Weeks 32 & 33 Wrap Up

*2 weeks in one, and I'm totally ok with it. My parents came in to town last Monday, which is when I normally do these posts, and I just couldn't make myself care about this the whole time they were here.*

How far along? Finishing up 33 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 9lbs for a total GAIN of 5.8lbs. Yes. That's right. In 2 weeks I have gained NINE POUNDS. I'm not ok with it. 7lbs of it was in one week alone! Honestly I didn't believe it at first because let's just say that "things" didn't move for "several" days and I figured that and a lot of swelling/fluid retention caused the spike. Alas, "things" have worked themselves out and yet I still continue to gain. I am officially the biggest I've ever been, and I'm still not quite used to seeing a TWO in the hundreds place on the scale. I can definitely feel that I'm carrying around more weight as my legs are most noticeably heavier feeling in my thighs. Clothes are fitting very differently. I can't go down as far with my squats. Bending over is a major challenge. It's all been quite an adjustment the last 2 weeks. But as always, God love that man of mine... "It's not fat! It's my son! You're just pregnant!"

Symptoms: Constipation. LOTS of swelling in not only my hands but my feet/ankles too. Heartburn. Increased weight gain. Trouble sleeping. Higher blood pressure. Sinus crud and shortness of breath (pregnant and the start of allergy season do NOT mix well). General puniness. VERY tired. Basically, Charlie, I love you, but GET OUT!!! Oh wait... It took me 33 weeks before I actually started to feel pregnant? I guess I need to hush...

This is the part where I will say that many of these symptoms appearing out of nowhere did alarm the MFM specialists a bit last week. They wanted to test and monitor me for "high blood pressure of pregnancy" (AKA preeclampsia). I had to do some blood work, a 24 hour urine collection (UGHHHHH), and check my blood pressure twice a day for a week. I was able to convince them that I could take it easy and sit down with my feet up as much as possible for the week. I'm afraid they would have threatened bed rest if I didn't!

Fortunately I haven't heard anything about the test results, and my office generally follows a "no news is good news" policy. My BP hasn't been above 120/80 all week. And the swelling in my feet, while still ever present, has gone down significantly. Hopefully it was all just a fluke and I'll get a good clean report at my 34 week appointment on Thursday. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off. They're permanently on my necklace now. 

Belly Button in or out? It's about as flat as I think it can/will get.

Sleep: Meh. Not good or bad. Just meh. Some nights are better/worse than others. 

Food cravings: Nothing in particular that I remember! Scratch that. This morning I wanted a honey bun from the vending machine at work. And then I felt like death after eating it. Sugar crash. Ugh. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really this week.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Being able to walk across a room without getting short of breath. My feet looking like anything other than sausages. 

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Definitely a little bit of everything. Hormones/emotions are all over the place these days. 

Workouts: Well we have reached the point of completely eliminating a few more exercises. I actually had to take a couple days off due to feeling so poorly. I also took my parents out one day and I just did a short little easing back in workout that day. Saturday I did a full workout, with modifications, and I was definitely feeling it in my back yesterday. We have all joked at this point that I'm going to keep working out until the doctors say stop (which they haven't... In fact they've said the opposite!) or my water breaks in the gym!

The Bump: Beyond massively massive. It's still tiny according to everyone else's standards, but to me it's gotten ridiculous. My clothes fit so differently, even my maternity stuff. More and more kids are talking about it at school. A lady at Cracker Barrel commented on how I looked like I don't have much longer, which in the grand scheme of things I guess 6 weeks isn't that much... And two friends also say they think that he has dropped some. I might agree with that a teeny tiny bit but I don't know. I'm not feeling him in my ribs quite as much and do feel like things have felt a little "different" down lower. Who knows. I'm just worried this little chunk is going to run out of room and start busting out before too long!

Have you started to show yet?: Um. Yes.

Stretch marks? Still the ones on my chest and hips. There *might* be a few little ones trying to come in around my belly button. I can't really tell. 

Maternity Clothes? Absolutely.

Gender: BOY! Oh boy oh boy!!!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! 

Labor Signs: A few small Braxton Hicks contractions. There's a "different" sense of pressure and discomfort down lower as opposed to up in my ribs. 

Movement: Hiccups! We officially have hiccups!!! I was seriously confused as to if I was feeling my heartbeat or something else. The rhythm was definitely different from my pulse. It's too funny when he gets them! So weird! He's quieter and less active over all these days, but my kick counts are still good. I think he's just running out of room. His movements are less frequent but bigger when they happen. 

