29 weeks: healthy and on track

had my 28-week check up on tuesday which included a fun glucose test for gestational diabetes. had to drink a sugary orange drink (basically tasted like melted pop-ice) and have my blood drawn exactly an hour later. so while I was waiting for my timer to go off I got my weight taken and I lost a pound! good news since I had a nutty gain the last time I was there—so that averages me out a bit. overall, I'm up 14lbs which is on track. while the nurse was drawing my blood dr. ghandi was trying to distract me by measuring my fundal height and listening to baby's heartbeat. she said I was measuring a bit small, so she wanted to take a quick ultrasound.

I probably turned white, and immediately had a million things run through my head, but I was curious and kinda of excited to see baby, since the last time was at my 21-week appointment. I knew she was moving around just fine, but wondering what could be wrong if something was. she took all of baby's measurements and happily said well baby is measuring at the 45 percentile—and that you can't really get anymore average than that. baby was estimated to be about 2 lbs 9 oz. she said I was just hiding it well which kinda made me laugh considering I feel so big. I was happy to hear lil babe was good though—phew! oh, doc also said she was head down and most likely won't flip, maybe switch which way she faces but for the most part she's ready to rock and roll. her lil feet are on the right side which is where I feel a majority of baby's movement.

overall, still feeling pretty good. there are some days I just wake up exhausted and really for no particular reason. I usually fall asleep at a decent time, it's just my entire body just feels drained. then other morning's I'm like up and ready to go at 6:00, but unfortunately mark is not. :) I just try to listen to my body and if I need to lay down for a bit (which usually for me is a no-no) I will.

we have a "great expectations" baby class this thursday which is an intro our childbirth classes. should be interesting—mark is really excited. :)

other than that I'm trying to prepare myself for what's to come without psyching myself out. it's all quite overwhelming, but there's not turning back now! we're so happy in a lil over two months we'll have a new member to our lil family of two + madi girl.

cravings: cold things and fruit salad.
aversions: none.

what's baby up to?
baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (kicks and jabs to my ribs tipped me off ) baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though—they don’t necessarily coincide with my own. also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

28 weeks: third trimester... really we're here already?

oh wow... we're in the last stretch of this baby marathon. 12 weeks (or less) and lil baby girl will be here. I just can't wait to meet her and start this new and exciting part of our life. she is going to be the star of our show called life and am so thrilled to have such a great daddy-to-be on my side. not everyone knows this but one of the great reasons I fell for marky was when we were watching our family friends' kids the first summer we started dating. I saw how much fun, goofy and attentive he was with payton and gracie and it was hard not to think and smile wow I'm a lucky girl. I still remember the moment like it was yesterday. :)

happy father's day to all the wonderful fathers out there! (especially wally and ron)

there's been a lot of activity with baby this week. I literally can feel her turning, and I just stare down and can't believe something is alive within me. most of the time I feel great and almost forget I'm pregnant, but then I try to bend over and tie my shoe and I'm quickly reminded of the babe. overall, I've had lil aches and pains on the sides of my belly—but I think those are growing pains. when it happens my stomach is really hard so my only guess is that my skin and uterus are stretching to make more room. (no stretch marks yet... thank god and knocking on wood!)

we have our next check up on tuesday where we'll meet the last doc in the practice (dr. ghandi) but most likely we'll have dr. perlis for the rest of the pregnancy. hopefully she's on call at the hospital when lil miss decides to come out meet us!

baby is the size of a pomelo or
chinese cabbage. click to see the full image.

cravings: still loving on the la croix. I had a brownie the other day from panera and I literally could have ate the whole platter on display–luckily my husband was there to limit me to one.
aversions: none.

what's baby up to?
by this week, our baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. 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 my womb. she's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

guiding light

happy early father's day to our dads, my soon-to-be dad marky and all the other great dads we know!

27 weeks: baby belly

so my belly has been in slight pain—nothing to worry about but the I could feel it stretching which isn't a pleasant feeling. it's not like it hurts, but it's not like a feeling of wow that feels great! I was thinking this past weekend that it's hard to remember what it feels like to not have this belly. clearly all my normal jeans don't fit but I don't feel "heavy" by any means. I've said this before it just feels like someone inflated my belly—I'm sure it'll feel different when baby gains a few pounds, but for now I just have this round bump that sticks out.

this morning she was really active. for the most part I haven't been able to feel her from the outside. usually, it's been more of a tap that only I know is happening unless you stare at my stomach for a while you'd be able to see my shirt move a bit. I put my hand on my belly when I was sitting at work and I could actually feel her kicking—I can't wait to show mark when I get home later!

