33 Weeks...the countdown begins!

How far along? 33 weeks 

Barely squeezing in this shirt now!

Total weight gain? At my last doc appt it was still 25 (first time of zero weight gain in months!), but I know it's more now...I'm eating like a mad woman again and swelling like one, too!

Maternity clothes? Oh, yes. And nothing else except old pj's or Rocky's t-shirts/jackets.

Sleep? Same ole, same ole except the dog has now decided my side of the bed is her home. Urgh...

Best moment this month? Well, it's been a pretty eventful month! Let me summarize like this: visit to ER where I had to be cardioverted (heart semi-stopped and restarted. Scariest moment of my life. Literally.), visit to perinatal specialist (due to ER visit...the fun thing is I got have a LONG, detailed ultrasound which I haven't had since 20 weeks. It was so great to see that sweet baby again and to find out she still looks great! My kidney scared the doc because of a severe case of hydronephrosis (fluid filled kidney) but I'm not in pain so it should be fine, first shower which was more fun than I ever thought possible (got to see old friends, family and got loved on big time), got to start nesting (although we're still waiting on the crib and dresser, I have started decorating and organizing clothes, blankets, books, etc. I even washed 3 loads of baby stuff. It was so surreal as I realized it was the beginning of the next 18 years!)...

My forever friends who through me the best shower!

 Basically, despite the scary moments and the discomforts, I have loved this month. My favorite thing is that Olivia is on the move almost constantly. Even though she kicks the heck out of my ribs and right side, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world to be able to pick out her little knees and feet and hands and baby butt :)

Another fun thing is that we started our birthing classes last night. It was pretty eye-opening for Rocky (he got to see a video of a birth and learn all kinds of things that were once foreign to him). I learned a good bit, too, about the labor process. It made me both very dreadful and very excited...on one hand, I can't imagine living thru such an event and on the other hand, I can hardly believe we are really going to have and see and hold our baby girl soon!!

Miss anything? I really miss being able to drink whatever I want. I am watered-out.

Sexy, swollen hocks. 

Movement? Seems almost constant and I love it. It hurts like the dickens sometimes, though.

Food cravings? Not really, but as mentioned above, my appetite is back in full force!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Sometimes her movements near my aorta/stomach make me feel a little queasy.

Symptoms? The newest which really picked up this week is swelling. Ugghhh, it stinks! My feet and calves and sometimes thighs feel like they're gonna bust! My hands and wrists swell pretty badly and the worst part is the pain, especially at night. My toe and finger joints are so tender and it hurts to walk, open things that twist, write, type, etc. It's not constant and some days there's barely any...not sure why that is but I'm thankful for the inconsistency!

Have you started to show yet? Um. Yes! People say I still look smaller than 8 months but there is no doubting there's a big baby in there! I got a legit preggo belly no doubt.

Labor signs? No, thank goodness!!

Belly button in or out? I think it's officially a "flattie."

Wedding ring on or off? Been off the last week or two. Fingers stay fat.

Happy or moody most of the time? I've really just noticed a change in mood when my blood sugar drops...feels like I could rip someone's head off :)

Name possibilities? Olivia Day it is!

Looking forward to? Getting furniture, showers in April and I really can't wait to have her!

28 Weeks...Third Trimester, yippee!!

How far along? 28 weeks

getting Liv's room ready.

Rocky busting out his manly skills...

Total weight gain? 22 lbs...4 lbs in the last month which I felt great about considering I'd gained 10 the month before! Of course, I'm still on JUST INSIDE the outer limit of what "they say" I should have gained up to this point. 

Maternity clothes? Same ole same ole. Living in the same 2-3 pieces of clothing :)

 Sleep? Pretty decent...or maybe I've just gotten used to not sleeping so well. Either way, it's all good.

Goofing off on our "babymoon"

in Savannah...what a fun time!

Best moment this week? Since I last posted, we've had some great times. Had a little "babymoon" in Savannah which was spontaneous (thanks to flight issues caused by the NE storms) and full of great food, fun and bonding!

Miss anything? Having room for my lungs and stomach!

