28 weeks = 3rd trimester!

It seems surreal that I am already posting about being in my third trimester. I was convinced that the second trimester would drag on, considering it really is the longest (it goes from 12 weeks to 28 weeks), but it has gone by quickly. I hope that the third trimester is the same way, because I am SO excited for our little girl to be here. I will be a Mommy in a matter of a few months.

This weekend my roommate and good friend from college, Abby, came to visit me. We lived together for two years and were pretty inseperable during that time. We had a blast catching up on stuff. She is a newlywed and lives in Northern Va, so needless to say, we don't get to see each other often. She gave me some cooking lessons on Saturday, and the chili and cookies we made turned out great! I can't wait for her to come back down to visit once Morgan gets here.

I had the DREADED glucose test today, and to be honest, it went much smoother than I had expected. I did crash this afternoon though, so I am glad I took the day off of work. My appointment was scheduled for 9am this morning, and several friends recommended that I fast before the appointment so that I would pass the test. I decided to eat a light breakfast (toast and milk), so that I wouldn't risk passing out. If I fail this one, I will have to fast for the 3 hour test. Hopefully my results come back on Friday. I also had my Rhogram shot today, because my blood type is negative. Morgan's is most likely positive (85% of the population has a positive blood type), so to prevent any issues with future pregnancies, I have to receive an injection at 28 weeks and then again after she is born. No biggy, but the shot REALLY hurt.

One major concern of mine that has been weighing on me my entire pregnancy is whether or not my doctor is right for me. I switched when I found out I was pregnant so that I could be at an office closer to home. I was hopeful that the one I picked would work out, but each appointment I find myself leaving very let down and confused. Being that this is my first pregnancy, I usually have a list of questions and concerns for my doctor. I avoid searching things online because the internet can be a scary place for a pregnant woman. At my appointments, I feel incredibly rushed, I am never asked to list any concerns, and I ultimately feel like a burden when I do ask my questions. My concerns are always dismissed as "normal" signs/symptoms of pregnancy as well. Today was the final straw. My doctor had obviously not even looked at my file before walking into my room, and assumed I was only 24 weeks along. I had to remind her that I was in fact 28 weeks. After rushing through the normal checks, she left the room, but said she would be right back. She never returned, so I had to send the nurse to get her so I could ask my questions. She came back, stood in the doorway with arms crossed, and glared at me as if I was a bother. I realize that she sees pregnant women all day long, and that my regularly scheduled appointment is no big deal to her, but it is a huge deal to me. I took the entire day off of work for this appointment, and my mom also took off a half day to take me. These appointments are milestones in my pregnancy, and an opportunity to for me to be sure my little one is doing okay. I ended up scheduling an appointment with her for 30 weeks (I go every 2 weeks now, YAYAYAYA), but as soon as I got home I called and switched to another doctor who came highly recommended. He is older, he is a he and not a she, and he is known for his ability to spend time with his patients. I hope he works out, because I would really like to get to know him, and better yet, for him to know me, before D-Day arrives. If I make it to 40 weeks, I have 7 more scheduled appointments, which means I will have as many appointments with the new doc as I did with my old one. Sounds good to me!

Sorry to ramble on this week. Here are the stats!

How far along? 28 weeks (not 24, ha ha)

Total weight gain? +17. I only gained about a half of a pound this month. I am guessing that is okay, but being that my doctor never looked at my file, I doubt she knew my weight.

How big is the baby? about 15 inches and 2.25 pounds!

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch marks? Not yet, but I am lathering up twice a day now that she is growing so fast.

Sleep? It's hit or miss, some nights are great, others are not.

Best moment of the week? Spending time with my friend Abby and hearing little Morgan's heart beating at my appointment today. Always makes me smile.

Movement? Yes! She seems to be all over the place. Sometimes she will be up in my ribs, other times she is down by my hip bones.

Cravings? No real cravings this week.

Gender? GIRL :)

Labor signs? Nope

Belly button in or out (for some reason I have missed this question the last two weeks)? In, but getting flatter.


What am I looking forward to? My next appointment with my new doctor! :)

27 Weeks - Baby Shower post!

Mandy, Me, Lauren, and Victoria

Holly and I with our moms. She is due 11 days after me!

