All the cupcakes!

Yesterday was the dreaded gestational diabetes glucose test.  I've heard a lot of ladies complain about having to gulp down the super sugary drink, and some have mentioned getting sick from all the sweetness, so I was a bit anxious about it.  Turns out, it really wasn't bad at all!

My OB clinic does a glucose testing session, so there were about 10 other women also getting tested at the same time as me.  Since we have to stay there for an hour anyway, they provide a 3rd trimester class that goes over hospital pre-registration, and what's in store for us over the last third of our pregnancies.  Before the class started, I had to have a urine test done, weight, blood pressure, and pulse checked, and then I chugged the fruit punch flavored drink (it tasted like flat Tahitian Treat).  Since I only weigh myself at the doctors, I found out that I gained about 2lbs over the last 4 weeks, putting me up to about 16lbs over all. Only one more trimester of weight gain!

Anyway, after all the initial tests were done, we all went into the class and got a lot of good information regarding pre-term labor, and what to do when you do actually go into labor (such as who to call, where to go, etc.).  While I definitely have my "oh shit!" moments, I'm starting to feel pretty prepared for this baby, and I certainly welcome the additional knowledge I can gain through these kinds of sessions.  We all walked away with swag bags (yay for free stuff- it was a bag put together by Similac, so it had a few containers of powdered infant formula, 4 bottles of pre-made supplemental formula, coupons, prenatal samples, and it all came in an adorable reusable tote bag!).

After an hour, I had to go back to get my finger pricked, and fortunately they gave me my results right away (I know lots of people who had to wait days to find out what their glucose levels were).  I walked out of there knowing that my levels were good (NO gestational diabetes!), and my hemoglobin was looking good, too!  Now I don't feel as guilty when I indulge in a cupcake... or six... since I know my body is processing sugars the way it's supposed to.

The last thing I had to do was a quick 10 minute visit with my OB.  She checked the fundal height, and listened for the heartbeat.  I had to laugh a bit, because as soon as she pressed the doppler's wand to my abdomen, the baby kicked the exact spot, and not only could I feel it, I could hear the kick through the doppler!  He must have used it as a launch pad, because then she struggled to find his heartbeat for a moment due to the fact that he went and hid himself as far to my left as he could instead of being centered like he was just before she broke out the doppler.  Once she did find it, his heart rate was still ranging between 155-160 bpm (that's been pretty consistent the whole pregnancy).  Even though I feel him moving all.the.time, it's always nice to hear that lovely beat again!

Since you made it through this whole post, I'll leave you with a bump picture from today.  I know I just updated 2 days ago, but I feel like he's going through a growth spurt (and I am also happy that I now fit into the maternity shirt I bought awhile back)!

26 down, 14 to go!

Starting tomorrow, I will be entering the 3rd trimester of this pregnancy.  Since I am a full 26 weeks today, tomorrow marks the day that I start the 27th week, therefore putting me into the last stretch of baby baking!

 
How far along?  26 weeks.  Baby is the size of a head of lettuce, and his ears are better developed.  He may be able to hear both Luke's and my voices.  I'm sure he hears the dogs barking all the time (get used to it, kiddo!).
 
Total weight gain/loss: Unsure again.

Maternity clothes?  I'll live in leggins forever.
 
Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: No changes from the past weeks.

Sleep: I used to be able to sleep through flipping from side to side (or at least stay pretty groggy through it), but now I wake up with a start, and I am immediately awake.  It takes a little bit to fall back to sleep.  Still only waking up to pee once a night a few times a week.

Best moment this week: Getting my invitation to my first baby shower!  It's in a few weeks, and I am so excited :)

Have you told family and friends: Everyone knows.

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my stomach.  Advil.

Movement: Dance parties all the time.  I still love feeling him move. He hangs out really low, so he also spends a lot of time kicking my bladder.

Food cravings: Still no cravings :'(  I really thought I would have had some by now.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  I really don't like the idea of eating chicken.  Blech.

Have you started to show yet: The belly's getting bigger!

Baby is a: BOY

Belly Button in or out? Still in.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: My pregnancy class tomorrow (it fills up the time needed to wait for the gestational diabetes testing to conclude).

25

Just a quick post this week :)

 
How far along?  Baby has been cooking for 25 weeks already!  He could be weighing anywhere between 1.5-2.5 lbs, and is filling out with fat.  According to the food comparison, he is the size of a cauliflower.
 
Total weight gain/loss: Unsure again.

Maternity clothes?  I'm ready to start wearing more pregnancy-friendly dresses and tunics with leggings!
 
Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: No changes from the past weeks.

Sleep: Tossed and turned all night long.  When I flip sides, Baby moves around too, and since I love paying attention to his movements, I have to remind myself to ignore him and just go back to sleep.

Best moment this week: Luke has also now seen the baby moving from the outside.  Easter was fun.  Almost exactly 11 years ago, Luke and I had our first pictures taken together before prom in front of this birch tree at my parents' house.  We've changed a bit since then!

