Week 24 Bumpdate

Happy Fall Friends!!! Hot cider, scarves, boots, crunchy leaves, bright colors, cool nights, warm blankets, comfort food, pumpkin pie, my 30th birthday... Bring. It. On! Ok the jury is still out about turning the big 3-0 but I still have some time to come to terms with it...

My nature photography game is not strong so this is a Google image. 

Although I'm am certain that I am at 24 weeks pregnant (verified by both of my apps and Google for good measure) my midwife says otherwise. Her records show I am only 23 weeks which is ridiculous. I intend to clarify this when I see her again in 2 weeks. I am also fairly certain my due date is still January 10th but that could be changed too for all I know. Math has never been my friend but I though pregnancy math would be 1. different 2. fun. and 3 umm..easy. But it's turning out that I'm either overthinking it or my records have been messed up. 

Either way baby girl will come when she is good and ready! 

From my ultrasound this week I learned that Baby Girl is small but heavy. From head to rump she is 19cm or 7.5 inches. Her weight is a whopping 1.6lbs. This would explain why the numbers on my scale have just gone up and up in the past week and why my favorite non-maternity skinny jeans went from fitting just fine to "not a chance sweetie" in one week. Is it time to just live in sweat pants and my husbands t-shirts yet?

Week 24 Bumpdate

 

How far along:   24 weeks, however my midwife still has me at 23 weeks. Which I’m so confused by. I swear my due date is all messed up on their records.

Gender: Girl!       

Weight gain: 12lbs

Maternity clothes: Same story as last week

Sleep: Great since I upgraded my throw pillow to a regular sized pillow!

Best moment this week: It’s a toss up between being prescribed Zantac for my heartburn – Hallelujah! – and seeing our Baby Girl yawn on the ultrasound. I’m convinced there is no cuter yawn in this world than one caught in utero. There is also the fun fact that I am finally able to feel her from the outside. Is that a butt or a head? Foot or a hand? I can now feel body parts and I’m totally getting in mom mode as I can’t keep my paws off her! I pushed on the side of my belly and what was probably her foot shot back like I scared her that something was touching her. Haha. It. Was. Awesome.

Worst moment this week: Probably the weight gain. We'll just leave it at that. 

Miss anything: I think I’m back to missing a cold turkey sandwich at this point. Luckily Thanksgiving is around the corner so I can have a cold roast turkey sandwich with no guilt. Add some cranberry mayo and swiss cheese? Yes please!

Movement: Mostly during the day. She barely moves at night unless I get up to pee. Could this mean she's on some sort of schedule? One could only hope. 

Cravings: The old guys at work were talking about hamburgers today so now I’m craving a hamburger!

Queasy or sick: nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs:  I decided to add this category since I felt like I was having mini, minute, miniscule contractions the other day. I had 3 in about one minute. Intense period like cramps. Now I have no idea what a contraction feels like and this could have been Baby Girl stretching in a way my uterus doesn’t stretch but man it was a rough 60 seconds.

Looking forward to: Meeting my girl. I have about 15 weeks to go and sometimes all I can think about is my life after she is here.
Belly Button in or out? Mr. Button is still working on coming out. 

Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Other happenings this week include receiving more rad gifts from my super rad co-workers

Those slippers though?!

Handmade pink Momma and Baby elephants with crinkle ears. I'm. In. Love!

I also made apple fritter bread with apples from the local orchard. It wasn't as good as it smelled but I'll be making it again very soon and changing a few things up. P.s. My food photography game is equally as strong as my nature photography game...this is not a Google image. 

We are looking forward to a great weekend which includes a celebratory lunch on Sunday to recognize the 5 birthdays and 2 anniversaries we have between September and October. Family celebrations rock. 

And to send you off with another "bump and toes" picture here I am on my Yoga mat. Naked toes because I haven't had enough gusto to paint them again. Maybe my husband will volunteer to do it for me? 

Week 23 Bumpdate

You know that burst of energy they say you get in the second trimester? I'm still waiting for mine to show up...

