28 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 28 weeks (Third Trimester!)

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a head of a Chinese cabbage.

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +18-20 pounds approximately. At my doctor's appointment this morning I was 20 pounds over my starting weight but I was also fully dressed.

Maternity Clothes: Both, everything I'm wearing today is stuff I had pre-pregnancy but I do love my maternity clothes.

Gender: Baby Boy!

Movement: Lots and lots of movement throughout the day and night. I hope he's not getting too claustrophobic in there.

What I miss: Not having to struggle to get up whenever I sit or lay down.

Sleep: The last two nights have actually been pretty good!

Symptoms: Backaches and lots of round ligament pain this week which I hadn't had too much of as of yet but my doc confirmed that's probably what I've been feeling lately.

Cravings: Same as last week, just craving liquids more than food.

**I had my glucose test this morning. The drink really wasn't that bad though I did feel a bit nauseous afterwards simply from drinking it so fast but the taste wasn't horrible. I should get results tomorrow or Monday. Also, I'm measuring a week ahead but the doctor said that's fairly normal**

Best Moment this week: Entering my third trimester!!! I can't believe I only have about 3 months left, it's going FAST! Also, buying the car seat/stroller combo.

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this weekend and Kristen and her little man Smith flying in tomorrow. I haven't seen her since her baby shower over a year ago! We're also taking a baby prep class next week (which teaches you about caring for a newborn) which I'm actually excited about.

Tis the Season

When I was finally able to convince Kristian to have a baby we never really discussed our preference for the time of year we would like for the child to be born in. After all it takes a lot of couples many months or even longer to conceive (and I didn't think we would be any different, we got very lucky in that respect) so most people don't really get to pick the time of year their child is born, they take what they can get. I do know that some couples will take a month or two off from TTC (trying to conceive) in order to avoid having a Christmas baby or having the child born during a certain time of year that may be inconvenient for them.

Well I was so excited when Kristian finally agreed to "just see what happens" when I just happened to be ovulating that I didn't count ahead and realize that if it did happen to work that month we might end up with a Christmas baby. Lo and behold two weeks later I was pregnant and looking at an estimated due date of Dec. 26th. Now if given the choice in a perfect world I would not choose for my child to be born around Christmas. From everyone I've talked to with a birthday around Christmas they think it more or less sucks reindeer balls. But not much I can do about it now except try to make his birthday as special as possible each year.

With all that said I have to admit I am happy to be having a winter baby in general. There are definitely pros and cons to having a winter baby but for me the pros currently outweigh the cons. Let's take a look at my handy little list:

Cons-
*Having a birthday right around the holidays (this isn't an issue for later winter babies born in Jan/Feb)
*Having to potentially drive to the hospital in a blizzard (fortunately we don't get many of those and my husband has 4 wheel drive)
*Making sure any visitors don't get the baby sick during the height of cold/flu season

Pros-
*Not having to be 9 months pregnant at the height of the summer which would be even more uncomfortable
*I don't foresee wanting to go out much during the 1st six weeks anyway and being that it will be cold and potentially snowy I won't feel bad about staying inside. If it were nice weather I would hate being stuck indoors.
*I will have about 5-6 months to get back into some sort of shape before bathing suit weather
*I will be 8 months pregnant at Thanksgiving which means I don't have to worry about the first trimester nausea/food aversions during the holidays and can still enjoy my meals.
*Jan/Feb is a fairly slow time for me at work so my boss was pretty happy about the timing.

So despite the whole Christmas birthday part of it I'm kinda glad the timing worked out for us to have a winter baby even if we didn't exactly plan it that way.

Share time- what were the pros/cons about the time of year your kid was/will be born?

Riding in style

On Sunday Kristian and I headed to Babies R Us to make a pretty big purchase. We ended up buying our car seat and stroller combo. Initially we had registered for a travel system (a different one than we ended up buying) but decided to go ahead and get it ourselves because we needed to have a car seat for this weekend when my favorite Florida resident and her handsome little man come up for my baby shower!! P.S. SOOOOO excited to see her! To save Kristen from having to lug Smith's car seat up here with her I figured why not go ahead and just get ours now since we need one anyway, then Smith can help break it in for our little one!

