31 weeks!

How far along:  31 weeks, 1 day

Size of baby: Pineapple! Another fruit I'm not a fan of... Unless it's on pizza.

What's going on in my belly: Still moving around alot. Last night, she kicked me in the back ribs and I keeled over again... While on the maternity tour. Not the place where you want to look like you're in pain without being in labor.

Stretch Marks: Not on my stomach. I think of my boobs, but I can't tell.

Sleep: Not too shabby.

Symptoms: The itchies... My stomach and legs itch like crazy. My ongoing symptom, the hip pain, has gone down significantly and I'm so happy about that. 

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing our little girl! Our appointment on Thursday went well; she stayed perfectly still so that our OB could get all of her measurements. She's right track for growth and weight, coming in at 3 pounds and 3 ounces and a heart rate of 140bpm. Her umbilical cord is pumping nicely which no appearance of knots or anything. On Wednesday, we starting interviewing pediatricians. Of course we loved the first one we saw. The doctor was really nice, excitable, and answered all of our questions before we could even ask. She even told me I look amazing at 30 weeks so I'm sold. The office space was clean and there was even a separate space for sick patients which I've never seen before. We're more likely than not going to go with her once Baby TeeJ arrives. We also went on our maternity tour at the hospital yesterday. It was short, about 30 minutes; it would have been longer, but the maternity/recovery area was full because they had quite the baby boom the night prior and didn't want to disturb the new Moms. I have to say that the space we did tour, which was triage and L&D was peaceful and really quiet. When we were in the room where L&D DeeJ asked the nurse if all of the rooms come with cable TV. Sigh... Also while in the L&D room, I have to admit that panic set in. In 9 weeks or so, this is where I'm going to be and while I can't wait for her to get here, all I kept thinking about was the pain. I've been told that I handle pain really well, and I kind of agree, but I know deep down that I've never experienced anything like this and it scares me. In my mind, all of the lap surgeries and pain from Endometriosis pales in comparison to going through labor. This entire pregnancy at times has made me feel like I'm not as strong as I think I am so I'm very nervous. 

Miss Anything: Being able to breathe easily. I'm at the point in the pregnancy where I lose my breath easily. Sometimes even laying down, I have to sit back up because my breathing gets really shallow.

Cravings/Aversions: My craving for cheese has picked up again. At this rate, I could probably eat macaroni and cheese everyday for the rest of this pregnancy.

Showing Yet: Yep.

Mood: Still feeling good.

What I am Looking Forward to: A couple of things. First, our furniture is going to be delivered this week! Yay for getting our crib and dresser! DeeJ delayed delivery until this Friday thinking it would give us time to paint. But then I had the bright of idea of hiring a painter so now we're looking for one, meanwhile, the room hasn't been painted yet. It's not that we can't paint, but we agreed on doing this to one of the walls and we both know we can't pull this off. Hopefully we can find someone for a decent price soon. 

Second, next week, I'm finally going to meet with HR to discuss my maternity leave. I've already decided that I want to take at least 14 weeks off, even though I know the standard is 12. I've already told my boss informally, but I'm sure he's forgotten by now. He's too busy asking me weekly whether or not I'm even coming back. Honestly, I don't want to. I want a job, but not this one since they've been pretty awful to me during my pregnancy. But I'm preparing myself to go back if I can't find anything over the next 3-4 months. 

30 weeks!

How far along:  30 weeks

Size of baby: Cucumber! Another fun fact: Cucumber was my first "big word" when I started speaking according to my Mom.

What's going on in my belly: She's moving like crazy. There are times where she moves so quickly, I lose my breath. Last night she got me good in the ribs and I just keeled over. I started kick counting, but I've decided to not do it everyday. I think doing so will up my anxiety levels.

Stretch Marks: Nope

Sleep: Not as good as last week, but anything is better than the weeks prior.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks. That's all I'm going to say.

