As of yesterday, I hit what’s known as 35/35. That is, 35 weeks pregnant with 35 days to go. WOW! Just a little over a month until our due date and only two weeks until I’m considered full-term. Realistically, baby could come anytime between now and May 19 (doctor will let me go 2 weeks past my due date before inducing). It’s such a weird feeling to have so little control over the timing of something so important, especially for a planner like me.
I had my second (and final) baby shower on Saturday, which was SO much fun. It was great to spend time with friends and we got a lot of things we really needed, as well as a lot of clothes. Pretty sure we won’t have to buy any clothes for our little man for the entire first year of his life. We also got a couple gift cards, and so yesterday I went on Amazon and ordered almost everything else we need. All that’s left to buy are the stroller and the baby monitor. I’m trying to wrap up as much as I can at work and am also staying really organized so I can hand everything off to my coworkers at a moment’s notice with a few emails. All in all, I think we’re almost ready for the little dude.
Here’s what’s happening at 35 weeks…
Baby is about 6 lbs. and 20 inches long at this point, and can expect to put on about an ounce of fat per day between now and his birthday. Most of his systems are fully developed at this point, including kidney and liver. His digestive system still needs some work, though, and won’t be mature until sometime after birth. He’s still moving around quite a bit and seems to favor sticking his feet up into the right side of my ribs. He also frequently punches or head butts me in the bladder, and I’m finding myself having to pee even more than before (I didn’t think that was humanly possible)!
Mama is large and uncomfortable and I’m even starting to outgrow some of my maternity clothes! I guess that’s what happens when you buy stuff early on. I’m finding that some of the items I had that were on the big side in the beginning fit really well now. And the panel of what used to be one of my favorite pairs of maternity jeans only comes about halfway up my belly, which is both uncomfortable and makes for a weird seam under clothing. I’ve started actually folding down the panel, as it’s both more comfortable and gives my belly a nicer shape, but then I have to deal with the outie belly button, which makes me feel really indecent… like I’m walking around with a giant nipple sticking out or something! I’ve put on 2.4 lbs this week for a total weight gain now of 24 lbs. Next appointment is April 9, after which point I’ll go in weekly until I deliver. The nurse practitioner told me at my last appointment that they may start doing cervical checks at my next appointment, which, oddly, I’m looking forward to. I know it means almost nothing at this stage of the game — women can walk around dilated for weeks and have nothing happen, and can also dilate quickly with no warning — but I still like to have as much information as possible. We’ll go tour the hospital this coming Sunday, which I’m also looking forward to. Can’t believe how close to the end we are!
Buckle down… this is sure to be a long post! I’ve been slacking on my weekly updates, so I’m going to combine my 33 and 34 week updates. We also got maternity photos taken, and there’s just been a lot going on in general these last couple weeks.
First off, exciting news – we found out my brother and his wife are expecting a baby in November! It’s still early and they aren’t telling many people yet, but I figure it’s okay to write about it here since anyone who reads this blog either already knows, or doesn’t even know my brother and his wife. I’m very excited for them, and I absolutely love the idea of having cousins just six months apart. Not to mention, they live about 5 minutes away from us and we see each other quite often, so it will be fun to get together for playdates and will also be convenient for exchanging babysitting duties.
I will admit, though, that hearing their news dredged up a lot of old feelings, too. When they told us the news, they were only 7 weeks along and hadn’t even had their first doctor appointment yet. I’m always scared for people whenever someone announces a pregnancy early, and the fact that they’re right at the point where we lost our first baby just hits really close to home. Of course, I want nothing more than to be excited for them, but a big part of me is so reserved in that excitement since miscarriage is so common (1 in 3-4) and I know firsthand just how hard it is. D mentioned to me the other day that he too always gets nervous for people when they announce their pregnancies early. We’ve actually had a few friends recently who have announced to us sooner than the standard 12 weeks, and while we’re always nothing but smiles and excitement for them on the outside, deep down we’re both thinking, gee, I hope it works out. It’s just amazing how much your perspective changes when you’re been on the wrong end of a statistic before. I always knew I’d never again have a naive, carefree pregnancy, but I’ve been surprised at just how much our loss has impacted my ability to get excited over other peoples’ pregnancies too. Anyway, not to get all doom-and-gloom. I really am so excited for my brother and his wife, but I think I will be able to breathe a little easier once they’ve actually had an ultrasound and cleared the first trimester.
