31 weeks

I normally post my "Moment of the week" answer at the end of each post, but I think I'll start with it today!

While we were in WV for Thanksgiving, Mathias was given his great grandmother's wedding set. A gorgeous gold solitaire and matching band from the early 1900's. He had plans to give the set to me but apparently 2 rings was not enough for his lovely lady! And he gave me a 3rd band to perfectly blend old with new. I LOVE them together!! We've been etching out the details for a summer wedding on his parents' property for a while now, and plan on having one of our good friends marry us. Scrum, the ordained minister. Anyone who knows him would agree this sounds like a pretty good title ;-)

Nursery progress: We've done very little to the nursery since my last update. Work is keeping us busy but I plan on cleaning it up a bit before next weekend's baby shower when people are sure to want to take a peek!

Total weight gain: 17lb - I'm surprised it's not more given the damage I did over 2 Thanksgiving celebrations

Baby's size: A little over 3lb and around 17in long (woah!)

How do you feel? Honestly, it feels like the 3lb / 17in long size feels exactly like it sounds. Movements are getting much stronger, hiccups are becoming more frequent, and my back feels like a marshmallow, always a bit puffy with dull pain daily. My love-hate relationship with maternity pants continues and it's grown to a physically uncomfortable level. And I'm hot now. I've never felt hot in the cold weather months before and it makes me wonder how pregnant women survive the summer! I have a heated blanket Mathias gave to me that's lasted through 2 winters already, and now that I am my own personal heater, I've been just laying on it each night to ease the back pain.

But you know what? As much as it sounds like I am complaining, I'm reaching. I am still loving every minute of my pregnancy and knock on wood future pregnancies go this smoothly. I love feeling movements because it's reassuring and means the baby's healthy. I love feeling hiccups because I'm still in awe that something so tiny can still experience the must mundane of human experiences. I don't mind the dull pain I walk around with because it means my body is strong and my muscles are working for a greater good. I seldom complain out loud, reminding myself that carrying this child is an honor and a privilege I wouldn't trade for anything. 

Wordless Wednesday

When Amanda needs a volunteer to pick up Krispy Kreme for the office

...and the "Hot Now" sign is on when I get there

How I felt finishing my 3rd plate of Thanksgiving dinner

When someone asks if I want to go Black Friday shopping

When my 13th friend due within a month from me finds out the gender!

CONGRATS to all my friends recently engaged/married/pregnant! (FOUR baby announcements on Thanksgiving alone..wow) Always exciting to have these fill up my news feed every Holiday season :-)

29 weeks + bumpdate

Grow baby grow!

Before I begin this post, I want to take a second to recognize all of the strong children who were born prematurely and the parents and medical teams who cared for them! Last week, I learned about World Prematurity Day and saw just how many of my friends had their babies early. This came on the same day I watched that new show on TLC about the quintuplets for the first time. I was 28 weeks + 2 days that day and these quints were born at 28 + 2! 

At 24 weeks, a pregnancy is considered viable. The baby may survive the 50/50 chance, but it comes with significant health risks. By week 28, however, the chances of baby's survival increase to 90-95% although organs are not completely formed yet. These quints were sooo tiny and each born with a heart murmur, one with a collapsed lung, and one with Nystagmus. Needless to say, I got very emotional watching it and couldn't imagine giving birth that day...knowing how little and helpless my baby would be! But they did survive, and after 3 more months in the hospital, they each got to go home!

It's a Buzz World

As I said in the last post, now that I'm in my 3rd trimester, I'm seeing the doctor now every 2 weeks. We won't have another US unless she sees a slow in baby bump growth, decreased baby kicking, or I have (knock on wood) a medical concern or complication between now and January. So hang on there baby, you're not done bakin' yet!

Baby's size: The size of an eggplant and pushing 3 lb!

Total weight gain: 14 lb...I am feeling so round these days! I stepped onto a high bench to move a curtain yesterday and felt a new sense of gravitational pull weighing me down haha

How do you feel? It's getting harder to get up quickly, and I'm starting to feel a general body discomfort which makes me irritable more easily. Laying flat on my back is impossibly painful after just a few minutes and I miss laying on my stomach! Sleeping is still comfortable as long as I'm on my side, although I don't always sleep through the whole night without waking up. I find myself short of breath after doing minimal tasks, and feel like my heart is racing for no reason sometimes. Ugh. 

Nursery progress: It's in a bit of disarray and is looking worse before it's going to look better! I pulled the dresser out of the room and spent the weekend repainting it white. I really love the way it turned out, and plan on hanging some floating shelves above it. Nesting phase has arrived in full force and I'm feeling compelled to pay for someone to come in and just do a deep clean. Still need to find (or make) a slipcover for the glider, and dad and I are planning out the closet update. 

Moment of the week: Mathias got to feel baby hiccups last night!! I've only felt them once a week for the past 3 weeks, and it was so awesome to have Mathias catch one of these miracle moments!

I have the next few days off and boy do I need it! We are travelling back to WV for Thanksgiving and his parents are hosting our first baby shower this weekend! I am super excited :-D

27 weeks = Hello 3rd trimester!

