30 Weeks

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?: 30 weeks, how is it possible that I am 3/4 of the way there already?  Wow!!!

Total Weight Gain: still hovering around 15-17 lbs.

Clothing: some maternity, but now that it's finally getting warmer I can pull off non-maternity sun dresses and flip flops (with a heck of a bump) so that makes me happy

Catching Zzzzs: good nights and not-so-good nights, we moved our bed against the wall and that seems to help me stay on my left side

Best Moments of the Week: So I had a prego-freak out after moving into our new house because EVERYthing was EVERYwhere... carpets were torn up, paint cans were decorating every nook & cranny, every room needed a TON of cleaning (we're talking 4 hours scrubbing the kitchen cabinets alone!) our bed was in the nursery because we had to paint & work on our bedroom... Everywhere I looked I was reminded of something that needed to be done.  I am a list maker and a self-proclaimed accomplisher of to-do lists, but need to remember buying/moving into a home and getting it ready is a Herculean task.  I had an almost melt-down and headed into my classroom to do some lesson planning, my warm and cozy little safe place.  When I came home, Kevin had completely set up our bedroom: bed, bureaus, even candles and picture frames.  It's wonderful what a HUGE difference this made and how much it meant to me. Maybe I didn't fail girl school after all? I certainly won the husband lottery! 

Miss Anything?: doing whatever needs to be done without worrying (lugging things, painting, cleaning, doing hard work!)

Movements: all the time, I love it, I swear I felt a little foot, or maybe a tiny hand last night in bed.  

Food Cravings: watermelon, that's been pretty consistent 

Queasy/Sick: nope

Gender: "a little baby boy brings the people so much joy" (a lyric from my favorite Christmas carol, but hey, I think it applies to this situation too!)

Labor Signs: some Braxton Hicks now and then

Symptoms: HEARTBURN, although it isn't as severe this week as it was last week, rib pain when I'm sitting 

Belly Button: in 

Wedding Rings: on

I'm feeling:  blessed, excited, overwhelmed, blessed, hopeful, eager, terrified, tired, happy-I-can-still-see-my-toes, did I mention blessed?  Life is beautiful!

Looking Forward to: a dishwasher that works, rooms that are clean, painted, and finished, and even more exciting: a baby shower in Massachusetts in a few weeks, then my sister is throwing me a Maine shower later in May, how lucky am I?  I am also looking forward to spending some TIME in the nursery this weekend, I can't wait to get it ready!  We'll have the crib and I have some major closet organizing to do... it's funny the things you look forward to when you become a mom/grown-up, although I won't lie, my kayak & hiking trails have been screaming, begging, calling my name as we paint, clean & organize the house.  Also looking forward to "taking" Will to his first Seadogs game and touring the hospital where he will be born in only a few short months!

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com

It's funny, this week my skin is less wrinkly, but the wrinkles all went to my brain because it needs room for all this new brain tissue, I'm such a smarty pants!  I am about 15.7 inches long, weigh almost 3 pounds, and am strong enough to grasp a finger! My eyesight keeps improving, although it won't be sharp for a while.  I'll keep them closed for a lot of the day even after I'm born.  When I do open them, I will be able to respond to changes in light, but my vision is 20/400, which means for a while, I can only make out things a few inches from my face.

29 Weeks

Hello Butternut Squash!

Tons of pics to come soon of our new house!  

We don't have internet access yet, so I am jotting this entry 

very quickly so I can get back and work on the house!

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?: 29 weeks, wow!!! 

Total Weight Gain: still hovering around 16-17 lbs

Clothing: whatever fits, we have a daily struggle since I usually just throw on whatever is comfortable and looks okay, now I actually have to spend time considering what to wear, this is unfamiliar territory for me!