With that out of the way, here’s what’s happening with baby and me these last couple weeks…
Baby is now almost 5 lbs! Holy moly. That’s almost the size of a “real” baby. He is continuing to put on more fat and is just … everywhere these days. I can feel him kick my ribs, punch my bladder and tickle my sides, all at the same time. Sometimes I swear I’m gestating an octopus and not a human because I can’t even keep track of which appendage is where, although my doctor did confirm at my last appointment that he is head down, so that at least gives me some frame of what’s where (though he still can technically flip at this point, so I’m told not to put too much stock into where his position was at last appointment). Also happening this week is continued maturation of his central nervous system and lungs, which are getting him ready for life on the outside. Hard to believe I’ll be holding him in my arms in around 6(ish) weeks. Also really hard to let go of any control I have on the timing of his arrival! Could be much sooner or up to two weeks later than his scheduled appearance. As someone who’s always been a huge planner, this is really hard for me to accept. To prepare for worst case scenario, I’ve been frantically checking things off my to-do list in preparation for a possible early arrival (am I nesting, perhaps?). I have my hospital bag mostly packed (minus some stuff we still need to buy if we don’t get them from our baby shower this weekend), I’ve washed all the baby’s sheets, blankets and clothes, and I’m going to get keys made this week to give to a couple people who could watch our dogs if we were to go into labor. Still hoping baby is punctual and arrives at least close to his due date, but at the very least I hope he doesn’t come this week, as D is in Arizona and I have my baby shower on Saturday! I was able to capture a cool video earlier this week of baby in action. He is quite the active boy, and I have a feeling we may have our hands full with this little guy!
Mama is feeling larger than ever. At my last appointment I was measuring two weeks “ahead” — which doesn’t really mean anything besides the fact that my belly is 2 cm larger than it “should” be at this point. The doctor said that really anything within 3 cm in either direction is normal, though. Your fundal height typically correlates in centimeters to the number of weeks you are, so at 32 weeks, my belly should have been 32 cm and it was 34. But large belly aside, I’m still doing pretty well on my weight gain. I gained 1.4 lbs between weeks 32 and 33, and then actually lost a pound between weeks 33 and 34. Total weight gain is currently at 21.6. If I keep up my pound-per-week average, I can expect to have gained around 28 lbs when all is said and done, and 25-35 is the recommended amount, so I’m happy with that. I’m not looking forward to a crazy flabby postpartum body, but hopefully the weight comes off quickly. I’m thinking this summer may call for a one-piece bathing suit and a lot of maxi dresses, though! My back is still achy with occasional sciatic pain, and despite having had two prenatal massages now, it doesn’t seem to be going away. I got some more spa gift cards from my parents and my in-laws for my birthday, so I will try to squeeze in a couple more massages before baby gets here, anyway. Even if they don’t eliminate the back pain, it sure feels nice to get pampered!
Oh, and in other exciting news, I think we’ve finally decided on a name. It was actually a name that I originally loved but D didn’t really like that much. He’s been warming up to it though, and last week he told me there’s nothing out there he likes any better, so he agreed to go with that name and then surprised me by saying he actually had strong feelings about which middle name he wanted to go with. So with a first name that I love and a middle name that he wants, I think we’re actually set! We won’t be sharing until he’s here, and I told D I’m still open to changing it between now and the birth if he finds himself suddenly inspired by a different name, but it feels really good to have that checked off the list.
To wrap up this already long post, here are some maternity photos from last weekend. I’m really happy with how they turned out, and I’m thinking of printing a few to frame in the house, including putting one of the close-up belly shots in the nursery and the one with the dogs somewhere prominently in our house too.
Earlier this week, I ordered some ridiculously cute cloth diapers from Zulily. I am really hoping to be able to make cloth diapers work for us. From people I’ve talked to, it doesn’t seem to be that much harder than using disposables, but since D is still apprehensive about it, I know his tolerance for any troubleshooting or inconvenience is going to be a lot lower than mine. But look how cute these are! I couldn’t resist.
