29 Weeks

How far along: 29 Weeks

How big is the baby: Baby boy is the length of fennel-15.2 inches (From now on out, this is just an average guess since at birth babies can vary so much in length.)

Weight gain: 27 pounds (yikes!)

Doctor/Medical/Body Stuff: Not too much! This is my off week with no doc appointment since starting last week I started the appointments every 2 weeks. I've just hit that third trimester tiredness I've heard about. My second trimester HAVE! ALL! THE! ENERGY! days are gone!

Sleep: I haven't been getting up to use the bathroom as much, but I feel like I wake up every 5 minutes to roll over (heave myself over) to the other side because my arm is asleep or my hip hurts. 

Movement: He is up and moving all the time! I LOVE it! I love watching my belly move. If you see me just standing or sitting and staring at my belly, that's what I am doing!

Food/Aversions: I'm starting to get to the point where I get super uncomfortable from eating too much. But I need to make sure I have snacks available all day. Because when I get hungry, I need to eat!

What I miss: Rolling over in bed without feeling like my abdominal muscles are tearing!

What I am looking forward to: Getting the closet done so I can start hanging up clothes!

Baby Projects: Last week Adam put together the dresser we ordered (Yay Amazon! Not the $500 dresser that matches the crib. No. Way.) We spent 12 hours (well it felt like 12 hours) on Saturday at IKEA looking at closet stuff and ended up with some things from IKEA and some from Home Depot. Upon further consideration (and remembering that I prefer the wire shelves where the hangers can slide), we returned HD things and tonight got some new shelving from Menard's. Tonight we put together some of the shelves! I am so excited to see this progress so I can start washing and putting away clothes! I have also started the project of washing my stash of cloth diapers (some need to be washed 4-6 times before use!). Oh! And the "Great Rug Debate"! I have had a yellow rug with a pattern on it in mind since the beginning and after scouring the internet, found the best deal at IKEA. When I went to get it with mom, we also saw a WAY cheaper green rug. I think I prefer the yellow patterned rug. Some people like the green one because it looks like grass in our farm themed room, but I worry that it is TOO theme-y then. Green is way cheaper than yellow. But, and I think this is the deciding factor, the yellow is just too scratchy. I don't think I would want to put a baby on it. So....sounds like green it is!

Pearls from the Preschool: On my way out to a meeting today my girls were hanging on me and saying they would miss me. 

Suddenly:

"BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR BABY?!?!" 

"Well. I'm bringing him with me." 

"Because he's stuck inside?"

"Exactly."

Oh! And This: Today a parent at school congratulated me and asked when I was due. When I said May she said, "Wow! May! Look at your! And it's not twins?!" So PSA for the world: any version of asking a pregnant woman if it is twins sounds like, "Man! You are WAY fatter than I think you should be at this point!" I'm over it. I love my belly and I think I look awesome. I think being pregnant is so amazing. But people should watch what they say!

28 Weeks

How far along: 28 weeks-Third Trimester! WOAH!

How big is the baby: Baby boy is the length of bok choy-14.8 inches

Weight gain: 24.5

Doctor/Medical/Body Stuff: We had our 28 week appointment today and all is great! We had an ultrasound to check on my naughty placenta (partial placenta previa) and it is cooperating nicely. It has moved quite a bit and is no longer a concern. It should keep moving in the right direction. We didn't get a 3D picture last time because Little Man wasn't cooperating with a lot of the measurements they needed and then placenta drama took too long. But we got one today! I used to think the 3D pictures looked scary like little aliens, but at this point in the game, it looks like a *real* baby! Starting now I will have appointments every 2 weeks. Crazy town!

Sleep: All day long I want a nap. 

Movement: The other night I described it as "a dance party in my belly". It didn't keep my awake, but I didn't want to fall asleep because I was enjoying it so much!

Food/Aversions: Mmmm....food. 

What I miss: Easily sitting on the floor or in little chairs with my preschool students. My belly just keeps getting in the way! It is more than a little uncomfortable to squat down or hunch forward to be close to the kids. 

What I am looking forward to: Maybe picking a name for Little Man now that we have a real picture that looks like him to look at! 

Baby Projects: The bedroom was finally painted last Thursday and I was so excited! Except the color turned out blue. And it is supposed to be grey. And blue doesn't fit with our colors. So....it needed to be repainted. Adam didn't even give me a hard time about it at all! He's so awesome. Adam's wonderful dad came over again on Saturday to repaint and it looks GREAT! Sunday Adam and I worked together to paint stripes on one wall and I am so excited with how they turned out. There will definitely be a nursery reveal post in the future!