Best moment this week: Oh goodness let me see... Two weeks... Mom was able to come to my 33 week echo/level 2. That was pretty cool. I also got to have two scans in one week and he gained 5oz between them. 

My parents were in town for the full week and did a lot of house hunting. They were able to narrow down their options and such but still have no firm plans as of yet and are definitely not ready to make a full time move. It was SO weird hugging Daddy goodbye and realizing the next time I see him will be in the hospital introducing him to his grandson. WHAT?!? Mom is coming back down in two weeks to spend the weekend with me since JD will be away for church stuff.

On Wednesday night my small group managed to pull off a surprise baby shower! Let me start out by saying that I HATE surprises. HATE them. Like with a firey passion that burns deep inside. I don't like not knowing how I will react in a situation, especially publically, and my type A personality freaks out a bit. Anyone remember the big dilemma between me and JD about finding out boy or girl before everyone else or waiting until the balloon reveal? Yeah. Same thing. BUT, the girls all did a good job and managed to keep it from me and it went really well! 

Mom, Dad, and JD were all in on it too! My small group actually changed the date of the shower just so that my mom could be there. I had been MAJORLY stressing about baby shower situations since I didn't think I was having one in Valdosta and was very anxious about it. Mom and JD just kept saying "Don't worry about it... Everything will work out..." (Yeah those are the LAST words any pregnant woman needs/wants to hear...) Sorry for all the times I snapped about hearing those phrases in regards to baby showers. I guess you knew what you were talking about. Now 0 Valdosta showers has somehow turned into 4... OOPS!!! Showers are too stressful! I remember the wedding ones were the same way!!!

Looking forward to: Gosh. A million things. Checking more tasks off the to do list. Getting a mani/pedi. OH! Getting a prenatal massage! My sweet, sweet friend Sosha asked JD what I really wanted/needed for ME, not the baby. Apparently JD had been paying attention to all the clues I've been dropping and told Sosha. THAT is definitely something to look forward to in the coming days!!

Week 31 Wrap Up

*Honestly, I'm SO over this whole chalkboard/blog thing. I love that I started it, but now I'm just exhausted all the time and it's more of a hassle than anything. But, I must finish what I started.....*

How far along? Finishing up 31 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 0.6lbs for a total loss of 3.2lbs.

Symptoms: Same as last week... Heartburn/indigestion. Crazy tired. Sinus woes. Weird sleeping habits. Swelling in my hands and feet. Ya know, the usual. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off. They're permanently on my necklace now.

Belly Button in or out? It's about as flat as I think it can/will get.

Sleep: Meh. Not good or bad. Just meh. 

Food cravings: Those wafer cookie things. They come in a 3 pack of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. Also Half Baked ice cream. Back to sweets I guess!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really this week.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. I don't remember anything else.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Um... Anxiety has been creeping in pretty badly worrying about Charlie coming early. I was probably pretty difficult to get along with.

Workouts: Monday, Thursday, Sunday this week. I've been slowing down some and have had to cut my reps on certain things, but I'm still out there trucking away!

The Bump: Just over 43 inches! He has gotten HUGE!!!

Have you started to show yet?: Um. Yes.

Stretch marks? Some very, very tiny little ones, less than a centimeter long on my hips.

Maternity Clothes? Absolutely.

Gender: BOY! Oh boy oh boy!!!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! 

Labor Signs: A few small Braxton Hicks contractions.

Movement: He has set up camp in my ribs and twerks all over them. Good grief he is a little dancer. I can look down and see the huge lump by my ribs where he sits!

Best moment this week: We had our hospital classes and tour and I finally got a lot of my questions answered! Also, my chair came tonight!!! I LOVE it!!!

Looking forward to: Two more ultrasounds! One on Thursday and one the following Tuesday. Also, my parents are coming in town next Monday to spend the week. It's Daddy's birthday and he wants to get out of the house after having been cooped up so long after his surgery.

 

Week 30 Wrap Up

How far along? Finishing up 30 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Up 1.8lbs, but still down a total of  3.8lbs from my start weight. I'm beginning to feel rather large and less than pleased with some areas, but I keep reminding myself it's all for Charlie's benefit. 

Symptoms: Heartburn/indigestion. Crazy tired. Sinus woes. Weird sleeping habits. Swelling in my hands and feet. Ya know, the usual. 