Yay for baby showers! I have always LOVED going to baby showers, but this week, it was my turn. Morgan and I are incredibly lucky to have so many family and friends who love us. We received a ton of wonderful gifts, and I am starting to feel more and more at ease about preparing for her arrival. A word of warning for future brides/mommies out there: Target does a very poor job with registries. Don't get me wrong, the products they carry are awesome, and it is a great place to shop for baby and home; however, I unfortunately received a lot of duplicate gifts because the computer did not remove the items from my registry when they were purchased (despite the fact that my wonderful guests did exactly what they were supposed to do and present the cashier with my printed registry so they could scan it). This of course made me very upset. My family and friends who worked so hard to purchase items for me off of my registry were no doubt disappointed to see that I was receiving the same gift from other people. But let me just say THANK YOU to them for putting so much time and effort into shopping for me and Morgan. And on the bright side, the duplicates were returned and put towards the travel system that I have had my eye on. Now we can officially bring Morgan home from the hospital! With all of this being said, I am deleting my Target registry for my upcoming friend shower, and sticking to Babies R Us. They seem to have the registry thing down to a science!

Other big news this week (well, big to me) is that complete strangers are beginning to inquire about my pregnancy! YAY! This is so exciting to me because now I know that I look pregnant enough for someone to ask me about it. Not only am I looking more pregnant, I am also FEELING more pregnant. Her kicks and jabs are getting stronger, and are sometimes painful. This morning, she was simultaneously punching me in the ribs and kicking my on my hips. She must like to stretch in the morning. Other than feeling tired, heavy, and uncomfortable, we have been doing well. I stayed home on Monday because I was fighting a terrible cold. To my amazement (although I shouldn't be surprised), staying home, resting, and drinking lots of fluids really is the best way to treat a cold. I felt 100 times better by Tuesday and was back at work. I hate using sick days, but it was worth it to get rid of the cold so I could get back to work and do my job well. Not to mention, I didn't spread any germs to my coworkers. So advice to ALL of my blog readers, if you are sick, stay home and rest. It's totally worth it.

Stats:

How far along? 27 weeks. This means next week I will begin my THIRD trimester. WOOHOO!

Total weight gain? Still haven't weighed. I will know next week at my appointment.

How big is the baby? 14.5 inches and 2 lbs!!!

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Nope. Just bought some Belly Butter though because I ran out of my other stuff. Hope this works!

Sleep? Some nights not so great, other nights just fine. Has more to do with the dog and Brad than Morgan, ha ha. I actually dreamt that Brad and I went mattress shopping to get a King size bed. Ahh, wouldn't that be nice?

Best moment of the week? My mom gave me a lot of my old dresses and outfits from when I was a baby as part of my shower gift. I had asked her months ago if she had saved that stuff and she said she didn't think she had (lies!). I knew it was not like her to not save stuff like that, but I was still surprised to open that box. I have already picked out the outfit we will bring Morgan home in. So cute!!! It was also nice to see so many family and friends this weekend at my shower. It means the world to me that they came to celebrate sweet little Morgan!

Movement? Yes! And still loving it (even the painful ones).

Cravings? Nothing this week. Dairy products are still a big staple in my diet. Watch Morgan be lactose intolerant.

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO NO NO

What am I looking forward to? Seeing my good friend Abby this weekend! Also, getting my next appointment over with. Glucose test and Rhogram shot. Fun Fun!

26 weeks

Happy Hump Day! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and was able to get some rest. I sure did! It was so nice to have a few days off and spend time with family. I will admit that it was REALLY hard going back to work on Monday. The long weekend spoiled me and I was not ready to go back just yet. Needless to say, I am counting down the days until Christmas break. 12 more work days to go!

This week I have definitely noticed a change in my mood. Before I got pregnant, I was a very sensitive person, and always took things to heart. Now that I am pregnant, zit-faced, can't bend over, and look completely different than I did just a few months ago, I am even more sensitive. It doesn't help that people find it completely acceptable to comment on my appearance on a daily basis. I get a range of comments everyday, from "Oh, you look so small for being 6 months pregnant!" to "Wow, you are really popping out now!" I know people are trying to be nice, and I can not blame them for their curiosity in the preggo. It is just hard to process all of these comments when my hormones are out of wack and my self-esteem is already in the toilet. At the end of the day I remind myself that being pregnant is a blessing, and is not guarenteed to anyone. But if you were wondering what pregnant woman are really thinking when you comment on their growing tummy, now you know. :)

This weekend is a very exciting one. My first baby shower is on Sunday! My mom is throwing me my family shower, with the help of my brother's girlfriend, Calla. They have put so much effort into planning it, and I can't wait for everything to come together. I will be sure to post pictures next week. Mom said about 40 people have said they are coming, so it should be a wonderful turn out. I am such a lucky girl, and so is Morgan! We are very loved.

Stats:

How far along? 26 weeks

Total weight gain? haven't weighed this week, but I am sure it's up.

How big is the baby? 14 inches and very close to 2 lbs!

Maternity clothes? yes.

Stretch marks? Nope, but I am checking very closely now. My skin is getting tight!

