29 Weeks!

How far along are you?  29 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of a squash this week, measuring up to 16.5" and anywhere from 2.5-3.8 lbs!
Maternity clothes?  Yep, with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Somewhere between 18-20 lbs.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I wake up a lot to use the bathroom and to switch positions now.  My hips usually hurt after a few hours, so I need to turn over.
Best moment this week:  Going to our labor class on Saturday!  The class was super informative and we loved the hospital.  I can't believe we're starting to get close.
Any Movement?  All of the time.
Food Cravings?  Nothing really.
Food Aversions?  Nope
Belly Button in or out?  In.
What do you miss:  I really miss a good workout.
What are you looking forward to:  Mike's birthday is Friday and I took the day off to spend with him!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Another short work week :)
What was the WORST part of this week?  Nothing I can think of.

29 weeks!

28 Weeks!

How far along are you?  28 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby is similar in size to last week.
Maternity clothes?  Yep.  Pretty much all of the time.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Gain for sure, but I haven't weighed myself recently.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I've been sleeping pretty well, though I wouldn't mind being able to sleep in.
Best moment this week:  Finding out I passed my glucose tolerance test! :)
Any Movement?  All of the time!
Food Cravings?  Italian wedding soup, clementines, steamed broccoli
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing
What are you looking forward to:  Mike's birthday is coming up soon :)
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting to spend extra time with Mike.
What was the WORST part of this week?  My car having to go into the shop last week :(

28 weeks - I think I popped!

27 Weeks!

How far along are you?  27 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of an eggplant this week at 1.5-2.5 lbs and 13.6-14.8" long.
Maternity clothes?  Pretty much all of the time.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Around 15-17 lbs, depending on the day.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'll take as much as possible!
Best moment this week:  I'm in the 3rd trimester today!
Any Movement?  All of the time.
Food Cravings?  Italian wedding soup, salad, clementines
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing.
What are you looking forward to:  Another short week and spending time with Mike this weekend :)
What was the BEST part of this week?  Celebrating Christmas
What was the WORST part of this week?  Mike having to work Christmas day :(

27 weeks!

Wow, I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone!  Next year at this time we'll have a baby to celebrate with...I can't even believe it.  Christmas was wonderful and I am so thankful that I got to at least spend Christmas Eve with Mike this year.  Our little Bean was so spoiled by his/her family and it's so obvious that s/he is loved already.  We got lots of great stuff including clothes, a drying rack, baby wash, bath stuff, and (my personal favorite) Sophie the giraffe teether!  I can't believe we're going to be using all of this stuff so soon.

27 weeks also marks the beginning of the third trimester.  I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to get out of the first trimester and be "safe", but now the end is coming up really quick!  I can't believe how fast time has gone and how close we are to meeting our little Bean.  It seems so surreal that I'm already in third tri, especially when I think about those days when I felt like the first would never be over.  It's insane how fast it goes!  I'm really trying to soak it up now before it's over.

In other pregnancy news, I had to do my 3rd tri blood work, including the glucose tolerance test last week.  Blech.  Thankfully the drink wasn't too bad (note: make sure to get orange again next time around), but it was so disgustingly sweet it felt like it was burning the back of my throat when I drank it.  The baby had an insane reaction to it as well and started freaking out a few minutes after I finished it.  I felt so awful that s/he was having such a reaction to all of the sugar, especially since I don't eat that much sugar regularly, but it was a necessary evil.  I finally got the results back from the lab and I passed the test with a 78 (they like to see a number under 130).  Other than that, all of my other blood work looked good!

26 Weeks!

How far along are you?  26 weeks
How big is baby?  Measurements are similar to last week since baby is putting on more fat at this point - s/he should be around 13.6-14.8" and 1.5-2.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Around 14-15 lbs.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I am SO exhausted, but I toss and turn all night.
Best moment this week:  After I came home from my final last Wednesday, I had a mysterious package.  It turns out that my friend MacKenzie from Dust Bunnies and Baby Giggles sent our little Bean his/her first Christmas present!  It was the Fisher Price Soothe & Glow Seahorse!  It totally made my week :)
Any Movement?  Yes, very consistently
Food Cravings?  Clementines.  Lots and lots of them.
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing I can think of.
What are you looking forward to:  Christmas this weekend!  I can't believe it's here already!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Taking a half day and spending time with Mike on Monday.
What was the WORST part of this week?  I had a crappy day on Friday.

