28 Weeks....

Well, I don't have a bump picture from today at 28 weeks, but here's something EVEN BETTER:

Check that out! That's from today, 28 weeks on the dot. Baby Girl was practicing swallowing, and moving her little lips and chin quite a bit. Her little chin is all tucked down in the above shot. And, that's her hand resting at her neck/chest area just below her lips right at her chin area.

{Does she look smart? Does she look kind?}

So.....here's this week's update....
How far along? 28 weeks.
 
Size of Baby: www.thebump.com indicates that the baby is as long as an eggplant.

Baby Milestones: According to babycenter.com, "She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world."

Maternity Clothes: Yes. And sweats. I was lounging at the house in Hubby's sweats. It's a VERY unattractive look for me, I can assure you. So, I actually recently bought my own loungy sweat pants for wearing around the house and...well, who am I kidding? I'll wear them pretty much anywhere. No shame in my game. Comfort is the goal, people.

Gender: Baby is a little girl....or so we've been told!

Belly Button In/Out: In.
 
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness. But---my Braxton Hicks contractions are now painful at times. It's hit or miss. Sometimes I feel like the Braxton Hicks is just a tightening, and I notice it, but I move on when it's over. Then, there are other times when I have to stop what I'm doing, and waaaaait for it to pass. Not too many. I'd say one or zero per day on average are painful. The painful ones come about once every 2-3 days.

Movement: Oh my goodness. She's moving like crazy. According to whattoexpect.com, "Your baby is settling into the proper position for birth, with her head facing downward." Ummm.....not according to the sonogram I had this morning, which shows that yes, she is in fact, transverse....kind of like this. The difference with our Baby Girl is this: she kicks her feet up by her head. She's crazy folded in there!

Sleep: Oh, I'd love to sleep. I'd love to sleep soundly through the night. But---I don't. She parties at night and that usually wakes me up. Or the heartburn wakes me. Or the middle of the night thirst wakes me. Or my husband kicks me because I'm snoring, and that wakes me. Or I have to empty my bladder twelve times during the night. Or my back starts hurting. Or my leg cramps up.....

Cravings/Aversions: Meat is still not on the top of my list unless it's prepared in a very unhealthy way. As in, nugget form. Meats in nugget form seem to be palatable.... Still a fan of the peanut-butter-chocolate-chip sandwich. Full of fat and not all that healthy for me, especially since I've determined that it tastes best on white Sunbeam bread. YUM! What else is great??? Powdered donuts. I'm starting to think that my baby bump itself is starting to resemble a powdered donut! {All big, white, and round!}


Symptoms: This pregnancy is soooo different than my pregnancy with Gage. I get middle of the night leg cramps. I've experienced sciatica in this pregnancy. My skin is horrible. I lack the "glow" I was told I had when I was pregnant with Gage. My weight is just....well, it's not "all belly" like it was when I was pregnant with Gage! My feet are already starting to puff up if I've been on them all day. I seem to be sooooo much more tired in general this time around. My appetite is not what it was when I was pregnant with Gage. So many things are just....different.

Feeling: Tired. Well....every day is different. Some days are better than others. Some days I just don't feel well. I'm tired and cranky and did I mention tired??? Other days, I feel well and want to tackle stuff and just get ready for baby.....

Best Moment this Week: Well, it should come at the end of the week: 3D sono scheduled for Saturday. Yaaaay! I'm so excited. I can't wait to see her little face, and to hear one.more.time: "it's a girl." I just need to hear that again....

What I Miss: Sleeping through the night.

What I am Looking Forward To: Working on the nursery.  The crib and dresser topper are supposed to come in this next week, so I'm just so excited!

Next Appointment: Thursday.Talked to the OB coordinator at the dr's office. Great for the changes I made for battling the anemia. They'll retest at 34 weeks. Told to keep doing what I'm doing (iron with a glass of OJ at a separate time from the prenatal vitamin, and dietary changes to incorporate more iron rich foods). And what's new? Oh, the fact that Gage has a rash that MIGHT be chicken pox, and the fact that I've not had chicken pox that we know of with certainty. Being a healthcare worker, I was vaccinated against it, but I got the vaccine in 1999. Studies since that time have indicated that two vaccinations are needed to get the best chance at immunity against the chicken pox....and I never was given two shots, and it didn't occur to me to ever ask for it or follow up..... So, we will hopefully know soon if Gage does in fact have chicken pox. He got two vaccines for chicken pox, but apparently you can still have a mild outbreak, and we are waiting to see if Gage's "polka dots" form pustules. How much fun does that sound!?

Sooo..... on Thursday, when I go to the doctor, if Gage does in fact have chicken pox, then I'll get my blood drawn to see if I have a satisfactory level of immunity or if they need to give me some immune globulin to boost my immunity for chicken pox.

....Now, can we just talk for half a second about how my son CANNOT CATCH A BREAK!? This year: strep, flu, surgery, and now maybe the chicken pox? It's like there's some illness check list that he's just determined to knock them all out in one year. {Hey, let's wrap this sh*t up before the baby gets here, mmmmkay?}

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that it's not  chicken pox. I'm hoping that it's some allergic reaction or something benign like that. No, I haven't switched detergents or soaps or anything lately. Yes, we were given some cream to apply to the affected areas. I'm hoping it's "Rash Magic in a Tube" and that by tomorrow morning Gage has zero "polka dots."

In a nutshell, how am I feeling today???? Like this:

CHICKEN POX????