and went home and slept for another 2 hours.  I managed to stay up till 11 that night and slept till 8:30am.  Saturday night and Sunday night I hardly slept at all because of heartburn and being incredibly uncomfortable.  Sleeping on the couch was actually more comfortable for me so that might be where I end up from now on.  
• Cravings: Plain foods like buttered bread, mashed potatoes, cheese, easy mac/mac n cheese or an english muffin with butter.  We had Mexican Sunday night and though my dish was not spicy at all, it really tore up my stomach.  I'm still craving soup like no tomorrow and have some going in the crockpot for dinner tonight!
• Food Aversions: None really, but I really have to watch what I eat.  I can't do spicy foods anymore or anything that is deep fried like my beloved chicken wings.
• What do I miss: Sleeping, I would love not to feel so tired.  The way my chest and belly used to look, Andrew is quite amazed with how much things have changed.  I am frightened and amazed at the same time.  I mean let's be honest here, my boobs don't look like they did 7 months ago, my belly just keeps getting bigger and I swear my lips and nose have grown too. 
• Movement: The baby is still very active and I have been tracking movements just to have an idea of their frequency.  I can track about 10 kicks in a 20 minute time span during the day, but at night I could probably track a ton more.  She gets crazy around 8:30pm almost every night.   
• Doctor Appointments: October 30th - Glucose Screening!
• Labor Signs: No, thankfully, she can keep on cooking.  It is nice to know however that if she was born anytime now she would have a very good chance of survival although I am so not ready for that to happen.  
• Symptoms:Where do I begin: backaches, stomach pain, heartburn, constant trips to the bathroom, peeing when I sneeze (so attractive), lack of sleep, nesting when I have the energy and overall laziness. 
• Wedding Rings: Still on and not tight!!! 
• Belly Button: Still an innie, I'm curious if that will change.  
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else? I'm super excited to go to Pennsylvania with my mom and dad this weekend for my baby shower!  My cousin is an amazing party planner and I'm sure that everything will be wonderful plus she asked for my input on just about everything from the food, to the cake flavor and the games.  It will be a small shower with about 16 of my aunts and cousins in comparison to my shower at home to which my mother has invited 65 people (I wish I was kidding).  I'll be sure to post a photo update after the shower this weekend.  I just hope I can sleep, I'm taking lots of pillows with me!  

 

28 weeks, I feel so much bigger than I look!

Week 27 Bumpdate

Here we are at week 27, the last week of the second trimester!  I am shocked that I am  6 months pregnant, it seems like time has gone so quickly and everything is happening really fast!  My first baby shower is November 2nd and I can hardly wait to spend time with my family in Pennsylvania!  My cousin texted me last night to see what kind of cake I wanted and let me know that the lady making my cake also made my mom's wedding cake, which of course had me in tears.  I've been overly obsessed with updating the registry lately because I'm afraid I didn't register for enough stuff. 