Movement? I've read weeks 24-28 are the babiest most agile due to her still being relatively small (about 2.5 lbs) and having lots of rooms to wiggle. Well, I believe it! I love, love, love feeling Olivia move...it's like she's communicating with me (well, that's my interpretation). But, I must admit, it's sometimes just weird feeling! She's up in my ribs one sec, kicking my pelvis the next then completely flipping over the next! I think the coolest thing is being able to differentiate different parts of her body...a foot here, the cute bootie there, etc. I can almost grab her foot sometimes! I can't wait to meet her!

Food cravings? Getting harder and harder to eat large meals so I quite happy to not be craving anything in particular.

Anything making you queasy or sick? No just stuffed and uncomfortable.

28 Week belly!

Symptoms? Party in my belly, body transforming, heart burn, pee, pee, pee and several things I probably shouldn't mention on a blog ;)

Have you started to show yet? I must really look pregnant now because it's not uncommon for an acquaintance to ask how far along I am or the such. I guess they're not longer afraid I'm just gaining weight!

Labor signs? No, but I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions since about 20 weeks. They've gotten more and more frequent (some days they seem constant!) but I've been told over and over that it's nothing to worry about. Still, they worry me a good bit and aren't the greatest feeling things in the world.

Belly button in or out? Steadily getting flatter and flatter and changes from day to day along with the size of my belly.

Wedding ring on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Back to moody...I can tell there are days or periods that I'm just short-tempered.

Name possibilities? Olivia...not ready to commit to middle name but I'm pretty sure we know what it is.

Looking forward to? Spring time!! Especially May!

25 Weeks!

How far along? 25 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain? Not sure...I only weigh at the doc appts but it's at least 18.5 lbs. Yikes.

Maternity clothes? So, I decided it was time go buy some maternity clothes, other than the jeans I live in. Well, it was not a fun experience. I got a couple shirts but most of the clothes just don't fit my body right...it's like my belly hasn't caught up with the rest of my body's growth. So, mostly still wearing my shirts. 

Sleep? I either sleep good or I'm awake at 3am, like clock-work. Most of the 3am waking happens on nights when I have to be up at 5:30am for work :( But, God has been gracious as I've not killed anyone yet ;)

Best moment this week? A warm, relaxing bath I got to take after one of the hardest, most stressful work days I've had since getting preggers.

Miss anything? My old body (who would've thought!), not having aches, pains and heartburn.

Movement? She's rocking and rolling more than ever! It's like there's a kid in there or something! She still has quieter days (when I'm busier) but the girl knows how to party!

Food cravings? I definitely feel like my appetite has decreased from the last couple of months. (I hope so, because my weight gain was off the charts!). Right now, just trying to eat things and in a way that won't give me heartburn!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not so much...

Symptoms? Party in my belly, body transforming, heart burn, pee, pee, pee. 

Have you started to show yet? I get a lot more of the "wow, you look pregnant!" comments now but people who don't know probably wouldn't think I was pregnant. Either way, my belly feels big to me...and I kind of like it :)

Labor signs? No, thank goodness!!

Belly button in or out? It's an innie but it's getting much flatter these days. Rocky even noticed it this week. 

Wedding ring on or off? On but tight the last couple of days...swollen fingers!

Happy or moody most of the time? I've noticed a return of the irritability and a new one, feeling pretty blue this week. Hoping it won't last too long. 

Name possibilities? Olivia Day, Olivia Claire ??

Looking forward to? Spring time!! Especially May!

The month of pain and fear!

How far along? 23 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain? 18.5!!! I gained 10 in the last 4 weeks! I expected it to be 5-6 but not 10! MW isn't concerned but I am...I mean, is it going to keep piling on like this?! My belly is finally starting to catch up with my rear but the booty is still a rocking!

Maternity clothes? Yes oh yes. Not really wearing maternity shirts but I live in lounge pants or my one pair (I returned one) of maternity jeans and my one pair of maternity scrubs (yes, even my  normal scrubs are too tight). SO thankful for maternity clothes :) 

Sleep? Varies. Some nights I sleep pretty well with a potty break or two; other nights I'm tossing and turning with back pain, general discomfort or insomnia. I think maybe this is preparation for motherhood. 

Hoping I won't be donning one of these suckers again until May!

