28 Weeks!

Although Christmas is officially over, and I'm late posting this blog, I'm going to wait until next week to write about all the stuff going on this week and just focus on last week :)

Last week, I did end up going to see the chiropractor.  He found the injury in my back from work, and adjusted me.  I felt so much better afterwards!  After going every few days since then, I've felt a little sore and achy, but not too bad.  I did get snow tires on my car finally, which turns my car into a champ driving around in the bad weather here in Maine!  I had another busy and tough week at work, but made it through!  Really looking forward to after the holidays!  We had a crazy ice storm come in last weekend - here are a few pictures:

We met with our doula on Saturday morning, and we're really excited about her!  She's still in training to be a doula, but we definitely felt comfortable with her, and we're really looking forward to having her around for the Zane's birth.  Her role will mostly be in supporting Steve during the birth, that way if he needs a break or to step away for a minute, he can do that without feeling like he's abandoning me.  She'll also help with explaining medical procedures and pain relief options, without deciding for us.

Zane should be measuring just under 15 inches this week, and weigh about 2 1/4 pounds.  He's putting on more fat, which is smoothing out his skin and making him less wrinkly.  His eyes are continuing to develop, and his brain is developing millions of neurons!  His lungs are also most likely mature enough by now that he could be born with less complications.


Here's me at 28 weeks:

How far along?  28 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  Pretty much all I wear, my normal shirts only cover about 2/3 of my belly lol

Total Weight Gain:  Gained 2 pounds this week, still leaving me down 2 pounds from pre-pregnancy

Sleep:  Some legs cramps keep me up, but if I have some milk and bananas before bed, it's better.  My hips have started to hurt at night too, so I have to constantly switch sides that I'm sleeping on.

Best moment this week:  I've enjoyed Christmas shopping with Steve this week, and looking forward to next year, when we'll have a little one to buy for :)

Miss Anything?  Man I wish I could have a cold turkey sandwich - that's all I want for lunch some days, but the listeria risk isn't worth it :(

Movement:  He's a very active little boy!  Sometimes kicking me so hard that it really startles me!

Food cravings:  I've still been craving milk a lot!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just random smells that bother me

Any other symptoms?  Heartburn, though not too bad this week, and fatigue - I've been napping a lot this week - I barely have enough energy to make it through work, and after that, all I want to do is sleep!

Have you started to show yet:  Getting a little bit bigger :)

Gender prediction:  It's a boy!

Labor Signs:  Nope

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On, no swelling yet

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Pretty tired, but staying positive :) 

Looking forward to:  All of the next week - it's Christmastime!!!

27 Weeks!

Yay!  We're officially in the 3rd trimester!!!  I'm very excited about this - we're that much closer to having our little boy here in our arms!  Zane is due to arrive exactly 3 months from tomorrow!!  It seems forever away, but I'm hoping it will go by fast!

This week was pretty long and exhausting at work - it was very very busy, and I'm starting to have a hard time keeping up to be honest.  My job is pretty physically demanding for me on busy days - it's non stop moving around on my feet and lifting.  My only saving hope is knowing that it's going to be pretty busy through Christmas, then things slow down after that a lot, so I'm not too worried about being able to hang in there for awhile longer.  I've been working 8 or 9 hour days everyday this week, and by the time I get home, my feet are killing me and I end up staying on the couch all night.  I did slip at work on Friday, after stepping on a plastic lid that someone left on the floor.  I caught myself but twisted my back a bit, and it was bothering me all day.  Now today, it feels like I have a pinched nerve of some sort.  I'm hoping to make it to the chiropractor this week to get straightened up.  

We also met up with our birth photographer this week!  If you'd like to check out her work, here's her website:  http://carlymurrayphotography.blogspot.com.  Because Steve and I want the birth of our son to be a private time, this is our way of sharing some of the labor and birth experience with our family and friends.  We're excited to have this experience documented, though don't worry, there won't be any TMI pictures!

