34w0d

Holy cow, I didn't realize it's been 6 weeks since I've blogged. Life has been so busy preparing for my little man. He'll be here in 6 weeks, give or take. Gulp.

 

How Far Along: 34 weeks, 0 days!

Size of Baby: The baby is the size of a cantaloupe. He should be 5 pounds or more. Crazy!!

Continuing Symptoms: Heartburn (killer!), hip pain at night, extremely swollen feet and hands (goodbye, wedding ring. I actually stopped wearing my ring at 28 weeks when I flew to San Diego...and after that, I just couldn't put it back on. I'm looking forward to wearing it again!!)

New Symptoms This Week: No new symptoms, just the normal "I'm as huge as a whale" symptoms. I can't get out of the bathtub or from any sitting position easily without Jeremy's help. Embarassing.

Sleep: Sleep? I don't sleep anymore. Ha! I get up around 4-5 times to use the restroom, and I can only sleep on my sides now, which is annoying. One side gets sore, so I wake up and switch sides. Then the other side gets sore....and it continues all night. Sigh.

Cravings/Aversions: All of a sudden, I want to eat chocolate. I've never been a huge chocolate person, so this is surprising. It's probably why I'm gaining all this weight. Seriously, I'm as huge as a house now. I'm counting on breastfeeding to help me kick all this enormous weight!

Movement:  Little boy kicks all the time now - he rolls, plays, hiccups and kicks all day, every day now. It's hilarious to watch my belly change shape. Last night Jeremy and I were laughing, because he stuck his butt out so far on one side of my belly that I looked incredibly lopsided. He doesn't give too many rib kicks yet. (Thanks, little buddy!) We can't wait to meet him.

Gender: IT'S (still) A BOY!!! I'm getting more and more excited to meet my little boy. I can't wait. I just want to see his chubby cheeks and feel the little feet that have been poking me for weeks.

Maternity Clothes: Even my maternity clothes feel tight around my belly. My belly has dropped really low because little boy has been head down for awhile. So, my belly is so low that not many maternity shirts are covering it all. Embarassing. Such a change from most of my pregnancy, since I was carrying so high before.

What I Miss: I miss my pre-pregnancy body. I feel bad for saying it, because I love this baby boy so much, but I miss my body. I hate feeling so large. And my chest is huge, and I hate that. I miss my slim pre-pregnancy feet!

Special Pregnancy Moments: Just feeling and watching him kick. I think that's the only thing I'll miss about pregnancy, is feeling that special bond with him that noone else gets.

What We Are Looking Forward To: We didn't get a 32 week ultrasound. (apparently, everything is going very well, super textbook, so I don't need a scan. Which I'm grateful for, but I still wanted to see his face!) I'm looking forward to 37 weeks, when he'll be full-term. You can come anytime after that, little boy!

 

I can't wait to meet you in 6 weeks, my little love.

Valentine's!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I sent this to Jeremy.

Obviously, I was only kidding.

Kindof.

28w0d....third trimester!!!

I know, I missed weeks 26 and 27. I'm bad. It's been such a terribly busy week, and I haven't been feeling super awesome. And not too much has really changed, up until 28 weeks.

How Far Along: 28 weeks, 0 days!

Size of Baby: The baby is the size of Chinese cabbage. Well, now. I've never eaten a Chinese cabbage, but my baby book says the kidlet should weigh about 2.5 pounds (!!!) and be almost 15 inches long. So, so crazy.

Continuing Symptoms: Same old.

New Symptoms This Week: I've had little bouts of hip pain, which isn't awesome. Mostly when I'm in bed, though. I've developed some super-sexy swollen feet. If only I could wear slippers to work every day.

Sleep: I'm waking up about 3 - 4 times a night now. I can easily go back to sleep, but it leaves me feeling more tired during the day. The fuzzy body pillow is a life-saver, though. While in San Diego, I was achy and didn't sleep well. Last night, in bed with Jeremy and my body pillow, I slept really well.

Cravings/Aversions: Besides the fact that I'm hungry.all.the.time??? I just want food. All the time. I can almost eat as much as my 15 year old brother, who is super athletic and active. I've got to force myself to stop eating. So that's why I'm gaining to much weight....

Movement:  Kiddo kicks all the time now. He's not a violent kicker; I can just feel him thumping around. During the afternoons he's pretty quiet. He goes crazy at night, which I love.

Gender: IT'S (still) A BOY!!! All the little boy clothes are so adorable. And I'm secretly thrilled that I don't have to deal with more pinks and purples. Sometimes I hope I'll only have boys!

Maternity Clothes: All my clothes are maternity. I am absolutely loving the maternity tank tops from Old Navy - I pair them with a cardigans and leggings and I'm ready for work.