On Thursday we went to a meet and greet at the pediatrician’s office we’re considering. I’m glad we went, even if it wasn’t the most informative thing ever. It was good to see the offices, meet a couple of the doctors and hear about their policies and procedures. Inevitably, in a group setting like that, though, there is always one person who asks all the dumb questions. Actually, I think there were about three of “those people” in this group. One guy seriously couldn’t understand what to do if your kid gets sick after hours. For the record, the procedure is to call the office and get transferred to the on-call doctor, who will tell you whether you need to be seen now (i.e., go to urgent care or the ER), or be seen when the office opens up again. Seemed pretty straightforward to us (besides, isn’t that how pretty much all doctor’s offices operate?), but apparently this warranted several more follow-up questions from this guy on how an on-call system works. (::facepalm::)
On Friday night we went up to the lake cabin with some friends, and that was fun, although everyone else had a lot to drink (as often happens at the cabin!) and let’s just say sleeping in a smaller bed than we’re used to (full size versus king), when uncomfortable and pregnant and dealing with a drunk, snoring bed hog was not fun! At one point I tried to get D to roll over to give me some room, but he was out to the world. I even tried to roll him myself, but he was completely dead weight. So I had to push with all my strength and I ended up rolling him off the bed altogether. He was pretty mad at the time for the rude awakening, but we all got a good laugh about it the next morning and at least I got some space so I could actually sleep! It ended up being a really nice day on Saturday, and the lake was just gorgeous. Really looking forward to having our little one grow up with memories of the lake cabin like I did. Crazy to think that the next time we get up there, he might be here!
On Sunday I volunteered at the Seattle Kennel Club Dog Show and that was fun. I got to see some of the gals from the rescue group that I hadn’t seen in a while. I did notice that being on my feet completely wiped me out, though, and when I got home in the early afternoon, I fell asleep on the couch and didn’t move from until around 7 p.m.!
Okay, long intro aside, here’s what’s going on with baby and me this week…
Baby is now somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 lbs and between 16 and 19 inches inches long, depending on which book/website you’re reading. Seeing as babies can vary greatly at their birth weight/length, I’m starting to think this growth range is only going to get even more ambiguous as we reach the end. Suffice to day, he’s getting big and running out of room! I’m still feeling “feet” in my ribs, and “elbows” in my hip bone simultaneously (though that’s just my best guess as to which end is jabbing me), so I know he’s taking up a lot of room in there. He also likes to stretch every now and then, which is the weirdest feeling and kind of uncomfortable, as it feels like I’m about to burst from the inside out. I think I felt him hiccuping yesterday for the first time too. I’ve heard a lot of women talk about baby hiccups, but until yesterday I don’t think I’ve been able to feel them. But yesterday I felt little rhythmic taps that came every few seconds and lasted several minutes, so I think they were hiccups. Big milestone this week is the development of his own immune system.
Mama is large and in charge. I’m up 2 lbs this week for a total gain now of 21.2 lbs. Ideally I’d like to keep my weight gain closer to one pound per week instead of two, and I know I have only myself to blame for this week. I can’t seem to lay off the sweets! My sweet tooth has been seriously out of control lately, it’s ridiculous. I used to sort of roll my eyes at pregnancy cravings, thinking women use it as an excuse (and I’m sure many do), but I can see now that sometimes you just really HAVE to have something… and now! Heartburn seems to be getting worse lately, and I’ve had the worst restless legs too. Sciatic pain has mostly gone away, thank goodness, though my back still feels really achy when I’ve been sitting or laying for a while. I feel like an old lady when I get up. This morning I felt absolutely nauseous on the bus, and it has come back off and on a few times today. Hopefully this isn’t the return of morning sickness.
This week should be pretty busy for us on the baby front. We have a doctor appointment on Thursday, our birth class on Saturday, and then we’re getting maternity pictures taken on Sunday (weather permitting!). Looking forward to having something besides these iPhone selfies to show for this pregnancy!
Another week down, 9 more to go. Here’s what’s going on at 31 weeks…
Baby is somewhere between 16 and 19 inches long and weighs about 3.3 lbs. The books and websites say he is heading into a growth spurt very soon, though I wonder if maybe he’s already there. He was moving a ton for a while and less so over the last few days. I definitely still feel him, but the movements are smaller and I wonder if maybe he’s getting a little cramped in there. I try not to worry about the decreased movement since everything I’ve read says it’s normal toward the end as they run out of space. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry just a little bit. I guess that’s part of the “PGAL brain.” There’s always a little bit of worry in the back of my mind that something might go wrong.
They say he is likely in the head down position by now, and I think it feels like he is too, but it’s hard to tell. I have felt what feels like a foot lodged up in the right side of my ribcage for several days now (though it could be a hand), and I often feel a large mound roll from side to side up toward the top, which I think is his butt (though it could be his head). At my last checkup I asked the nurse practitioner if she could tell which direction he is facing and she said they probably wouldn’t check his position until closer to the end since he can still flip around and there’s no sense in causing any worry if he is in fact breech. Likewise, there’s really no sense of security if he is head down already. It simply doesn’t matter yet.
