27 Weeks

Weeks: 27! I am now in my third trimester! 

Baby: Owen is most likely a little over 2 pounds. He's still developing rapidly, and can now open his eyes if he wants! If he were born today, he'd have a really good chance of surviving. :-)

Total weight gain: 17ish pounds...yikes!

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing maternity tops most of the time; they're usually more comfortable than my regular clothes!

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Sleeping great

Favorite moment of the week: Several friends and family members got Owen his first Christmas gifts! I loved that. On Thursday night, we had a surprise baby shower with my parents and sisters. It was so special--I'll be giving that one a post of its own later this week!

Miss anything? I miss feeling ok. Yep...we're back to that. 

Movement: He's definitely getting bigger because his movements are getting stronger and stronger. Sometimes I'll catch myself looking around to see if anyone is aware of what just went on inside my body, but obviously nobody ever knows. ha!

Cravings? I currently want shrimp and biscuits; that started yesterday. :) Other than that, I'm honestly back to not wanting to eat anything. 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Life

Gender: BOY! 

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: Everything. I'm back to eating Zofran for breakfast, except now I also have to take Zantac a couple times a day. I have had a pretty "classic" pregnancy, I think. I've been dreading the third trimester because I knew it could be a repeat (or worse) of the first trimester. I woke up feeling terrible in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, and with a couple of exceptions, it's been downhill from there. I was hoping my third trimester would be a little more welcoming, but it's still better than the first because we don't have as long to go! 

Belly button in or out? Out-ish. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Good, but I've cried quite a bit this week. 1) I got really, really cracked up at Ryan on our way to somewhere, which turned into crying. 2) My expectations were not quite met one day this week and I cried and cried. 3) I tried really hard to hold back my tears during our precious baby shower with my family (it worked, but only because it all made me smile so much!). I did really have to try. 4) This was last night: we are basically out of groceries because we've been gone and busy, and for some reason I bawled and bawled, worried that maybe my sisters were out of food, too. I know. It makes no sense. haha! Ryan was sweet about it and said I'm motherly and protective, and then took me to Taco Bell after I texted him a video of me saying "yo quiero Taco Bell." Seriously, we're nuts. :)

Looking forward to: I'm looking forward to no longer having these symptoms. I know the only cure is childbirth, so I'm looking forward to that for multiple reasons! I have gestational diabetes testing next week, as well as my next appointment. I'm now seeing the doctor every three weeks instead of once a month, so that's exciting! 

Freak-out moment of the week: None! After my freak-out moment from week 26, I dreamt that I had a c-section (which I am terrified of), and I can't explain, but the details of the dream left me feeling such peace that I honestly don't feel freaked out or afraid anymore. I'm sure I'll have my moments, but since that dream, I've been able to look past the labor experience and focus on the reward of holding my son! Remember the last time I had a specific dream about my pregnancy? It was at 16 weeks when I dreamt that we found out we were having a boy! 

Thankful for: Medicine. I'm also thankful for our friends and family who are already showering Owen with so much love! 

26 Weeks

Weeks: 26

Baby: Owen should be around 2 pounds! His immune system is developing, and everything else is still being fine-tuned for his entrance into this world!

Total weight gain: 17ish pounds...yikes!

Maternity clothes? Some

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Sleeping great

Favorite moment of the week: Hearing Owen's heartbeat again at my appointment. It's crazy how much stronger and louder it gets each time! 

Miss anything? Same as last week: I struggle a lot when bending over to put on my shoes, etc. Already. So I guess I miss being able to move like a normal person.

Movement: Lots of movement. Sometimes it gives me a very brief feeling of motion sickness. ha. I love every second, though.

Cravings? All over the board. I sent Ryan to the store for Pork-and-Beans because I wanted that with our dinner. I don't know that we've ever purchased those before. Ha! I made a special trip to buy Reese's Trees. Still not anything very consistent, though.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Overeating and car trips. Christmas should be really fun.

Gender: BOY! 

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: I'm still feeling pretty great! I did have to make a run for it at a restaurant this weekend, but my symptoms are a billion times better than they were. Every time I blow my nose (which is quite a bit lately) there is lots of blood. Sorry... I just want to document these things! :) That's been happening for about a month. I've been having sinus issues and my doctor told me to go ahead and use my Nasonex at night. 

Belly button in or out? Out-ish. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Good

Looking forward to: The second week of January I have my gestational diabetes testing, as well as my next appointment. While I know the GD testing isn't typically a fun experience, it is a milestone that I am looking forward to crossing!

Freak-out moment of the week: I woke up crying around 2:00 a.m. Wednesday night/Thursday morning, panicking about labor. (I know, I know...make fun :)) Ryan consoled me and we went back to sleep. At my appointment that morning I asked my doctor if it was normal to be freaking out about that at this point, and she told me it would be abnormal if I weren't. She also told me that if I do have bad anxiety when it's go-time, I'll most likely find that the pain takes over and I won't feel anxious anymore. Grreeaaattt. 

Thankful for: A healthy baby, and that we have more weeks down (26) than we have to go (14)!! My app says there are 98 days til my due-date. I want to hold him so badly that he might be a few months old before anyone else gets a turn. ;)

25 Weeks

Weeks: 25

Baby: Our baby is supposed to be the size of a squash and 1.5 pounds. We're guessing he's at least 2 pounds given his size at our 21 week appointment. Ha. This is about the point where size and weight start varying quite a bit from baby to baby. He should be starting to grasp his hands and wiggle his fingers and toes! Nails are starting to form on his little fingers and toes, too. 