Wedding rings on or off? More times than not they are just on a chain around my neck now. Too uncomfortable to wear. My fingers feel like sausages. 

Belly Button in or out? It's borderline flat... TOO weird. And to all your people who thought I was crazy for worrying about what would happen to my gallbladder surgery scars let me just tell you something... MY BELLY BUTTON SCAR WAS BLEEDING!!! OK it's was like a tenny tiny drop and probably just from a scrape or something, but STILL.

Sleep: Meh. Not good or bad. Just meh. 

Food cravings: We went to Atlanta for the weekend and I finally satisfied one of my 2 month long cravings... The Melting Pot! Mom and I went and did cheese, salad, and chocolate courses. It hit the spot. If I had a legit fondue pot in my house I would be so big that I couldn't get through the door.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Oh you know, just seeing one of my children explode all over my floor. "Mrs. Dillard, I feel like I'm going to throw up." "Go to the bathroom!" *Walks 10 feet away and quite literally erupts. Bless his heart. I felt so bad for him, but I also ran from the room. It was quite bad.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Being able to have a drink at The Melting Pot. Putting on pants with buttons and zippers with ease.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: All in all I'd say a happy week!

Workouts: Tuesday was pretty rough. I was exhausted! Thursday was standard. I'm definitely starting to slow down on the elliptical and we have decreased the length of my sets. Saturday I didn't workout because we were in ATL. Funny story though... I was in the yard as the UPS man pulled up to deliver a package. He went to hand it to me and suddenly realized I was pregnant. The package was quite large so he asked if I needed him to carry it to the front porch. He said it wasn't that heavy, but he didn't know how much I could carry. I asked how much it weighed and couldn't help but laugh when he said 9 pounds! I told him I lift more than that 3 days a week at the gym! I loved his response... "Good for you, Momma! Good for you!" Working out pays off!

The Bump: I choose to keep last week's answer. It's  still spot on... Just over 42 inches. Bending over is starting to get... challenging. And if I try to sit "criss cross applesauce" I have to lean back. He's pretty smushed when I sit up straight. And I officially can't see my toes without leaning forward. This is really happening. AND HE'S ONLY GOING TO GET BIGGER!!!!

Have you started to show yet?: Absolutely. I had my most violating and uncomfortable unwelcomed belly toucher this week.... A STUDENT and she isn't in my class!!!! This RANDOM kid just walked past me in the hall and just reached out and rubbed my belly! As my kids just learned in their counselor lesson... That might not be an unsafe touch, but it is certainly an unwanted touch. Way to cross the student/teacher/child/adult barrier.

Stretch marks? No new ones. I'm lotioning up twice a day every day and pretty much always smell like a tanning bed, but I don't mind it. I've been doing that since I was about 12 weeks pregnant so maybe it's helped :)

Maternity Clothes? Almost every day! The struggle is real when I have to wear my regular khakis and black pants to work. I haven't found any maternity ones that I liked, and this late in the game I'm not worried about it.

Gender: BOY! Oh boy oh boy!!!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! 

Labor Signs: Not really anything this week.

Movement: The boy is auditioning to be a break dancer on So You Think You Can Dance. He is constantly moving! He has finally found my ribs and loves to grind up against them. At church Sunday I could actually feel his butt jammed up in there and was able to push him around to get more comfortable.

Best moment this week: Some of the ladies from my home church and my mom's Emmaus reunion group hosted a shower for me. It was very small and intimate (10 people including me and mom), but it was so nice and I really enjoyed spending time with those ladies, even though some of them didn't know me but were there out of love for my sweet momma :) We got a few good things that will definitely come in handy!

Looking forward to: MY CHAIR IS COMING! MY CHAIR IS COMING!! They finally called and said it will be here on Monday! YAY!!!!!!

Week 29 Wrap Up

How far along? Finishing up 29 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: ... 3 lb something. He weighed 3lbs 1oz at my appointment this last Tuesday.

Total weight gain/loss: Up 2lbs. I'm down a total of 5.6lbs from my start weight. We are officially within the window of the first week's weight loss. The week that we actually "got pregnant" JD and I both lost 6lbs from doing our Whole 30/Paleo challenge. I might have freaked out this morning that I'm going to get back up to my starting weight, and ultimately surpass it. But, I'm thankful that my rockstar husband constantly reminds me that I'm only gaining weight because I'm being healthy and that it's good weight that Charlie needs. Love that man :)

Symptoms: Ummm... nothing out of the ordinary this week. I've been getting really tired again, regardless of how much sleep. I'm also SUPER uncomfortable above my belly button. Like WOAH smooshed intestines and stomach. I can't eat very much without feeling like a whale and like my belly is literally going to explode. Sitting up straight when my legs are up is a major challenge. Bending over is getting nearly impossible some days. Meh.