Pearls from the Preschool: This week there have been lots of questions about exactly how big the baby is now. I held up my hands 14.5 inches apart about 5,000 times!

Oh! And This: Good news: my rings all still fit! Bad news: stretch marks on my chest. 

The blue wall and the two grey samples we got to pick a new color

Who says boy clothes aren't adorable!?!?!

I just love little boy clothes that look like little man clothes.

Dinner for Adam's and my dad's birthdays

I finished 30 cloth wipes! There will be a post about making these in the future.

27 Weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

How big is the baby: Baby boy is the length of a celery stalk-14.5 inches

Weight gain: 22.5 pounds

Doctor/Medical/Body Stuff: I still have an innie....though what was formerly known as the inside of my belly is now making its way to the outside. I got a belly button ring when I turned 18 and took it out when I was 22. But I still have small scars from it. The inside scar is now showing on the rim of my belly button. That scar used to be buried deep! Ergh. 

On Saturday morning I went for my 3 hour glucose test. It really wasn't bad. I can't complain too much about the drink (SUPER SWEET fruit punch/borderline cough syrup) and I really did feel fine throughout the test. The test involves 4 blood draws: when you arrive and then every hour for 3 hours. The first two draws she got my veins right away. The third time she tried both arms and couldn't get them even after digging around until it hurt. Then she told me that she is only allowed 2 sticks, so I would have to come back another time and start over. ?!?!?!?! No way. I promised her that I wouldn't tell and wouldn't pass out if she would just try one more time. So she got it in my hand! Phew! And the 4th one she I just had her do my other hand. I stalked my doctor's office on Monday and the nurse told me that the results looked normal, but had to wait for the doctor to look at them. I woke up to an alert Wednesday morning that the numbers had been released to my online chart and all is good! Phew!! Bring on the donuts! 

Sleep: Depends on the night. But most night involve a bought with insomnia and several trips to the water closet!

Movement: A few times he has made me jump!

Food/Aversions: Mmmm....donuts. Someone had donuts in the conference room the other day and the box had me thinking all day so after school I accidentally went through the Dunkin Donuts drive-through and brought some to my next meeting.

What I miss: Can't think of anything this week!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing our little guy in a week for my follow up ultrasound!!! 

Baby Projects: Sadly, not much this week. But it looks like we will have my townhouse rented out!

Pearls from the Preschool: "Does your baby have hearing aids?"

Oh! And This: We *might* have a name! It isn't for sure yet and we aren't sharing, but we have both started calling him by this name. I am excited that we might have a winner! It feels so real to call him a real name!

Bathroom selfie! I thought my bump looked huge that day!

Anything Like Me

On the way home from church today, the song Anything Like Me by Brad Paisley came on. I have heard it before, but didn't really listen to all the words. Well I must have some raging pregnancy hormones today because it had me in major tears. For the most part this pregnancy my emotions have been pretty steady!!!

Of course I had to come home and download it right away. I have probably listened to it 15 times on repeat already! The last verse gets me every time!

It has just gotten me thinking so much. There's definitely things I look back on in my life that I would NOT want my own child to do. I know you can't control them and every child/teenager has to make their own mistakes, but it is still scary to think about! I think I turned out pretty good (don't tell me if you disagree!). All you can do is know that you have done your best raising them and to trust them and God to take care of the rest.

Adam and I talked about the things in our life we wouldn't want Little Man to do. (And definitely had some laughs while doing so!)  But if this little guy turns out anything like his dad, I will be one lucky mama. Even if teenager Adam would have sent me running for the hills, he is an amazing man and he is already the most loving and caring father a baby could ever want. I could do without the difficulty with authority and trouble in school when he grows up though! And if he ever goes in the pump house or climbs the tower, I'm pretty sure I'll die right there from a heart attack*.  On the same token, if we ever have a girl and she treats me the way I treated my mom, I might not make it through the teenage years without going into a mental institution....or to prison. 

This song just hits such a cord. And that last verse? I totally think about the time this little guy will go away to college and he hasn't even come home for the first time yet! 

Time to go listen again and get in another cry...!

*The Pump House

(It has an old well inside and a rickity tower on top!)