I guess at times I feel like I have more energy. It comes maybe once a week lasts for 4-5 hours and I am super productive when it hits but then I get proactive-thoughts and want to go out and walk for some exercise and walking 2 miles takes me an hour. No energy. I wanted to just lay on the side of the road and wait for some good Samaritan to come pick me up and drive me home. I walked half the pace I normally do, holding my lower back because my sciatic nerve decided it would join the "fun" and send shooting pain down my leg every few minutes. The only way to keep this from happening was to bend over every 10 minutes and take the pressure off my lower back and said nerve. Then it is true that when you walk you just feel so heavy and you want to round your back forward to help ease the heaviness but to have proper posture you need to stand up straight. Standing up straight, walking like an old lady, with a belly that feels like it weighs all 11 lbs I've gained. Yes energy, I'm still waiting for you to show up in all your glory. Or shoot I'd even take your half cousin and all the partial glory they'd bring.

Welcome Fall...

Moral of the story, walking and I are not friends. I was glad I did the walking after it was done but during it was just miserable. I much prefer my prenatal Yoga and cardio workouts in my living room. Wait scratch the word cardio. I cannot do cardio while watching someone on a screen. Coordinating movements to beats to commands and whats that? Now add arms and rotate your hips, scratch your head, pat your stomach synchronicity? And by the time I figure out the coordinated sequence, they've moved on. As Amy says in Pitch Perfect "no, don't put me down for cardio".

Perks of my week this week have been more gifts I've received for Baby Girl.

Handmade receiving blanket and a princess toy

Speaking of blankets I made one for her all by myself. A "one hour blanket". Ok it took me close to two hours but I did it and I love it. 

Also in my spare time I've been doing my Baby research. Pregnancy, Birth, Vaccines, etc. Gotta have the knowledge for now and when she comes out!

The "You and Your Baby Pregnancy" book is my pregnancy bible. I've had it checked out of the library for months because I read it every week. 

Ok you've looked at enough pictures of my life this week. Here's the bumpdate for week 23. 

 

A baseball mitt..a loaf of bread...a papaya....I have no idea what size baby girl is anymore.

Found this Motherhood Maternity shirt at Goodwill!

How far along: 23 weeks          

Gender: Girl!    

Weight gain: 11lbs

Maternity clothes: I admit to wearing them on occasion yes. Sometimes they are the most comfortable thing in my closet! I must clarify though this only goes for maternity shirts and leggings. Maternity jeans are not comfortable on me at all...

Sleep: I don’t want to jinx it. And by “it” I mean the one good night of sleep I’ve had in the last week. But the other 6 nights were miserable and filled with heartburn

Best moment this week: An older lady came up to me at work while I was pushing a cart of books the other night. The books had pink stickers on them. Well she must of thought I was pushing a stroller (our carts look nothing like strollers but anyway..) she came up to me and said “I was wondering why you were pushing that without a baby in it and then I saw ‘oh you have a baby, it’s just not here yet!’ God bless you honey.” It was the sweetest thing a stranger has said to me yet.

Worst moment this week: Heartburn you are the devil. I’m pretty sure I’ve overdosed on Tums at least once so far but I was never aware of it. I’m now aware I can only take 6 in 24hours and I plan accordingly. But seriously who decided that pregnant women should only have 6 Tums a day? Probably a man who has no idea that 6 is sometimes not enough.

Miss anything: Walking without the feeling of a 5lb medicine ball attached to my middle. A 5lb ball that will soon turn into a 10lb and 15lb ball.

Movement: Baby girl loves to move! I even read a book out loud the other day and she seemed to move even more. Also, more often I feel movements that are sort of Superman-like. I feel what could be a fist and a foot move at the time time hitting both sides of my uterus at the same time. She loves to be sideways these days. 

Cravings: Tomato soup is still a craving just not as strong.

Queasy or sick: no

Anything making you queasy or sick: no

Looking forward to: Our second ultrasound next week

Belly Button in or out? Oh the belly button is beginning to poke out ever so gracefully
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy unless hormones decide to strike then watch your back and get me a tissue.

Until next time... p.s. raise your hand if you can see my belly button starting to poke out.