Wedding rings on or off? It's pretty 50/50 now. I'm definitely more swollen in my hands. I probably could be wearing them more, but it's not really comfortable, so they've been on my necklace lately.

Belly Button in or out? It's borderline flat... TOO weird.

Sleep: MUCH better!I finally made the connection that working out = better sleep :) As long as I'm working out I don't need the Great Wall of Pillows and I can sleep almost all the way through the night :)

Food cravings: Orange Stuff. No not just stuff that is orange, but actual "Orange Stuff." It doesn't have another name... that's just what it is. OK so it's actually mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, frozen orange juice and orange jello all topped with instant lemon pudding mixed with Cool Whip. IT'S AMAZING! I randomly decided the other night that there is no law saying that I can only eat Orange Stuff at Christmas and Easter. I turned the car around, went straight to the grocery store, and went home and made "Orange Stuff." So yeah, I guess citrus continues to be one of my biggest cravings as of late.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Sick and queasy... No. But big meals give me the heartburn and indigestion. Bleh.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Not burping and tasting my meals hours later. Darn smushed digestive system. Darn. Darn. Darn.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: I think I was pretty happy? Ask JD. He probably remembers better :) Honestly I don't remember too much. We've been really busy lately and starting back to work kept me extra busy and tired.

Workouts: Tuesday and Thursday were both good. I LOVE getting back into my workouts! Saturday we weren't able to go due to a church meeting, so I had Billy tell me a workout to do on my own instead. JD ended up being puny Saturday afternoon (and if he says he needs to take a nap then he truthfully doesnt feel well and NEEDS to take a nap). I ended up taking a 2 hour sympathy nap. I felt pretty bummed that we didn't go on Saturday, so we went on Sunday instead. Oh you mean a 7 months pregnant workout doesn't "normally" include rows, squats, shoulder exercises, step ups, pulling the sled sideways, spending 20 minutes on the elliptical, and ending with lateral resistance bands? Oh... well my maybe MY normal isn't the same as your normal. Let's all stop comparing :) 

The Bump: I choose to keep last week's answer. It's  still spot on... Just over 42 inches. Bending over is starting to get... challenging. And if I try to sit "criss cross applesauce" I have to lean back. He's pretty smushed when I sit up straight. And I officially can't see my toes without leaning forward. This is really happening. AND HE'S ONLY GOING TO GET BIGGER!!!!

Have you started to show yet?: Duh! Still getting all of those "You're so tiny!" comments though. Seriously... these people just must. not. get. it. I'm at a healthy weight. My baby is at a healthy weight. I might not look like I'm 7 months pregnant, but I promise you that I feel like it!

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Maternity Clothes? Almost every day!

Gender: BOY! Oh boy oh boy!!!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie!

Labor Signs: Not really anything this week.

Movement: After a few sleepy (and making mommy incredibly anxious) days, my wiggle worm is back. I actually FELT him this week. Not like I felt the pressure from him moving, but I pushed on my belly and FELT. HIS. FOOT. OK, I don't know that it was his foot, but based on it's location and what it felt like, I'm saying it was his foot. WOAH.

Best moment this week: Another good report from the doctor! His heart and brain both continue to look good. I still have to have a third Level 2/Echocardiogram in 3 weeks to check off some more things to look for before being 100% cleared off by the maternal fetal medicine specialists, but all continues to go as expected :) Happy healthy baby = happy mommy and daddy! And I'd be lying if I didn't say that I love all of these extra chances to see my handsome baby boy!

Looking forward to:My dadgum chair getting here! It's been 2 months since we ordered it and it's the last piece missing in the nursery! We just keep being told that it "should be here by the end of January, and we'll call you once it comes in." GRRR! I want it now!

ALSO, we are heading to Atlanta this weekend for a baby shower being hosted by some of the lovely ladies from my home church :) I'm excited to see everyone and to celebrate this precious little boy!  

Week 28 Wrap Up

How far along? Finishing up 28 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: ... I have no idea and I'm too tired to care or look it up. I'll find out his "weight" tomorrow.

