Third Trimester and Brian's Paranoia

Wow, in the third trimester already! Can't believe that we'll meet our little girl in 13 weeks (if she's on time, that is)!!!



I'm feeling pretty large these days, but many of the moms I know are saying that I don't look big. I'm sure they're just trying to be sweet and are lying to my face! All I know is that I'm officially to the point where bending down = gasping for air, sooo....yeah. That's fun. I find myself having to just take a deep breath every once in awhile-- now I know what my friend Christina was talking about when she said she had to do that.

All of my organs are being squished in one direction or another, so the breathing difficulty makes sense. Here's a link to a website with an interesting rendering of where the organs go: http://www.pennmedicine.org/health_info/pregnancy/9monthmiracle/tools/fetaltool.html

Brian is paranoid lately and is pretty much convinced that the baby is actually a boy. I've kept all receipts for anything we've bought just in case we need to return our pink items and get blue instead. Fingers crossed that it's still a girl! ;)

We've got an ultrasound this Wednesday so we should be able to confirm the sex--- but I guess I shouldn't assume she'll cooperate since we all know what happened at the first attempt at finding out. They're also going to check if my "low lying placenta" has moved up and out of the way. I asked the doctor last time what happens if it doesn't and she said that they'd keep monitoring it every two weeks or so. If it doesn't move by (or just before) the due date then they'll schedule me to have a C-section. I'm really hoping to avoid that, so let's hope it's moved. I've also got a gestational diabetes test at the same appointment. Let's hope I pass-- Baby Trump's been a big fan of chocolate chip muffins in the morning lately!

Onto the weekly check in....
How far along am I? 27 weeks, exactly.
Total weight gain: No idea. We've got an appointment this Wednesday so I'll find out then.
Sleeping?: Good, thank goodness!
Movement: All the time!
Belly Button in or out? Flat, no outie yet.
What I miss: Being able to bend over without gasping for air, being able to get off of the couch without some "assistance" from Brian (ha!).
What I am looking forward to: Upcoming baby showers and get-togethers, doing some work on the nursery.
Milestones: Baby Girl is about 15" long and just about 2.2 lbs...she's practicing her breathing and can get hiccups at this point.
To Do List: Lots of stuff for the nursery, Birthing/Labor class starts in May, Brian's infant/child CPR in early June.

Double digits, Visit to NH, weekly check in

Pregnancy Countdown Ticker

Holy moly! Under 100 days... 96 to be exact. When did that happen?! Time is really starting to fly by now (although I hear from other new mommies that this is around the time that I'll start to get antsy and hope that it's all over soon).

I have to say, I really can't complain about my pregnancy thus far. The only thing that's really bothered me have been the cramps in my rear, but a few good stretches takes care of that. I've been very lucky (::knocks on wood::) and hopefully the rest of the pregnancy will go just as smooth!

We had a really nice visit home to New Hampshire this past weekend. Brian and I flew up to NH on Wednesday night. We were able to spend some time up in Maine for Karen and Keith's wedding (congrats to the newlyweds who are currently celebrating on their honeymoon in Hawaii)and do a little outlet shopping. We also spent time with the nieces (Lily and Jocelyn), nephew (Will), and my parents, and even got to see a few extended family members at Jocelyn's Christening on Sunday. The weather wasn't the greatest, but hey, it's New England--whaddaya expect? ;)

Onto the weekly check in...

How far along am I? 26 weeks, 2 days.
Total weight gain: I've stopped looking at the scale!!!
Sleeping?: Pretty good--occasional aches in my hips, but no big deal.
Movement: Constantly! Big kicks and punches lately that can be seen from the outside.
Belly Button in or out? Very flat, hoping it doesn't turn into an outie.
What I miss: Red wine, beer, being able to shave my legs without finding alternative positioning.
What I am looking forward to: Doing some gardening this weekend if the weather holds out, upcoming baby showers and get-togethers.
Milestones: Baby Girl is 13-14" long and just about 2 lbs...her eyes are opening now and she is able to hear and recognize familiar voices!
To Do List: Paint the nursery, start our Birthing/Labor class in early May, and then Brian has infant/child CPR in early June.