26 weeks!

Phew, I finally got the blog all caught up!  I apologize to all of you who reminded me (and those of you who didn't) about my delay in getting my posts up the last two weeks.  I wrote them and emailed them to myself, but I never got around to posting them with everything going on at school.  But it's all over now and I'm free!  Now I get to focus my energy on all things baby-related. :)

I know this was in my weekly post, but 24 weeks marked viability for our little Bean and I'm really happy about it!  Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I set little milestones for myself... 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 2nd tri, 20 weeks, and finally viability!  Now I'm only a few days away from the 3rd trimester and I can't even believe it.  This baby is going to be here before we know it!

On my birthday, Mike and I finally built the baby's dresser.  That same day, our crib and changing table also came in, so we built those as well!  I'm so excited that the nursery is starting to come together, and I love to just go spend time in there thinking about the little guy or girl that will be occupying the space in 3(ish) short months.  Now that school is over, I can finally start thinking about decorating and making it perfect for our Bean.

Other than being busy with school stuff, life has been great.  The baby is super active all of the time and definitely growing (because I'm definitely growing!)  S/he loves his/her Daddy a ton already.  I don't know how s/he knows, but every time Mike puts his hand on my belly (EVERY time) s/he flips out.  I just don't know how s/he knows it's him!  So many people touch my belly lately, but Mike always gets the same reaction.  Other than Mike eliciting special movement, the baby has very predictable sleep/wake patterns.  For the most part, s/he is awake in the mornings from 7ish-9ish and then has scarce movements throughout the day.  In the evenings and especially around 9:30-10 p.m. s/he is usually very active.  Today, however, s/he has been a complete maniac!  I have no idea what is going on, but I am feeling kicks and punches all over the place.  I hope that this means that the s/he is flipping head down if s/he's not already.

On Friday we went for our 25 week appointment and everything was great.  Baby's heart rate was 145 bpm and my fundal height (belly measurement) was 25", which is right on target for 25 weeks.  I have to go tomorrow morning for my glucose tolerance test (to check for gestational diabetes) and 3rd trimester blood work.  Friday should be a short day of work, and then we have Christmas festivities this weekend and New Year's next weekend!  The following Saturday (1/7/12) is our birthing/pain management class and hospital tour.  Time is just flyingggg by!

Mike and I keep thinking about how last year all we wanted for Christmas was a baby, and now we're on our way there.  We are so blessed!

25 Weeks!

How far along are you?  25 weeks - only about 15 weeks left!
How big is baby?  Baby is about the size of an eggplant this week, measuring up to 14.8" and weighing in anywhere from 1.5-2.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes?  Pretty much all of the time, with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Anywhere from 13-15 lbs, depending on how much I've eaten ;)
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Yes, please!  I'm back at the point where I could fall asleep at any moment.
Best moment this week:  ...will be tonight after I finish my last final of the semester.
Any Movement?  All of the time
Food Cravings?  Clementines, strawberries, yogurt
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Clothes that fit well and look nice
What are you looking forward to:  Having this semester behind me
What was the BEST part of this week?  So far?  Finishing my final this weekend and turning in my 22 page paper.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Studying for my final tonight.

25 weeks!

24 Weeks!

How far along are you?  24 weeks!
How big is baby?  Measurements for baby are starting to get more vague, but s/he should be between 10.5-11.8" and up to 20.8 ounces.
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time with a few exceptions.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Around 13 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'll take all I can get, thankyouverymuch!
Best moment this week:  My birthday :)
Any Movement?  All of the time
Food Cravings?  Nothing really
Food Aversions?  None
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Having a life, although this is unrelated to being pregnant.
What are you looking forward to:  School being over next week.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Spending my birthday with Mike.
What was the WORST part of this week?  All of the tests/stress in school!

