27 Weeks

How far along? 27 Weeks today!

Size of Baby: According to BabyCenter.com, "This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended."
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I actually have no idea right this minute. I haven't weighed probably since last week!

Maternity Clothes: Definitely.

Belly Button In/Out: In.
 
Labor Signs: Nope. {WARNING, Maybe TMI: With Gage I lost my mucus plug around 28 weeks, and didn't know that I should have told the OB. Whoops. Then, with him, preterm labor at 34 weeks. This time around, no such signs so far. Nothing to indicate that I'll be losing anything any time soon except more sleep, and speed....I'm quickly losing speed and slowing down!}

Movement: Mine, or the baby's? I just went over mine: slow. My overall movement is much slower than it used to be! The baby: oh, she kicks up a storm when I slow down, lay down, or relax in the bath. She seems to have her head down low on my left side, or maybe that's her bum.... Her feet? Oh, they are on my right side up by my ribs. Remember those cervical kicks when she was complete breech? Not anymore! I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that she hangs out in the transverse position like this:

Sleep: About the same as it has been: crappy. Most nights I'm up at least 1-2 times. If I am super lucky, I go right back to sleep.

Cravings/Aversions: Still not a big fan of meat. I will eat veggies, though I still prefer JUNK FOOD! It's terrible. For the anemia I'm doing my iron pills every day and still have to make an effort to eat iron-fortified cereals or meats....just iron-rich foods.

Symptoms: Of pregnancy? Well, with this pregnancy, I've been waking up in the middle night because one of my calf muscles cramps up. I didn't have that when I was pregnant with Gage. I get heartburn at times.... but I have to say, it doesn't seem to be as bad this go around as it was when I was pregnant with Gage. Hot flashes in the middle of the night. Those are fun. My body is putting down just an overall layer of fat....everywhere! I feel like a chipmunk who is storing up for the winter. I'm storing fats for breastfeeding, I suppose! Oh, and there's THIS: I have separation of the abdominal muscles. During pregnancy, the growing uterus sometimes causes the abdominal muscles to separate, and when you try to flex the abdominals, as in, use them to sit up, you get this nice, lovely ridge down your middle. It's so weird. Also, it can contribute to the backaches, since the muscles aren't able to hold your core as tightly as they did before. {Super!}

Feeling: Very excited as we've ordered the baby furniture! Feeling, somewhat insecure about having a daughter. I don't know.....I just know what it is to be a mother to my son. I know that our relationship is good. It's wonderful. I just....for whatever reason, feel like I might have to work at a relationship with a daughter. Then, I think----'you're crazy. You have a wonderful relationship with your son because you work at that. Stop overthinking this.' But, I do. I overthink it... I'm also feeling like I need another ultrasound. Not because I think anything is wrong----but, the more full this baby's closet gets, the more I think, "What if they were wrong? What if it's NOT a girl!?" Maybe I'm being silly.... I was told twice that it was a girl. Once was speculative and it was very early, but the second time was right in the target time frame, and she sonographer seemed certain, so I should slow my worrying, right??


Best Moments this Week: (1) Gage's response to something he saw on TV. He said, "If that was MY baby sister, I would pick her up and take her inside!" It was his first proclamation of protection over this little one. Oh, he's turned the corner! He's going to be a great big brother!!! & (2) Ordering the baby furniture. That just FELT GOOD.

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night. Sleeping on my stomach. Seeing more of myself. There are parts of my body that I can no longer see! I miss putting on my shoes without getting out of breath. I miss doing a whole lot of things without getting out of breath! I miss getting through the day without a backache.

What I am Looking Forward To: Baby showers and  setting up the nursery, and organzing her room.....Spring and warmer weather so I can get in the pool and just FLOAT and be weightless!

Baby Milestones: According to BabyCenter.com, "She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she 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 her." {Our sweet girl has had hiccups and I love it! I don't remember ever feeling this when I was pregnant with Gage, but with this little one, it's distinct and AWESOME. I love it!}


Next Appointment: March 7th. I'm sure they'll recheck my iron levels to make sure my dietary changes are working and that I don't need to double on the iron pills. I'll also get my rhogam shot. I'm not sure what else. A belly measurement and listen to the heartbeat! I know that they don't start checking the cervix until later in the pregnancy, but given my history of preterm labor, I don't know if they'll start that earlier or not. I'll have to ask.... I don't feeeeel like I'm dilating, but then again, I didn't know that I was with Gage either....so there's that. I'll have to ask.

26w6d Bump Shot...

Here's the bump from 26 weeks & 6 days.

How much longer do you think I'll be able to zip this pink jacket that Hubby got me?
Not much longer, I'm sure!

I'm soooooo excited!

I JUST ORDERED THE CRIB, THE MOBILE, & THE DRESSER TOPPER!
Yaaaaaaay!!!!