We hadn't planned to buy the stroller this past weekend but there happened to be a sale going on the one we liked which was for $75 off if you bought them both at the same time and with my $50 gift card that my mom gave me for my birthday we got a great deal on both!

Here is what our little guy will be riding in once he arrives:

S1 by Safety 1st onBoard35 Air Infant Car Seat - McKenna

 

S1 by Safety 1st Trivecta Stroller - Mckenna

When we got home we put the stroller together (which was really easy) and played around with both. While Kristian tried to figure out how to get the car seat out of the base I tried to figure out how to fold and unfold the stroller. We looked like total first time parents (who apparently don't like to read directions).

We both love the set, the black and grey is gender neutral so it could work if our next kid is a girl, it looks good in both of our cars (we both have silver cars) and just has a really sleek, cool look to it (so Kristian can still feel cool pushing a stroller).

We're so excited to see our little guy in these in a few short months!

27 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 27 weeks

*Wearing maternity leggings and a maternity top aka the most comfortable outfit in the world*

*If you zoom in on the front faced picture you may even see my belly button poking out...yep it's starting to poke out!*

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of  a head of cauliflower (finally a veggie I recognize)

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +16 pounds approximately.

Maternity Clothes: I just got some more maternity clothes last night that I had ordered from Old Navy. I still wear a mix of both but I prefer my maternity clothes which fit me a lot better right now.

Gender: Boy parts

Movement: Still a lot of movement throughout the day and night. If he's this active one the outside I'm not going to get much sleep. Also, there will be times when part of my tummy will be really hard and poke out from one of his body parts, it's cool and weird.

What I miss: Not much, I'm getting pretty used to this pregnancy thing, the good and the bad parts.

Sleep: Meh. Not great. Even Kristian has started waking up more, it's like his body knows to train him for less sleep too.

Symptoms: Still lots of backaches and overall discomfort especially at the end of the day. My belly button has started poking out on one side. Not sure the full thing will become an outtie but the edges are poking out.

Cravings: Not really craving any foods in particular just drinks. I'm thirsty a lot more now than pre-pregnancy.

Best Moment this week: Painting the nursery, we still have a lot to do but it's so exciting to start working on it and coming up with ideas. So far it looks really good!

What I am looking forward to: Working on the nursery more this weekend and getting the house in order for the baby shower next week! Also, starting my third trimester next week!!

What I'm NOT look forward to: Taking my Glucose Tolerance Test next Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed that I pass!!

What's in a Name?

I am now officially less than 3 months from my due date! And while a lot of people have their child's name picked out as soon as they find out the gender (or get that positive pregnancy test) I must admit our child is still nameless.

Yes we've discussed names, in fact there is one name that we both like and is the current front runner, however I seem to be completely commitment-phobic when it comes to choosing this little guy's name. Even though I do like the name we've discussed I'm still not 100% sold on it and feel like maybe there is a better name out there that I just haven't heard or considered yet. In addition to a couple names I do actually like better but would need to persuade Kristian on.

Naming a kid is hard. At least for me it is. There is just so much to consider. Firstly you need to make sure the name doesn't have any obvious, God-awful, mean nicknames attached to it. I also want a name that is transitional and will be cute for a little boy but also cool for a teenager and then professional when he's an adult. There are a ton of really cute little kid names but then when you imagine them as a 40 year old adult the names are just too cutesy and young sounding. Oh and of course you need to make sure that your partner likes the name too, which is easier said than done.

So to be honest I don't know if our kids name will be 100% decided before he gets here. And here's the thing, even if it is chosen before he arrives we aren't telling anyone the name (this is driving my MIL CRAZY!!!). We aren't sharing the name or even ones we're actively considering for a few reasons:

1. It's hard enough for us to agree on a name without having to factor in other people's positive or negative opinions. Whenever we do finally decide on a name I don't want us to question our choice if someone doesn't like the name. Once babies are here most people keep their mouths shut in regards to disliking a name.