• How far along? 27 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is as big as a cauliflower (about 14.5 inches long) and weighing in at 2lbs!
• Weight gain? 10 lbs or so, we will see if that changes at my next appointment.
• Stretch Marks? I don't even want to talk about this.....I found three more this weekend.  I feel depressed. 
• Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  I feel like this is a pointless question at this point in the pregnancy.  I'm debating on getting a maternity winter coat, although my long vintage coats (I only have about 10) still seem to be fitting okay for now.  I hope I can make it till the end of January with what I've got.  I've been debating on wearing Andrew's Carhart since it's big and roomy.  
• Sleep: Oh how I miss my sleep.  I cannot get comfortable, my belly feels like it's full of air and becomes extra hard when I try to lay down.  I've considered starting to sleep in the recliner in the family room.  I'm honestly more comfortable there than in the bed (it's where I pass out most nights when we are watching TV).  
• Cravings: Still on the dairy kick but what else is new there.  I've also been dying for cocktail meatballs, no idea why and I've been eating a lot of bread and bagels.  I've also been craving soup, which I'm assuming is because it is getting cold and I love soup in the fall. 
• Food Aversions: None really, though I have not been in the mood for breakfast foods besides oatmeal or toaster waffles.   
• What do I miss: Sleeping, I would love not to feel so tired anymore.  I also miss my normal body and not having people stare at me all the time. 
• Movement: This baby is crazy active!  Last night my whole stomach was moving around and Andrew finally got to see what I was talking about, not sure if he was freaked out but he was able to feel her wiggling around some more too.  It seems like she stops when he puts his hand on my belly but last night she was far too busy for all that! 
• Doctor Appointments: October 30th - Glucose Screening!
• Labor Signs: No, thankfully, she can keep on cooking!   
• Symptoms: They have been all over the place.  For the last two weeks I have not been feeling well, my stomach is always bothering me and I can't eat much without feeling full.  I don't sleep very well at night and when I lay down it's like I have restless leg syndrome and can't keep still.  I get lightheaded pretty frequently and I am so tired!  Maybe I jinxed myself by saying that this pregnancy thing is so easy because it was for me at the beginning but man the end is no joke and I can't imagine feeling like this for the next three months. 
• Wedding Rings: Still on and not tight!!! 
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else? I've been trying to picture what life will be like when our daughter arrives, what she will look like and how things will be.  I had a few dreams about her baptism and she already had teeth as a newborn (creepy) and was talking though she couldn't walk or even hold up her head.  I obviously don't take any of these bizarre dreams seriously because what baby is born with teeth and able to talk?!?  I'm anxious to see how Andrew will adjust to being a father since he's the baby and has never really been around kids.  Each night when I complain about being uncomfortable or not able to sleep he lovingly reminds me that we don't have much time to go. 

Yeah for warm sweaters, boo for cold fall days in Ohio.

Last week of the first trimester!

What else has been going on

I feel like all I have been posting about recently is my pregnancy so here are some other things that have been going on in my life:

• We are in the midst of several house projects right now.  Not only is Andrew starting on the nursery painting this week, we are also getting started on our downstairs bathroom and installing an above the stove microwave.  I was in need of more counter space and getting a microwave for 75% off was such a good deal we couldn't say no!
• A while back we hit a deer with my Honda and I'm happy to say it's finally fixed with the addition of two new headlights since mine were badly fogged and letting in water.  I feel like I have a brand new car!
• I have a busy end of this month/beginning of November coming up with both work and our life in general.  I have a big event at work in about a month as well as several childbirth and breastfeeding classes.  I have a bridal shower and Halloween party to attend this weekend and both of my baby showers are next month!
• We have had our kitty Bradley for almost a year already which I find hard to believe.  We adopted him from Cat Welfare in Columbus on October 27th of last year and he's been such a great addition to our family.  
• I was hoping we would get around to pumpkin or apple picking this year but neither have happened.  We have been so busy every weekend and when we don't have plans the weather is crummy (like it was this past Saturday, rainy and 45 no thanks)
• I have been getting rid of a lot of junk and cleaning out my hoards of things recently.  Call it early nesting or fall cleaning but we have taken two truckloads of stuff to goodwill, I've given away a lot of clothes and reorganized (sort of) my basement and still plan to get rid of more stuff and box away things I can't wear or can't use right now.  I can't fathom how at 28 I have so much stuff, but if I can carve away at the layers and keep getting rid of things I will feel much better!
• I'm ready for the cooler weather.  Call me crazy, but I love being snuggled up indoors with a cup of tea and a good book or maybe my knitting loom.  I'm sure the hot flashes I've been having aren't helping the situation either.

That's about all that's going on for right now!  I hope to be back tomorrow with a week 27 bumpdate!  I was having issues getting my post to publish last week plus I was crazy busy! 

Week 25 & 26 Bumpdate!

Here we are at week 25/26!!!!  Sorry for not posting last week, I have been so busy and just didn't get around to my Tuesday post.  I won an adorable bedding set for the baby on Ebay last week and we got the paint for the nursery after I changed my mind about 10 times regarding the color.  The room is cleaned out and hopefully Andrew can start painting this weekend.  We also got a new light fixture and are looking for new closet doors.  I cannot believe how quickly things are moving along!  Thank you again to everyone who followed along with my emotional pregnancy posts (part 1 and part 2) and left such sweet and supportive comments. 

