Week 30

November 18, 2011

Are these getting old? Or is it just me? I think I might be getting sick of being pregnant. (Although I am very grateful for the little life growing inside of me... and that he's healthy... and that I've had a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy. OK, so I think it might just be one of those days and I need to snap out of it.) Just 10 weeks to go, so I will press on!

Best Moment: The past week was a quiet one, but we did complete what Jason is calling the first semester of our baby MBA-- breastfeeding class, two more daycare visits (I think we've selected the winner), and our hospital tour. Still remaining in our "baby MBA" are infant CPR, visits with two different pediatricians, and our weekend-long labor, delivery, and childcare class. Seeing the maternity ward of our hospital was actually pretty cool. The rooms are super nice and they have all sorts of props and tools on-hand to help us labor up until any medication is desired. They have birthing balls, big jacuzzi tubs, and even wireless baby monitors so we can walk the halls without being tethered to the bed. I'm definitely open to medication, but hope to labor as long as possible au natural, so it's good to know they are set up to help enable this.

Symptoms: Full force third trimester fatigue. If there's one symptom that has defined this pregnancy for me, it's been fatigue. Serious, serious fatigue in first trimester... definitely better in the second (although no burst of energy like some people describe)... and now it's back in the third trimester. Considering the symptoms and complications many women endure during pregnancy, I know this is minor stuff. But, man. I miss my energy.

Cravings/Aversions: Still loving food, and lots of it!

What I Miss: Being able to stay up later than 9:45pm on a Friday!! I can't really remember what it's like to want to get out and be social.

What I Can't Wait For: Short term - a delicious Thanksgiving dinner later this week. Longer term - A glass of wine, and... wait for it... going for a run. Seriously. I may even be looking forward to a good run more than the glass of wine. In my current state of fatigue (and let's be honest... general crankiness), the idea of being able to just lace up my shoes, crank up my iPod, and enjoy a nice, brisk run sounds amazing. Something I never thought I'd say. But, seriously... that feeling of challenge and accomplishment, pushing past the discomfort into the "zone," actually being able to engage my core muscles (imagine that!), the mental clarity I can only find during this kind of exertion, and those post-run endorphins... yeah, that sounds good.

Milestones: I am 75% there! That is cause for celebration in my book. Less exciting is the fact that my weight now equals that of my husband, but it was bound to happen. My total weight gain is pushing 25 pounds so far, but with 10 weeks to go, including Thanksgiving and the full Christmas season, I'm prepared to see that number go up. Here's hoping I'm still waxing poetic about my desire for good run once baby actually arrives!

Week 29... and a wedding

November 11, 2011

Best Moment: The highlight of the week was catching up with my best friends from college at my good friend Anne's wedding. I haven't seen one of our friends, Camille, since she visited Austin last April, so it felt like a girls weekend with an extra special finale. (But we missed you, Diana!) Thursday night after work I drove down to San Antonio and met up with Anne, Camille, and her husband J for dinner at Dough. (Good stuff if you're ever in the Alamo city.) On Friday we hosted a little shower for Anne to enjoy some pre-wedding pampering, followed by the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Then on Saturday, we attended her gorgeous wedding. It was great to get away for the weekend and enjoy some fun with old friends before the little man arrives. Here's a picture of the three of us together:

Symptoms: Back pain, hip pain, and fatigue. But I managed to fulfill my MOH duties with flying colors by standing for the full hour of Anne's orthodox wedding ceremony. Go me. (Of course, I enjoyed a good two hour nap the next day.)

Cravings/Aversions: I crave food. Pretty much all types. I think I may need to delete this category. I feel like I am beginning to sound like a broken record.

What I Miss: Not too much really. I can now definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I'm just trying to enjoy the last couple months of this experience.

What I Can't Wait For: We've got an exciting few weeks coming up. We're hosting our first married Thanksgiving together, and then heading out to the gulf coast of Florida for another wedding in early December. We're going to stay a few extra days and make this our "babymoon." I'm looking forward to some R&R-- and hopefully a good prenatal massage at the resort!

Milestones: Baby is pushing 3 pounds and-- we revisit the produce aisle again this week-- about the size of a butternut squash. At this point, his brain development is kicking into high gear, which reminds me that I need to go pick up some Omega 3 supplements!

Week 28

(28 weeks, 3 days)

November 4, 2011

Best Moment: Wow. It's crazy to me that I have been pregnant for 28 weeks. Or 26 if you want to get technical. But still. That's half a year... a long time! The weeks just keep flying by. This past week was a quiet one. We enjoyed our fall outing and first Halloween giving out candy to trick-or-treaters (although our turn out was a little disappointing. Sadly, more candy for me...) We also finally put together the crib and made the decision to repurpose an old chest of drawers we already have as Bean's changing table and dresser. I started folding and organizing some of his (currently limited) wardrobe. It's so much fun to start seeing the nursery come together and envisioning him living in this room.

Symptoms: I'm still dealing with the sciatic pain in my right hip. I think it's here to stay unfortunately.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here, although I have now reached the point where I am starving every 2 hours or so. It's becoming somewhat of a challenge to find enough portable, healthy, different snack foods that I can bring to work or out and about with me. A girl cannot live on bananas and Luna bars alone.

What I Miss: I'm starting to get tired again... I think this might be third trimester fatigue setting in. While I miss my energy and my ability to get around easily, I realize I only have another 12 weeks to embrace being lazy and taking naps at will, so I am trying to enjoy it while I can.

What I Can't Wait For: I'm looking forward to my upcoming 28 week appointment (although not so much the glucose test.) Due to slight anomaly in Bean's umbilical cord, I will be getting an ultrasound at all of my remaining appointments to make sure his growth is on track. The silver lining is that it's always fun to see him!

Milestones: Jelly Bean weighs about 2 and a half pounds and his eyesight is developing. He is blinking his eyes and may be able to see the light that filters in through my skin.

Week 27

October 28, 2011

Best Moment: After my parents left last weekend, it was a quiet rest of the week. The highlight was probably registering on Friday night at Babies'R'Us... fun, though definitely a little intimidating. They gave us a list about 5 pages long of all the stuff we "need." I think our registry currently consists of about 20 items. With a 1500 square foot house, we're going with a less is more approach. I figure we can always purchase things later on that we discover we really need, but I don't want to wind up with a bunch of baby stuff we never touch. Still, it was fun to stroll aisles and picture him in a car seat, in a stroller, etc.

Symptoms: In addition to the back pain, I'm starting to get some sciatic nerve pain that runs from my lower back through my right hip and down my right leg. But, I'm not complaining too much. It's uncomfortable, but a heating pad helps, and I think it's just comes with the territory at this point. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy thus far.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing new here. Much to Jason's disappointment, barbecue still sounds pretty gross (I haven't had it once since very early in my first trimester), but everything else is fine. On the flip side, Halloween candy might pose a problem...

What I Miss: Nothing really.

What I Can't Wait For: One of my best friends from home is throwing me a shower in Portland in mid-December. I'm looking forward to that!

Milestones: I have officially completed the second trimester! It's hard to believe. We are now under the 3 month mark until my due date, and I know these last weeks are going to fly by. My focus for November is going to be on getting as much baby stuff done as possible, so that I can just relax and enjoy (as much as that's possible) the end of my pregnancy in December.