Total weight gain: I'll know an update on Thursday! 

Maternity clothes? Some

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Sleeping great. Loving sleep. I've been naturally waking up earlier lately, which is a good thing!

Favorite moment of the week:  Ryan and I just got back today from our trip to Chicago! We had the best time together. We made Owen a little bear at Build-A-Bear at the Navy Pier. I might have teared up while doing the routine they have you do to give your bear's heart its life. So precious! 

Up until this week, I'd still have people comment on how they couldn't tell I was pregnant. I would usually point to my bump and ask "what do you think this is??" This week I've apparently blown up (as evident by my photo) because everyone asks me right away when I'm due, what we're having, etc. Especially people in elevators. It really was a fun part of our trip for me. :-)

Miss anything? I struggle a lot when bending over to put on my shoes, etc. Already. So I guess I miss being able to move like a normal person.

Movement: Owen moves quite a bit, and I'm still loving it. Ryan has felt him more and more lately, and we can actually see him move if I'm really still!

Cravings? My pizza craving was satisfied this week, so now I'm good! No real cravings.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Overeating and car trips.

Gender: Sweet boy!

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: Other than not being able to move like a normal person, I've otherwise felt quite normal! It's been awesome.

Belly button in or out? Out-ish. 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Good

Looking forward to: I'm looking forward to my appointment Thursday, and continuing to work on the nursery!

Freak-out moment of the week: Nothing really... an occasional moment of anxiety here and there about how this baby is going to get out of my body. No big deal. :)

Thankful for: My husband, always, and the trip we got to take together. I'm very thankful that my baby has been perfectly healthy this whole pregnancy. I never want to take that for granted.

24 Weeks

Weeks: 24

Baby: He is basically just a really tiny, functioning human at this point. He should have hair on top of his head now! It's not colored yet, but I'm secretly hoping it's a little red. ;) He's somewhere between the size of a cantaloupe and an eggplant. 

Total weight gain: Like 16 pounds or so. 

Maternity clothes? I'm wearing a mix of regular clothes and maternity clothes.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Sleeping great. I try to limit my liquid intake at night so I only have to get up once to pee. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

Favorite moment of the week: Owen's bedding and baby monitor came in the mail, and we got our furniture! Ryan and I assembled the crib and dresser/changing table! I have the bedding in his crib, and I only go in there a few times a day to look around. ;) It's hard to tell what his bedding looks like here, but I'm sure there will be more pictures to come!

Miss anything? Does "restaurants in Little Rock and Fayetteville" count? Because I want ZaZa all day every day. In fact, I miiiight stare at this photo periodically. It's from May. Cue the tears.

Movement: He is a little acrobat in there! I love it.

Cravings? Pizza. Good pizza. 

Anything make you queasy or sick? Riding in a vehicle

Gender: He's a boy! 

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: Such a great week. I have felt completely normal for the most part!

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Pretty good! I did cry when I had to pay Ryan an absurd amount of rent during our Monopoly game last night... take that as you wish. 

Freak-out moment of the week: I've been freaking out about how my body might react to the whole labor process. I go through days where I am scared to death and could actually have a panic attack from it. I trust my doctor so much, and thinking about that is the only thing that has worked to calm me down lately. ha. 

Thankful for: I'm thankful that I've had such a great week as far as how I've felt. Also, Ryan and I leave for Chicago on Thursday and I am thankful that I will be eating Chicago pizza at least one or two times or possibly more. Yep. That's pretty much where I'm at these days. :-)

23 Weeks

Weeks: 23

Baby: My apps and books tell me what size my baby should be at this point, but we found out at our last appointment (21 weeks 2 days) that our baby is quite large. :-) HE has taste buds, his hearing is sharpening, and most of his internal organs are in place and functioning already!

Total weight gain: Like 16 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? I'm enjoying wearing some maternity tops, but I can still wear a lot of my regular clothes.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep: Sleeping well. I suffer from self-diagnosed sleep anxiety, meaning that I absolutely freak out if I don't think I'll be able to get enough sleep. Probably because of that, but also because I had a hard time sleeping early on, I asked my doctor what I could do to help me sleep. She told me to get some Doxylamine (Unisom) and said it's safe to take every single night of my pregnancy if I want to. So I pretty much do. It's probably more a placebo effect than anything, but it seems to help me sleep through the night. 

Favorite moment of the week: I have purchased nursery furniture, bedding, and a rug, and I've bought a few clothing items for little Owen. Ryan and I began working on registering tonight, and it's all becoming oh-so-real! 

Miss anything? I kind of miss sleeping through the night without having to get up to pee. That's getting old.

Movement: His movements are getting stronger and more frequent! I absolutely love it. Ryan has felt him move a few times now over the past couple of weeks!

Cravings? Nothing really... sorry to disappoint. ;)

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nothing in particular

Gender prediction: He's all boy!!! 

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: This week has been much better than the past two, but I pretty much have every symptom at some point during each week. 

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood: Pretty good!

Freak-out moment of the week: Saying "only 17 more weeks til my due date" was a real eye-opener this week. We had a small freak-out moment, but for me it was all excitement. I want to snuggle my baby RIGHT NOW!

Thankful for: So much. Right now I'm so thankful for our friend Seth who trudged through Ikea by himself to find, purchase, load, and transport our dresser and crib from Dallas, which saved us $400 in shipping fees!