Week 22 Bumpdate

Well week 22. Here you are. Since when are you here and almost gone? This week has brought me more highs and lows than any other week. The highs being: 

1. Yay maternity stuff is fitting better than ever and I can't wait for colder weather so I can rock my leggings and jeans and shirts. 
2. People all over noticing my bump. Even had a super chatty Walgreens cashier ask "and when is baby due?" just out of the blue. I guess I'm now noticeably pregnant that strangers no longer wonder if I'm fat or pregnant. Bring on the random questions and belly touching I guess. 
3. My nephew wanting to name Baby Girl Pollyanna. Which I'm honestly not opposed to at this moment but I doubt it will make the final cut. 
4. The cooler weather that has happened in the last 24hours and been a welcomed god send. 

Some lows that this week brought are:

1. "Holy crap I'm so fat, nothing fits anymore, I'm so tired of being fat!" This was when my superstar husband stepped up and gave me the pep talk I needed. He even threw in the words "super skinny" which took it above and beyond what I was expecting. 
2. My belly getting closer and closer to the counter when I wash dishes. We don't have a dishwasher so washing dishes not only wears me out and but hurts my back from trying to hold my body in a good position. 
3. "How do I always pick the foods with the highest crumb to sweater ratio"? Almost everything I eat provides a decent amount of crumbs on my chest and belly. This is only a recent finding but I know it's only going to get worse. 
4. "So you finally bought maternity clothes huh?" Said to me by a co-worker about a dress I was wearing that was definitely not maternity. It just happened to be good fit for pregnancy because it was looser fabric. 
5. "Has the hair on my stomach increased?" Chewbacca for Halloween this year. 

I was also given some super adorable things from my mystery co-workers. Their so sneaky but I'm determined to figure out my admirer!

And the award for cutest teether goes to?

Because every girl needs a pair of frilly socks and matching headband!

So anyway here is my bumpdate for your reading pleasure. 

How far along: 22 weeks

Gender: Girl!       

Weight gain: 10lbs. Which I’m now accepting as a decent amount of weight to gain at 22 weeks.

Maternity clothes: I officially broke down and bought maternity shorts. Your welcome because that means the weather will officially get too cold for shorts now. Hello Murphy's Law. Hello Fall. Other than that the few maternity shirts I have I don’t think they fit quite right yet so I’m still rocking larger t-shirts.

Sleep: Nothing new to report on the sleeping front. Which means I’m still sleeping terrible. No fun.

Best moment this week: Just feeling her move makes me so happy. I can totally understand how moms miss the movement the most when the baby is born.

Worst moment this week: How about when strangers have a conversation in front of you about what you should name your baby? Yeah that totally happened this week and I was just like  “are you serious right now”? in my head. I’ve heard lots of things strangers do when pregnant ladies are around but discussing names? That’s a new one.

Miss anything: How about not having aches and pains? I don’t want to complain because it’s a totally normal part of pregnancy but just when I tell someone I’m feeling so good…I get pain or discomfort somewhere. Yoga has truly helped me with this though and for that I’m grateful. I also missing moving at full speed at anything. Cleaning, working, walking, Yoga, it’s all come to a slower-than-normal pace for me these days.

Movement: Movements are still pretty continuous and I’ve noticed a slight change in them. They’ve become more solid feeling and less spasm-like. The one night she moved so strongly I, to this day, still think it was an elbow.

Cravings: Tomato soup. I’ve craved it for a week two weeks straight now…I feel like I should buy stock in Campbells. I've had 3 bowls in the last 2 days. 

Ok it was 4 bowls but 3 made me sound less like a glutton. 

Tomato soup is the new love of my life. Sorry husband.  

Queasy or sick: I’ve had huge blood sugar drops lately which if you haven’t had them they freak you out. One minute you feel fine, the next minute you feel hot and clammy and lightheaded. Mental note to up my protein intake by at least double. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: See above. So I think it’s just a blood sugar thing. I don’t have the Gestational Diabetes test for another 6 weeks but I have a feeling they’ll have to test me sooner if this continues.

Looking forward to: More tomato soup? Ha.

Belly Button in or out? My turkey timer is starting to pop. Some days it’s out more than others but it’ll make it’s full on “turkey’s done" debut in no time I’m sure.
Wedding rings on or off? They are on still.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time

I would also like to take a moment and recognize this day. September 11, 2001 was a day the world got a bit scarier for me. I, like almost every other American, will never forget where I was when I heard. I will never forget watching the news, alone and being scared. I will never forget seeing those people jump from buildings to take their own lives. I will never forget the impact it had on this country. I cannot believe it's been 14 years already. It seems to have just flown by. America, you are stronger than you know. 