Sleep? Terrible...waaaaaah. I need to stop my whining though because it won't get any better.

Best moment of the week? Spending time with my family on Thanksgiving. Also, Brad and I worked on the nursery and office on Sunday night and both rooms look SO great now. I was almost in tears when I saw the office after Brad finished it. It was so clean! haha. And of course I tear up everytime I go in the nursery. Can't wait for my baby girl to be in there snuggled up in her crib.

Movement? yep!

Cravings? anything, everything. bleh.

Gender? Sweet baby girl.

Labor signs? NO

What am I looking forward to? Baby shower this weekend!

25 weeks...Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope most of you had today off and were able to relax and spend time with your family. I got to see my best friend Lauren and her adorable son Connor today. We had a good time catching up and seeing Connor makes me so excited for Morgan to be here. Lauren is such a good mommy! I also got to catch up with my other best friend, Jenn, today. She just recently got back from Africa and is now working on interviewing for grad schools. I am so proud of her! I will take this opportunity, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, to express how truly thankful I am for my wonderful friends. They are always there for me and I don't know what I would do without them.

I was also able to go Christmas shopping done today. I got some things checked off my list, so I am feeling very accomplished. There is still a lot to be done though, and the thought of it all is very overwhelming. I may need to ask for Brad's help this year. He usually only shops for one person, me, while I am responsible for our families. Fighting crowds and dealing with traffic stresses me out, so I may just have to send him out with a detailed shopping list this year. :)

25 weeks pregnant is a major difference from just a few weeks ago. My belly grown a lot, and more people are noticing that I am pregnant, which I LOVE. I have not had the bad leg cramps, but sleeping is becoming more difficult. I keep waking up around 3 in the morning and can't go back to sleep. I suppose my body is preparing me for those nighttime feedings.

Ok, enough ramblings for today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Stats:

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? 16 pounds. I am up one pound from last week :/

How big is the baby? 13 or so inches and 1.5 pounds

Maternity clothes? yes!

Stretch marks? not yet!

Sleep? getting worse

Best moment of the week? Seeing Lauren and Connor today. LOVE THEM

Movement? as we speak :)

Cravings? the milk craving is gone. Now it's back to nothing

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? In but looking different each week

What am I looking forward to? BABY SHOWERS and finishing the nursery

24 weeks, 6 months, and Dr. appointment update :)

Hello all! I decided to post today because I wanted to wait until I went to the doctor. I am officially in the last month of my second trimester. At my next appointment I will be in my FINAL trimester. Seeing as this trimester has flown by, I am sure the last one will go equally fast.

My appointment went really well today. My blood pressure and weight gain are good, and Morgan is measuring right on schedule. Mom came with me today for support since Brad had to work. She was so happy to hear Morgan's little heart beating away. I asked my doctor about the EXCRUCIATING leg cramps I have been waking up to. I had another one on Sunday morning that almost brought me to tears. I screamed I was in so much pain and poor Waylon and Brad were scared half to death. Fortunately, my leg cramps are a normal "phenomenon" of pregnancy and nothing to worry about (NOT a blood clot, WHEW!). She suggested I drink more water and stretch some before bed to prevent them. I will give anything a try.

This week I have definitely been feeling more pregnant. At night I get very uncomfortable and I have not been sleeping as well as I used to. I can only imagine how uncomfortable I will be in February. Brad is very supportive though, and helps me as much as he can. We also hired someone to come and clean once a month to help me out. It is not good for me to breath in the fumes from the chemicals anyways. The house was cleaned today and I swear it is like Christmas morning when I come home to a clean house. Don't worry, we do clean more than once a month, ha ha. She mainly does the bathrooms and the back breaking stuff I should not be doing. You may ask yourself, "Hm, why doesn't Brad just do it rather than paying a cleaning lady?" Well, that is a very good question, and the answer is, BRAD DOES NOT CLEAN. Oh well, I don't cut grass or change the oil, so I will try not to judge.

Stats...

How far along? 24 weeks/6 months!

Total weight gain? 15 lbs! Yowzas. I know my Mom's scale is different from the doctor's scale, and I weighed at a different time of day, fully dressed this time, but good Lord. Time to slooooooow down. I still need to get through the holidays!

How big is the baby? Over a foot long and 1.25 lbs. (at least I can blame 1.25 of my 15 to Morgan, hehe)

Maternity clothes? Yepp. They are so comfy.

Stretch marks? Not yet. But this weight gain better slow down or I will start to look like a road map.

Sleep? Not great. Leg cramps and constantly wanting to change positions is making it harder.

Best moment of the week? SEEING my stomach move. I have been feeling the kicks for a while now but this week was the first time I could see my stomach move. So cool.

Movement? Yep!