Total weight gain/loss: Up 2.4lbs. At my 28 week appointment my doctor made the comment that I was only 2-3lbs off from my starting weight. I then remembered that she started tracking my weight at 5 weeks where as I started tracking it at conception. So if it makes her feel good to say I'm now back at my starting weight then yay! But according to my tracking I'm still down a total of 7.6lbs.

Symptoms: Majorly nesting. As in vacumming and dusting are now an almost daily thing. I've always been anal about wiping down the kitchen counters daily, if not multiple times a day. Now it's just expanded to other parts of the house. We were "just touching up some paint" in the nursery... which turned into a two day project of dusting, scrubbing, and touching up all of the baseboards, trim, doors, and cabinets in the house, as well as scrubbing and touching up all of the walls in the nursery. I also found it to be imperative that we reseal the caulk around the window in the nursery (Caulk guns! I can use them now! I learned!) We also had to clean out / rearrange the entire garage and attic... for the second time this pregnancy. I was so anal about it that I got out the broom and swept it out, even after JD used the leaf blower to blow off the floors. All in all it was a very busy week of completing "projects" around the house. Another carload was even taken to Goodwill (I think now our 4th since the beginning of the pregnancy...). I have ZERO sentimental attachment to anything. JD is taking advantage of this :)

Wedding rings on or off? On, but swelling has me taking them off after long days. 

Belly Button in or out? It's borderline flat... TOO weird.

Sleep: Rough. Many late nights due to football games and projects. Then poor sleep once I could get to sleep. Heartburn is a witch! Tums are like candy... on top of my daily 40mg of Omeprazole! And the crazy dreams. And the peeing. And the insomnia. Waking up between 330 and 430 is pretty common. UGH. I hate it. OH and you can all stop with the "get all the sleep now while you can" comments. They aren't cute. They aren't funny. And they certainly aren't helpful.

Food cravings: Dairy. But it gives me wicked heartburn... so that sucks.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Or heck, sleeping in general. 

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: All of the above. I was super stressed but also excited and happy and fussy all at the same time. Finishing the nursery took everything out of me. I might have snapped a few times... As always I THANK GOD for that amazingly patient husband of mine. I've said all along that Charlie has eaten whatever little bit of filter and patience that I had before I was pregnant. JD must have picked up some extra somewhere :)

Workouts: Meh. Tuesday was a "get back in the routine" kind of day. Thursday we had off because Billy was sick. I'm thankful too because I hadn't been sleeping well and was able to get a lot done in the nursery instead. Billy was still sick on Saturday and I was puny tired. I just did a mediocre workout, but at least I worked out :)

The Bump: Just over 42 inches. Bending over is starting to get... challenging. And if I try to sit "criss cross applesauce" I have to lean back. He's pretty smushed when I sit up straight. And I officially can't see my toes without leaning forward. This is really happening. AND HE'S ONLY GOING TO GET BIGGER!!!!

Have you started to show yet?: Apparently not seeing me for 2 weeks made a difference at work today. LOTS of belly comments and belly rubs (everyone asked before hand though.) One of the custodians even said I looked like I swallowed a pumpkin! Thanks girl :)

*SIDE NOTE* What in the world am I supposed to do with my hands when people are rubbing my belly???

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Maternity Clothes? Here's the great thing about current fashion... The big baggy tops and such are popular. This means that I can wear stuff that isn't maternity and it still fit, or I can wear my cute maternity stuff after I'm pregnant and get more use out of it. It's a win win situation :)

Gender: BOY! The lights in my car WILL be staying on pink though. I have to hold on to my girly side!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie!

Labor Signs: A Braxton Hicks hit me pretty hard walking through Walmart the other night. Not painful... but strange enough to make me bust out my pregnancy swag (Thanks Megan!)

Movement: This kid never sleeps. OK that's not true... but I'm not looking forward to what this might indicate his activity level is like once he's out of there!

Best moment this week: We finished the nursery :) I still have a couple of canvases to finish painting, but I'd say it's 95% finished! There's a sneak peak of one of the walls on my FB. I'm waiting to do the "big reveal" once my chair comes in and I get the canvases painted. It's AMAZING. I'm SOOOOOOO pleased! AND JD made me the most beautiful dream shelves ever!

