26 weeks & the Bump!

Goodbye cute bump. :(

How far along? 26 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I gained 2 more pounds. Total weight gain is 12 pounds. I feel like I've gained weight (I'm more out of breath and it takes more energy to get myself to workout), but I just don't see it. My belly is HUGE though so I think it's all in my belly and face. :)

Maternity clothes? I finally bought my Belly Bandit BDA (before.during.after (pregnancy)) pants. I hope they are as comfy as they look and as comfy as people have said.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is the same, not great.

Best moment this week?

I had a waitress say how good I looked for being 25 weeks along. I don't think she knew I was pregnant until I stood up. When you are having one of those blah days and you feel like you are HUGE, it's always nice to hear how good you look.

Food cravings:

Last Saturday, I wanted deep dish pizza, then hamburgers, then I wanted tacos, turkish pizza and pan de dulce (Mexican sweet bread). Then, a few nights ago I wanted my mom's tacos so we went out and bought groceries to make them. Not quite as good as mom's, but they satisfied me. :)

Gender:

Girl!

Belly button in or out?

I almost have a full "outtie".

Movement?

Lots of movement and stronger kicks. I felt something poke out of my belly the other day. Weird!

What I miss?

Not having to do Bradley Class exercises (tailor sitting, squats, kegels, pelvic rocking, butterflies, relaxation practice and labor practice), but it's preparing me for giving birth to our baby girl so of course it's worth it in the end. :) And also not having to keep track of my protein count.

What I'm looking forward to:

Glucose test next week! I'm looking forward to getting that out of the way. And being in my 3rd Trimester! Although, I'm not exactly sure when that is, some books/websites say 26, 27 and 28 weeks. Whatever. It's sometime within the next 2 weeks. :)

Milestones: Our baby might be developing an adorable habit this week: thumb-sucking. While the baby's hands remain clenched most of the day, she might unclench and stick out her thumb every now and then. If our baby likes the comfort from sucking, it might just be a well-established habit way before a pacifier is ever seen.

Our baby now has distinct sleeping and waking cycles, as well. At certain times of the day she's very active, somersaulting and boxing, while at other times, she sleeps. This is TRUE! and I noticed this weeks ago. In addition, all five senses are now fully developed.

Update on my other 2 kids

I've been so consumed with posting about our little girl that I haven't shared any pics or updated how Sissy and Baby Dan are doing.

Simply put. They are driving us crazy.

It's like they are preparing us for having a wild house come November.

They bark way more often now. Baby Dan just barks to bark. He barks to get Sissy to move from her spot just so he can occupy it. And once he barks, she just barks and has no clue what she is barking at. When I'm upstairs working out in the a.m. and they've already been out he decides he's going to bark just to let me know he's there.

He is also having more accidents in the house. And his new thing is waking us up at all hours of the night. No joke. He'll just sit up in bed and stare at us, growl at us or make Dan get up and let him out before he'll go back to sleep. He is seriously preparing us for baby. :)

And they have become picky eaters. It's ridiculous. One day they just decided they had had it with their hard kibble and because Sissy refused to eat we introduced them to canned food (mixed in with ground kibble because if we left kibble whole they'd just eat around it and leave the the kibble behind). BIG mistake. They'd eat more, but then their stomachs were more upset. So then, we stopped giving them canned food and Dan thought maybe it'd be a good idea to grind up their kibble and mix in a little water so it's kind of like canned food. Well, they are fine with that, but then Sissy decided she doesn't want to eat out of her bowl and when she doesn't eat Dan begins to hand-feed her. Another mistake because she now always thinks she is going to be hand-fed. Ugh.

With the vet's recommendation we tried weaning Sissy down on two of her meds (she is on 4 meds), but that didn't work well so we are going to try again in a few weeks. This time we'll try weaning 1 pill at a time, instead of both at one time. It's a crazy schedule she's on right now. She gets 3 pills when she eats in the a.m., 2 pills when she eats in p.m., another pill around 9 pm and one pill she gets at 7a, 3p and 11p. 2 pills she takes with no problem and 2 pills I have to shove down her throat. Fun!

I just don't know how I'm going to keep it all straight when LO comes in November. I'm really scared. I'm already going to be getting little sleep, then I have to stay on top of Sissy's med schedule. Not looking forward to it, but someone has to do it. :-)

But we do still have our precious moments with them so I guess we'll keep 'em. ;-)

Sissy and Mama

Bubba being protective

Bubba leaning on Mama's belly.

Loving w/Mama and Baby

Bubba and Bump

25 weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I gained almost a pound since last week. Total weight gain is just over 9 pounds.

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of workout pants from Baby Gap as well as a couple of shirts and 2 pairs of shorts from Target.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep has been rough lately. It takes me awhile to get comfortable and then when I wake up to go to the bathroom I can't easily get back to sleep.

Best moment this week?

It's a tie between last Friday at the Harry Potter movie. She was constantly moving. She was either loving it/hating it. :D And Monday it was a full day of baby dancing in the womb. It just never gets old.

Food cravings:

None.

Gender:

Girl! This past weekend my friend told me her 1st born was supposed to be a girl. All her u/s pointed to girl and then after she gave birth the doc/nurse said, "It's a Boy!" and she said, "No, it's not!". lol we shall see! ;)

Belly button in or out?

