32 weeks

Happy Halloween!!! Even though baby boy isn't here yet, he should've enjoyed his first Halloween because Mami consumed enough candy for 2 (or more) and judging from his activity, he's on a sugar high as well!  Its so fun to think that this time next year we'll be out there taking him Trick or Treating for the first time!  Perhaps I should score a deal on a Halloween costume for next year over the next few days when they go on sale tomorrow.  Seems crazy, but its probably the smart thing to do...

I took a breastfeeding class this week.  It was really interesting! I hope I remember everything when he's here.  If not there will be lactation consultants and the doula to help.  I feel pretty confident about breastfeeding, although I have no basis for my confidence.  I find it whole process fascinating and another miracle of mother nature.  I'm excited for it.

At over 7 months, I'm up 7 pounds and baby boy should be just under 4 pounds himself.  With only 8 weeks left, heck lets call it 56 days, he should nearly double his weight in that time. He feels bigger than before, that's for sure.  Some of these rolling movements make me wonder if I'm starting to notice Braxton Hicks contractions.  They make it seem like I might be feeling a tightening of my uterus, but perhaps that's just him stretching out.  I don't know... I'll have to wait and see.

I'm definitely in a more uncomfortable part of pregnancy.  Its not unbearable, but the heartburn is probably the worst part. Its just so frequent and painful each day-through out the day, and most consistently when I'm trying to go to bed.  I should really just take some Tums or something, but I've never taken anything before and not accustom to treating most ailments.  I'm worried I'll damage my esophagus so that could be a good enough reason to do something about it.  At bedtime, its hard to get comfortable at first trying to avoid the heartburn and a position that won't feel like too much pressure. Staying on my left side or an upright sitting position all night makes me feel stiff and my right shoulder can get inflamed and sore.  I look forward to sleeping on my stomach again one day, and being able to change positions through out the night.  Waking up sucks because my bladder always feels like its going to explode.  I don't typically wake up from needing to use the bathroom- I sleep through that, but if the dog disturbs us (or heartburn once in a while), the best idea is just to give in and go pee cause I inevitably have to go.  Otherwise I can sleep through the whole night but definitely need to go first thing and feels quite uncomfortable laying there.  I'm a heavy enough sleeper that kicks have yet to wake me up.

Doctors appointments are every 2 weeks now. I'm hoping next week we'll have an ultrasound and see which way he's facing and get an estimate of his weight.  Let's see a head down!!!

31 weeks

This week kicks and movements are getting particularly strong! Nothing painful or uncomfortable, just fun. :)   The pressure on my bladder is increasing g however and definitely feeling like I always have to pee. I'd have to say I am having a lot of painful gas pains. Its a sudden new thing I'm not enjoying. But I'm not in constant discomfort, just sudden sharp periods of pain that eventually pass (no pun intended).

The doctor and the books say I may be experiencing contracts now, at least Braxton Hicks. If so, I haven't noticed. I'm still at me five pound weight gain so no changes there. Which is good because of I kept increasing the 11-15 pound goal would be busted in this period of rapid growth.

While the holidays seem far off, knowing there's only 9 weeks left seems very soon! Its exciting but still feels like there's some things I want to get done and out of the way soon. I don't think we'll go to the hospital with a name decided, but my guess is on Lucas.

Not much more for now. Until next week!

29 weeks & 30 weeks

Only 10 weeks left.  Its unbelievable!  I feel good about the progress I've made in terms of preparing.  Last weekend we went to a childbirth class at the hospital.  It was 8-3 on Saturday, so a full day.  I was mostly satisfied with the answers to our questions and the Labor & Delivery tour.  Intermittent monitoring is available upon request as long as there's no complications which means that I'll be able to get up and move around and try different labor positions.  They're ok with delayed cord clamping until it stops pulsating.  They will allow us to take the placenta home no questions asked as long as no biopsy is needed and we bring a cooler to put it on ice and remove it soon after labor.  So those are all good things.  We were supposed to meet a doula this evening but she flaked on us.  It rubbed me the wrong way but I think I'm willing to meet her still and give her a second chance. She is military as well, familiar with our hospital, and does placenta encapsulation; all reasons why I chose her.  At the class this weekend they said the military has doulas (for a fee) as well, so I'd like to investigate that further.  I'm having trouble finding information so far.

As far as the nursery goes, the dresser is painted and the clothes have ALL been washed, folded and sorted.  I made some closet dividers so I could organize the hanging clothes by size, I just need a few more hangers.  I need to put the rest of the clothes in the drawers but I'm still deciding how I'm going to organize them.  I want them sorted by item type (onesies, shorts, PJs, etc), and size, and season perhaps; but we'll see what I figured out.  Next I need to wash all the diapers and get those put away.  I finally went to a different Babies R Us where they had a great selection of gliders (and everything else too). I found a very comfortable one but I'm still deciding if we should get such a big, fancy one.  Its upholstered and white, which means I'd probably need a cover as well. Its big and would take up a lot of space. And its expensive and I'm wondering how often it will be used to make it worth a large investment.  I need to go back to Target and remind myself how much I like that one before I make a final decision.  Otherwise, the night stand still needs to be painted but that's no big deal. The neighbors gave us some stuff which was really nice and helpful actually too.  A highchair, 2 bath tubs, and a diaper bag.  All things I needed but haven't had the energy to look in to yet.  The highchair we don't need for awhile, but its a nice one so we'll take it.

