28 weeks

Baby C went to Busch Gardens!
No rides for us, but we got a good walk in!

How far along? 28 weeks

Size of baby: He is just over 14 inces long and 2.2 pounds, about the size of a napa cabbage.

What's baby up to? Get this, he can smell now! Baby will be able to smell almost everything I inhale or eat, since amniotic fluid actually conducts scent.

Total weight gain/loss: I think its so funny (insert sarcasm) "loss" is still in the tile here, yeah right. I wish. + 22 lbs.

Pregnancy symptoms: Getting bigger and bigger, my feet especially. I'm running out of shoes I can wear to work.

Maternity clothes? Just about all I wear now with the exception a few t-shirts and long maxi dresses. My yoga pants still kind of fit, but I think they're on their last week.

Stretch marks? No, but the veins in my legs aren't looking so good. I pray for no varicose veins! That's my motivation to keep my wight down and to exercise. Support hose might be one of the next items I purchase.

Sleep: Doing ok, still sleeping pretty good. I have been waking up at night from being hot.

Banana pudding from a b-day dinner.
Homemade wafers = delicious!

Best moment this past week: My birthday celebrations and sweet treats. The hospital tour went well too, kind of scary though... labor and delivery is getting real. I was surprised at how emotional I was during the nurse's lecture/overview and the tour during our visit. It really caught me off guard.

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement: Nope

Food Cravings:  Nada

Anything making you queasy or sick: Red sauce & onions are still the devil.

Labor sigs: No

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: Still hanging in there and are on.

Happy or Moody: Happy

Weekly Wisdom: Always know where the closest bathroom is!

Looking forward to: We are having a just for fun 3-D ultrasound this coming Saturday and I'm excited to see our little guy and get an idea of what he's going to look like. I keep having dreams they tell us he is really a she. ha!

Baby: 27 weeks / Me: 31 years

Belly shot this week, it was getting pretty late in the
week and I hadn't taken one yet, so photo booth photo it is :) 

How far along? 27 weeks and entering the THIRD trimester!

Size of baby: 2 pounds and about the size of an eggplant

What's baby up to? Sucking the life out of me, just kidding! He's still kicking and moving around in there, and working on packing on the pounds. Still needs to almost tripple his wight before the big move out happens.

Total weight gain/loss: +21 lbs. Trying really hard to not pack on much more and started a food diary. Ugh.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, heartburn, swelling, heartburn, swelling. Oh and I swear I had some Braxton Hicks contractions last weekend. Part of my stomach got all tight and felt like a leg cramp, but didn't really hurt.

Maternity clothes? Yup, but still able to wear some non-maternity stuff.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Going as good as to be expected I think. I still sleep pretty much all night with just a few interruptions.

Best moment this past week: There were multiple... First, baby C got me a mother's day card, clever little guy already. It was very sweet and may have made me tear up.

We also had a great visit with little miss Olivia and my sis-in-law. Hard to believe just a year ago she told us she was expecting.

And lastly, I got a good laugh out of this.... I've been giving the hubby a hard time about getting me a push present (it's a real thing, I promis!) and the other day we were in Lowe's and he said, "Come here, I'll show you what you can get me for a drive present." I was of course confused and asked the question, "What the heck is a drive present?" To which he replied, "If you get a push present, then I get a drive present for driving you to the hospital."

Miss Anything? Being able to go up a flight of stairs without getting winded.

Movement: Oh yes.

Food Cravings: I've become a big fan on Carolina style bar-b-q lately. Oh and I'd like to eat a gallon or two of frozen yogurt everyday.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mexican food and with a side of salsa on everything so when I went to a work lunch and it was Mexican, I ate the salsa as I normally do... my love turned into hate and pain about an hour after lunch.  Should have know better, tomato based sauce WITH onions in it - what was I thinking? I'll blame it on the pregnancy brain, but I dont think I'll be making that mistake again.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The thought of wearing a bathing suit this summer.

Labor sigs: No

Belly Button in or out: In but it's starting to make it's move. I can see my scar from the laparoscopy surgery way better now.

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody: Happy

Weekly Wisdom: Start getting on the ball with the nursery and classes... seems like it's far away, but the time will fly and you never know, baby might come early. I've also been amazed how fast our weekends have filled up so it got tricky scheduling classes and hospital tours.

Looking forward to: My birthday is tomorrow, 31 here I come. We are also doing the maternity ward tour at the hospital this Thursday.

Oh and P.S.
The fabric swatches came in a few weeks ago and these are the 3 main patterns I've settled on. Placed the order this week and going to put mom to work on making the bedding soon!