Baby Zane should be officially showing brain activity this week!  He probably measures about 14.5 inches, and weighs 2 pounds by now!  Now that his eyelids are starting to open, his retinas are starting to form.  He can also now distinguish mommy and daddy's voices!

Here's me at 27 weeks:

How far along?  27 Weeks!

Maternity clothes?  Yes - I'm still trying to get use out of a couple of my normal work shirts, but it's not going to be much longer since I'm popping out of them.

Total Weight Gain:  I actually stayed the same this week, so down 4 pounds since pre-pregnancy

Sleep:  Leg cramps haven't been too bad this week, if I feel one coming on, I jump out of bed and stand up, and sometimes it goes away.  I have been getting up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom, and sometimes it takes me a little while to go back to sleep now.

Best moment this week:  Steve and registered at Babies 'R Us this weekend!  We were there for over 3 hours, but Steve held up great.  It was an eye-opener though, to see how much stuff we actually need!

Miss Anything?  I could have really used some caffeine to make it through this week!

Movement:  Zane is sometimes quiet all day, sometimes active all day, but he's always active at night.  I don't mind though, I love it!  Another awesome thing is actually seeing my belly move when he kicks hard - I find it quite amusing!

Food cravings:  Still craving milk this week - I had a few ounces of some regular milk one day, and I didn't have any issues with it, so when Steve and I were at a buffet this weekend, and they had chocolate milk ON TAP, I went ahead and drank about three huge glasses full, figuring that maybe my lactose intolerance went away?  Well, it didn't, I definitely regretted it later.  But it was so good!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just all that chocolate milk lol

Any other symptoms?  All the same stuff as last week

Have you started to show yet:  I feel about the same as last week

Gender prediction:  It's a boy!

Labor Signs:  Not yet

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Tired and a bit stressed this week, but mostly happy still

Looking forward to:  I'm really looking forward to getting some Christmas shopping done this week, and wrapping!

26 Weeks!

Another week down!

Steve and I decorated our Christmas tree this week!  I love it!  Tuesday, my sisters came over to make wreaths with me!  We scattered branches and pine needles aaaallllllll over my living room, and Steve made us dinner :) 

Steve also got a new tattoo this week - only because he guessed his Christmas present early!  He now knows that's a big no-no, I'd rather him pretend like he doesn't know than find out that he does!  He had the bottom one before, but it was just an outline, so they added color to that one, then did the new one on top:

One of the funniest things that happened this week was Zane reacting to loud noises - one night, Steve knocked over the fan, and as it clattered to the ground, Zane kicked me really hard!  Another time, Steve turned on the vacuum right next to me, and Zane kicked hard again!  I don't think he likes the loud noises lol.

Zane should be measuring at least 14 inches this week, and weigh about 1 3/4 pounds!  He's busy inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid through his mouth and nose, which is essential for developing the lungs.  His nerve pathways are becoming more and more developed, making him more sensitive to sound (which explains the kicking!).  His eyes are also finished forming, and he should finally open them sometime this week!

Me at 26 weeks:

How far along?  26 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yup :)  Actually, I'm starting to grow out of a few of the maternity pants that I started wearing during my first trimester . . . 

Total Weight Gain:  Gained another pound this week, leaving me at -4 pounds from pre-pregnancy

Sleep:  Sleep has been off and on - the leg cramps were pretty bad this week - bad enough to the point where they made me cry!  I woke up Steve one time and he tried rubbing my leg, but once they start, nothing can stop them.  I've really made an effort to up my potassium and calcium intake the last couple of days, and I think it's helping.  

Best moment this week:  Sometimes the best moments are just cuddling with Steve and talking about what our baby might be like :)

Miss Anything?  I just want a cold turkey and cheese sandwich . . .