We're hitting another milestone this week and getting into the home stretch! I want to say this pregnancy has been a breeze but I want to knock on wood at the same time because I feel like I'm entering what will probably be the more difficult 3 months. I had my gestational diabetes test last week which wasn't a bad process at all. Passed, but barely! I even declined the Halloween candy the night before. I was not a happy camper when I couldn't have my nightly bowl of ice cream either...but thank goodness I don't have to take the 3hr test! Now that I'm in 3rd trimester, my doctor visits increase from monthly to every 2 weeks.

Baby's size: 15in. long and a little over 2lb

Total weight gain: 12lb. With each new week my little innie is slowly becoming an outtie!

How do you feel? I've noticed my balance has been a little worse standing on one leg especially when trying to put pants or shoes on. I did a slow motion fall in the bedroom once trying to lean over to grab something. I had acid reflux a few nights after dinner. I've never experienced this before in my life and Tums didn't seem to help but drinking milk with dinner did. I think I may need to see a chiropractor at some point in the next month or two. I feel so out of alignment and I can no longer pop my back on my own.

What else? It has officially become uncomfortable to bend over and tie my shoes! I also have to be quick about it when I'm putting socks on or I run out of breath. I can also no longer see the underside of my belly! I made a joke about it last week telling Mathias I'd need a mirror to know what's going on down there and he spit his drink out he started laughing so hard! 

Moment of the week: Last weekend, I felt baby hiccups for the first time! At least I'm pretty sure that's what they were. It was too consistent and rhythmic to just be kicks. It only lasted a few minutes and hasn't happened since then, but it felt really neat against my hand!

25 weeks + bumpdate

Mathias and I vended at a Halloween trunk or treat event and I got to dress up in probably one of my favorite DIY costumes. It was fun showcasing the bump since it really hasn't been all that visible until the past few weeks!

Baby's size: A 1 1/2 lb cauliflower! My patients are finally starting to ask if I'm pregnant :-)

Total weight gain: 10 lb. 

How do you feel? Good! I have my glucose test next week and my 3rd trimester appointment the week after. This time is FLYING by. Mathias will catch me slouched and sprawled out on the couch with my shirt up just rubbin my belly, smile, and tell me I look like the happiest pregnant lady ever. He's right!

Body image: It appeared pretty early in pregnancy, but my linea nigra is really darkening now. At first, it was a line only from my belly button down (which if you follow old wive's tales, is a sign that it's a girl), but now it's starting to darken above as well (which indicates boy if it's above and below). Who knows! My belly button is also starting to widen and flatten out. I wonder if it'll turn into an outie...I'm oddly fascinated by it.

I have officially run out of pants that zip at all. Even with the belly band, wearing them is pretty uncomfortable so I had a treat yo'self day and bought 3 new pairs of pants, 2 sweaters, a top, and 3 bras (I have jumped up a size...hooray!)

Movement: It's getting to a point where it's consistently throughout the day, and the past two days, I've not just felt quick thumps but slow movement that will stretch from one side to the other. It's such a foreign feeling it really stops me in my tracks when that happens. As consistent as kicks are, the baby pipes down as soon as Mathias lays a hand on my belly...except for on weekends--he can always feel it then. It's so strange! I FINALLY got a recording of movement visible from the outside, and I may regret saying this in a couple months, but I'm kind of excited to start feeling hiccups soon!

Moment of the week: Nursery progress! My aunt and uncle drove down from OH to visit with family, and gifted an AWESOME high chair and crib mattress. (Never thought I'd be so pumped about a high chair lol) My parents got us the most comfortable glider ever and I have already fallen asleep in it. Annnnnd...the crib came last night and it's all put together now! 

Wordless Wednesday - Election edition

When I watch all the debates on TV...

...but some things are over my head

Anti-Trump campaigns

Anti-Hillary campaigns

When you have faith in Johnson but then realize he's clueless

...there's always Jill?

How people end debates on Facebook

How I end debates on Facebook

My overall reaction to this election

23 weeks

Gotta love those pregnancy hormones

I had my 23 week appointment on Tuesday, and everything looks great! My tummy is feeling really round these days, and I felt like quite the science experiment when my doctor examined me with a tape measure! 

Baby's size: weighing in at a whopping 1 pound this week!

Total weight gain: 8 lb

How do you feel? Good overall! I do feel like I'm getting my energy back and my appetite doesn't seem out of the usual. A small bowl of ice cream every night is usual, right? I am getting bouts of nausea/motion sickness lately though with all of the increased movement I'm feeling. The baby must be doing some serious tumbling in there! 

Nursery: Right now, the baby's nursery is a guest bedroom and is still acting as such. The few gifts we've received have been stored in there, but it doesn't really feel like a nursery yet. I plan on painting the dresser white to match the crib, and the crib itself will ship by the end of the week. Pics to come as soon as it's put together but I will give one hint on what it looks like based on my favorite designer and a family I look up to...

#shiplap

Moment of the week: Baby Hickman is getting stronger by the day and we can see kicks from the outside now! I've tried recording it because it looks so alien and surreal, but the baby must sense I'm trying to be sneaky and stops kicking at all as soon as I hit record. Hmph, this isn't our child at all!