Week 27 and 28

Can you tell I'm having a hard time with this blogging thing. I keep wanting to update every week, but not every week does something fun happen. Usually, it's the same old, same old thing.

Except the good news I've received this past week. I did my glucose testing and my sugar was 78. This obviously means that I've passed with flying colors. Something inside of me told me I didn't have it, but I will admit to having a small ounce of doubt b/c I am a HUGE FAN of those oh so yummy and not-so-good for you muffins, donuts and pastries! I have this awful weakness when it comes to my hands grabbing one of those bites to eat and shoveling it down my throat! Haha..

I believe due to my consistent working out over the years, my body functions fairly well. Or, I'm just one of the lucky ones!

Needless to say, at the end of week 28, all is done. Rhogam shot done, (yes I am Rh-), glucose test done and other blood tests done.

I've been house hunting all the while. I'm trying very hard to find myself a 2 bedroom with a washer and dryer in the unit. The sad part about all this is that I have to leave the city in order to have it. It just isn't possible here in the city. Most places here are on the small side and don't include a washer and dryer. Not to mention the astronomical high rents here! I'm trying to be a savvy mom with my money and trying to really figure things out. I'm thinking about moving to Oakland. Although I NEVER thought I would move there. I've had nightmares about living there. However, after checking out some of the neighborhoods, I've been happily surprised. Very authentic, old and eclectic. Definitely like my taste. So, I'm hoping to get this out of the way within one month. I would prefer to move a month before giving birth so that I don't have to move or go and look at places while I have a newborn in tow! Can you imagine the struggle?!!

We'll see...so far it's been difficult and I haven't given birth yet:(

More pictures to come..Sorry i've been the slacker here, just not a tummy picture taking kind of girl I guess. My friends tell me I'll live to regret it, so I will get on it!!

Dear son,

I cannot believe how grown up you're getting with every passing day. I can feel when you're growing, as silly as that seems to some. I wonder what you're doing in there with your hands, it sometimes feels like you're rolling your fingers across my tummy and I've even thought for a moment I felt you turn around!

I continue to look at your 3D photo of your face and I swear you have my lips and your daddies nose. It honestly doesn't matter, as I won't be disappointed either way:) Your puppy dog, Sherlock is getting anxious about your arrival. He comes up and lay's his head on my tummy, as if he knows his introduction is right around the corner.

You're pretty fun to shop for. I can't go into any baby store and not walk out with some clothing for you! You're gonna have as many clothes as me. Goodness...

So, keep growing, but if I have one request that is lived out, PLEASE stop kicking me in the lower left of mommies tummy, you have this affinity with one of my organs and it hurts:)

xxo

Midwife Apt/month August

27.5 weeks, measuring at 28 centimeters. Heartbeat 140. His head is down. Weight gained 3.5 lbs since last appt.

Current weight= 138. Total weight gained thus far= 20 lbs.

My midwife appointment went good, but I forgot to have my blood drawn and to perform my sugar test. Ahhh...I love my memory these days!

Today, they drew my cbc, type and cross and Hgb. Wednesday is my sugar test!

Todays goal given to me by my midwife: find myself a duola, get enrolled in birthing classes and research pediatricians.

It's all written down:)

happy day!

Week 25 - 26

It's amazing to me the things that are happening in my body! I will admit, I'm not the biggest fan of being pregnant, but I can certainly appreciate the rapid, yet amazing changes that my body is going through. I feel like I am growing day by day and not week by week. Fun.

Rumors, rumors, rumors! I've heard every rumor in the book about things not to do or things to do while pregnant.

*Don't eat raw sprouts. I cannot tell you how tasty my raw sprout salad was that I munched on down in San Diego.

*Don't drink coffee. Honestly, there was no intention inside of me to give up the one cup or even the 2 shots of espresso that I offer myself every morning. I need that "jump" in the morning to start my day.

*Don't eat raw fish. Well, if I crave it, I'm going to eat it. I've eaten raw salmon about 4x while pregnant. My midwife reassured me to just stay away from the fish HIGH in mercury. Shark, Swordfish, King Mackeral and Tie fish. None of which I've eaten or plan to eat.

*Cook your vegetables. Hmm...COOK my veggies all the time? No. I love to eat raw broccoli and spinach, especially.

*Don't dye your hair. Yeh, really? I've dyed it going on three times now and after speaking with my midwife, she agreed that this is a fallacy.

*Don't paint your nails. I LOVE my manicures and pedicures. There's no way I am going to stop pampering myself and especially during pregnancy when I think women need it the most! Myth, also debunked by my midwife.