Best moment this week? Let me just say, this has been the month of pain and fear (again, preparation for motherhood?)...started out with sudden-onset right butt-cheek pain. Didn't think much about it for a couple of days until I started feeling Braxton-Hicks and lots of uterine cramping. Finally ended up calling my MW around 10pm one night when I was feeling the above all day plus the butt-pain turned into BAD lower back pain. Was terrified I was going into pre-term labor. That was right around 20 weeks. Since then, I've been trying to drink 3L of water a day and getting used to Braxton-Hicks (plus I know how many is worrisome/hour). After that, my butt pain increased and still continues to the point of not being able to put any weight on my right leg some days, not walking right and just being really uncomfortable in general. This usually happens every other day with the in-between days just having some soreness in that cheek. I've tried some yoga, massages and stretches to no avail. Next stop, physical therapy...bring it! Other than that, I had another terrifying scare at almost 22 weeks. I was working and noticed some "gushes" of thin fluid...called my MW, got sent to OB floor for two hours for exam, monitoring and lab test. The nurse about scared the bejeezies out of me but that's for another day. Anywho, praise the Lord, all was well there, too. Just a (really expensive) yeast infection with strange symptoms. So, I guess you could say my best moment was hearing the MW say I was not leaking amniotic fluid (which would've most likely been the end of my sweet baby girl's life!). What a great moment that was!!

Miss anything? Not worrying about my child, not feeling kind of huge. 

23.5 weeks...18.5 lbs!

Movement? Olivia continues to dance the night away. I can sense more of a routine with her...typically going strong around 3am then mid-morning then early afternoon then night. Somedays/times it is much more obvious and sometimes I pull out my el-cheapo monitor just to hear her move (on her quieter days).

Food cravings? Nothing in particular (except maybe the huge cinnamon roll in Steamboat last week (see above pic)...I had to have one!), but eating is my favorite thing in general :)

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Symptoms? See "best moment."

Have you started to show yet? Yes, some days I still look more pregnant than others, some days more swollen than others, etc. People now say "yeah, you're starting to show!" That's kind of fun...still could easily be confused for a plump girl. 

Labor signs? See "best moment." 

Belly button in or out? It's still an innie but not sure how long that'll last!

Wedding ring on or off? On but tight the last couple of days...swollen fingers!

Happy or moody most of the time? Pretty happy...moments of worry were the biggest hindrance this month.

Name possibilities? Livi-lu, Livi-liv, Livia...

Looking forward to? Hopefully getting this pain in the butt cured :)

Half way there!

How far along? 20 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain? 8.5 as of 19 weeks, 2 days (I thought it was 10 pounds I'd gained over 3 weeks but according to my doc's office, I gained 2 pounds the first 16 weeks and then 6.5 pounds the next four. Not sure which is right but the doc's version made me feel much better!

Maternity clothes? YES! Great friends loaned me lots of clothes but it did me good to go to Macy's and buy two pair of my own jeans that feels (and look...to me, at least) like normal jeans and fit ME :) 

Sleep? Usually sleep good after the first hour of so of peeing so much, but when I'm trying to sleep before work it doesn't tend to go over so well. 

Best moment this week? Having our BIG ultra sound at 19. 5 weeks, buying my own maternity jeans, ordering the crib and dresser (yippee!) and buying our first diapers and wipes :) 

Miss anything? Not worrying about weight, boobs, weird pains, etc. 

Movement? Oh yeah, Livi is a fly girl...dances a lot! 

Food cravings? I just get these random urges for specific, random things and I HAVE to have right then :) Doesn't happen often. My appetite has definitely picked up...I ate 1.5 chickfila sandwiches yesterday plus fries!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Symptoms? Mostly strange, random pains in/around my uterus...sometimes sharp, shooting, sometimes dull, achey. 

Have you started to show yet? Yes, some days I look more pregnant than others. Most people comment on how I'm not showing at all and don't look pregnant but I can tell! In the middle of the night/morning before I get up my belly is firmer and more shaped/poking out but I feel like she sits really low once I get up so my belly is just thicker not poking out too much. 

Labor signs? Geez, I hope not! 

Belly button in or out? In but more shallow than ever. 

Wedding ring on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Pretty happy...just short tempered when I'm annoyed. 

 Name possibilities? I'm starting to use Olivia a bit more than Livi, at least trying!

Looking forward to? Belly popping out more! Also, would love the boobs to grow more...I feel like that stopped and maybe even shrunk since a couple weeks ago :(