Looking forward to: Seeing Charlie for another hour tomorrow. We have a follow up appointment and repeat of my fetal echocardiogram and level 2 ultrasound just to continue monitoring the stuff we saw earlier. I have to go by myself now that JD has started his new job, but I'm not worried. Jesus loves this baby boy more than I ever could and I know that everything is going to be perfect!

Note the location change of this countdown... It's now located in his nursery! I'm going to paint the frame later to match his room and then use the chalkboard for all kinds of fun things :)

Week 27 Wrap Up

How far along? Finishing up 27 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: ... A head of cauliflower. I'm over taking pictures with the different food items. It's been a waste of money. Lame. 

Total weight gain/loss: I never remembered to weigh last Monday because it was a crazy busy day. So this week it's actually a gain of 1.2lbs over 2 weeks for a total loss of 10lbs from my starting weight. I knew I should have had more lasagna... 

Symptoms: Majorly nesting. Round Ligament pain. I was also really sleepy this week. Maybe just because I'm off of work and have been lazy, or maybe because I'm growing a human. Either way, I've been taking tons of naps and it's been glorious. I'm also experiencing what I can only figure to be the lovely Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... UGH. Earlier in the week my right thumb was hurting for no apparent reason (no injury or anything). Then later in the week it was the left. Last night my right thumb SCREAMED before bed and especially in the middle of the night. It hurt most of the day today and screamed a few times if I strained it too much. Maybe it's an actual thumb strain/sprain/whatever. Who knows... I'm wearing this snazzy brace in the mean time. Apparently sleeping in wrist braces is just part of the standard pregnancy fashion statement for many women. Joy. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but swelling has me taking them off after long days. 

Belly Button in or out? In, but shallow. It really hasn't changed much lately.

Sleep: Typical for having been in Atlanta. Glad to be back home. I'm definitely full out in the phase of waking up at least 3 times a night.

Food cravings: Nothing really jumped out at me. I got really tired of eating big meals though, especially breakfast. I am not a big breakfast person and usually don't eat until I've been up 2-3 hours so I have a hard time doing the whole big family breakfast thing. But it's the holidays and the holidays mean eating, so we ate... A lot. I do wish I'd had more servings of Momma's lasagna though... :(

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not overly. Sometimes chicken can still be iffy, but it's not bad. 

Miss anything? Wine. I don't even care if that sounds bad. JD had a glass of red wine one night and it smelled SO good... Even though I don't like reds! I told him he should have sworn off wine for 9 months as a show of support. He promptly raised his glass and said "I support you!"

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Happy! It was Christmas week! There was lots to be happy about :) 

Workouts: ... If getting up to walk to the bathroom or walking up and down stairs (which aren't common in Valdosta) count as a workout then I worked out a lot... If they don't count then I worked out ZERO!

The Bump: 

Have you started to show yet?: Yup. I'm pretty sure I could delete this question, or really half of these questions from this point out...

Stretch marks? No new ones.

Maternity Clothes? I got several tops and two new pairs of jeans for Christmas :)

Gender: BOY! Circumcision care was a topic of discussion at the dinner table one night this week... 😳 Add that to the list of things I still don't know if I'm ready to handle!

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie! Karen also decided on her name this week, so we finally have all of the grandparent names picked out. My parents will be Mimi and G Daddy. JD's parents will be Grandpa and Gigi. 

Labor Signs: Nothing really this week.

Movement: Enough to make me gasp out loud at dinner one night! I'm pretty sure I felt him completely roll over. I still feel 90% of his movement on my left side and very little in the middle or on the right. He's been head down in every scan we've had since 18 weeks so that's positive. 

Best moment this week: JD's family hosted a shower of sorts for us. Since its 500 miles round trip every time we come home we didn't really want to have to make too many extra trips up if it wasn't necessary. Everyone was already together for Christmas lunch, so we just played a few games and did gifts at the same time. Our moms chipped in and split the cost of our car seat/stroller. I'm so happy to have that out of the way! JDs cousin also made us a SUPER cute diaper tricycle! We have certainly already gotten a glimpse of just how loved Charlie is already :)

When we got home some nesting kicked in and I cleaned out and reorganized our bedroom closet. JD spent that hour and a half assembling the stroller, reading the instruction manual, telling me about every single feature on the stroller, and then giddily pushing a Cabbage Patch doll around the house going on and on about how in 3 months there would be a REAL baby in there! Needless to say, he's going to be an excellent daddy, and he's just a *little* bit excited :)

Looking forward to: Getting my gestational diabetes appointment out of the way this Wednesday. Our goal is also to finish the nursery and several projects around the house this week. It's the last week that JD will be home during the week before starting his new job, and I'll be home too, so we figure it's the perfect opportunity to knock out as much as we can. 