And I am seriously in love with these onsies. There is something so simple about one small image and some text to just make a onsie simple and adorable. 

From my belly to yours...Happy weekend Friends!

Week 21 Bumpdate

Fall is coming. Fall. is. coming. I know I'm wishing away Summer by saying that but Fall is basically my favorite season. OK it's in a tie with Spring but still. I love fall. Everything about it excites me! Sweaters, cider, pumpkins, apples, scarves (well I wear them year round but Fall is when I don't get weird looks), boots, chilly nights, cozy fires. The one and only thing I don't like about Fall is the fact that it leads to Winter and here in Ohio, Winter's are miserable. I don't know what Winter is like in Minnesota or the Dakotas but here it's just grey all the time and blah. But back to Fall because Fall is not grey, it's colorful and that is another reason why I love it, I have been looking forward to Fall since I found out I was pregnant because 1. I knew I'd have a substantial bump by then and what looks cuter under a polka dot sweater than a baby bump? and 2. It would bring me one season closer to my Baby! I just love Fall and I can't wait to soak it all up!


Week 21 Bumpdate

How far along:   21 Weeks

Gender: Girl!     

Weight gain: 10lbs…welp that number is creeping up on my scale and it makes me feel just yucky but when the ultrasound tech says “oh wow you’re ALL baby” it makes me feel better.

Maternity clothes: Oh mama I found some maternity leggings at Goodwill and good and heavenly thing I heard about them is true. I want to live in them. Day and Night. Forever. Deal? I also received 3 shirts and two pants from my momma who found them at a garage sale. Great condition and saving me oodles of money!

Sleep: Rocky and rough. It takes a whole lot of will power, grunts, groans and sighs to flop over to the other side. Yes flop. I flop from side to side. And on top of that my lower back just kills at night. I try pillows and that works but every time I want a new position I have to re-position all the pillows. So I’ve settled for never sleeping through the night for the rest of my life and I take a small nap during the day most of the time.

Stretch marks: No

Best moment this week: I’m just loving my bump and how it looks. Most of the time I flaunt it proudly. Sometimes I have my “feeling fat” days and I hide it with a bigger shirt. But when it comes down to it, looking in the mirror, seeing that bump just fills me with such joy and excitement. I actually had to make it kick in just a notch more this week and looked at myself in the mirror and said “you are pregnant. Pregnant”. Because I’ve dreamed of being pregnant for so long sometimes it still seems all too surreal.

Worst moment this week: Baby Girl found my bladder. Enough said? Yes I was trying to sleep in the one morning when “bam, bam bam” on my bladder was Baby’s way of telling me to get up. Message received little one.

Miss anything: Besides everything previously mentioned in every other bumpdate? No. I absent mindely almost tasted some brownie batter the other night and had to stop myself. “Raw egg, girl” was ringing in my head. Sigh.

Oh and handstands. My Yoga practice has just been lacking ever since I stopped handstanding and I tell you I’m jonesing pretty hard for one these days.

Movement: all the time and it’s really such an amazing part of pregnancy!

Cravings: Cereal is one thing I just love right now.

Queasy or sick: No

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Looking forward to: Just enjoying the Fall season with my bump

Belly Button in or out? Well it was pretty flat but the tip is now starting to poke out.
Wedding rings on or off? On


One moment this week I had made homemade granola. Honestly the best thing ever. But it called for honey and I knew the only honey I had was raw unpasteurized honey. So I added half of what it called for with the hopes that small amounts would not lead to botulism for me or baby. Later when I was eating it (with milk like cereal) I felt so beyond guilty that the honey was not cooked all the way and I was going to hurt my baby. So I finally called my midwife for the "is this a stupid question" question and she eased my mind. The fact that the granola was in the oven for 15min at 300 degrees made the honey safe to eat. What a relief! I almost wanted to ask "so the whole 'don't eat raw cookie dough' thing is a lie too right???" But I didn't.

Anyway there is week 21 in the books. Hope you all have a fantastic week!