Thursday, August 29, 2013

25 Weeks

And here we are at my favorite number 25!

It has been a pretty good week as far as pregnancy symptoms go.  I'm still really tired... really really tired, but other than that I'm not having a whole lot of pain or discomfort.  I guess I'll just jump right into this week's details :).

Movement
I warned Jason tonight that this baby might even be more active than Logan was and he responded with something like "don't you dare say that".  We've been hoping that this one will be a bit more 'chill' but so far it's not feeling like that will happen.  She gets excited whenever I eat, when I sit at my desk at work, when I get into bed at night, and lots of times in-between.  I'm enjoying all the kicks, though.  She's a strong little girl!

Pains
As I mentioned above, I haven't had many this week.  I have had more round ligament pains, though, which I'm assuming mean my uterus/belly is growing more.  I have to be careful when I stand up after sitting, even for just a few minutes, because they can hurt pretty bad if I move too quickly.

Waddling
I should've learned this long ago, but don't ask your spouse questions that you don't want to hear the honest answer to.  We went on a walk last night and I asked, "I haven't been waddling yet, have I?" and he hesitated too long before answering "Umm... sometimes".  Agh, I was hoping to avoid the waddle for another month or more but I guess that isn't happening.  Oh well... it was bound to happen.

Big Brother
Logan felt the baby kick for the first time this week.  It was so sweet to see his tiny little hand on my belly and his face light up when he felt the kick.  I'm hoping I'll remember moments like that :). 

Appetite
My appetite has calmed down a little bit this week, which is nice.  I don't like feeling hungry every 30 minutes and I'm trying to keep my snacks as healthy as possible.  If there's one summer-related thing I'm thankful for, it's the fresh fruit.  I've been loving the southern peaches, bananas, raspberries, and cherries that are everywhere down here.  There is a fruit stand near my work that has the best peaches I think I've ever eaten.  SO good. 

Name
I still don't know if we're 100% settled on her name, but we do have one that we've come full-circle on that we like.  Only time will tell if it's "the one" :).

I think that's all for now.  I have my glucose test next week so I'm praying that I'll pass it with flying colors!  Not looking forward to it but I especially don't want to take the 4-hour fasting test if I fail this one.

Oh, and as a side note, our 7th wedding anniversary is coming up next Monday, woot woot!  It also marks 3 years since I found out I was pregnant with Logan :).  Fun times!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

24 Weeks

Another week has passed and I keep thinking about how crazy it is... the weeks just seem to be flying by!  I've been feeling alright this week but still really tired.  I think my schedule, while unavoidable, is just wearing me down.  I'm trying to do my best, though :).

Pain
I've been experiencing a lot of different pains and discomforts this week, which I'm sure is pretty normal at this point.  My left rib still hurts whenever the baby ventures to that side but there's really nothing I can do about it besides try to position myself in a way to relieve some of the pain.  I've been having more round ligament and groin pain, which I attribute to the baby growing.  I haven't felt anything that has been a red flag for premature labor, so I don't think there's really anything to worry about.

Appetite
I still don't have much of an appetite but I'm trying my best to make as many healthy choices as I can.  I've been eating a lot of fresh fruit (yay for living in the land of peaches!) and for breakfast I've been making my pre-pregnancy favorite called "overnight oats" which consists of uncooked oats, greek yogurt, almond milk, 1/2 banana, dash of cinnamon, and a handful of fresh raspberries.  I put it in the fridge overnight and in the morning it's soooo yummy.  I still haven't had many cravings but I did have one this week and got criticized on Facebook for posting about it.  Ugh... if only moms were more supportive of each other.  Anyway, enough of that :).

Other physical stuff
My already sparse eyelashes have been falling out, leaving me with bald spots on my eyelids.  If anyone has wondered why I wear eyeliner, that should make it easy to figure out.  Before I was pregnant, I used some lash growth serum but I stopped as soon as I found out I was pregnant.  I have one from a cosmetic brand that makes a lot of safe and natural products but I still don't feel comfortable about using it right now.  I've also been getting a crazy twitch under my right eye for the past week.  I did some research and it sounds like it's another common symptom of pregnancy along with being tired (always) and stressed (can't say I am) so I might just have to wait it out and hope it passes.

Movement
This baby is crazy active, possibly even more than Logan was.  I love feeling her bump around, though.  A few days ago after I had just gotten Logan out of bed, I told him that the baby was bumping momma's tummy and he started cracking up laughing.  His reaction was really funny but I guess the thought of a baby bumping inside a tummy would be pretty humorous to a 2-year-old :).

Cleaning/Rearranging
Jason and I made some good headway in the cleaning department this week.  We went through most of the old boxes in our office (an accumulation of items we've collected from college through the last 7 years of marriage) and now our garbage can is overflowing.  Jason moved his 'man room' furniture downstairs into the office so we have almost half of the rearranging finished.  We just need to move the guest room furniture into the former 'man room' and paint the nursery.  Then we can hit up Ikea and make her room look all girly and prettified :).