Movement:  He's not as active as last week, but he still moves around a few times a day, especially at night :)

Food cravings:  I was really craving ramen noodles (or "stringy stuff" as my family used to call it) with tuna fish earlier this week - and I finally got some!  Yum!  Also, I've developed a strange liking to milk lately - usually I'm not a huge milk fan, only with my cereal, plus I'm lactose-intolerant, so I drink soy, almond, or lactose-free milk, but I've been loving my milk lately!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not in that sense, but I have been feeling dizzy every morning at work. I think I just need to drink more water in the mornings, so I'm trying to do that.  

Any other symptoms?  Leg cramps, stretching pains, dizziness, heartburn - it's back, with a vengeance :/

Have you started to show yet:  Yup, though I don't really feel like I grew this week too much

Gender prediction:  It's a boy!

Labor Signs:  Nope

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I would say happy - I'm really excited about having a baby :)

Looking forward to:  Meeting with the birth photographer and doula this weekend!  I hope I like them!

25 Weeks!

25 weeks down, 15 to go!

I had my regular visit with the midwife this week.  She took my blood pressure, which she said was great!  She also measured my fundal height, which is a measurement they take on the outside of your belly to record the size of the uterus.  It's the distance from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus.  This allows them to assess the baby's size, growth rate, and position.  Ideally, since I was 24 weeks at my appointment, I should have measured 24cm, but I measured 26cm, which is still in the "acceptable" range (2cm more or less).  Zane is getting big!

I also had to take my Gestational Diabetes test.  For this, they gave me a sickly sweet orange drink that I had to consume 1 hour before coming into the office.  They then took a blood test to measure how my body handled the high amount of sugar in the drink.  I passed!  Everything else in the appointment went well - Zane's heartbeat was normal, and he was being very active while she tried to take a listen to him.

We got our first real snowfall this week!  It's been flurrying a little, but we actually got some snow to stick to the ground this time!  I do love the snow, but I'm not a big fan of driving in it, especially since I don't have my snow tires on yet!  Steve and I celebrated Thanksgiving by relaxing and lazying around the house all morning, then enjoyed a large feast with my side of the family.  My sister, Renee, came back from Africa for a little while, so we got to see her for Thanksgiving.  Steve's friend, Michelle, also came up to Maine and met us in Portland on Black Friday for a few hours and we did some shopping together.  She also gave us an awesomely huge gift basket of baby stuff!!!  I was able to find some maternity clothes in Portland on sale that day.  I hate spending money on maternity clothes, knowing I'll only be wearing them for a few months, but I needed clothes that actually fit me!

On Sunday, Steve and I met up with my family at a local Christmas Tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree!  I was really excited to get a big one this year, since we have higher ceilings in our new living room as compared to our old apartment.  We got a great tree!

Zane should measure about 13.5 inches from crown to heel this week, and weigh a pound and a half!  He should be growing more hair this week, and if we could see it, we would be able to see the color and texture!  He should also now have a new sense of equilibrium, which means that he now knows which way is up, and which was is down!  He's plumping up more, his hands (including his fingerprints!) are fully formed, AND the structure of the spine is beginning to form!

Here's me at 25 weeks:

How far along?  25 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  I love my new maternity clothes especially!  

Total Weight Gain:  Gained those 2 pounds back this week, still leaving me at 5 pounds down from my pre-pregnancy weight!

Sleep:  Leg cramps off and on, getting up to pee at least twice a night, trying to get comfortable always sleeping on my sides - eh, it's been OK

Best moment this week:  Picking out a Christmas tree with Steve :)

Miss Anything?  So many things . . . but he's worth it :)

Movement:  He's very active!  Kicking me on all sides of my belly, sometimes it feels like he's doing it with both feet!  And Steve felt him kick a few more times :)

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular I can think of

Anything making you queasy or sick: Random smells :)

Any other symptoms?  All the same stuff

Have you started to show yet:  More and more!

Gender prediction: Boy!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Belly Button in or out?  In, though it's getting shallower . . . 

Wedding rings on or off? On, I really haven't had much swelling in my hands and feet at all yet

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy most of the time, emotional sometimes

Looking forward to:  Setting up our Christmas tree!