28 weeks! Happy Valentines Day!

How far along are you – 28 weeks
Total weight gain – 13 lbs
Maternity Clothes – all the time
Stretch Marks – Still nothing, perhaps I’m lucky.
Sleep – It comes and goes. I sleep pretty well once I’m in a comfortable position.
Best moment this week – seeing Brad come home from work today to his favorite holiday treat! I made him almond bark dipped pretzels and they put a HUGE smile on his face. Happy Valentines Day hunny! Our very good friends the Diaz’s also announced that they were expecting this week!! She is about 11 weeks along and doing great! We are so excited for them! Congrats you guys!!
Miss anything – the ease of putting socks and shoes on, a glass of wine and fish. My energy level has also decreased again, so I find myself on the couch more often these days and being exhausted from doing nothing.
Movement – TONS of movement. Our little guy has been moving around quite a bit these days.
Food Cravings – I still have quite the sweet tooth.
Anything make you queasy or sick – no
Gender – Boy
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks contractions.
Symptoms – I have had tightness of my abdomen and a stuffy nose. Also, when I lay on my right side for too long at night I get a tingling sensation down the right side and have to move. I feel bad for poor Brad for my constant movement at night.
Belly Button in or out –Still in.
Wedding ring on or off – On. However, when I gave it to the jeweler the other day to clean it was hard to take off.
Happy or moody – I was a little bit of both this week.
Looking forward to – My 29 week appointment on Monday morning and leaving for Seattle on Wednesday morning.

I can’t speak for Brad, but I am overly excited to go back to Seattle for a few days. It will be nice to spend time with family and get a pampered. My grandmother will be staying with my parents while Brad and I are there, so it will be nice to spend time with her as well. It might prove to be a little difficult to not over do the seafood consumption, so hopefully I can keep it to a minimum. I suppose that’s a perk to living in a land lock state. No fresh yummy seafood!
We will be spending 3 nights with my folks up north and then our last two nights down in Yelm with Brad’s parents and oldest brother and his family. Brad’s parents made a two-week trip to Nepal and then spent some time in Ireland, so it will be nice to hear about their trip. Also, Brad’s oldest brother Greg and his family did a mission trip down to Mexico so I’m eager to hear all about their trip as well.

27 weeks - 3rd Trimester

How far along are you – 27 weeks – Welcome to the 3rd Trimester!
Total weight gain – still sticking with 12-13 pounds
Maternity Clothes – All the time
Stretch Marks – Nothing
Sleep – I’ve had more good nights of sleep than bad ones this week.
Best moment this week – Feeling our little guy move around.
Miss anything – half pots of coffee, tuna fish sandwiches more than once a week and having a glass of wine. I also miss being able to bend over comfortably to put socks and shoes on.
Movement – TONS!
Food Cravings – No cravings this week.
Anything make you queasy or sick – I’m still very fortunate to not have anything make me sick.
Gender – BOY
Labor signs – I am getting used to the Braxton Hicks contractions, but they are still annoying.
Symptoms – My nose isn’t as stuffy this week but my feet are starting to hurt more.
Belly Button in or out – In
Wedding ring on or off – On
Happy or moody – It’s a toss up this week. I’ve had a few great days and a few moody days.
Looking forward to – My next doctors appointment on the 18th and our trip back home for my first baby shower!

As I mentioned last week, we have graduated to appointments every two weeks. This week we also entered the 3rd Trimester!! In just about 12 weeks, we get to meet our little man and hold him in our arms! Even though I didn’t know I was pregnant for most of my 1st Trimester, I have had a pretty awesome pregnancy. Yes, I’ve had the usual pregnancy complaints of body parts hurting and having difficulty doing certain things, but I’ve been pretty fortunate. I haven’t gained a ton of weight, my appetite returned and I’ve felt pretty good. On the negative side, I have had a harder time sleeping and finding a comfortable position at night, I’ve become far more moody and emotional and my absentmindess is driving me up the wall.

Brad and I had an uneventful week this week. As our trip to Seattle draws near, I am getting excited to see friends and family. Our friends here in Billings have had the opportunity to watch me grow on a daily basis, but last time our friends saw me in Seattle I had my pre-pregnancy body. I’m excited to see everyone’s reaction to my growing belly. It’ll be nice to spend time with my parents and grandmother and to spend some quality time with Brads parents and oldest brother and his family for a few days.