Swelling
Yep, I'm getting more of it.  If anyone wonders why I complain about temperatures creeping back up into the 80's, that's the main reason.  It's uncomfortable and it makes my fingers, feet, and ankles swell up more.  Just bear with me and my complaining for a little while longer, please ;).

Well, I think that just about covers most of this week's info.  I'm starting to think more about my birth plan so I'll probably be posting that fairly soon.  I know I have a lot of time before I'll need it, but I want to make sure I put plenty of thought into it since my goal is to achieve a VBAC.

25 weeks, here we come! :)

Sunday, August 18, 2013

23 Weeks

Only 17-ish left to go!

I've been slacking a little this week, so this post is a few days late.  Logan has been working on getting a molar through, so that has added some "excitement" to the week (low grade fever, crankiness, etc.).  On top of that, Jason and I are trying to get things cleaned out of our office so that we can start moving furniture and whatnot to open up a room for the baby.  Lots of fun stuff going on here!

Anyway, not a whole lot has changed this week.  I still have heartburn and I still feel pregnant.  Actually, I feel like my belly popped again earlier this week.  One day at work I just felt like I was considerably bigger around the midsection.  Funny how that works... or not?  Unfortunately my coworkers didn't disagree when I asked if my belly looked bigger.  It was bound to happen eventually :). 

Swelling
My ankles and feet have been swelling more this week than they had before.  My hands, while normally large, have been feeling puffier as well.  Fun times.  There are times when my rings still feel like they're going to slip off my finger but then later in the day I won't be able to take them off because my fingers are swollen.  I have a feeling I'll need to buy a simple necklace to wear my wedding band on soon.

Energy
I have none.  I remember when I was around this stage of my pregnancy with Logan I had a lot more energy.  That's not the case this time around.  I feel exhausted almost constantly.  Whenever I'm at home I end up falling asleep on the couch, sometimes multiple times!  I'm almost looking forward to nesting because I could use a burst of energy.

Movement
The baby is very active!  Today I felt her kicks from the outside of my belly for the first time... and I saw them too!  I tried getting Logan to come feel but he acted shy and walked away.  He doesn't quite know what to think about it, I guess.  I'm glad the movements can finally be felt from the outside, though :).  It's more fun when I'm not the only one feeling the kicks.

Name
Still nothing decided.  Whenever I try to think about different names, I just go back to the same ones we've talked and disagreed about.  I've kind-of gotten to the point where I just say "God, you know her name... please help us to know what it is."  We'll figure it out within the next 17-ish weeks :).

Cravings
I had a craving last week and it was for french toast.  My friend from work and I went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and we both had breakfast.  It was glorious!  I haven't really had any cravings since, though.  I never really have a specific taste for anything, I just get really hungry and have to make myself eat something.

Well, I think that just about covers everything.  I'll update again on Wednesday or Thursday.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

22 Weeks

Today was a good day :).

I had my 22 week checkup this morning at 9:30.  I went into work first and started getting a little worried about my blood pressure because I was trying to hurry through things at work so that I could get things done before I left.  I felt like I had been drinking a lot of caffeine because I was kind-of jittery, but I think I was just a little nervous.  Once I got to the OB office, I was fine.  I have gained 4 lbs since my last appointment, which I was expecting.  My appetite has been crazy the past few weeks.  I must be making up for the first 19 weeks :P.  I'm not too worried about it, though, because compared to my starting weight I have only gained 4 lbs, which is not too bad.  My doctor wants me to stay between 20-30 total and I think that's a pretty doable goal.

I'm always nervous about my blood pressure because the doctor said they won't let me try a VBAC if I have any blood pressure issues.  Just the fact that he said that makes me worried that my BP will ruin my chances.  When the nurse took it today she said it was 116/60, which is pretty much awesome.  I don't know if she was right, though, because I don't think it has ever been that good.  It's always normal (120/80), but I'll take it anyway.

While I was waiting in my exam room, I heard the doctor next door saying "I have to go right now to delivery, I have to go deliver" and a nurse came in shortly after to tell me he had to leave.  I figured I would wait for him instead of rescheduling and he came back about 40 minutes later (kudos to the mom who pushed her baby out that fast! ;)).  He measured my belly, listened to the heartbeat, asked a few questions and ended by talking about my ultrasounds.  He confirmed that Dr. Trevett (ultrasound doctor) said everything looked great on my last scan, Jason and I are still declining invasive testing (amniocentesis), and said he was happy with everything he had seen and heard.  He said from now on, he will consider this a normal pregnancy and ended by telling me to keep eating sensibly and enjoy my pregnancy :).  Jason and I have been praying and believing for a while that this IS a normal pregnancy, so it wasn't really news to hear it from the doctor but it was a nice affirmation.