Best Moment of the Week: I passed my 1 hour glucose test! YAY! The nurse called me to give me the fantastic news. Then, the not so great news. Apparently, I'm severely anemic. BOO! I guess I should have suspected it. I find myself breathless a lot after moving around, my legs go numb at odd times and I'm soooo sleepy even after getting sleep. But no worries, it's nothing an iron supplement can't fix. I just hope that between the iron supplement and the Zofran I can maintain my bathroom schedule.

Miss Anything: To be honest, I miss people not speaking to me and being overly opinionated. Yeah, this is a silly one. I'm legitimately tired of the random and unsolicited comments. I mentioned this elsewhere, but I wish people would stop asking how far along I am just to say either, "Oh you still have a ways to go" or "Oh you're almost there! You could go into labor at any time!" I know people mean well, but please don't talk about preterm labor. I don't want possible complications at the forefront of my mind. 

Cravings/Aversions: Speaking of... Cucumbers! I really loved them pre-pregnancy and really dislike them now. It makes me a little sad.

Showing Yet: Uh, yeah!

Mood: Doing alright. Overall feeling good.

What I am Looking Forward to: My next appointment of course! We're up to bi-weekly appointments now. I'm also psyched for our hospital tour next Saturday. I can't believe we're so close.

29 weeks!

How far along:  29 weeks

Size of baby: Acorn squash. Or butternut squash? Never had acorn squash, but I LOVE butternut squash lasagna.

What's going on in my belly: Movement has been steady. She responds to the usual; cold water and whatever food I happen to really enjoy. So she's more likely to move around after I've had macaroni and cheese (another LOVE), versus cold cereal.

Maternity Clothes: Combo. I almost feel like this one is kind of pointless, so I might take it out next week. But, I did buy a bunch of maternity clothes on Wednesday. I even bought *gasp* dresses (including the one above)! For those that don't know, I don't wear dresses; I'm a pants kind of girl. Unfortunately, the panels in the maternity pants feel uncomfortable when sitting so dresses it is!

Stretch Marks: Nope

Sleep: So much better!

Symptoms: Belly feels really heavy. I'm probably going to buy a support belt. The hip pain is still there, but this week wasn't as bad as the past month. Every night DeeJ rubs my hips before bed and I do a lot of stretching on a stability ball. I'm also doing ice/heat treatment and so far so good.

Best Moment of the Week: Clothes shopping! Not for me, but for Baby girl TeeJ! So many onesies, footies, and socks! They're so cute and little! I may have gone a little crazy with the shopping because there's more to come. Damn you Zulily and Gilt! Also, we got to see her this week and she is head down! Dr. B, our OB, showed us using the ultrasound wand where her head, back, butt, and feet are. Her head is sitting right below my belly button, her back is on the left, her butt is above my belly button and her feet are on my right. It actually explains all the random thumping I feel on my right side. As of Thursday, when I was 28w5d, she weighed 2lbs and 8 ounces with a heart rate of 152bpm.

Miss Anything: Feeling comfortable. I know I still have 11 weeks to go, but walking around is challenging. I miss being able to walk around to random places for a few miles without my feet swelling up and my back hurting.

Cravings/Aversions: I have an aversion to sweets. I wasn't much of a sweets person pre-pregnancy so it's not the worst thing, but yeah, still kind of sucks. I can eat chocolate or whatever and it tastes good while eating it, but the aftertaste makes me feel nauseous. Even after brushing and rinsing. Hopefully that's not the one thing that sticks around.

Showing Yet: Yep. My boss offered to "roll" me down the hallway to a meeting. Awkward.

Mood: Meh, but it's not pregnancy related. This was a really tough week. My BFF, T, lost a really close friend unexpectedly. She was only 28. I met her on a few occasions, but what makes the situation really heartbreaking is that she leaves behind a one and half month old baby. It's hard to separate that kind of bad news and my sadness about it from my day to day feelings. I can't stop thinking about it.

What I am Looking Forward to: The results of my glucose test and of course, my next appointment in 2 weeks. I took the test Thursday and now we wait. 

Hi 3rd tri! 28 weeks!