Cravings? still milk.. Weird.

Gender? Princess

Labor signs? NO

Belly button in or out? In and stretching. I MAY be an outy by the end of this but still kind of early to tell.

What am I looking forward to? Getting past my next appointment. I have to get the gestational diabetes testing done AND get my RH negative shot. Fun fun. But more importantly, after the next appointment I will get to go every 2 weeks!

23 weeks!

VERY soft pink. Hard to tell the walls are even painted in these.

Where to start? This week has been a busy and productive one. On Saturday, me, my mom, and Brad's aunt, Lori, finally tackled the baby registry at Babies R Us. It was SO overwhelming. It is amazing to me how one little person can require so much stuff. Lori was an awesome guide though, and I couldn't have done it without her. I am glad I opted for Brad not to join because I think the whole process would have been way too much for him. He trusts my judgement, and knows I will probably get my way even if he does have an opinion on something, ha ha. Sunday, Brad and my Dad painted the nursery. I went with a VERY soft pink. It is exactly what I wanted and it goes perfectly with the bedding. I can't wait to get the crib up and start getting the room in order. Also on Sunday, my mom, Nanny, and I went and did my Target registry. There was not much to add there. Just a few things that I didn't see or didn't think to add to my Babies R Us registry. We are so fortunate that Lori has donated an entire baby girl wardrobe to us. I went through all of the clothes she gave us on Sunday night and I can't wait to start dressing Morgan up! Now all I need to worry about is getting the items off the registry so that we have everything that she will need.

On the pregnancy front, I am DEFINITELY starting to feel the strain of being pregnant. It is difficult for me to change positions and I am getting tired so quickly now. I better toughen up though, because I still have 17 weeks to go and I plan on working up until the day I go into labor. I really have not had many other symptoms, so I can't complain. It seems that Momma and Morgan are healthy and normal.

I have included some more nursery pics, but please don't judge yet. We still have a lot of organizing and setting up to do! I will try to add more as we make progress.

Stats...

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain? +12 lbs. Bleh, weighed at Mom's yesterday. That means I averaged a pound a week since my last appointment, which I guess is normal. It's just weird seeing these huge numbers on the scale!

How big is the baby? About 12 inches and over a pound!!! Crazy...

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Oh yes. I love every minute.

Best moment of the week? Seeing Morgan's nursery coming together!

Movement? All the time. She is a busy lady. :)

Cravings? MILK!

Gender? Girl :)

Labor signs? NO. I got a childbirth book from the library today to start educating myself on the process. I still need to sign up for classes at the hospital.

Belly button in or out? In

What am I looking forward to? Organizing the nursery! Nesting instincts are in full gear.

22 weeks!

Oops! I was a day late again this week. Last night I was exhausted and had zero motivation. I was so tired I almost felt sick. Then in the middle of the night I woke up with the most painful Charley Horse in my leg. I literally screamed and woke Brad up. Looks like labor should be fun... ha ha.

This week has been okay. Brad got back from his cruise on Saturday afternoon and had lots of pictures and stories to share. He and his family had a great time and the weather was awesome for their entire trip. I really wish I could have been there with them! Morgan started kicking much harder while he was gone so I was hoping when he got back he would be able to feel her. Well, 2 nights ago he finally felt it! It was so amazing for him to experience it too. He thought it was really cool, but she hasn't cooperated since. It's almost as if she knows he is there and stops kicking! We will keep trying though.

The crib bedding just came in today. I was so happy to see it sitting on my front porch. I am very happy with it. It looks even better in person than it does online. Now all I need to do is pick a paint color so we can get going on the nursery. I will try to include pictures next week of any nursery progress. Yay!

Ok here are the stats...

How far along? 22 weeks

Total weight gain? Not sure, +9 total was my last weigh in but that was 2 weeks ago.

How big is the baby? 11 inches and almost a pound!

Maternity clothes? Yes! Pants with panels are the best. Haha I don't want to ever have to zip or button pants again.

Stretch marks? Nope. Still lathering the belly daily though.

Sleep? YES! I have been super tired lately. I think Morgan must be burning up my energy.

Best moment of the week? Brad feeling our sweet girl kick. I don't think that will ever get old.

Movement? Yes! And lots of it.

Cravings? None.

Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL. So excited about all the pink bows and pretty outfits.

Labor signs? Heck no. But I thought to myself last night that if labor feels like a uterine Charley Horse I am in deep trouble. That thing had me in tears. I have had my fair share of stomach aches though (aka, gall bladder not working and appendix rupturing) so hopefully I am more prepared than I think.

Belly button in or out? In and stretching.

What am I looking forward to? Decorating the nursery. I can't wait to see everything all together.