Mama is up 1.2 lbs this week for a total weight gain now of 19.2 lbs. Belly button is sticking out more and more every day, but still no stretch marks, thankfully.
On Sunday I had quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions, which worried me just a little bit. I typically get one or two a day and have been for several weeks now. My doctor said I don’t need to worry unless I’m having more than four per hour. Well, on Sunday, I had about 2 per hour for a good six hour span. It still wasn’t the four per hour that would be cause for worry, but that was a pretty significant change from my normal 1 or 2 per day! I drank a lot of water and they seemed to subside by the end of the day and things have been normal since. Weird.
This morning I caught sight of myself in a reflection of a window as I was walking to work and I think I’m starting to waddle a bit. Lovely. I’m definitely feeling very large. I’m also craving sweets like none other. Last night I was watching the Bachelor and I had the most overwhelming craving for something sweet and chocolatey. I’ve never had such a strong craving before — like, I HAD to have it and we had nothing in our house. I tried to convince D to run to the store and get me something (hello, I couldn’t leave the Bachelor!), but he was already in his sweats and said he didn’t want to go to the store. So I said he could drive through Dairy Queen and get me a blizzard and he wouldn’t have to get out of the car, but he still whined about it. I think I almost had him convinced when he suggested I just make myself some hot cocoa. I had forgotten we had some, and that seemed to satiate the craving. So no need to send him out to get me a blizzard at 9 p.m. but I was thisclose to becoming a major pregnancy cliche. I did leave work this afternoon to run out and get some Cadbury Mini Eggs. Those are my weakness even non-pregnant, and I have been munching on those all afternoon at my desk!
Can’t believe I’m in the home stretch. I don’t know why, but it feels like a big deal going from 29 weeks to 30 weeks. Maybe that’s because you often hear about babies born at 30something weeks. Obviously we want to keep him baking until as close to 40 as possible, but it wouldn’t be abnormal for him to come around 37 or 38 weeks, either. We’re in the 30s, folks. Just crazy to think about.
My parents came over on Saturday evening — their last night in town before they started their move to Texas Sunday morning. It was nice to spend the evening with them and to see them off, but sad to see them go. They’ll be back a couple weeks after the baby is born, though, which will be nice, and then I think we’re going to try to make it down there for Thanksgiving this year (baby’s first plane trip – yikes!). Thankfully they’ll only be in Texas for two years and then my dad will retire and they’ll move up here again permanently.
Had a nice walk around Greenlake yesterday with my friend Molly, whom I used to work with. She is due in just three days! They are also having a boy. It’s fun to be able to talk about pregnancy stuff with other people who are going through it. After I got home, I parked myself in front of the TV and ended up falling asleep for several hours! I almost never nap on the couch (I’m one of those picky sleepers who can only fall asleep in my own bed), but the long walk and the cold air must have really taken it out of me. I’m definitely feeling myself slowing down. I woke up a few hours later and watched the Oscar red carpet coverage, and then D got home from snowboarding and we watched the Oscars. It was overall a pretty lazy Sunday, which was nice.
Okay, here’s what’s going on at 30 weeks…
Baby is about 16-18 inches long and weighs about 3 lbs. He should be surrounded by approximately a pint and a half of amniotic fluid, though that amount will peak soon before it slowly starts decreasing as he gets bigger and takes up more room. Brain activity is picking up speed this week, and his eyesight is developing more, even though he can’t really see anything from his current point of view! I learned today that babies are born with about 20/400 eyesight, which means they can’t see much beyond a few inches from their face.
Mama is feeling large. As you can see below, I snapped a picture last week wearing the same outfit I wore in my 18 week photo. The scary thing is, I remember feeling large at 18 weeks, and looking back on that photo makes me miss my old body. Look how small I was! This distorted perspective actually makes me very scared of how big I’ll be in another 10 weeks! Will I be looking back at my 30 week photo thinking I was small?! Yikes! The sciatic pain seems to have diminished for the most part (knock on wood), though I did notice it came back on Saturday after vacuuming the house. Gained 1 lb. this week for a total now of 18 lbs. Still no stretch marks, but stomach muscles are still very achy, especially after I eat. On Saturday evening I sneezed and felt like I actually pulled a muscle in my side. Super painful. I think I’m just out of room. Hopefully my muscles loosen up at some point and allow me to stretch some more, since clearly I am going to get quite a bit bigger in the next 10 weeks!