Anything Like Me

Brad Paisley

I remember sayin' I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm okay
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said, "You see that thing right there, well you know what that means"

I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me

He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride his bike too fast
End up every summer wearin' something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street

He's gonna get in trouble, oh he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

I can see him right now, knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass tryin' to melt the Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on?
That'll be his first love 'til his first love comes along

He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens
And heaven help him if he's anything like me

He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket, he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skippin' class and be grounded for a week

He's gonna get into trouble, we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

He's gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by and I already dread the day

He's gonna hug his momma, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he can't wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out if he's anything like me
There's worse folks to be like, oh he'll be alright if he's anything like me

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

How big is the baby: Baby boy is the length of a hothouse cucumber-14 inches

Weight gain: 20 pounds

Doctor/Medical/Body Stuff: I needed to do my glucose test sometime between 24 and 28 weeks, so I decided to go last Saturday. My doctor recommends eating a low carb meal the night before and not eating before you go (and going in the morning!) in order to avoid failing and needing to do the 3 hour test unnecessarily. If you have gestational diabetes, there is no tricking the test, but avoiding carbs before the 1 hour test can help make sure you don't fail unnecessarily. I ate low carb Friday night so I went Saturday morning, snowstorm and all! Found out Monday that I failed. Argh! So now I go back next Saturday to do the 3 hour. I really really hope I pass. Pregnant women aren't meant to eat low carb. Especially vegetarian pregnant women!

Monday was also a frustrating day because I fell on the ice in the parking lot at work. The district isn't salting the parking lots anymore because they are low on salt and it was super slippery. I am always really careful though! I was walking back towards the building after putting a child in a car and was suddenly on the ground on my hands and knees (not belly thank goodness!). I called my doc and they wanted me to lay down for 2 hours and do a kick count (10 kicks in 2 hours). At first Little Man was being very naughty and not moving even after cold water and OJ. I ate a big lunch and restarted the 2 hours. I felt a few movements, but when I drank a Pepsi and played some Florida Georgia Line and One Direction on my phone on my belly....then he really got going! I pictured him doing the One Direction Wii Just Dance moves like my preschoolers do every day. I was super relieved that he was alright and also that I didn't have to go to labor and delivery for monitoring! Having the home Doppler also helped my peace of mind. 

Sleep: I borrowed a Snoogle pregnancy pillow from a friend's sister and I do believe it is helping sleep! It is supportive when I flip back and forth between sides and helps prevent me from waking up flat on my back. Occasionally I roll over in my sleep and have a horrible sharp pain in my belly. Most of the time, however, I wake up and heave myself over and it is much better!

Movement: He moves all the time and I love it! I was at a meeting at work the other day and couldn't stop giggling because he was kicking like crazy over and over in one place. I am starting to feel him up high a lot more now. 

Food/Aversions: I've been wanting sweets over the last couple weeks. It is not unusual to hear me say, "I want a cookie!". Normally I am not really a sweet person!

What I miss:Rolling over in my sleep without pain!

What I am looking forward to: Making more progress on the baby's room!This weekend was spent working on my townhouse because our last tenants left it a disaster when they were evicted. Hopefully soon we can get back to the regularly scheduled programming of nursery projects!

Baby Projects: We have picked out a grey for the walls. We painted a splotch on and it is so pretty and I love it! We finally decided on a red but couldn't have it because it was an exterior color. Then we picked a different one, got a sample and put it on, but it was way too orange. We also painted on a splotch of the red we have downstairs, but it is a little bright. Friday night we got another sample and we think it is the winner! A nice deep red for the closet "barn". Nothing too bright!

Pearls from the Preschool: "Maybe the baby can come in March?" No. The baby will come in May. Maybe April, but hopefully May. "Maybe March?" Nope. Not March.

Oh! And This: I must really be showing because when I was loading a child in a car the other day his mom congratulated me! Big winter coat and all! She said she had wondered a few times but could definitely tell that day! It is kind of fun!

This weekend I finished my stash of cloth wipes! I have 60 total now in all different fun patterns!

More surprises in the mail! 5 pairs of Baby Legs (leggings) that I ordered from a FB group for cheap (I heart grey!) and 2 one size cloth diapers!

Just a little idea of how our tenants left my townhouse. Argh! I loved my little place! I was so proud to own my first home and now it is nothing but a hassle. I wish I could just sell it.