• How far along? 26 weeks and 5 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is as big as an eggplant (about 14 inches long) and weighing in at a little less than 2lbs!
• Weight gain? 10 lbs in total, which I am pretty darn happy about considering I am approaching the third trimester and will supposedly gain a bunch of weight.
• Stretch Marks? No more have appeared since vacation. 
• Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  I feel like this is a pointless question at this point in the pregnancy. 
• Sleep: It comes and goes.  I had a rough week 24 but in week 25 I was sleeping a little bit better and starting out in week 26 I have been sleeping fine as well.  I pray this continues but I know I am just going to get more and more uncomfortable. 
• Cravings: Chips and salsa, chips and dip, ice cream, brownies, cookies (see a trend of unhealthy items here), apples, biscuits and gravy and mac n cheese.  Gee I am such a health nut!
• Food Aversions: None really. 
• What do I miss: My old body, I feel like I don't even recognize myself when I catch my reflection at times.  I have had a few people tell me there is no way I'm 6 months along because I'm not showing all that much, I think they are insane.  I am still missing my wine, but what else is new!    
• Movement: Baby girl has been so active recently!  Over the last two weeks I have been able to see and feel the movements from the outside which has been crazy and neat!  Before most of the movement is at night and now she moves in the morning, after lunch and a whole lot at night.  
• Doctor Appointments: October 30th is the fun Glucose Screening!
• Labor Signs: No, thankfully, she can keep on cooking!   
• Symptoms:Lightheaded feeling (which is a new one) if I bend over and stand up too quickly, still a little bit of back pain but it's getting better, sore feet if I stand too long even in comfy shoes, restlessness at night and crazy dreams.  I have also been really tired this week, I am in bed or asleep on the couch most nights at 9pm.  
• Wedding Rings: Still on!!! 
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else? The pregnancy massage was amazing a few weeks back and I am so glad I spent the money to have that done.  I'm not sure when I will have another one, but I will for sure be getting another pedicure.  Despite my usual aversion to having my feet touched, it sure made me feel a lot better.  I'm super excited for the nursery to get started (hopefully this weekend) and to bring the crib and changing table over to the house.  We also have a stroller and car seat in storage at my parents house but soon this will be there permanent home.  

 

My emotional pregnancy journey {Part 2}

October 2nd rolled around quickly and I had my appointment with the midwife that afternoon.  I arrived at the office and felt anxious sitting in that waiting room.  I was surrounded by women who looked to be at the end of their pregnancies, reading books, rubbing their bellies and their husbands, boyfriends, support persons were right their next to them.  I waited for 15 minutes before the nurse called me back for the usual weight and blood pressure check.  Both were fine and she took me back to the room to get the heart tones.  The baby kept running away from her and she seemed frustrated and asked my midwife to get the heart tones instead.

Once my midwife came into the room, I felt quite a bit better.  I have never felt so comfortable with a medical professional in my life.  She's honest, sweet, compassionate and funny which I think are all very important qualities in someone who's going to deliver your baby.  After she chased baby girl around, she found the heart tones, did my measurements and sat me back up.  It was the moment I needed to tell her how I was feeling.  She asked about my physical symptoms and I told her about the backpain and heart burn that had been making me crazy.  She suggested some exercises and sleep positions and then we moved onto my emotions.

"I feel like everyone expects me to be jumping for joy all the time and just glowing about this baby, but I'm just not.  I feel worried, anxious and depressed more often than not and it's really starting to take a toll on my life." She thought for a minute and said, "Anxiety is totally a normal part of pregnancy, but when it starts to affect the rest of your life that is when we feel the need to be concerned.  Women who have depression and anxiety while they are pregnant are at a higher risk for post partum depression so we need to take care of this now.  I'm going to put you on a low dose of Lexapro and see how you feel when you come back for your gestational diabetes scan.  If in the mean time, you don't feel like it's working or you think you need a higher dose just call into the office and we will get it figured out."  We went over the side effects and the fact that it should start working within a week instead of a month like some drugs in that same class.  I was happy that I would be able to see a result sooner rather than later.  