Photo taken at 29 and 1/2 weeks.Photo taken at 18 weeks.
Baby is about 2 1/2 pounds and over 15 inches long now. Muscles and lungs are continuing to form, and he is putting on more fat. That translates into more energy, which I am definitely feeling. Not only is he kicking up a storm, but I also feel him flop around and stretch now too, which is a really strange feeling and a tad uncomfortable. I also felt my first foot (or hand?) all the way up in my ribs at my doctor appointment on Friday. That was a strange feeling. I pushed back on him and he moved out of the way. But he’s done it a few more times since then. I guess I should get used to it.
Mama is feeling large and uncomfortable. Did I mention I still have 11 weeks to go? I can’t imagine how much bigger and more uncomfortable I’m going to get. I’m up 2 lbs this week for a total weight gain now of 17 lbs. My belly button is officially an outie. My stomach muscles are feeling really stretched, as I mentioned last week. I just feel really achy. I had a prenatal massage on Sunday, which was heavenly. I’m definitely going to book a couple more before baby gets here. I still have sciatic pain, so it didn’t magically erase that, but it felt great anyway, and maybe the sciatic pain is something that would get better after a couple more sessions?
I had my glucose tolerance test on Friday, which wasn’t nearly as bad as I had heard it would be. I felt a little sleepy afterward and had a tiny bit of a headache, but it was honestly nothing I would have even noticed if I hadn’t been expecting to feel awful. And the great news is, I passed! No gestational diabetes for me!
In other news, I finished the nursery! I’m really happy with how it turned out. Now all we need is a name above the crib (which would actually require deciding on a name… ugh.)
We had our first baby shower on Sunday, which was a lot of fun. It was for family, and we had about 15 people at my house. We got a lot of really great stuff, including our crib and mattress from my parents, and our car seat from D’s dad and step mom. Feels nice to have some of the big ticket items checked off our list. We also got a lot of diapers, including six cloth diapers, so we are on our way to building up our cloth diaper supply! I really want to do cloth diapers for when we’re at home, at least. Our daycare will only take disposables, but the preschool/daycare we’re going to transfer him to once he reaches a year of age will take cloth diapers, so then we can be in them full time. Better for the environment, more cost-effective in the long-run (though pricey to build up your stash initially) – and plus, look how cute?! It really was a fun day and I know my mom put a lot of work into throwing the shower. That was probably the last time we’ll see my parents until after the baby’s born, so it was sad to see them leave at the end of the day.
Okay, here’s what’s happening with baby and me at 28 weeks…
Baby is now about 2.5 lbs and 16 inches long – or as one pregnancy blog puts it: about the size of a chihuahua. Crazy to think he still needs to gain about 4-6 lbs. Where is he going to fit?
Mama is stuffed to the max (side note, did you know the slang for pregnant in England is “stuffed?”). Still no stretch marks, thankfully, but my ab muscles ache every time I eat. I’m clearly running out of room for baby and all my organs, so adding any volume in the way of food just makes my body ache. Does that mean I eat less? Nah. I just complain about it more after I do. Weight gain for the week is .4 lbs. for a total now of 15 lbs. even. I know I’m doing well with my weight gain, but I still feel huge. I also think it’s starting to show in my face now, after seeing pictures from my baby shower. 😦
Sciatic pain is still there, but possibly less now than it was. I think the combination of sitting on an exercise ball at work and sleeping on a new mattress have helped things some. I was supposed to get a massage on Sunday morning, but that didn’t happen. I went through the entire process of checking into the spa, changing into my robe, and was sitting in the little waiting area feeling all zen like, when the receptionist came back to me and said she was sorry but my massage therapist just called and had a family emergency and wouldn’t be coming in today. Unfortunately, they had no one else that does prenatal massages, so they would have to reschedule. Uh… glad they told me this after I was already in my freaking robe?? They were super apologetic and said that they’d comp my massage and even upgrade me to a 90 minute, but still… I was really looking forward to that massage on Sunday! Super disappointing. So now they are trying to figure out when to get me in, since apparently that particular massage therapist won’t be working for them anymore. “Family emergency,” huh?