Anyway, on to the weekly highlights:

Appetite:
Like I mentioned above, my appetite is back with a vengeance.  I have to pack a ton of snacks to take to work or else I will be starving all day.  I'm trying to find healthy snacks (mostly fruit) but every once in a while I just have to eat some Pringles because they're staring at me in the checkout line... don't judge :).

Movement:
The baby must've changed positions earlier this week because now I'm feeling every kick, jab, turn, etc.  She's VERY active and I'm loving every minute of it.  My boss will have to get used to seeing me sit at my desk with a blank look on my face because I'm concentrating on the baby kicks.  It brings a nice little break from the everyday tasks at work.

Energy:
Whoever said women get energy back in the 2nd trimester was lying... at least this time.  I did have more energy with Logan, but I wasn't chasing a 2 year-old Logan around ;).  I also wasn't working full-time during my pregnancy with him.  I think those are the main factors that are making me so tired but I'm sure it could be any number of things.  A lot of nights I can't help falling asleep on the couch while watching tv.  Hopefully some of that energy will find me soon.

Nursery:
We picked out a paint color so now we just need to start rearranging furniture to get the room ready.  We're starting with the office and made some good progress with throwing a bunch of old junk away.  Once we have it cleared out, we will move Jason's man room stuff downstairs, move the guest room furniture into his current man room, and that will open up the nursery for painting and decorating.  Whew.  I'm hoping we can get everything done soon, before I get bigger and even more tired.  If anyone would like to come over for a cleaning/moving party, let me know ;).

I think that's about it for now.   Time to go to bed :).

Thursday, August 1, 2013

21 Weeks

It has been an interesting and very productive week.  I'm not even sure where to begin!

My dad had to go back to the hospital last Saturday morning because of more complications related to his antibiotics.  Thankfully he got to go home a couple of days ago, but it's still hard not being closer and able to help him and my mom.  Anyway... I also started my first registry for little miss girl on Saturday at Target (will post a link soon) and I brought Logan with me to "help".  He was a pretty good boy but I had to let him hold the scanner gun a few times to keep him happy :).  I don't think he registered for anything crazy, though.

On Sunday (I think), I brought out my scarf fabric and started looking at newborn hat patterns that I could easily make myself.  Logan had a lot of cute hats that he wore for the first month or so, but I wanted to make some more unique ones for this baby.  I might even make her some coordinating booties and/or mittens.  I made a new cover for my Snoogle full-body pregnancy pillow and now I'm looking at making some Boppy pillow covers :).  I guess I'm in sewing-nesting mode right now because that's just about all I want to do in my spare time.  I'm excited about it because I have a sister-in-law and a good friend who are also expecting in a couple of months so I plan on whipping up some cute things for them too ;).  I'll be posting more pictures on my Facebook page if anyone wants to see what I'm making.

On to the weekly highlights:

Movement
Little girl is moving a lot!  At the last ultrasound, her head was up near my right ribs but I think she has changed positions quite a few times this week.  Some of her movements are so big that I keep thinking I should be able to feel them on the outside of my tummy, but not yet.  Hopefully that will happen soon so Jason and Logan can experience them with me :).

Discomfort
That's an understatement.  As I said, I think she has moved, probably toward the left side of my belly because my rib has been hurting really really bad this week. I've only taken Tylenol for it a couple of times (I'd rather not take medicine if I don't absolutely have to), but it has been very uncomfortable and painful.  Sleeping has also gotten more uncomfortable.  As I said above, I made a new cover for my Snoogle pillow, so I've started sleeping with it again and I think it has helped a little but I still wake up with a sore back.  I have to be careful when rolling over in bed now, because if I don't support my belly or if I roll the wrong way, my round ligaments get pulled and I wake up from the pain (and so does Jason) ;).

Appetite
Holy hunger pains, Batman!  Over the past few days, my stomach has been growling constantly.  It seems like 15 minutes after I've eaten a meal, I'm hungry again.  I'm hoping my metabolism is working efficiently enough to keep me from gaining a bunch of weight, but I'm still a little worried.  Yesterday I made the mistake of drinking a chick-fil-a milkshake after work and I suffered the consequences of it all throughout the night.  I think it's safe to say either I still have some issues with lactose or chick-fil-a uses something strange in their milkshakes that my body didn't like.  Either way, I think I'll just avoid them in the future :).

Baby
Baby is about a pound this week and 10.5" long from head to toe.  I don't think I trust my baby app to be exactly accurate when it comes to the weight and length so I think I'll just follow what the doctor told me last week. 

My next appointment is next week after which I will be scheduling my glucose test (yay).  I will try to post an update after the appointment.