How far along:  28 weeks

Size of baby: Eggplant. DeeJ makes an awesome Eggplant Parmesan.

What's going on in my belly: She's moving alot. I can feel her rolling around and watching my stomach move up and down is strange looking but fascinating.

Maternity Clothes: Combo again. Definitely maternity bottoms, but managed to squeeze into regular shirts.

Stretch Marks: Nope

Sleep: Still grrr... I'll explain below.

Symptoms: Tired, tired, and more tired. I'm not getting any sleep. I can deal with getting up every 2-3 hours to pee, but the hip pain is borderline unbearable. I can fall asleep, but halfway through the night, whichever side I'm laying on, my hip just starts hurting. So I switch to the other side and about an hour later, that side starts hurting too. I spend all night turning back and forth and by morning, both sides of my hips feel sore and tender. My pillows aren't working anymore. DeeJ suggested a heating pad, but I get so hot at night so that's not an option either.

Best Moment of the Week: We have a two-fer! I went to see a chiropractor and got my first prenatal massage! Both were AWESOME. They both noted my hip problem and basically there's not much I can do except to keep blood circulating using an exercise ball and make sure that I stand and sit with my legs at least hip width apart.

Miss Anything: High heel shoes. Hell, I miss my shoes in general. I've been wearing flats but even those don't last through the day. At work, my feet are swollen by noon. One day this week, I just wore sneakers. It was so comfy and quite frankly, they were so hard to tie that I couldn't see myself bending over to do that again.

Cravings/Aversions: Still cheese.

Showing Yet: Hell yeah.

Mood: I'm good! I'm sure the massage played a big part in that.

What I am Looking Forward to: My glucose test. Well, sort of. I'm not looking forward to drinking that orange stuff, but am looking forward to getting it over with. I hope I pass. I hope I pass.

27 weeks!

How far along:  27 weeks, 1 day

Size of baby: Rutabaga! I see we're moving away from yummy fruit for awhile.

Weight change: Not sure again. Quite frankly, don't care either. As long as Baby TeeJ is healthy, I'm good to go.

Maternity Clothes: Full on maternity clothes this week. My pre-pregnancy shirts are wearing out its welcome. I think.

Stretch Marks: Nope. I'm using Catmagick's belly oil religiously. <3

Sleep: Grrr... 

Symptoms: Nausea, fatigued, cranky, etc. I also have this annoying hip and thigh pain when I try to sleep on my sides at night. No amount of pillows or cushion seems to alleviate it.

Best Moment of the Week: Childbirth class! We went last Sunday and it was pretty informative and there was so much shared that I didn't know. DeeJ called me the early bitch in the class though because everyone else was 30+ weeks. We even had some full term women there. Nursery related, we finally picked our colors: teal, yellow, and gray. Also, we started getting some of our nursery items which is super exciting.

Miss Anything: I miss being able to finish a meal. I LOVE food (I may have mentioned this before. Not sure.). I get so sad when I have a meal I've wanted, for example, macaroni and cheese, and I can't finish it because I get full after 5 bites. Sure, it's good for leftovers, but I want it NOW.

Cravings/Aversions: The cheese cravings continue, but I really don't consider that a craving since I've always wanted cheese.

Showing Yet: Definitely. So I'm trying to wrap my head around something that I touched on last week. How is it that some people have enough proper etiquette to say they've delayed in congratulating me or giving well wishes because they didn't want to assume that I was pregnant versus just gaining weight, but not enough etiquette so they randomly touch my belly? I don't get it.

Mood: I'm happy. Counting down is fun.

What I am Looking Forward to: 3rd tri. Since it seems to vary when it actually starts, I'm going to go with the latest start week, which is 28 weeks, aka next week. Looking ahead, my next OB appointment isn't until the 14th. I'm really excited to see Baby TeeJ again.

26 weeks!

How far along:  26 weeks (forgive the mess!)

Size of baby:  Lettuce. I'm having a hard time visualizing that.

Weight change: Not sure. I didn't weigh myself this week.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, I'm still in combo mode. Most of my pre-pregnancy shirts still fit and I'm 100% in maternity bottoms.