Speaking of family emergencies, I also got a call from my doctor’s office yesterday that my OB had a family emergency and won’t be back at work until April! I’m guessing this is a real emergency and I’m sad for her, as I can only imagine what sort of event would cause someone to take a whole two months off. 😦 So I’ll see either her nurse practitioner or another doctor in the practice for my next 4 appointments. This actually isn’t all bad, since I’ll be delivered by whoever is on call anyway, so it’s probably good that I meet some other doctors in her practice. I am a bit sad, though, as I really liked that doctor and I feel bad for whatever she must be going through right now. At least my pregnancy is going smoothly and I’m not too worried about anything in particular, otherwise I think I’d be freaking out right about now. And she should be back for my final month of pregnancy.
That’s about all that’s going on at the moment! Here’s a picture of D and me before the baby shower on Sunday, at exactly 28 weeks, in front of our new crib! Also a sneak peek at the nursery, which I am still planning to write a post on one of these days. I still need to make a crib skirt and get a rug to tie the room together, and then we should be pretty much done!
A couple nights ago I had a dream that I went in for my 28 week appointment and our baby no longer had a heartbeat. It was devastating, to have to relive our loss all over again, only this time having to break the news to everyone. In my dream, I was in some sort of a school, and in each classroom were people from different areas of my life (family, college friends, people from work, etc.), and I remember just being numb as I had to go to each room and announce that we were no longer pregnant (in my dream, I had already had a D&C again by the time I told everyone, which is odd, since if I were to lose this baby now, I’d actually have to give birth this late in the game). In my dream, dealing with everyone else’s grief was one of the worst parts about the whole experience. Everyone cried and demanded to know why it had happened, and I had no answers. All I wanted to do was run away from everyone so I could actually address my own grief without feeling like I had to take care of everyone else’s feelings. I woke up and had that weird half-still-in-my-dream moment where I wasn’t sure if it had all been real or a dream. I felt the baby move, realized it had all been a dream, and then I just started sobbing. Even after I was fully awake and well-aware it wasn’t real, I just couldn’t stop crying.
On a lighter note, I had a very productive weekend working on the nursery. I bought some pegboard and painted it with a chevron pattern and hung that above the changing table, and I finished the crib mobile I started a few weeks ago. I also painted a canvas to hang on the wall with some song lyrics I love and started a few other DIY things that I’ll give an update on later. I was feeling super crafty and productive this weekend. Pretty much all we need now is a crib and a rug (and a baby, of course!). I know I keep saying this, but one of these days I am going to get around to doing a post on the nursery decor. I really am happy about how it’s coming together!
Okay, so here’s what’s happening with baby and me at 27 weeks…
Baby is about 2 lbs. and 15 inches long now. That’s almost as long as a full-term baby – now he just needs to beef up! His eyelids can now open and close (they had been fused shut since about 11 or 12 weeks), and he has all five senses developed. I’ve even read he can start developing preferences on taste, as my amniotic fluid (which he is constantly swallowing) will taste different depending on what I eat that day. Baby is is kicking up a storm and I’m still loving it. I read that now is when kicks can start getting painful, but so far they aren’t (knock on wood), though I wouln’t say they’re subtle anymore either! I wonder how much the non-painful kicking has to do with my anterior placenta. Next appointment is Friday the 15th, where I’ll take my Gestational Diabetes test. Let’s hope all the sweets I’ve been craving (and giving into) lately haven’t sent me into a diabetic state!
Mama is officially in the third trimester now! Crazy how fast time seems to be moving. The first trimester dragged on forever, but the second feels like it just flew by, and suddenly I am in the third. Wow! Countdown to baby is now just 90 days. And we still don’t have a name, thanks to D’s indecisiveness. I actually have one that I love but D didn’t initially like. We came up with about 5 others that we would both be okay with, but every time I try to talk to D about which ones I like more than others, hoping to narrow it down further, he freezes up and says he can’t make a decision, and that none of them really feel like “the one” to him. Though he did say that the one I liked most (that he initially wasn’t crazy about) might have “a slight advantage over the others” since I like it so much. I’m trying not to push him too hard to go with that name since he originally didn’t like it, but secretly I’m hoping it continues to grow on him. But honestly, I’d really be okay with any of the names we’ve narrowed it down to. I am just ready to make a decision already – or at least feel like we’re moving towards a decision. At this rate, we’ll be deciding in the hospital. Oh well — at least this way I can easily skirt the name question since we honestly don’t know. We don’t plan on sharing with anyone until after he’s here, anyway.