Week 26 Wrap Up

How far along? Finishing up 26 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: ... million different things. None of these sites seem to agree anymore! So for my picture purposes I have a head of lettuce, which I still think is too small. My dessert comparison list says baby's the weight of two rolls of Toll House cookie dough... hmmm... probably should have bought that instead. Yummy!

Total weight gain/loss:

Symptoms: Heartburn. Puffy fingers if I don't drink enough water. CRAZY dreams. 

Wedding rings on or off? On, but swelling has me taking them off after long days. 

Belly Button in or out? In, but shallow. It really hasn't changed much lately.

Sleep: Better the last few days... surprisingly.  I broke down earlier in the week and was using some Unisom to help get through the night. I was having a really hard time sleeping due to the nasty cough I had, and I was sleeping in the recliner. All the coughing and recliner sleeping lead to a pulled abdominal muscle. Ugh. Then strangely, or I guess not so strangely based on the circumstances, I slept SO well from Thursday night on through the end of the week. It's been glorious. I haven't even been using my tons and tons of pillows.

Food cravings: Chips and Queso. A lot. Like I want some right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular, but I have had a few random nauseous moments.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Normal sinus functioning. Not having heartburn ALL. THE. TIME.

Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Surprisingly the early part of this week I was really at peace and not stressing too much. Thursday I was down right giddy all afternoon. From Friday on I was pretty stressed and emotional. I even cried from the stress of car shopping. Too. Many. Feelings.

Workouts: Pretty standard. Thursday I missed workout since I was driving back from ATL, and Saturday we were careful not to aggravate my abs since I had the pulled muscle earlier in the week.

The Bump: Huge. 41 inches. WOAH.

Have you started to show yet?: Yup. A lady at the Ford dealership was able to confidently ask me how far along I was. I even told her I was glad she felt confident enough to ask and that it must mean I look pregnant and not fat. She said it was very clear that it was a pregnant belly and she wouldn't have asked otherwise :)

Stretch marks? No new ones, just the same two. Had a minor freak out when I thought I had stretch marks around my belly button, but then realized they were just marks from my towel after I got out of the shower.

Maternity Clothes? I bought some new non-maternity dresses this week that compliment the bump well but will still be super cute post baby. I don't want to spend too much on maternity stuff!

Gender: BOY! I bought a blue scarf to wear on Christmas because we are having our first "shower." It's really just JD's whole family going ahead and doing baby stuff too, but I still wanted to wear something blue :)

Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie

Labor Signs: Not labor signs, but I think I've had like 2 Braxton Hicks contractions. All of my weekly update emails says that it's normal to start feeling them here and there by this point. I mentioned it to my doctor and she says it's normal. I couldn't really explain it to her other than that it just "felt funny." I told her I was walking around the room at school and all of a sudden felt like I was flexing my abs, but I really wasn't, and then it was gone within less than a minute of when it came on. My belly just felt really tight and like he was pushing against me. Didn't hurt at all. Just felt.... funny.

Movement: Wiggle worm is back! His kicks are definitely getting bigger. He's good about giving me a good nudge whenever I'm worrying about him or stressed out. It's like he's reminding me that he's in there and he's doing ok :)

Best moment this week: I might do a post on this later, but I haven't decided yet. This week I went up to Children's Health Care of Atlanta at Egleston to have a fetal MRI. We had some reasons to need to take a better look at Charlie and get some further information and more opinions. Depending on what the results were our lives could have potentially changed in a very big way. The past few weeks have been very stressful for me as we waited for more information and answers. 

Side note *THANKFUL that God has blessed me with a man that is such a solid rock in my life to hold me together through the waiting* 

Long story short... Charlie is going to be absolutely FINE! We got the results that we needed/wanted and can move forward stress free. The results will be no more than a small notation in his health file. PRAISE GOD for happy, healthy babies :) 

I will say that I spent a LOT of time praying while I was at the hospital. I did pray selfishly that I would never have to walk back in the doors of that hospital again, but I also prayed for everyone that was currently, or would ever be, a patient in there. I am also SO thankful that there are wonderful places like CHOA and wonderful people that work there. My experience, as brief as it was, was nothing short of amazing. Thanks CHOA at Egleston. You were great!

Looking forward to: CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!