24 weeks!

24 weeks marks a viable pregnancy!  Although we want the baby to continue growing as an inside baby, s/he now has a chance of survival outside of the womb.  This is just another milestone that we've been looking forward to and we're so thankful that we've made it this far!

23 Weeks!

How far along are you?  23 weeks
How big is baby?  This week baby is more than 11" long and weighs more than a pound!
Maternity clothes?  Most of the time, though I still wear non-maternity sometimes.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  Ha - I'm not getting on the scale after all I've eaten in the last week!
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I'm so desperate for some good, quality sleep.  Although, baby did let me sleep in until 8:30 last weekend...woohoo.
Best moment this week:  Thanksgiving was a great day :)
Any Movement?  So often!  Now we've even had family members begin to feel our little Bean.
Food Cravings?  Salad and Thanksgiving leftovers.
Food Aversions?  Still no aversions, but things taste weird lately and most food is very unappealing.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Sleeping well, not having a constant backache...
What are you looking forward to:  My birthday is on Sunday!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting to spend 3 days with Mike, buying the crib, decorating for Christmas... it was a great week :)
What was the WORST part of this week?  My little sister fainting on Wednesday morning and having to take her to the hospital! :(

23 weeks and getting bigger!

I have so much to report from the past week!  First of all, I'm sorry for the delayed posts.  I always start them and then get side tracked... and then I completely forget until I someone says, "hey, are you going to update your blog soon?"  The next 2 weeks are going to be really crazy with school, but after that I should be good with time to update!  Also, I should note that I think I finally "popped."  In the last 2ish weeks I feel like I'm finally starting to look more pregnant and less like I've just been eating too much.  I can definitely see a change in my weekly bump photos, though!

Thanksgiving was wonderful and just what I needed.  I am SO thankful this year.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and of course I'm thankful every year, but this year is special.  Last year at Thanksgiving and over the winter holidays, all I wanted was to be pregnant and have the opportunity to be a mom.  Now here I am.  I can't even type that out without it bringing tears to my eyes.  I have a great husband and the best family in the world and now I get to add my very own little angel to the mix.  Life just doesn't get any better.  I was reading back on old posts and even my very first one mentioned how blessed and thankful I am for this baby.  I don't think a day has gone by where I don't wake up and thank God for this baby, nor do I go to bed without thanking Him again and praying for this little miracle that we have.  However, I know I've said this before and I'll say it again, I do feel a little guilty that Mike doesn't have the same intimate connection with our baby that I do.  This little guy or girl is absolutely everything to me, and I hate that he doesn't get the same moments that I do.  Even though I'm a little apprehensive about having to share the baby with everyone, I can't help but to fantasize about the day that the two loves of my life finally meet.  I can't think of anything sweeter.  Until then, I plan on enjoying every little kick and punch and gymnast move in my belly... except for the ones on my bladder.  So not cool.

After our Thanksgiving feast, Mike and I headed out on our annual Black Friday shopping excursion with family and friends.  This year we decided to switch it up a bit and go out at midnight since so many of our favorite stores were opening early.  We were able to hit Kohl's, Target, Macy's, Bath & Body Works, the Disney Store, Yankee Candle, Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us, Hallmark, and Sephora all before 7 am!  I was super prepared this year with my list and coupons and finished most of my shopping!  We also made a special trip to the local TRU/BRU so that we could buy our crib and changing table.  Babies 'R Us was having a Black Friday special and offering both the Graco Lauren crib and matching changing table for $148!  I also had a $10 off coupon, so after taxes it only cost us $147!  A few weeks ago, I ordered our nursery dresser (which also matches the crib), so altogether our nursery furniture cost us less than $350.  Not too shabby!

Our baby's nursery furniture!  (Note: this is not our nursery)  [Photo courtesy of babiesrus.com]

Baby's dresser!  I can't wait to fill it with clothes!  [Photo courtesy of jcpenney.com]

All-in-all it was a wonderful week!  Now I'll be thankful if baby and I make it through the end of the semester and finals!