What I Miss: I miss my pre-pregnancy body. I feel bad for saying it, because I love this baby boy so much, but I miss my body. I hate feeling so large. And my chest is huge, and I hate that. I miss my slim pre-pregnancy feet!

Special Pregnancy Moments: The baby shower on February 9th was so great. My sister-in-law did such an amazing job. I couldn't be more grateful for all the hard work she put into it; it was absolutely perfect.
Also, today is officially the 3rd trimester! We're in the home stretch!!! Eeek.

What We Are Looking Forward To: I'm looking forward to seeing his little face at our 32 week ultrasound (if the doctor says I can have one at 32 weeks). I really really really want to do a 3D ultrasound, but Jeremy is being a grinch...

25w3d

How Far Along: 25 weeks, 3 days!

Size of Baby: The baby is the size of an eggplant. Sorry, baby, but I've never liked eggplant. I think it taste slimy and bland. But an eggplant is good-sized! I can't believe how big the baby is really getting. It amazes me every day to think about it.

Continuing Symptoms: Same old!

New Symptoms This Week: Nothing new, which is nice. I know some women have sciatica and round ligament pain, and all kinds of ailments. I'm very lucky that I just feel huge - no pain for me, really.

Sleep: I wake up about 2 times during the night to use the restroom, which is not bad compared to some women. I bought myself a body pillow with a soft, fuzzy cover, and it.is.wonderful.

Cravings/Aversions: Jeremy and I comment all the time (knock on wood) that I haven't really had too many cravings or aversions. Just little things here and there, but nothing that I can't live without.

Movement: It's fun to see him kick all the time now. He kicks after every meal, but he kicks the most in the evening. He is pretty quiet during the afternoon hours, and I assume he sleeps. When I am sitting down, I can feel him kick very low, inches below my bellybutton. When I'm laying down, however, I can see his kicks way above my belly button. It's so fun. He seems to always be laying on my right side...I hardly ever feel a kick on my left side!

Gender: IT'S (still) A BOY!!! All the little boy clothes are so adorable. And I'm secretly thrilled that I don't have to deal with more pinks and purples. Sometimes I hope I'll only have boys!

Maternity Clothes: All my clothes are maternity, except the cute long & lean tanks at Target. I LOVE those tank tops!!!

What I Miss: I miss my pre-pregnancy body. I feel bad for saying it, because I love this baby boy so much, but I miss my body. I hate feeling so large. And my chest is huge, and I hate that.

Special Pregnancy Moments: Watching the baby kick is so, so fun. I love when even Jeremy can see him kick :)

What We Are Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to my baby shower in San Diego on February 9th. I know it's a long way away, but I haven't been home since my wedding more than a year ago, and I'm anxious to see all my friends and family. Plus, it will be fun to see all the cute baby things we get :) I've started to take peeks at my registries, and it's fun to see that items have been bought off them (even though I know it's my mom doing all that buying, it's still SO fun!)

 

I have my gestational diabetes test tomorrow, which I'm NOT excited about!

24w0d

I know, I know. I missed week 23. I can't believe it's going by so quickly.

 

How Far Along: 24 weeks, 0 days!

Size of Baby: The baby is the size of a grapefruit. Oh, lordy, I love grapefruits!

Continuing Symptoms: Same old!

New Symptoms This Week: My heartburn has come back with a vengeance. I managed to avoid it up until about 2 weeks ago (which was surprising because of my Crohn's!) but I've had to start taking 2 Zantac 75's a day. Sigh. If I don't, I suffer. Big time.

Sleep: I have been getting up a ton lately to use the restroom, probably 2-3 times a night. Lately I've been waking up at 3:30 or 4 and having a difficult time going back to sleep. I think it's because my belly has started getting heavy, and it's difficult to get comfortable. Also, the kidlet wakes up around then, and wants to kick and play. I'm still enamored by the kicks and punches, and want to stay awake to feel them.

Cravings/Aversions: Agh, all I want to eat is pink grapefruit, and it's so expensive here in Chicago. Boo.

Movement: I feel him all the time now, definitely more pronounced than it used to be. On Saturday, January 12th, Jeremy and I got to actually see him kick, which was fantastic. It's weird to look at your stomach and see it pop up and down, and know that it's a baby kicking in there. (normally, my stomach moving is because of my wacky intestines, haha!)

Gender: IT'S (still) A BOY!!! I'm starting to get so, so excited about all the little boy clothes and blue blankets at the store. While Jeremy and I haven't bought much, my mom has just been going crazy, and I can't wait to see all the adorable little boy things she's gotten him.

Maternity Clothes: All my clothes are maternity, except the cute long & lean tanks at Target. I LOVE those tank tops!!!