I’m still dealing with some pretty bad sciatic pain. Honestly, that has been my only major complaint this pregnancy. I haven’t gained too much weight (1.4 lbs this week for a total so far of 14.6 lbs.), I still have quite a bit of energy, no swelling, no stretch marks. Really, if it weren’t for this darn sciatic pain and a large belly, I’d hardly even notice that I was pregnant. I started sitting on an exercise ball at work last week, and I think that’s helping some. I’ve also booked a prenatal massage for this weekend, so hopefully that helps too. Speaking of the large belly, I’m starting to get more and more comments from strangers asking when I’m due, which for some reason always catches me off-guard. I’m still not used to the idea that other people can tell I’m pregnant, for some reason. I guess it’s because depending on the outfit, I still feel like I just look like I’ve had too many hamburgers. Plus, I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve had to stand on the bus without anyone offering me their seat, so I do think that with my coat on, sometimes you can’t tell. Either that or people are just selfish. Although, I did notice last week that one of my jackets only covers about half of my belly. 😐 I guess I just never look at myself in the mirror after I put my coat on in the mornings, but last week I stopped in the bathroom at work before dropping my stuff off in my office, and realized it may be time to retire this particular jacket, even if I can still zip it. Not the most flattering look!
With coat…Without coat. (Good lord, my boobs are almost the size of my head.)
This week I made quite a bit of progress on the nursery. I painted a dresser, spray painted two lamps, and started making a mobile for above the crib. Also, somewhat non-baby related, we bought a new mattress set! It will be delivered on Thursday and I am beyond excited. Here’s hoping a nice new mattress helps my achy back. But if nothing else, it will be nice to have more room to spread out (we are upgrading from a queen to a king size), especially since my body pillow takes up quite a bit of space!
Oh, and in other exciting news, I think we may have found our daycare! I mentioned last week that the search was stressing me out, and that we weren’t crazy about the Kindercare we had toured. Well, we went and saw the home daycare I mentioned last week, and we really liked it a lot. We spent a little over an hour talking to the owner/primary caregiver, and we both felt really at ease with her. She seemed very thorough and experienced, and I liked that she talked our ears off while we were there. Made me feel like she’d be very good about communicating what was going on with our son all day while he’s in her care. He’d be the only infant there, which has its pros and cons, but I think is mostly a plus. It’s too bad he won’t have any other little “friends” to play with, but he’ll also get to be held a lot, as she likes to integrate the infants with the older kids whenever possible. So whatever the other kids are doing, she’ll basically be holding him so he’s around them. There is also a secondary caregiver (her husband), so one of them can stay with the baby while he naps, and the other is attending to the other kids. I think a lot of the daycare search is about a gut feeling, and we both just had a good gut feeling about this. I’m going in tomorrow morning to observe what a typical morning looks like (we spoke with her at the end of the day so she could devote her full attention to us). Barring any strange practices or unforeseen circumstances, I think we’ll be ready to make an official decision and put down our deposit. She only has one space left and has another family coming to look later this week, so we’ll probably cancel our other two tours we have set up for next week and call our search done. It’s too bad we have to make a decision so quickly, but like I said, I feel good about this place. The only downside is the location, as it’ll add about a half our to our commutes, but we have our eye on a super conveniently-located preschool that takes kids at 1 year and up, so we’ll probably make the switch after he turns a year anyway.
With that long intro out of the way, here’s what’s happening with baby and me at 26 weeks…
Baby is now about 14 inches long and almost two pounds. Wow! His hearing should be developing more this week, and he’s both inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid in order to prep his lungs for breathing on the outside. It’s such a strange thought that they breathe in fluid but don’t drown. Little things like that make you realize what a miracle this process really is. He’s kicking like crazy, and the other night I got to watch him put on quite a show. My belly was bouncing all around like it had a mind of its own… and I guess technically it does. Funny, one of the blogs/pregnancy calendars I follow notes that the earlier butterfly kicks have been “replaced by something akin to a rabid mongoose flippin’ out inside a burlap sack.” Hahaha… I’m not sure if mine are that bad (maybe thanks to the anterior placenta?) but it’s a funny visual, and some days it does feel like he is in there doing gangnam style or something.