I suppose I was expecting her to say that I needed medication and that this could lead to something bigger.  I felt better for telling her what was going on and I honestly had not even thought about how this anxiety would affect me after the baby was born.

After just a week I started to feel worlds better, I noticed a decrease in my anxiety and my emotions were a lot more in balance.  Now that I've been on the medication for almost three weeks, I feel like my old self again.  I've been able to get motivated to get the nursery going again, took a truckload (literally) of stuff from the room and our basement to Goodwill and after tonight the room will be totally cleaned out!  Andrew can get started on the painting any time now!

I never expected to have my pregnancy be the cause of such anxiety but I am thankful to have an amazing midwife who was able to help me along.  I'm also thankful to the support of all of you, my husband, my family and my friends.  Not all of them know exactly what has been going on, but just having them there to talk is the best feeling in the world.  

31

Happy 31st birthday to my amazing husband Andrew!

I wanted to showcase all of the things he loves, fishing, playing with his man toys, wearing bad outfits, working on cars, growing his winter beard and being an all around great guy!

I cannot believe he was just 26 when we met and I was 23, hard to believe how fast time has gone.  

Andrew has to be one of the hardest working people I know, he busts his butt at work everyday and even won mechanic of the year for 2012 in his region.  He has spent countless hours working on our house, fixing our cars, building a trailer, fixing our boat and a million other things I can't even remember.  But as hard as he works, he likes his chill time too, reading Craigslist, watching terrible movies like Rambo and Machete, spending time out on the water on our boat and taking walks.  He's an animal lover too, which makes me love him even more.  Bessie is his heart and he would do anything for that sweet old basset.

I can't wait to see what kind of father Andrew will be and how things will change when our daughter is born in January.  I am sure she will be just like me, a daddy's girl wrapped around his finger.  He can teach her to fish, fix an engine and shoot a gun all while wearing a dress :)

Happy Birthday my love!!!!!!

My emotional pregnancy journey {Part 1}

I knew that pregnancy was going to mess with my emotions and hormones.  I've always been a crier and a pretty big baby, I get hurt and I cry, mess up cooking and here come the tears and I cry at movies/weddings/baby showers all the time!  I come from a long line of criers so it's nothing new to me.  But when the pregnancy hormones started to take over me, it wasn't just the crying that was affecting my life, there was so much more beneath the surface. 

I have been really afraid to share these emotions on my blog or with anyone.  I have a lot of "real life" friends and blogger friends who struggled to get pregnant or can't have their own kids.  I know that many of them would give anything to be going through what I am at this very moment.  I also have a lot of friends who aren't to the point yet where they want kids and I don't want to scare them.  But I also know this is my place to be honest and let it all out so that's exactly what I am going to do.

About a week before we went on vacation I really fell into a slump, I was depressed, anxious and just not feeling like myself.  I was anticipating that I would have this "glow" about me and I would feel amazing, happy and excited about the birth of our daughter.  But instead of a glow, terror and full on anxiety attacks had taken over me.  I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, overcome with worry, my heart pounding and unable to fall back to sleep.  

I had to drag myself through the motions each day, praying that our time away would make me feel better.  Vacation was just what I needed, no responsibilities or schedule and no one around to say mean things to make me all worked up.  It was just me, Andrew and the hot Florida sun, it was amazing.  Then one night as we were watching another PBS special (no cable at the condo), he started talking about the baby.  I recall it was a pretty simple question or maybe the mention that it's too bad the baby would be too little to enjoy a vacation next year.

For some reason, it was at that moment that I started to break down.  I really didn't want to have this emotional eruption while we were on vacation, but I needed to let it all out.  I told Andrew how I had been feeling after holding it in for so many months.  I told him how I was scared to death about having the baby, not just the giving birth part but raising a child, how we were going to afford everything a kid needs and how on earth we would keep our sanity working full time and taking care of a kid.  I finally told him that I haven't really been excited about the impending birth of our daughter, no matter how I try I cannot get the worry to leave my mind.  Don't get me wrong, there have been exciting things like the ultrasounds and feeling the baby move around.  Those brief moments seem to ease my anxiety but they are not long lasting cures.