What I Miss: I miss my pre-pregnancy body, even though I hated it because of the steroids. Oh, I miss my old clothes and I miss being able to get up from a laying position without assistance! :)

Special Pregnancy Moments: Seeing the baby kick from the outside was so fun. Today is the baby's viability day, which means that if he was born now, the hospital would do everything in their power to keep him alive, and he would have a 50% or better chance at surviving. Obviously, I want him to cook until the bitter end, but it's also a relief knowing that if he was born now, they would help him. So happy V-Day to me!

What We Are Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to my baby shower in San Diego on February 9th. I know it's a long way away, but I haven't been home since my wedding more than a year ago, and I'm anxious to see all my friends and family. Plus, it will be fun to see all the cute baby things we get :) I've started to take peeks at my registries, and it's fun to see that items have been bought off them (even though I know it's my mom doing all that buying, it's still SO fun!)

2013.

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I kept thinking to myself, "Next year I will be a mother, someone's Mama." Even though I knew I was pregnant, the idea seems years away. I couldn't really grasp it. Next year always seems far away, even if it's only a few months.

And now, I will be a mother this year. I will be someone's Mama in 4 short months. A tiny, wriggly little person will need me for their entire existence. This year. Soon.

***********************************************************************

I was ready to see 2012 go. I started off 2012 continuing with my terrible Crohn's flare-up. I was on steroids, terribly sick and not getting better. After x-rays, CT scans, exams and a colonoscopy, I was ready to start Remicade. Aka, the Big Guns for Crohn's. I started Remicade in April, and was in immediate remission by May. Not before I used all my 2 weeks of vacation time at work for hospital visits. Shouldn't there be some kind of "hospital time?" Because using your vacation time for hospital visits is certainly no vacation.

In April, Jeremy and I went to New York City for Eric and Barrie's wedding. Even though I was super sick, it was still so much fun. I loved New York, but I would never want to live there. So crowded and expensive, but beautiful and so much fun to visit.

On August 21st, the very best thing of 2012 happened - I found out I was pregnant. Even though I wanted a baby, it was still a huge shock to see those 2 pink lines. It was overwhelming and wonderful and scary and shocking and beautiful.

In September, we moved to a new, bigger apartment in Evanston. Even though we miss living in the city a little, we love Evanston. We have a 1 bedroom apartment, so this baby won't have his own nursery, but I'm not concerned. He's a baby. Our new apartment is airy and big, and in a lovely and quiet neighborhood. With a park right around the corner.

In November, right before Thanksgiving, we found out this little kid is a boy. I knew it was, but my feelings were confirmed. We are over the moon.

So 2012 hasn't been the worst year, but I am more than ready for 2013. I know it's going to be one of the best years of my life.

22w0d

How Far Along: 22 weeks, 0 days!

Size of Baby: The baby is the size of a papaya. That seems so large!

Continuing Symptoms: Same old, same old.

New Symptoms This Week: My backaches have miraculously gone away, and I'm feeling good.

Sleep: I have definitely been getting up numerous times to use the restroom. It's obnoxious, but I haven't had too much of a problem getting back to sleep. I have been feeling a little bit more tired when my alarm goes off at 5:30 am however!

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing crazy lately. I always want to eat pineapple. And anything salty.

Movement: I feel baby boy all the time now. At my 21 week appointment, the doctor asked me to start taking note of his movements, and told me I needed to make sure I felt him at least 3 times per day. I almost laughed - I would definitely notice if I didn't feel this kid move - he is bumping around all the time now. I love it.

Gender: IT'S (still) A BOY!!! This kid was definitely still a boy at the ultrasound on Friday. No chance of being a girl. Even though I knew it was a boy from our ultrasound at 16 weeks, it was still a relief to hear the ultrasound tech say, "Oh, definitely a boy. No chance about that."

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear certain stretchy non-maternity tops, but I mostly wear maternity clothes. I'm carrying really high, and my chest is quite larger than it was before, so I needed maternity clothes.

What I Miss: I miss booze. I really do!
Special Pregnancy Moments: The ultrasound on Friday was so awesome. He was so much bigger than 5 weeks before, and starting to look more and more baby-ish. She measured all his bones and organs, and we saw all 4 chambers of his tiny heart beating away. He is currently breech right now, but the doctor said that's totally normal at this stage, and he will definitely flip by delivery. But it makes sense for him to be breech - I have been feeling him kicking so low! He had his legs all tucked up by his head, and he is squished up nice and comfortable. It was really, really adorable.

What We Are Looking Forward To: I am looking forward to my baby shower in San Diego on February 9th. I know it's a long way away, but I haven't been home since my wedding more than a year ago, and I'm anxious to see all my friends and family. Plus, it will be fun to see all the cute baby things we get :)