Catching Zzzzs: this has gotten easier since we bought a house and I am exhausted from cleaning and getting it ready for our little baby, my feet seriously kill at the end of each day

Best Moments of the Week: we closed on OUR house last Friday and have spent every possible second cleaning, painting (VOC free paint, of course!), scrubbing, moving, etc...  too many verbs for one sentence, I am so tired and just want it to be ready and comfortable

Miss Anything?: using whatever cleaning supplies I want, standing on ladders without causing fear in my mother in law (hehe, love you Irene!) not worrying about working too hard... this has been a hard week to be pregnant when I like to help and lug heavy things and "pull my weight" so to speak... it's hard not doing the things I normally wouldn't think twice about, but it's worth it for little Will

Movements: still lots, but I think he's starting to get a bit cramped in there

Food Cravings: watermelon... I would eat it every day if only someone would deliver

Queasy/Sick: nope

Gender: a little boy who will be able to find fat wiggly tadpoles in his pond, along with spotted salamanders and cat tails... I'm not sure who's going to love it more, his mama, his daddy, or Will!

Labor Signs: some scary early contractions landed us in the E.R. Saturday, but everything is fine now and Will is doing great, just no fun for us and it means I have to slow down

Symptoms: some BH contractions, LOTS of heartburn waking me up in the middle of the night, trying to sleep on my left side but my hip always starts aching in the night, helllooo third trimester, everything everyone said about you was true

Belly Button: flatter

Wedding Rings: on

I'm feeling: excited, but overwhelmed by all that needs to be done to get the house ready, I need an army of volunteers, but thank goodness my wonderful in-laws came to help with a million odd jobs, what a life saver!

Looking Forward to: meeting our son, someday sleeping normally (although when the time comes that our little guy makes his arrival, sleep will be a long lost friend) and having this house clean, painted, and William-ready! Really, I will just be happy to have the furniture moved in so we can be comfortable!

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com

You can't call me peanut, I'm as big as a squash now!  I weigh about 2 1/2 pounds & measure just a bit over 15 inches long from head to heel.  My muscles & lungs are continuing to mature and my head is getting bigger to make room for my brain, it keeps growing because I keep getting smarter.  My brain is developing billions of neurons and I'm adding even more baby pudge so I'm ready for life in the outside world.  My bones are soaking up lots of calcium (about 250 milligrams per day) so my mom's drinking lots of milk & eating yogurt and cheese.  

28 Weeks: Hello Third Trimester!

Hello 3rd Trimester & Baby Rutabaga

* still no camera :( 

I need to go buy a new one, ughh...

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?: Helloooo third trimester!

Total Weight Gain: 16-17 lbs. although I feel enormous these days!

Clothing: we currently have a love/hate relationship with a few frustrating moments searching for things that are comfortable and don't look icky (yes, I said icky, I teach 2nd grade, it works for me!)

Catching Zzzzs: becoming more and more interesting... I wake up a lot and feel sore in the morning, just can't seem to get comfortable, even with the enormous body pillow, getting sleepy again but not as bad as the 1st trimester... yet...

Best Moments of the Week: having a sweet volunteer at school give me 14 Fuzzy Buns cloth diapers, what an amazing savings! Kev & I played with them and figured out the snaps, this is a great start to our collection, just need some more from my registry and we'll be all set to get started!

Miss Anything?:  my clothes, sleeping soundly... but it's worth it 

Movements: tons, all the time, you can see them and I can already tell how much I'm going to miss this, Will & Daddy had some alone time the other night while I was asleep and he was kicking Kev's hands, I love it

Food Cravings: not really, watermelon is still my favorite, but not really craving it as much

Queasy/Sick: nope

Gender: sweet baby William

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: heartburn all the time, rib pain, pelvic bone pain, general discomfort when I try to sleep, I guess the 3rd trimester is here! Bring it on!

Belly Button: I can still see it, and my toes... wonder how long that will last?

Wedding Rings: on, no signs of swelling & blood pressure is great so hopefully it stays this way!

I'm feeling:  ready to move into our new house, ready to play in our new yard, ready to get things settled, THEN I'll feel a bit more ready to meet our little boy :)

Looking Forward to: Early closing on our house, this Friday!!!  We'll be putting family to work on house projects next week, everything from cleaning to painting, it's gonna be great! :)

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com

I now weigh around two 1/4 pounds and measure roughly 14.8 inches from my head to my heels.  I keep my mom entertained with somersaults, flips, kicks and lots of movements, even hiccups!  I can blink my eyes with my fancy new eyelashes and can see a little bit of light.  My brain is developing billions of neurons and I'm adding even more baby pudge so I'm ready for life in the outside world.