2. I, personally, find it more exciting to find out the name when the kid is born. Especially if everyone already knows the gender, keeping the name a secret adds a little bit to the anticipation for family and friends. Plus it's fun to have something to torture our parents with ;-)

3. I want the option to change the name at the last minute. This goes back to my commitment phobia about the name. Once you announce the name (prior to the birth) people have a tendency to start buying personalized items for the baby, which is awesome, unless you decide at the last minute to change the name for whatever reason. Then you could be stuck with a lot of clothes that say Alex when you end up with a Joe. Now if you're one of those people that knows beyond a shadow of a doubt what you want the name to be then buy away but again I just don't think I'm one of those people.

So that's where we stand with the name for those that are wondering.

For those with kids already, did you have the name picked out before the baby arrived?

Did/Will you keep the baby's name a surprise until it's born?

Weekend Highlights

--Started painting the baby's room! We still have a lot to do but so far we both like the main color we picked.

--While at Lowe's getting the paint the cashier told me I looked very big and asked if I was having twins. Kristian didn't know whether to laugh or tell her off, it was the first time he's been there when someone has said something stupid like that.

--In order to paint we had to move a lot of the baby stuff out of the room, we put the bassinet we got from a friend in our bedroom by the window. Last night our cat Halpert slept in it. All Night.

--Kristian's best friend came over Saturday to watch football and normally he just brings beer when he comes over, this time he hooked up the pregnant lady with some Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Brownie ice cream. I didn't feel like I needed to share it either, after all, I'm not drinking their beer am I?

--My Sister-In-Law decided to clean out her closet and I scored some new clothes, some of which I can even wear now and a new Tory Burch and Coach purse. It's nice having a SIL that only buys name brand, especially since I basically only buy Target, Old Navy, Forever 21.

--While at my Mother-in-laws house going through the clothes she showed me the diaper wreath and diaper cake she made for my baby shower in two weeks. They are both SOOOO cute. She did an amazing job and the cake is HUGE and loaded with baby goodies that she used to decorate it. I told her I almost don't want to take it apart to use the stuff but rather just keep it as decoration in the nursery.

--I spent most of my weekend trying to play catch up on my DVR. Now that all of the fall shows are back my DVR is getting a work out.

--Kristian made a deer stew for dinner last night using defrosted meat from a deer he killed last year. I normally don't eat deer meat, not because it doesn't taste good. It actually tastes really good but it's a mental thing, I don't want to eat Bambi. Anyways, I did suck it up and have a couple bites of the deer meat because Kristian wanted his son to have some in the hopes that he'll like it once he's older. I think the baby liked it because he was kicking up a storm afterwards.

26 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 26 weeks

*This is the picture that Kristian took of me on Monday, I feel like I look a lot bigger in this picture than in real life.

P.S. How cute is Moxie???*

*Below are two pictures I took yesterday. I think this is more accurate of my belly size*

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com the baby is about the size of an English Hothouse Cucumber. *Really they couldn't think of anything else to compare it to? What is that anyway?*

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days. *Yeah I have testicles inside me. So weird!*

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +15 pounds approximately. I'm actually pretty satisfied with the amount of weight I've gained. I'm really hoping to not gain more than 30 pounds just because I am so small and think it will be really hard to carry much more than that. But I'm averaging about a pound or so a week like I should be.

Maternity Clothes: Still a mix of both but I prefer my maternity clothes, they are just SOOO much more comfortable, especially my leggings. I want to live in leggings. 

Gender: Male...hence having testicles inside me.

Movement: Lots and lots of movement throughout the day and night. Last night I laid the remote on my belly and watched him kick it around.

What I miss: Not much this week.

Sleep: Better. Still waking up to pee 2-3 times but in between pee breaks I sleep well.

 

Symptoms: I'm pretty sure I had some braxton hicks contractions last weekend but fortunately nothing since. Otherwise lots of backaches and overall discomfort towards the end of the day.

Cravings: Ironically Wendy's chicken filet sandwiches (I've had two this week). It's ironic because I've had such a strong aversion to chicken this whole pregnancy.

Best Moment this week: Selling an old dresser and nightstand that was taking up room in the nursery on Craig's List. I'm so happy to have those pieces out of the house finally.

 

What I am looking forward to: FINALLY starting to paint the nursery this weekend. We were waiting to get those couple pieces of furniture out and now we have some extra cash from the sale to buy the paint. Also, my baby shower is in two weeks!!