Baby C goes to Ikea

<Cue angelic music>

My eyes lit up as I walked into Ikea with my list of nursery items and 6.5 month preggo self. I was ecstatic to not only be walking into one of my favorite places for the products they sell, but also for the delicious lunch I knew I'd be eating in just a few hours. It's the simple things these days.

If asked what I love more about Ikea, the showroom or the cafe, I'd say it's a tie. Oh the Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce, how I love you.

But back to the first task, nursery items. Here's the run down of what I picked up...

POÄNG chair, I was dead set on getting the rocker version, but didn’t like it one bit when I sat in it. And the chair has some bounce/rock to it, so I think it’ll work just fine. We plan on having a rocker recliner recovered for the living room, so this is just kind of a back up and to have a comfy chair in the baby’s room.

EXPEDIT shelving unit to be laid on its side as a bench under the double window.

FILLSTA pendant lamp

Expedit door inserts for the faux dresser

The hubby had to work (and does not share my fondness for Ikea) so I made the trip with a good friend and she picked up some house stuff too... an armchair, ottoman, dishes, etc. We may have overestimated the interior space of the Prius.

But, after taking a few things out of boxes, we made it all fit and it was just a little uncomfortable for the return trip.  Here's a pic of our Ikea load--

And then the real fun began when I got it all home and had to unload and put it together... that's the tricky part with Ikea stuff, the putting together. Photos coming soon of in-room progress. 

26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks... closing out my last week of trimester 2 this week and then it's on to #3!

Size of baby: He's about 1 2/3 pounds and is 14 inches long head-to-heel, or about the length of a burp cloth, otherwise known as my future primary wardrobe accessory for the next several months.

What's baby up to? He's opening his eyes now! But still can't see very well, probably a good thing in there. He is also practicing his breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.

Total weight gain/loss: +20 lbs

Pregnancy symptoms: Swelling, shoes are getting small. Even in the morning.

Maternity clothes? Still a good mix of maternity and regular.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Going ok, still waking up a few times through the night to get comfortable, but have been able to go right back to sleep. And, I wake up with such a sore back.

Best moment this past week: 1- Results are in and I passed the glucose test! But my blood work came back saying I'm a little anemic. Not enough to go on iron supplements, but need to do a better job of getting iron in my diet. 2- Ikea shopping trip for baby items :)

Miss Anything? Nothing new this week.

Movement: Lots, starting to feel just how active this little guy is.

Food Cravings: Nothing new, tacos and fruit are pretty much still my favs.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Red sauces and onions still give me heck of a time with the heartburn. I pretty much avoid them at all cost now.

Labor sigs: No

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody: Happy

Weekly Wisdom: Have a desk job and sit in a chiar all day? Having back pain and a hurt tailbone? Try swapping the chair for an exercise ball... below is what I've been sporting for the past 2 weeks.

Looking forward to: Sis-in-law and baby Olivia are going to be in town visiting this coming week AND I'm headed to Ikea today to pick up some nursery items!

25 weeks

How far along? 25 weeks

Size of baby: He's about 1.5 lbs and the size of a squash!

What's baby up to? Baby's hands are now fully developed and he spends most of his awake time groping around in the darkness. Brain and nerve endings are developed enough now so that he can feel the sensation of touch.

Total weight gain/loss: +19 lbs

Pregnancy symptoms: Hello heartburn.

Maternity clothes? Getting a good collection. I need to starting looking for dresses. We have a few weddings and baby showers coming up in June.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Having trouble staying comfortable for too long. Whichever ear is on the pillow (side-sleeping these days) starts to hurt after a few hours. Very strange.

Best moment this past week: Participating in a neighborhood garage sale today so we have been purging all the junk form the house all week. It has been nice getting rid of the junk and fun knowing we are making room for baby and all his stuff!

Miss Anything? Being able to sleep through the night. I was such a good sleeper.

Movement: When I wake up in the middle of the night or very early morning for a potty break or to get comfortable, he's up having a party. Looks like days and nights will be mixed up for sure!

Food Cravings:  No new ones, just food in general, see above weight gain.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Heartburn is starting to become a noticeable issue. Red sauces still get me, so I think it's time to cut them out. It has gone from a mild annoyance to full on pain.

Labor sigs: No

Belly Button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody: Happy

Weekly Wisdom: Stick with fruit and veggies and stay away from the candy and chips. It's harder the bigger I get to stay motivated.

Looking forward to: Putting the nursery together.