The dresser is to be delivered on Friday.
The bedding is already here.
I'm not sure what day the other items will be coming, but I'm soooooo excited!

So, what's a dresser topper? It's this divided wood thing that goes on top of the dresser so that the dresser can be used as a changing station, and then removed when you no longer need a changing station. We plan to keep this nursery furniture, but just add a big girl bed when she's a bit older.

Thank you, Hubby!!!!!

Wonderful Weather Weekend!

Daddy and Gage shot Gage's BB gun over the weekend.... Gage made his own targets and they set them up. Cute boy.... He can't wait to go hunting some day!

Backyard Update....

Okay, so the backyard is still coming along.

We grill area is surrounded by stone and the countertops are in now. There is one piece of granite still missing. The granite guys had everything all perfect, and then the final piece, which is also the smallest piece, apparently broke during installation. So, they've got to cut a matching piece & come back out to install that. Other than that, the kitchen area is done...I think.

So here it is with the sealing on it. You can't tell much of a difference in photos. Basically, it makes it shiny.

We also had the small gate installed, and to make life easier for me, they made a special cut out at the bottom for the dog to fit through! So, if it's cold, or rainy, or whatever....I don't have to open the door for the dog and then go open the smaller gate for the dog to go potty.

We were at a loss with regard to finding the perfect patio table. I knew that I wanted bench seating. I knew that I wanted the table to be long and narrow because the space there is long and narrow. I don't want to block too much of the walkway on the small patio area, but that's the covered area for eating & what not.... So, we had a table & benches made to our narrow specifications. Can I just say that I think the table ROCKS!

The above pic is when the table was first delivered. It's walnut. The benches fit perfectly underneath the table, so they don't stick out to bang your knee on as you walk by. We also had them make a mini-version for the kids table!

They sealed and finished them in our garage this week....

I love them, love them, love them!
So much so that I temporarily gave up my garage parking space for them.
{Now that's love....}

What else about the backyard?
The landscaping.
Now, I'm no landscaper, landscape designer, or landscape architect. So, I came up with this plan, after researching different flowers/plants that I like and their sun and water requirements, and, I think I nailed it!
{I could be wrong....but I think I nailed it.}
Pardon my non-professional backyard map...

So, here are some the plants I'm thinking so far:

White rose trees, liriope (monkey grass), camellias, hostas, and hydrangeas. I've also got some hot pink geraniums, zoysia grass, and Italian cypress trees in the plan.  We may add more small annuals once this first round of landscaping comes in. The plants have all been ordered, and I understand it will be about 2 weeks to get the specific varieties that I requested.

The sprinkler system gets destroyed when you put a pool in. They don't care much about digging up lines and re-routing everything. They dig through whatever is in the ground at your house, put in your pool, cash their checks, and move the hell on. So, we knew that ahead of time, and the old sprinkler system is still underneath the ground in bit and pieces. The new sprinkler system is above ground and designed to control water flow in such a way as to not spray the fence. We are also strategically planning our plants in such a way that the mower and weed-eater won't be used up near the fence to ding and damage it too. We're trying to make this fence last as loooooong as possible!

We still need to get the landscaping in....finish the archway over the gate door entering the backyard....order the barstools, umbrellas, and chaise lounges.... outfit plants in the pots for the backyard....order the towel rack/table thing to go by the hot tub.....get patio furniture covers, figure out a grill cover system, have the awning installed (it arrived but came with the wrong style of brackets, so they are coming this next week with correct brackets for installation).... power wash the decking.

There's still a lot to do, but it's really all coming together. I'm started to get excited about it, especially the landscaping!

...and there has been so much focus on the back that our front yard is so sad looking right now. Spring will bring hope to the front yard too, I bet, and new flowers will hopefully be planted there as well!

26 Weeks.

I'm actually 26w1d as I post this....
But the pics are from yesterday, taken by Gage, who was sitting right.next.to.me on the couch.
He thinks it is funny that I can set things on the belly now....
I'm happy to report that yesterday's afternoon snack was celery. {We won't even talk about my craving for a peanut butter chocolate chip sandwich, which I totally made, and totally ate. It was awesome.}

The bump at 26 weeks (though, it seems much bigger than a 'bump' these days)...

Size of Baby: According to thebump.com, our baby is about the size of a head of lettuce!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 17 pounds from the start of this pregnancy. But, let's not forget the 17 pounds I gained during IVF....So, that's 34 pounds. I'm carrying around 34 extra pounds that I'm not used to carrying! But, the dr's office is only counting the 17 pounds gained DURING pregnancy. So, that at least makes me feel better now. It won't make me feel better when I'm working off the extra 17 pounds when this pregnancy is over!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, please.

Belly Button In/Out: In.

Labor Signs: Not really. I've had some Braxton Hicks contractions already, but they are so random. They are also so few & far between, that it's not anything I'm concerned about.