I almost have a full "outtie".

Movement?

Lots of movement and stronger kicks.

What I miss?

Not having a little someone kick my bladder or kicking at the most awkward moments, like in the restroom. :D

What I'm looking forward to:

Baby shower in September!

Milestones: Our baby is 1.8 pounds and is now the size of an eggplant or rutabaga. She is rehearsing breathing, along with aerobics and dancing ;-). Her brain tissue & neurons are growing fast. This is a pretty big week for our baby’s nose and vocal cords. The nostrils are starting to open up now (they were plugged up before) so our baby will be taking some practice “breaths.” And since the vocal cords are officially functioning, I may feel a few hiccups here and there! Only 105 days to go! Wow!

Going Private

I'll be making this blog private in the coming days. If you would like an invite please let me know!

24 weeks & the Bump!

Bump looks huge compared to 2 weeks ago.

How far along? 24 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I've lost a few ounces due to food poisoning. blech. Total weight gain is 8 pounds.

Maternity clothes? I finally bought 2 maternity bras and 1 bra back extender for my strapless bra. I'm a happy girl now.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is okay. I'm still waking up and adjusting positions a few times a night, but in the a.m. I feel well-rested.

Best moment this week?

Her movements always make me happy and put a smile on my face.

Food cravings:

None.

Gender:

Girl!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie", but it seems like it is getting so close to popping out.

Movement?

Lots of movement and stronger kicks.

What I miss?

Not being out of breath at the smallest of tasks and frequent urination.

What I'm looking forward to:

Moving Dan's office up to the 3rd and getting her nursery ready!

Milestones: Our baby girl is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. Her hair is growing, but there is no pigment yet. :)

First Birthday as a Mommy!

A few days ago I celebrated my 32nd birthday as a mommy.

I've been so consumed with all things baby that not until a week and a half before my birthday did I remember that my birthday was coming. That never happens. :D

Our baby girl is truly the best and perfect birthday gift this year. I couldn't ask for anything more. But Dan gave me more. He made me a delicious birthday cake. He basically took the Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffin recipe and made it into a cake and baked it for about 45 minutes.

Un-iced

Iced & Decorated

23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I've gained 3 lbs. in 1 week. Whoa baby! It's been a rough week (with visitation and funeral to attend) & not having home-cooked meals doesn't help. Total weight gain is a little over 8 lbs.

Maternity clothes? None other than the maternity jeans.

Stretch marks?

None.

Sleep?

Sleep is okay. I wake up and adjust positions a few times a night.

Best moment this week?

Celebrating my 32nd birthday as a mommy! She is definitely the best birthday gift this year. :)

Food cravings:

None.

Gender:

Girl!

Belly button in or out?

I still have an "innie", but barely and by golly it hurts when the shower water hits it dead on. Ouch.

Pic taken w/iPhone

Movement?

Her daily kicks never get old. She kicks the most at around 9-10 a.m., before lunch, after dinner and when I'm lying on my side getting ready to fall asleep. :)

What I miss?

Not a single thing.

What I'm looking forward to:

Buying a stroller, car seat & crib!

Milestones: Our baby girl is 12 1/2 inches and about the size of a mango. Her eyes can now open. Ears, fingernails and finger prints are all done. Our baby's brain is now starting to grow rapidly, with billions and billions of brain cells developing in the next couple of weeks. These brain cells will control every aspect of our baby — from breathing to circulation, recognizing sensory stimulation to movement, and everything in between. With her sense of movement well developed by now, my baby can feel me dance. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that our baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now (such as our pups barking) probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. :)

Life is not fair

Life is precious. Never take what you have for granted.

A dear friend and her husband are going through a tragic loss and my heart breaks for them.

We were pregnancy buddies.

We were appointment twins.

We chatted weekly comparing symptoms, cravings, registries, themes and just talked about how wonderful pregnancy was treating us.

Then, tragedy struck.

And now she won't be bringing her baby boy home.

I've gone through loss, but I can't even imagine the pain and heartache that my friend is going through having bonded with her baby.

Life is not fair.

I went through a bit of "survivor's guilt". I felt so bad that our baby was healthy while my friend's was not. I'm so grateful that she wants to maintain our chats and friendship, in whatever capacity and under her own time of course.

I cherish every kick I get from my baby girl because it reassures me that she is doing well and getting strong.

I cherish every ache and pain because that means I am still carrying my baby.

I cherish my growing belly and those extra pounds because it's all worth it.

Please keep my friend, her husband and baby B in your thoughts.

1st Clothes Shopping Trip for Baby Girl

My mom and I had our hair appt. date and then we went to Marshall's and a local consignment store just to take a look at what they had.

I am in love with our local consignment store. In love. They have great clothes with prices that can't be beat.

My little girl is already spoiled by her Nana. :)

Here are the outfits from Marshall's/consignment store.

Cute little rompers and dress

I love these little outfits and of course we had to get Pooh Bear (my fave) in there. :)

A darling little outfit my mom just couldn't pass up.

Cute little layettes and pajamas

I just love all of these outfits.

And she has already got her own little collection of Ralph Lauren outfits...just like her Papa. :)

My mom bought me a My Brest Friend nursing pillow for half the cost of a new one. :)

We'll definitely be making more shopping trips to the consignment store.