26 weeks

How far along are you – 26 weeks
Total weight gain – 13 pounds
Maternity Clothes – All the time
Stretch Marks – My belly is still stretch mark free. ☺
Sleep – It seems I get into a comfortable position and then our little man decides it’s time to party in my uterus and I have to find another!
Best moment this week – Finding out I don’t have gestational diabetes!
Miss anything – the regular tuna fish sandwiches and wine, but I also miss being somewhat normal and not have crazy mood swings.
Movement – TONS! He stays up late and moves around and is up early in the morning to make sure I remember he is there.
Food Cravings – sweet and sour candy.
Anything make you queasy or sick – Nothing.
Gender– Boy
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming my new best friend.
Symptoms – My feet are starting to hurt more often at work and have become swollen.
Belly Button in or out – Somehow it’s still in but I have a feeling that in the next few weeks it’ll pop right out!
Wedding ring on or off – They are on but on the tight side some days.
Happy or moody – I think I was more moody this week. I have some cranky co-workers that don’t help with my mood swings, but I can always come home and depend on Brad to help me.
Looking forward to – We are looking forward to leaving for Seattle on the 20th of February! It’ll be nice to spend time with family and friends from home.

I had my 25-week appointment on Wednesday, which was also my glucose-testing day. The orange drink that they gave me was pretty gnarly so I drank it as fast as I could so it would just be over with. My doctor came in and measured me and answered my questions I had this week. I got to hear the heart beat again, which is always amazing and it’s a strong 155!! She also graduated me to appointments every two weeks instead of once a month! For those of you who know how great I am with needles, I managed to make it through a blood draw all by myself. My hands got a little clammy, but I made it!

25 weeks

How far along are you – 25 weeks
Total weight gain – 13 pounds. Some how our scale got switched from pounds to kilograms. I thought our scale was just dying, so I’ve been adding a 1 to whatever number showed up. So reallllllly, I’ve gained only 13 since November instead of 17-ish. ☺
Maternity Clothes – all the time
Stretch Marks – Nope
Sleep – Once I find a comfortable position, I can get to sleep but its getting difficult to move around in bed.
Best moment this week – Wednesday after my cardiology appointment our little man was making himself known in my tummy. LOTS of kicking and punching and twirling. I had lunch with a friend of mine that afternoon and she got a kick (literally) out of watching him move my stomach.
Miss anything – Tuna fish, coffee and a glass of wine with dinner.
Movement – TONS! Brad has been able to catch a few kicks and is eager for the next few weeks when they get stronger and more frequent.
Food Cravings – canned fruit. We have a lot of it at work and when there are extra’s, I cant seem to get enough of it.
Anything make you queasy or sick – I’ve been pretty darn fortunate to not have anything make me feel queasy, although when I walked into Wal-Mart this evening something didn’t smell good at all.
Gender – Boy all the way
Labor signs – Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming more frequent and I can tell when they are coming on.
Symptoms – My stuffy nose has subsided and my skin isn’t nearly as dry.
Belly Button in or out – Somehow it’s still in, but I imagine in the next few weeks it’ll pop right out.
Wedding ring on or off – on but feeling a little tight in the morning.
Happy or moody – I had a very moody week this week. Silly things were getting on my nerves and I had a hard time letting go.
Looking forward to – Next week for my 26 week appointment.

I had my cardiology appointment this week with the adult cardiologist and he gave me the stamp of approval. I am not considered a high-risk pregnancy anymore since everything with baby boy and myself has checked out. Our son’s heart looks fine with his four chambers and his blood is flowing just like it’s supposed to. My heart sounds fine as well. I have a heart murmur, but he said that is very typical and normal for pregnancies. I have an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) scheduled for march 12th to look at my heart just so we can cross out T’s and dot our I’s.
This last week I finished registering at a few stores around town and am getting anxious to make our trip out to Seattle for the baby shower. It’s going to be wonderful to see everyone and spend some quality time with close friends and family.
This week I wrote on our board that we have 14 weeks to go and that number is sort of scary. If you break it down, it’s something like 100 and some odd days. Ready. Set. We are parents. Brad and I have started doing a little bit of shopping, but I feel like we are running behind on getting things ready for our little guys arrival. We haven’t scheduled any sort of hospital tour; we don’t know what kind of stroller, glider or crib to purchase. Before we know it, April is going to be here and we won’t have anything ready and will have to scramble to get things done. I suppose that’s just how we run, but it’s nerve racking. Here is to hoping that we start to get things done in anticipation of our son’s arrival!

24 weeks

How far along are you – 24 weeks
Total weight gain – I have officially gained 15 pounds since we started keeping track at the start of December.
Maternity Clothes – all the time
Stretch Marks – Still nothing and I hope it stays that way.
Sleep – I am having more difficulty finding a comfortable position and find myself waking up more often. Our little guy is also more active at night when I lay down on my right side, so he keeps me up with his twisting and turning.
Best moment this week – I SAW our little guy kick. Feeling him kick is one thing, but to actually see my belly move was out of this world amazing!
Miss anything – A glass of wine with dinner and tuna fish sandwiches.
Movement – I am feeling more and more movement each day. Our little man likes to sit and make himself comfortable on my right side in my ribs.
Food cravings– Pizza pockets and sweet and sour candy.
Gender – It’s a BOY!!!!!
Labor signs – Braxton hicks contractions are getting more frequent.
Symptoms – stuffy nose and difficulty doing simple things such as bending over to put my socks and shoes on.
Belly Button in or out –still in.
Wedding ring on or off – On.
Happy or moody – more moody this week.
Looking forward to – Finishing registering at different stores. I also have a cardiology appointment this week so we can make sure my heart is doing all right. Last week, when we found out we were having a boy, our high risk doctor said his heart looks just fine. He has all 4 chambers of his heart and his blood is pumping like it should which is all great news. Now we get to make sure my heart can with-stand the extra amount of blood flowing in and out. After my appointment on Tuesday, my next appointment with my OBGYN is on the 30th and will be my blood glucose test day. Oh, how exciting!