Have you told family and friends: Everyone knows.

Miss Anything? Not this week.

Movement: My newest favorite thing is watching him move through my stomach.

Food cravings: No cravings, but I am on an iced decaf soy chai kick right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing this week.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah.

Baby is a: BOY

Belly Button in or out? In, but if I pull the skin around my belly button tight, it will start to pucker out a bit.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Pre-registering for the hospital next week while I wait the hour between blood tests for gestational diabetes testing.

Viability Day!

Made it to another milestone- Viability Day!  I am relieved to be at a point where if something were to happen, heavens forbid, and I had to have this baby anytime after today, there is an actual chance that our baby would survive (but not without extensive medical interventions).  Little man better not have any other plans, because I intend to keep him cooking for the next 16 weeks!

How far along?  24 weeks.  Baby is the size of a cantaloupe or an ear of corn depending on what tracker you look at.  He is also now the length of a Subway foot-long sub.
 
Total weight gain/loss: I think I've gained about 14lbs since the start of the pregnancy.

Maternity clothes?  I need to buy more shirts!
 
Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: A very squirmy baby.

Sleep: Sleep is more of a struggle lately.  I woke up at 6:50 on Saturday morning without an alarm or being disturbed by a dog.

Best moment this week: Luke officially felt the baby move this week!
Have you told family and friends: Everyone knows.

Miss Anything? Wine, especially on Saturday when we hosted a stock the bar shower for my sister and her fiance.  I missed having social lubrication to help talk to new people!

Movement: So much movement.  Today, he decided that he needed to kick my bladder every time I took a sip of water or walked around.

Food cravings: Still nada.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  A lot of foods that got me through the first trimester are now aversions for me.  I'm sure I could eat them, but those items just really don't sound good.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah.

Baby is a: BOY

Belly Button in or out? In, but if I pull the skin around my belly button tight, it will start to pucker out a bit.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Gestational Diabetes testing.  I know people hate it, but I'm just anxious to find out if I need to change my diet or test at all!  I really don't want to have a 10lb baby...

23

Made it to 23 weeks!

How far along?  23 weeks.  Baby is a grapefruit, and measuring at probably over 11 inches, and more than likely weighs over a pound.
 
Total weight gain/loss: Unsure

Maternity clothes?  I love stretchy clothes :)
 
Stretch marks? Nope

Symptoms: A bit of hip and back pain.  Frequent dance parties in my ute.

Sleep: Last night I tossed and turned and couldn't get comfortable.  Hopefully that was just a Sunday night/pre-work thing.

Best moment this week: I think I have to go with the increased frequency of him moving and kicking around.  I also finished framing most of our nursery art, so it's nice to get that out of the way!

Have you told family and friends: Everyone knows.

Miss Anything? Travel, but that isn't really all baby related.

Movement: He's getting stronger each day!  I've started to feel him punching and kicking closer to my belly button, so he seems to be stretching out a bit.

Food cravings: Nope.  Lame.  Maybe I'll get some killer ones during 3rd trimester?  I'm not going to hold my breath though.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Baked chicken dishes are not my favorite.

Have you started to show yet: I'm nearing the point where I have to put out an effort to see my toes.

Baby is a: BOY

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: My doctors appointment this week.  I haven't been in since the ultrasound, and would like to hear what my doctor has to say about his growth (including percentiles, etc.)

Stuck.

This weekend, Luke and I were supposed to trek down to Chicago for a couple nights away.  The pesky snow storm got in our way, and we decided to cancel the trip.  I don't think I really realized how badly I wanted to get away for a weekend until the moments after we determined that it wasn't worth our safety or time to drive down for one day of fun, only to have to turn back around less than 48 hours later.

I'm feeling a bit trapped.  Stuck, maybe?  I haven't spent a night away from the dogs and the house (I don't include cabin trips) since last March, and I'm getting that tightening/anxious feeling in my chest when I think about how much more trapped I am going to feel once the baby gets here.  I will hopefully be his sole food source for at least the first 6 months, and while I plan to pump once I start up at work again, it makes it just that much harder to get away.  Luke's going to be gone a lot for work starting at the end of this month, so I get left at home taking care of everyone/thing on my own for a lot of May, June, and beginning of July, and that's starting to wear on me as well.

Luke is also going on a week-long camping trip the last week in June, and I am jealous.  I'm jealous that I don't have something like that to look forward to.  By the time I actually have extended time to spend on myself (that doesn't include using sick days), I'll be 3 weeks away from my due date, and not willing to venture too far away from my hospital.  With all of my sister's wedding events, friends wedding showers, and my baby showers, my schedule is pretty jam packed.

I'm not really sure what the point of this post really is, except to vent a little bit.  Hopefully I get out of this funk soon, and figure out some sort of day/weekend trip to do before August (perhaps Memorial day weekend?)!