Stretch Marks: No, but I'm sure they're coming.

Sleep: What sleep? I live off of coffee at this point.

Symptoms: Nausea is still pretty bad. Some days I feel like I'm back in 1st tri. Gagging and dry heaving and I'm not happy about that. Speaking of 1st tri, apparently my hyperemesis and the excess throwing up that came with it caused quite a bit of tooth decay issues. Nothing like going to the dentist and being told you have 4 cavities. Awesome! Most of my shoes are uncomfortable too. I'm not sure if it's pregnancy related or the fact that it's hot and humid. Also, my belly button hurts like hell. I think the lap surgeries have worn it out and it won't pop.

Best Moment of the Week: Lots of fun nursery stuff this week! On Sunday, we ordered the crib and dresser. It's going to take 8-10 weeks to get here so that'll be fun putting together when I'm near full term. We also ordered our area rug for the nursery and it's so pretty! We also finished up our registry together with plenty of time to spare. Let the shopping begin!

Miss Anything: I finally miss sleep more than liquor. Although, I had a moment when my wine club called asking if I wanted to renew my membership. Insert sad face here.

Cravings/Aversions: I've wanted a chocolate chip cookie for a couple of days. I had the same craving last week but when I went to Starbucks, I also picked up a brownie and chocolate graham cookies. I ate all of it to on my way back to the office and had the mother of all stomach aches later. Needless to say I'm reluctant to get another cookie.

Showing Yet: Yep. I'm at that stage where people think it's okay to just touch my belly uninvited. Yesterday my hygienist pointed out that my belly looks like a soccer ball then proceed to touch, rub, and give it a shake like it was going to drop from under my shirt. Oh people...

Mood: I'm okay outside of the nausea.

What I am Looking Forward to: Birthing classes! DeeJ and I are going to an all day class tomorrow. It'll be fun to see other pregnant people in person. We might even make some friends!

Week 25!

How far along:  25 weeks!

Size of baby:  Cauliflower? Meh, my stomach is a little lumpy this week so I guess it fits.

Weight change: 6 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Hell yeah. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Stretch Marks: Nope

Sleep:  Still little sleep. I have trouble getting comfortable, even with piles of pillows under me. The cats don't help either. They want a piece of the pillow fortress too.


Symptoms: Lots of nausea this week and Braxton Hicks. I've had BH for a couple of weeks now, but it seems a little more intense this week. I'm also starting to have really bad lower back pain and my feet start hurting after walking for 20 minutes. Derek insists that I start getting prenatal massages twice a month. I'm going to take him up on his offer.


Best Moment of the Week: Getting to see Baby TeeJ on Thursday! She was sleeping with her back towards us so all we got to see were her really long legs and her strong and beautiful spine. At 24w5d, she weighed 1 pound and 12 ounces. She's getting to be a big girl!

Miss Anything: Still liquor, but I also miss being able to move about freely. There are so many tight spaces I used to fit myself into and I can't fit anymore, but I seem to find that out the hard way. One of my co-workers put it best; it's like being a cat without whiskers.

Cravings/Aversions:  Last week I listed cravings but forgot to talk about aversions. I definitely have my share. For example, at my office, the hand soap in the bathroom makes me want to puke. It just smells God awful. It's so bad that when I leave the bathroom, I go to wash my hands a second time in the office kitchenette. I also gag on cue when I smell fried foods (which breaks my heart... I love fried shit!), and sugar. So sugary drinks and foods are often off limits because I can't take it. Zofran is still my friend and it helps a lot. Seriously.

Showing Yet: Yep. People remind me every day.

Mood: I'm good! I think it's mostly because I'm on vacation until the 30th, but hey, I'll take it!

What I am Looking Forward to: My next appointment as usual. I was supposed to go back in 3 weeks which would put me as just shy of 28 weeks, but my OB is on vacation. So I'll be 28 weeks and some change when I go back for my Glucose test, Rhogam shot and whooping cough vaccine. Yay! More needles!