25 weeks, Names, Prenatal Massage, Butt Cramps...really?!

We've officially hit the 25 week mark (as of yesterday) and Baby Girl Trumpatori is about the size of an eggplant. I read yesterday that a woman's uterus at this point is the size of a soccer ball--- that's incredible to me.



Our little princess is moving and kicking like crazy. She kept me up for a good hour last night while she was practicing her moves on my organs. If this is any indication of her activity level when she arrives we're in for trouble!



Everyone keeps asking about names and if we've chosen one yet. Not quite yet. We're down to two, but are only sharing them with family. One is a more traditional name and the other is a bit more modern. We're leaning heavily to one name in particular, but that could change at any moment. As soon as we decide we'll definitely let you all know!



On Friday night Brian sent me for a prenatal massage. It was the most amazing thing ever, and just what I needed that day. The masseuse was very knowledgable about places to avoid during a prenatal massage, and had a couple of places in mind that she was SURE would need some work-- boy, was she right. I didn't realize how sore my legs were until she started working on me. This is a nice time to segue into the "butt cramps" I mentioned in the subject today.



Butt cramps?! Seriously?! Ouch! Since this pregnancy has been pretty "easy" on me overall, I was bound to run into something painful/horrible/miserable...apparently for me it's butt cramps. They are so debilitating that I literally have to stop wherever I am and try to get a good stretch---either that or, if Brian is around, I need to have him dig his elbow into my rear right where it hurts. It's sort of comical to think about that second option, but it's no laughing matter when you're butt randomly seizes when you're just strolling along.

Ok-- I've talked your ears off and I'm exhausted, so I'm heading to bed. Brian and I are heading up to NH/Maine on Wednesday night. Can't wait to get out of town for awhile to visit family and see some great friends.

Gettin' Crafty, 13 lbs?!?!, and the Weekly Check In

Since we're doing somewhat of a "birdie" theme in the nursery, I thought I'd get a little crafty this past week and make a few things. I made some little birdie barrettes for our little girl (hope she has hair!) as well as some closet clothing dividers (they help separate different sizes of clothing in the closet). Here are a few pics:







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Nurse: "13 lbs."
Kelly: "13 lbs?!?! Is that NORMAL??"

Well, I had a BIG jump in weight gain over the past four weeks-- I was up about 6-7 lbs back then, now I'm up a total of 13 lbs. Yikes!

When I asked the nurse if that was normal she sort of just chuckled and said, "Oh, this is your first, huh?" Um, yes, and I've never weighed this much in my life! I almost fell over when I saw my weight. I mean, I get it, it's ALL belly (thank goodness), but it just startled me. I'm over it now, hell, I'm EMBRACING it ;) Here's a pic of the "popped" belly from this weekend.





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Weekly Check In:

How far along am I? 24 weeks exactly
Total weight gain: 13.0 lbs, YIKES!
Sleeping?: Overall good, though I keep catching myself waking up on my back (which is, apparently, not a good thing for blood flow).
Movement: All the time-- Baby Girl is working on her black belt!
Belly Button in or out? Flat-ish.
What I miss: Being able to tie my shoes without using some sort of alternative positioning.
What I am looking forward to: Seeing my family in two weeks, being there for Karen and Keith's wedding in Maine!
Milestones: Baby Trump is about a pound and half now and is roughly 10" long. She's growing fast! She'll be growing at about 6 oz per week now... that seems HUGE to me.
To Do List: Paint the nursery, start our Birthing/Labor class in early May, read up on breastfeeding and what to expect the first few months.

The Stiches are in Town

Ian, Jenny, and their 3 1/2 month old baby girl, Sofia, came up to NC to visit this weekend!

We've been all over-- from the Boylan Bridge Brewpub to the Duke Gardens. It's been a great visit, and has been especially helpful to pick the brains of new parents. I've been getting lots of tips for scheduling, breastfeeding, can't live withouts and CAN live withouts, etc, from Jenny. Ian and Brian have been talking a lot about the baby, too, so I'm sure his tips are helping Brian to sort out a few things.

Here are a few pics of our visit. They leave us later on today! :(