23 weeks!!

How far along are you – 23 weeks
Total weight gain – I’ve lost two pounds since last week, but I am confident that I’ll gain it right back! ☺
Maternity Clothes – jeans all the time and stretchy tops.
Stretch Marks – Still nothing.
Sleep – It’s been harder to find a comfortable position this past week. I have found that sleeping on my left side is better, but I seem to always end up on my back.
Best moment this week – Finding out what we are having!
Miss anything – Tuna and red wine
Movement – More kicking and movement this week.
Food Cravings – Ice cold coke with small ice cubes and sweet and sour candy.
Anything make you queasy or sick – My appetite comes and goes.
Gender – It’s a BOY
Labor signs – I’ve been having Braxton hicks contractions evidently. It was especially fun while the ultra sound tech was doing the ultrasound and pushing really hard on my stomach.
Symptoms – According to Brad, I have been cranky, crabby and irritable. I’ve had dry skin and a stuffy nose and with the difficulty sleeping I am sleep deprived.
Belly Button in or out – In and stretched
Wedding ring on or off – On.
Happy or moody – Yes!
Looking forward to – Naming our baby boy and starting to decorate our nursery. I’ve done a pretty good job of not buying anything gender specific but now I can move forward with blue!!!!

My mother had the privilege of being out here for the ultra sound and to spend some time with us. It’s been awesome having her here, except she brought a cough and a stuffy nose with her. ☹ We have had the opportunity to go shopping, spend quality time with each other and she has taught me how to crochet. We have also spent some time in fabric stores getting ideas on what to make in anticipation of our little one.
My little old ladies at work have enjoyed watching me grow and have thought of a creative way to share with them what we are having. I bought some white cake mix and I intend to make blue cupcakes with white frosting and bring them to work on Friday. Most of my co-workers are pretty excited for us as well and are understanding of my decreased duties at work. It is progressively getting harder for me to bend over to pick things up on the floor and I find that I am agitated easier these days.
So far this pregnancy has been a breeze and I am hoping for the next half to be even better. I look forward to stronger kicks, hearing the heart beat more often and shopping!!!!!! In just a few weeks, Brad and I will be back in Seattle for the shower my mom is throwing for me. We will be back for just under a week and are super excited. Just one month after, my dear friends Gretta and Debbie will be hosting a shower for me in Billings. I have been truly blessed with some pretty fantastic family and friends! ☺

22 weeks

How far along are you – 22 weeks
Total weight gain – Still sticking to the 12 pounds.
Maternity Clothes – More and more all the time.
Stretch Marks – Nothing and I hope it stays that way. I had a nightmare last week that I got terrible stretch marks all up and down my stomach. So a few days later, I went to Target and picked up the Burts Bee’s brand body butter. I’ve been religiously lathering myself in the morning and before I go to bed.
Sleep – I’ve had a few fitful nights but they are few and far between.
Best moment this week – Feeling the baby move more and more.
Miss anything – The usual . . . Tuna, red wine, larger amounts of coffee and being able to squat down and get back up easily.
Movement – No more fluttering. I am now experiencing full kicks and turns.
Food Cravings – Sweet and sour candy, like sour patch kids and ice cold coke (with the small round ice cubes, not the big ones) I’ve also been drinking LOTS of Chamomile tea.
Anything make you queasy or sick – Nothing.
Gender – My gut feeling says we are having a girl, but every other sign, like heart beat and how low I’m sitting, points to us having a boy. We find out on the 10th if my gut is right or wrong.
Labor signs – Nothing, thank goodness.
Symptoms – Continual sinus headaches, dry skin, dry nose, difficulty finding a comfortable position to sleep in, the usual pregnancy symptoms.
Belly Button in or out – In.
Wedding ring on or off – On.
Happy or moody – Happy but still able to cry at the drop of a hat.
Looking forward to – My mother coming out on Sunday the 6th and then the big day on January 10th, when we see our little peanut again and find out if it’s a boy or girl.

This has been a pretty good week for me. Regardless of what it might sound like, I really am enjoying being pregnant. I am really loving how round my belly is getting and all of the movement I’m experiencing. All of the ladies at work are excited to watch me grow and one lady feels my tummy every night, at least 3 times. I’m looking forward to the baby shower my mom is throwing me in Seattle.