Movement: Yes. Hubby and Gage have now both felt it too, so that's awesome. What's not awesome? 3 & 4 am are this little girl's favorite time of day! Her kicks wake me up. Future Rockette? Future gymnast? Future black belt? I don't know. I just know that she's got some kind of internal clock that tells her that 3-4am is the magic play hour. UGH!

Sleep: Eh. I'm waking up at least once a night to use the restroom. If I go to bed in my bedroom, I usually move to the couch around 3-4am (see the above explanation about movement for reasoning on this), so that I can watch tv for a bit without waking anyone up. Then, I fall asleep usually around 5 with the morning news on TV, and Gage and Daddy wake me in the morning. Sometimes, I just sleep on the couch from the onset of the evening. My back feels so supported when I sleep on the couch.  AND---I now snore. I'm like some kind of hard-core snorer these days. I've literally woken myself up from my own snoring. It's bad. {Thanks, baby!}

Cravings/Aversions: Meat is still not my favorite. That explains my low iron results, even though I am on supplements. I mostly want to eat anything that I see a commercial for, or randomly think of. I want lots and lots of junk food. Isn't that so terrible!? But, overall, I'm a big fan of veggies, so I have no problem eating salads and veggies. Meats are the problem...

Feeling: Ready to have the baby furniture.

Best Moment this Week: Ordering the dresser for the nursery.

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night. Showering and then blowdrying my hair without taking a break to rest in between activities. I miss walking long distances without my back starting to hurt.

What I am Looking Forward To: The arrival of THIS:

It's the dresser for the nursery. We still have to get: the crib, the dresser topper, the bookcase, & select a rocker. We've got just about everything picked out, but not the rocker. AND---the bedding arrived! The nursery will be cream & white with this crib & bedding:

I also got this for the nursery when I was shopping with Jess this weekend...

So, I guess you could say that I am looking forward to decorating the nursery!
...and um....here's her closet so far....

Can you see that I have a weakness for baby girl clothes!?!?
Baby Milestones: Well, according to parentsconnect.com, "Air sacks are developing in your baby's lungs, which means it just might be possible for your baby to take a breath at the end of this week. The air sacks  (alveoli) will continue to grow for the next nine years. The membrane that keeps the alveoli separate from the blood vessels is now thin enough to allow for that oxygen–carbon dioxide exchange we call breathing. Other highlights this week:

The retina completes the development of its normal layers this week—all the better to see you with. Well not you, per se, because her eyes are still sealed shut and it's really dark in there, but your baby's eyes are now fully developed."


It's wonderful to know that every week that goes by, she has a better chance for survival. Maybe it's weird that I think about that. I can't help it. I think about it. She could now live outside of my body if she had to.



Next Appointment: March 7th. Oh yippy, I get my Rhogam injection.

Have I mentioned yet that we have a c-section date?
Well, we do!
It was so wild that at my last appointment, I wasn't even going to bring it up. I figured I'd wait until I was with my regular OB to set the date. Well, I was seeing one of his partners that day. She said that we should go get things on the books! Wooohoooo. If all goes as planned, Baby Girl will make her arrival at 39w3d!  {that's in 92 days, but hey, who's counting!?}

UPDATED: Belly pics during the 26th week....

Class Party!

Gage's class V-Day party was on 2/15 (who DOES that??? who schedules these parties for the day after the event when the kids were in school on the actual holiday??? Gage's school....that's who).

Pics from the party prep work....I volunteered to make the cupcakes....

But then, my little cupcake toppers wouldn't stay open like they were supposed to. So, I resorted to super glue, and I was soooooo thankful that I happened to have some on hand! That almost never happens....

Then what? Party craft prep work. The kiddos were to cut paper hearts and write on them something that they love. Then, they'd each hang their heart on the "Let Love Grow" class tree.

I had to make the tree....So, Hubby cut the branches for me. I had to go buy some coffee so that I would have a coffee can to use!

Transporting the "tree" to school was fun....(yeah, right!)

Pics from the party....

The chaotic classroom....

Our tree was a hit!
The kids enjoyed the craft.
:)

...and THIS little boy had a super-full goody-bag, and he was all kinds of hopped up on sugar!

Mommy's little Happy Boy! He LOVES Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day 2013

So, I spent all day on 2/14 baking.

I baked a chocolate cake for my son & Hubby.
I baked cupcakes for Gage's class party. I made a few extras too....

"What do you want for Valentine's Day?" the Hubs asked me.
"Campisi's pizza. I want a whole large vegetable pizza just for me."
"You don't want a bracelet or earrings or something?"
"No. I'm pregnant. I want food. I want a whole large pizza that I don't have to share."

....so, there's that.
It was ALL I WANTED for V-day.
So, Hubby went & picked up Campisi's for big, fat, pregnant ME!

I got the boys (Hubby & Gage) cards and we ate pizza and chocolate cake and cupcakes.
:)

Mmmmmmm!!!!