I had the most frustrating shopping experience looking for a maternity bathing suit this weekend. to summarize think of suit shopping on a normal basis and then add a big belly. it's hard to feel awesome. so I have a really sweet preggers one-piece—can't wait to wear it. hah.

also, got to see aubbie's caela on sunday and it was a lot of fun. so exciting to see her grow and play with her. she has a lil personality and was so fun to hold and see her lil expressions—those few hours flew by! and I definitely have prego brain because I thought it was her half-birthday, really just her 5 month! I told her I'll teach her how to count when she's a lil older :)

overall, i've been hitting my 10,000 steps each day and I actually feel great. I was at 8,300 after work and I'm motivated to just keep moving to hit the mark. madi is benefiting from this too, so it's a win-win. :)

babe is about the size of a cauliflower.
click to see the full image.

cravings: I really like la croix, I know it's not food but I enjoy it. found a new flavor too! coconut! which is perfect for summer. I of course would love to have ice cream and cookies on a normal basis, but if I give in I just have a little or else I just try to avoid it. (no need to add non-baby weight.)
aversions: none.

what's baby up to?
this week, our baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. she's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. with more brain tissue developing, our 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, so I'm just to just relax and enjoy the tickle.

ghandi's 10

26 weeks: princess consuela banana hammock

that's our baby's name. :) haha. mark and I spent sunday sifting though names and after almost going crazy we've added a few to our list. we've always had a favorite, but wanted to make sure we went through and took a good look before making our decision. I still love our original the most but who knows what we'll choose—we may just have to meet her first! we're keeping it to ourselves for now. :)

so I've been walking a whole lot more. I wear a pedometer (I know super nerdy) but it helps me to know how much I move each day—my goal is to reach 10,000 steps which is just under 5 miles a day. I don't feel comfortable working out—I feel like the blood all of a sudden rushes to my head and I feel strange, so I'll stick to walking!

mark was so proud and excited he bought coffee cake for sunday morning so when he served it I told him I wanted iced coffee with it. I barely drank 4oz of watered down coffee and I had awful heartburn the rest of the day and monday morning. learned my lesson.

he also bought me some bubbly (alcohol free of course) and it really tastes just like it! we were both impressed.

that's all for now!

(size of an english cucumber,
click on the image to see it full size)

cravings: burgers. :)

aversions: I smelled cooked green peppers again and it really makes me squirm. so strange why I don't like it.

what's baby up to?
the network of nerves in our baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. she may now be able to hear both our voices as we chat with each other. she's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. these so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. and she's continuing to put on baby fat. she now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. 

banksy

in the spirit of murals this weeks quote comes from banksy. I first learned about banksy when my sister started taking pics around london of his graphiti. his messages are very thought provoking and the mystery that surrounds him makes him even more interesting. and I love how his art just appears. here are a couple of his art works:

for more go to the banksy site.

25 weeks: 101 days to go... oh-my-lanta.

mark and I had a wonderful weekend getaway to visit his friends—the picture is taken along the marginal way in ogonquit, maine. we had a nice relaxing time taking in the sites and enjoyed catching up with everyone. one of our favorite parts of our trip was waking up each morning in kittery and walking over the bridge to portsmouth for iced tea and scones. the simple things in life are sometimes the most memorable experiences. :)

moving on to lil miss. she's been kicking like a lil nut—I could see the surface of my stomach move when she's active and crazy thing is these lil kicks and jabs are just going to get stronger!

I had a doc appointment on tuesday and apparently I've been a bit indulgent in the sweets department because I gained 9 lbs since may 2nd! whoops. my doc wasn't too concerned—I just need to get back to eating better and walking more to burn the extra calories. I'm not too worried, I hope to not gain anything at the next appointment to level off my extra non-baby lbs. overall, I've gained 14 lbs, so I think 20-25 lbs overall is still a comfortable number in my mind. a lil over 3 months to go :)

I found out this week I'll be having a friends shower at the end of july—so excited to hang out with the girls and thanks aubs! :) my sis/dad are hosting a shower on our anniversary and should be really fun too. we've figured we're not going to be able to really go away for the weekend or do anything out of the ordinary so we'll take a fun afternoon with family :)

that's all for this week!

cravings: ice cream is a fave, but I need to not allow myself to eat whatever I want.
aversions: lobster really grossed me out this weekend, so it may not be baby related but I won't be eating this again any time soon.

what's baby up to?
if mark put an ear to my belly—he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. baby's also soaking up my antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink—perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

paintings in portsmouth

on our trip out east I started noticing all these really interesting murals and paintings on the sides of buildings in downtown portsmouth. they were all very unique, some used sequins to sparkle, some had powerful messages and some just made you wish you had this talent. none were formal and it was almost like a lil game to me to find the next one in an unexpected place. our friends told us a couple weeks back the city of portsmouth had an art festival and allowed a couple artists to "decorate" the buildings around. I always appreciate a talented artist putting up a mural for all to enjoy and see. here are the ones I liked: