Weekly Survey: 28 -29.5 Weeks

Photo at 29 weeks, 1 day.

A lot has been happening, so I need to backtrack to the post I planned to put up on Wednesday night for weeks 28 & 29, but then post again with the second half of week 29. Crazy days.


How far along? 29 weeks, 4 days
How big is baby? 3 lbs, 10 oz.- 75th percentile for height, weight.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've stopped weighing myself and have told me Dr. to just let me know if she has concerns. It's getting to scary to watch the scale go up and up and up.
Next Appointment: My 28 wk appt went really well! We started with a blood draw for my Rhogam test, the headed up to drink that nasty glucose stuff. If you have a mega-sweet tooth, or if you're 5 years old, then I'd imagine you might like the drink. Try to imagine what an orange flavor ice tastes like when it's melted. Then stir in about 3 cups of granulated sugar. And let it sit at room temperature. Ahhh. Refeshing. The good news is that I passed the test! No gestational diabetes for this girl. Since the hubs and I have conflicting blood types, I went back for the Rhogam shot, too. When I can say that a needle in the butt cheek was better than an orange drink, you know the drink was bad, right?
Time to peek in on the little bambino: he looks great and is in a breech position for now. We got to see his adorable face and eyes (opened and closed), watched him kick around a bit, and got a few more pics for the scrapbook.
More vitals/bloodwork showed that I have low blood pressure, a small amount of protein in my urine, and anemia- so I have a new prescription.
Maternity Clothes: Quickly reaching the "no longer cute" stage.
Sleep: I guess I'll catch up on sleep when he goes to college, right?
Best Moment This Week: I need to start keeping track of these moments. I know that I've made several mental notes of these to add to my blog, but I can never quite remember when I sit down to write. I'm certain that the best moment was my shower, but I'm going to do a separate shower post after my shower this weekend.
Movement: Baby's new "thing" is pushing back against my desk. Of course, I can't sit right up to the edge of my desk anymore, so I have to stretch a bit to reach the keyboard, and the edge of my belly presses up against the desk. He'll almost immediately push back and then roll around. I kinda feel bad....but not so bad that I don't do it repeatedly. It's cute!
Planning/Preparation: I picked up a few things to organize the closet, started an inventory of the various items we've borrowed from friends so that I can return everything when we're done, and I have no less than 10 "to do" lists that are baby related- suddenly it seems there's no time.
Belly Button In/Out: I'm now willing to put money on keeping my innie.
Gender: BIG Baby Boy
What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach, walking up stairs without getting winded, hot dogs & beer (can't help it...start of baseball season).
What I'm Looking Forward To: We're having a 3D ultrasound at 30 weeks, so I can't wait to get a closer look at his sweet face. We also start our Prenatal classes in the next couple weeks, and we certainly have a lot to learn.
Contractions: Nope
Milestones? My first baby shower! Two nights of only getting up to use the bathroom one time- sadly, this is a milestone.

Pregnancy Guides: Book Reviews

Not all pregnancy guides are the same (probably why there are approximately a million of them), and most people will tell you to pick up one of these two: Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy or What to Expect When You're Expecting. Overachieving, anal retentive, Type A information monger that I am, I read them both (as well as a few more of the million offered).

I spend entirely too much time reading books on pregnancy and babies, and not nearly enough combing through my InStyle magazines- look at the sacrifices I'm already making for my son, right? So, if you notice that I'm starting to dress like a complete tool, shove my stockpile of InStyles in my face and tell me to get back at it.

If these are the unofficial textbooks for pregnancy, then I'd classify WTEWYE as the middle school version (hey, those girls get knocked up, too) and MCGTAHP as the appropriate choice for a high school honors class (possibly geekier and less likely to need the book, but at least it's there). They both have good things to offer and will appeal to different people, but I prefer Mayo overall.

As you might expect, this guide has a far more clinical/scientific approach. It's informative and detailed, perhaps to the point of being dry, but an excellent reference tool for pregnancy and beyond. You'll find week by week details on what's happening with baby, your body, what symptoms warrant a call to your OB, things to discuss at upcoming appointments and a wealth of information on labor and delivery. I also happen to trust an actual medical guide more than a book with a cartoon drawing of some chick in boot cut jeans and ugly boots on the cover (send my InStyle stack her way first, please).
Rating: 3 Stars


Just because I'm pregnant, I'm not suddenly stupid and incapable of understanding three syllable words- at least that's how this book made me feel at times. Strangely, the thing people most often complain about with this book is what I actually DID like: it gives you the worst case scenario of every symptom and side effect you'd never otherwise consider. My inner alarmist was overjoyed! I guess I just don't scare that easily and would rather know what I might be in for? The illustrations are terrible, the organization weak, and it was lacking the more scientific content on a developing baby that I was hoping to find.
Rating: 1 star

Weekly Survey: 27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks, 4 days
How big is baby? Big enough to make all my pants roll down
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Um, lots. I think I've got a couple pounds of vacation weight tacked onto the total, too.
Next Appointment: Just a few more days until my 28 week when I'll have my glucose test, a rhogam shot, and check up- big day!
Maternity Clothes: I think it's time to size up. I can't believe I'm still going to get bigger than this.
Sleep: I'm giving in and buying a Snoogle. Actually, I will spend as much as I have to in order to find a product that will help me sleep. The Boppy thing isn't working anymore. I've tried 5 other pillows, I've tried my 1/2 Unisom. No luck. Of course, on vacation, I slept great. So, I have to assume the sleep issues are also stress related.
Best Moment This Week: Lucy snuggled her face into my belly when I was laying on the floor next to her, petting her. It was so cute, even if it was totally unintentional.
Movement: He's getting more active at night now and gives me a little wakeup call consistently at 3am.
Planning/Preparation: This weekend our plan is to finish clearing out the baby's room so we can start loading it up with furniture and other goodies!
Belly Button In/Out: Still in, just barely (see pic from last post- eek)
Gender: Bouncing Baby Boy
What I Miss: Being able to eat a meal without heartburn
What I'm Looking Forward To: Getting back on a regular yoga schedule
Contractions: Nope
Milestones? The official start of my last trimester!

Ahhhhhhhh-ruba

Babymoon in Aruba? Best.Idea.Ever.

We've only been home a few days, and I miss it already. For sure the best part was spending an uninterrupted week alone with the hubster, but that fact that it was spent in powdery sand, in crystal clear blue waters, in a lounge chair where people were bringing me virgin mango dacquiris? Yeah, that was the best part.

Some amazing things happened on this trip, too: the deafening sound of my heart beating in my ear stopped while we were there! Cohmpletely. I actually didn't notice it at first, since I'd grown so accustomed to tuning it out. I also managed to go a full week without a single nosebleed after having one on a nightly basis for over a month. Of course, now that I'm home, both have started again. Booo. Perhaps they are more stress related than I realized?

A not-so-amazing new thing: heartburn. I now consume Mixed Berry Tums with a fervor once reserved for Peanut M & Ms (which, coincidentally also give me heartburn now).

One of the most fun things about the trip was how nice everyone is to a pregnant lady on vacation! Holding elevators for me, letting go in front of them in line in the bathroomm, strangers telling me "congratulations", a man who said "I think it's a boy" when I walked past him, a lady on the beach who said "I love your baby bump" when we walked past her, and even the woman in the pool who was at her wit's end with kids around her turning to me and saying "are you sure this is what you want?!"....all brought a smile to my face.

Baby S got a little tan, too (and about doubled in size):

Weekly Survey: 25 - 26 Weeks

How far along? I'm covering two weeks due to vacation, so now I have to think back a bit..
How big is baby? They say about 3 lbs at this point!
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I've refused to weigh myself until my next Dr. appt
Next Appointment: May 12th
Maternity Clothes: I'm already growing out of things I bought early on- booo! They lie to you at the boutiques. Nothing you buy will fit the entire pregnancy unless you buy a tent.
Sleep: Terrible in the hotel in Florida, but then wonderful in Aruba (maybe we need a King size bed when there are three of us in there?)
Best Moment This Week: I was really proud of myself for sticking it out all night at the wedding reception. 8 hours in 3 inch heels, no drinking, still dancing a bit through the night and taking the group shuttle home- not bad for a pregnant chick who was ready to go to bed at 9pm.
Movement: All the time now
Planning/Preparation: I received invitations to my first two showers before leaving for vacation- very cute!
Belly Button In/Out: Still in
Gender: All man.
What I Miss: Sitting comfortably on a plane
What I'm Looking Forward To: Getting his room set up
Contractions: Nope
Milestones? While on vacation we reached our viability date (the date at which if the baby is born early they are confident they can medically sustain life- end of 24 weeks)

The Incredible Expanding Woman: Weeks 24 and 26

24 weeks, 4 days


Just as we were leaving for Palm Beach, Florida.








26 weeks, 2 days

Taken during our trip to Aruba. Don't mind my being in PJs :)

Weekly Survey: 24 Weeks

How far along? 24 weeks, 4 days
How big is baby? About a foot long (every time I say it I think of Subway...gross)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Decided not to weigh in this week.
Next Appointment: 4 more weeks
Maternity Clothes: Summer wardrobe has been purchased (in preparation for vacation) :)
Sleep: It has been SO much better the past week with some breathing exercises my tree-huggin, granola-eatin yoga teacher taught me.
Best Moment This Week: Another yoga class outside
Movement: He loves the sugar rush of Thin Mints (at least this is how I justify eating 10 in a sitting)
Planning/Preparation: It's all here, ready to be assembled
Belly Button In/Out: I give it two weeks to pop out.
Gender: All man.
What I Miss: Rolling around on the floor, playing with Lucy.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Vacation tomorrow!
Contractions: Nope
Milestones? We found out this week that Baby S will be greeting a little girl cousin when he's about 4 weeks old!