Mama is still dealing with the sciatic pain. It seems to be worse after I’ve been really active during the day (you know, doing things like painting dressers and spray painting lamps??). My mom offered to loan me her exercise ball to sit on at work, and I think I may need to book myself a massage sooner than later. D and I went to a movie last night and I just could not get comfortable, and spent the whole movie squirming and readjusting, trying to alleviate the sciatia. (On a side note, go see Silver Linings Playbook if you haven’t already. Jennifer Lawrence certainly earned her Oscar nomination, and Bradley Cooper is always nice to look at too.) But other than the sciatic pain, I’m feeling pretty good… that is, if you don’t count barfing this morning after I fed the dogs. It’s strange how the morning sickness creeps back in every now and then briefly, even at almost 6 months pregnant. Weight gain this week was .6 lbs. for a total now of 13.2 lbs.
I snapped a picture yesterday just before yoga class and can’t believe how big I’m getting. Crazy to compare the same outfit at 19 weeks and 13 weeks. The funniest part is, at the time I took each of those pictures, I remember thinking how huge I looked then. I find that laughable now, which makes me wonder if I’ll be looking back at this picture in 6-7 weeks thinking about how tiny I looked?? Yikes!
Wow, I think pregnancy brain is getting the best of me. I just realized today that I haven’t done my 25 week update yet… and then I thought, wait, or have I? I actually had to check. You’d think I’d remember writing it or not. But then again, I’ve been spacing on a lot of stuff lately. Like on Saturday we were invited to our friends’ baby’s first birthday party, and I swore it started at 2 p.m. I went about my Saturday morning like I usually do, left for yoga class at 10, and told D I’d be home around 12:30. Got out of yoga at noon and looked at my phone only to see I had 4 missed calls and 2 text messages from D letting me know the birthday party started at 11. Whoops. So I rushed home as fast as I could and we rushed off to the party, only to arrive a little after 1. Only two hours late… that’s just fashionable, right? Whoopsies.
So, here’s my 25 week update, 4 days late…
Baby is now about 13.5 inches from head to toe, and weighs about a pound and a half. Big developments this week include packing on the baby fat and growing more hair. Also this week, baby is learning to distinguish right side up from upside down, which seems to make sense, since he moves the most when I go from a standing position to laying down. I think throughout the day he probably gets used to me being upright, but when I lay down to go to bed he gets super squirmy – I picture him readjusting in there to orient himself and get comfortable again.
Mama is feeling pretty good, aside from being a space cadet and still dealing with sciatic pain. I’m finding it a little hard to get comfortable at night, and even just finding a comfortable position on the couch at the end of the day is hard sometimes. Thankfully, sitting at my desk isn’t too bad, though I don’t have the greatest office chair, so even though it doesn’t feel terrible while I’m sitting, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s contributing to my back issues. I think I am definitely going to buy an exercise ball to sit on (I know I’ve said that before…). I have some spa gift certificates that I was going to save for later in the third trimester, but maybe I should use one now. Not sure if a massage would help the sciatic pain, but it might. Otherwise, I’m feeling pretty good. Not too tired yet, and the weight gain seems to be coming along at a slow and reasonable pace. In fact, at my last appointment my doctor even commented on how well I’m doing with my weight this pregnancy. I’m up .4 lbs this week for a total weight gain now of 12.6 lbs. Next doctor appointment is February 15, where I’ll get to take the lovely gestational diabetes test. Not looking forward to that!
Other stuff: I’m still working on the nursery, and I sanded and primed the dresser we want to use as a changing table last weekend. I’ll probably paint it this weekend. Next project is going to be a mobile I’m making for above the crib, and then I need to either buy or DIY some sort of artwork for above the changing table. I’m also thinking about painting the trim work in the room white (it’s currently wood-toned), and I’m on the lookout for a nice reasonably-priced rug to tie the whole room together.
We’re also up to our necks in our daycare search, which is turning out to be a bit stressful, as it seems everywhere we look is either full or only has one opening left. We toured a Kindercare facility on Tuesday and while it was “just okay,” it didn’t really make a great impression on us. It was pretty chaotic in there, and they may or may not even have an opening for us. The director was going to look at their availability and get back to me on that. We’re seeing a home daycare this evening which has potential except for the fact that it’s not super conveniently-located and they have a hard stop at 5 each day. D would most likely have pick-up duty, so we’ll have to talk about whether that will work with his schedule. It’s about $100 cheaper per week than the Kindercare, though, and I liked the daycare provider on the phone a lot when I spoke with her. We’re going to tour two more daycare centers next Tuesday, and I have one other home daycare provider I still need to call. Hopefully we can find something we like and get in before it’s completely full!
Keeping up with the Hoffmans 