I also finally signed up for some more classes.  For awhile there, this last child birth class was the only one we had planned.  Mostly because its the only class offered on weekends and all the other classes they offered were only on weekday while we were both at work.  I found a nearby hospital with classes at night that we are actually available for.  So I signed us up for infant CPR, Breastfeeding Basics, and Infant Safety.  I felt way better about that.  I also had been wanting to go this Budget for Baby class that the military offers (cause there's free stuff), but our base also only offered it midday during the week.  It dawned on me to try one of the other bases... and low and behold its offered at night!  So I have that one too.  I hoping that's good enough, between those classes and a doula I should be more than prepared.

I still need to research more about circumcision and vaccines. Those are some very important decisions that I have been putting off, but won't be able to much longer.  I feel a lot of pressure because they are permanent and will directly affect my son's life forever.  Researching baby products always stressed me out because I put a lot of thought into it, but if I chose the wrong product I could always buy a new one.  This is different.  I'll need some more time to figure those out though,

At 30 weeks I'm up 5 pounds. I think that's pretty good.  But with a 15 pound goal I'm concerned I might exceed that in the next 10 weeks.  I understand I'm supposed to start gaining weight quicker and quicker as he's growing more.  He's supposed to be nearing 3lbs now, so he alone has another 3,4, or 5 pounds to gain, let along my milk coming in and all the other stuff.  Hopefully all the weight I do gain is for a good purpose and not extra fat haha.

Finally, we had a 3D/4D ultrasound done!  I was not very interested initially in doing it, but Papi suggested it and I was convinced.  As I'm getting closer and closer, its definitely getting increasingly exciting and real.  He was hiding his face a lot but we got some cute shots.  Its crazy to see his face and know what he looks like.  I'm so excited to meet him.  While I'd like to meet him as soon as possible, I don't want him coming earlier than he needs to be ready so I'm patiently waiting, I know these next 10 weeks, or 70 days.. eek! are just going to fly by. I am becoming Mami <3 br="">

27 weeks & 28 weeks - third trimester!!!

We've officially hit the 3rd trimester!  While it does feel like a while until we get to meet him and I'm anxious for that, it also feels like its going quickly because there's still plenty to do in the next 12 weeks.  Baby boy continues to increase the strength and frequency of his movements.  We've officially started counting kicks today to monitor his health.  We should expect at least 10 kicks in 2 hours during his more active periods. The doctor said I only need to count once a day but I think I will aim for 2, at least at first, in case I miss one because sometimes I will either be at work or busy where it would perhaps be difficult to keep track. I've come to notice that his active periods are around 8, both morning and night and last an hour or so.  And then sometimes at 11pm as well.  Its also that those are the times I'm most often and rest and have the greatest opportunity to observe and notice.  I could be more distracted during other times, or perhaps be sleeping through it. As time goes on, he may be active enough to wake me up, although I'm skeptical being that I'm a heave sleeper.  Its fun to watch my belly move more and more.  And still find it crazy to watch my belly button disappear.  Papi has felt more kicks as well.  Its definitely safe to say that the kicks are easy to feel (and see) from the outside, its simply a matter of timing and patience since I cannot predict when it will happen exactly.

Grandma was generous enough to gift us the crib and mattress.  We received it today and will likely get it set up this weekend.  It will definitely help the nursery feel farther along even though its theoretically one of the less urgent to do items.  I still need to wash the clothes and diapers among many other things. But once I clean all of those, I can start to put them away in a more organized fashion.  We also need a dresser to put the clothes in but I feel more flexible with that.  We also might look at gliders this weekend.  My to do list is rapidly growing.  The new job is going well but keeping me very busy so my list is harder to tackle.

At our last appointment they measured the fundal height and heart rate which were both right on track.   They also did the 1 hour glucose test and another number of other labs.  I'm still awaiting the results, especially to make sure there's no risk for gestational diabetes.  The glucose test was not as bad as others led on.  The drink was not something I'd drink for fun, but it tasted like a typical fruit punch flavored drink that a lot of kids and other may love.  It didn't make me sick or anything bad, so that was a pleasant surprise.  I also didn't have to fast or eat/avoid and particular food that day.  Now our appointments will start ramping up.  I have one in 3 weeks, and then they will start being every 2 weeks until 35-36 weeks when they will be once a week.  I'm still considering if I want to schedule a 3D ultrasound.  Its not too expensive and I got a great price the maternity/anniversary shoot so maybe its worth the splurge.  I still need to schedule that maternity shoot, and preferably a hair appointment before that!  I desperately need my hair done anyway, so this is a great motivator.

We are coming SO close. I can't wait to meet my baby (whose name is still undecided).  We are so excited!!  I am becoming Mami. <3 br="">