I've been worried about money, anxious about the labor and delivery, stressed out about getting the nursery prepared and baby proofing the house, feeling guilty about having to work and not being able to be a full time mom and most of all about being a terrible parent.  I burst into tears and buried my face into his arm.  Part of me felt like a weight had been lifted off of me and the other part felt like this was only the beginning.

Something wasn't right with the way I was feeling and I felt it was time to tell my midwife.  My next appointment wasn't until the beginning of October so I continued to record what I had been feeling in my pregnancy journal. 

{Stay tuned for Part 2}

I would just like to take a minute to say Thank You to those of you who read this post and that I hope you are kind with your comments.  This has been a very tough struggle for me and I hope that by putting this out into the open, others will come forward and tell me I am not alone.  It's a tough thing to be totally honest with people you don't know in real life.

24 week bumpdate

I have a hard time believing I am just three weeks away from the THIRD trimester, how on earth is that possible?  I didn't think there would be much of a difference moving into week 24 but man was I wrong!  I have been having a lot of symptoms this week and I'm finding it hard to believe that I have one month left in the second trimester.  First it was fall and now this??!  I can't handle much more!

• How far along? 24 weeks and 1 day 
• How big is baby? According to The Bump, the baby is as big as a cantaloupe and is 10.5 to 11.8 inches long and weighing in at 12.7-20.8 ounces.  At my 20 week ultrasound they said she was right at 12 ounces so I would say she's bigger than 12.7 at this point.  
• Weight gain? Between 7 and 9lbs, I go to the doctor tomorrow so I guess we will find out the more accurate number then.
• Stretch Marks? Just those tiny new ones that appeared during vacation.
• Maternity Clothes: All day, everyday.  I do still wear some non maternity shirts.
• Sleep: One of the big changes going into week 24 has been my inability to sleep.  Friday night, I couldn't stay asleep and woke up at 4am for no reason.  Saturday night, we kept hearing weird noises outside and both woke up at 2am and fell back asleep until 8.  I also had severe back pain in my right side all night and couldn't get comfortable.  Sunday night and Monday night were much of the same with stomach cramps, back pain and a lovely charlie horse in my leg!   
• Cravings: Nickles Bakery Cream Sticks (which are impossible to find), Halloween Candy, Chipotle, Comfort Food like Mac N Cheese and mashed potatoes, Waffle House and breakfast foods.
• Food Aversions: None really.
• What do I miss: Sleeping comfortably mainly because I can't sleep on my stomach anymore, my normal body and that elusive Octoberfest beer.
• Movement: The baby is so active at night.  When we go to bed somewhere between 9 and 10 the baby really starts moving and grooving.  I've seen a few movements from the outside and Andrew has been able to feel her wiggling about as well. 
• Doctor Appointments: Tomorrow is my 24 week checkup and I imagine they will scheduled my glucose screening at that time as well. 
• Symptoms: Back pain (it was awful over the weekend), round ligament pain seems to be starting again, headaches, extreme hunger and more frequent night time trips to the bathroom.  I also get mad really easily and I was flying off the handle a lot last week.  
• Gender: Team Pink!  
• Anything else? I have felt so awful the last four days and it's really starting to take a toll on my life.  I did get some things done around the house this weekend but I wish I could have done more.  I am wondering if my days of scrubbing the bathroom and cleaning more than one room in a day are coming to an end.  I didn't think this would happen for another month or so but I think my body has other ideas.  Also, if you have been following a lot of bumpdates like me, you might know that Lora over at Raising Steppe Sisters had her baby sooner than expected.  I've been thinking of her and baby Harper a lot as we were right around the same time with our pregnancies. 

24 weeks and 1 day rocking the bathroom selfie again :)

Woah baby bump!