The list goes on and on. Thankfully I've not believed most things I've heard. I know my limits and I also know my adoration for certain things. I've always believed everything in moderation and I live my life accordingly:) The only thing I do actually worry about, are products and working around medications that are teratogenic. Safety is always my priority! Regardless if I'm carrying another life inside of me. But b/c of my little one, it's safe to assume, I'm doubling down on that:)

So the last couple of weeks and especially this week, I can feel the weight of the little one beginning to bear down on my feet at work. I'm finding myself a bit more tired, quicker while I'm working and my feet are killing me, three hours into a shift. And what is up with these weird and annoying leg pains I'm feeling? I finally was assured that this very bad burning and numb feeling to the right side directly next to my sternum is not heartburn. Yay, thankful me! It's just the stretching of my uterus and the unusual position of my son in the womb. So then why does it seem to burn more when I'm under stress? I can feel my muscle right there going into spasm. Bizarre! I have to admit, this is the one pain among all of my pregnancy pains that I cannot wait to say goodbye to. I've also began to have some Braxton hicks contractions. At first I didn't realize what was going on, but then I realized that "hey, these are BHC's". They've felt like very bad menstrual cramps and there is a slight tightening to my left abdomen. They're lasting about 1 minute and they range in painfulness. I've had a few that are more painful than others, but the majority of them are minor and I don't think about. They say it is preparing the cervix for ripening!

I'm curious to see what week 27 brings my way, as I move closer to my third trimester!

Dear son:

As you know, I've narrowed your name down to my two top choices. It's interesting to me when I ask you what you prefer, you send a kick or jab my way. Hah. I'm hoping you like them both and are not bias to one or the other. I love watching you move all over the place. It's bizarre to watch my belly jump and roll. I wonder if you're going to be a runner like me or a soccer/rugby player like your daddy. Either way, I can tell I have an athlete inside. I was talking to my colleagues the other day about how I wish I had a tiny camera to stick inside my womb so I can watch what you do when you're awake and playing. It was truly one of the most amazing things I've seen when I saw you on the second ultra sound; you were swallowing amniotic fluid, practicing your breathing for the world which you are preparing to be introduced to. Through the ultrasound, you had your hands together. When the tech tried to get a better picture of you by rattling the instrument, you moved your hands apart and then you put them right back together again. It seems you may have inherited some of that stubborn behavior from your daddy:) Lol... You're growing so fast and every day is a new day of experience for me. And with every passing day, I get more and more excited to meet you.

Love mommie<3

Level Two Ultrasound Pics

The first picture is a side profile of my baby boy. The above picture is a frontal picture of him. It was much more straight on and clearer, but the umbilical cord was in front of his face, so the tech turned the photo a bit in order to have a clear photo of his face.

I received these photos today, as I went for my level two ultrasound. I was allowed to watch the entire thing, which was totally amazing. I wasn't able to see the first one, so today was a HUGE deal for me. The ultrasound tech was great, she showed me the blood flow of the two arteries and one vein, the chambers of the heart, his bones, counted his fingers and toes and took some cool shots for me as a memory. I loved it! And, I almost missed it because I was running late; 30 minutes late to be exact. But thankfully they were ok with my tardiness:)

They said they didn't find any abnormalities, which made me feel very good:) Appointment went well.

24 weeks

Since everyone wants pictures and I live alone, it's been a challenge for me taking my own. I apologize and I promise to make more of an effort. And especially so in the "creative" area. Here are some pics of the past week.

I'm "officially" finished with my 24th week. I'm

so happy to be feelin' fine, like my old self. Although, I've barely worked out at all and that's definitely not like me at all! I just don't feel up to going to the gym and I'm losing a lot of muscle and becoming "soft". After the baby is born, I think I'm going to find the time to train and complete the Italian marathon! Something that's been a

long time dream of mine and something I was training for before I broke my right sesamoid bone in my great toe yea

rs ago.

Well, this week we've accomplished a lot. I finally completed my registry and honestly, I cannot tell for sure if it is what it's suppose to be, as this is my first child. Doing my registry was fun, but also a huge challenge for me! I'm not sure if I've listed the things I will need as a new mother. I went ahead and put gift cards on my registry in case one of my lovely mommie friends notices that I'm missing something. They can then tell me what it is and I can use the gift cards to purchase that "must-have" product. God, I certainly hope this isn't going to be a sign of what the start of mommie-hood will be like for me. Just having a tough time putting my registry together.....hah. It seems so simple to some people.

This week my cousin sent me some cute boy clothes and a pair of sandals. I also received a near new snug ride car seat and some other clothes and useful things for the baby. It's getting exciting! I feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm out shopping for him. I finally picked out the crib bedding I want too. It's neutral and has no theme. I've never been a "theme" kind of person and I love earth tones, so that's what I'm going for!

Will all this time to think about names, I believe by the end of next week I will have his name picked out. I have it narrowed down to three names and I love them all. I've decided not to tell anyone except my close friends. There are so many people who tell me they don't like this or they don't like that or why I should go for something other than what I'm going for. It's not worth the stress.

So on Monday, I get to have a second ultrasound. They didn't see any abnormalities with the first ultrasound, but I didn't actually get to see it and I was a bit upset with the tech, so my midwife went ahead and scheduled me for a level two so I would be able to watch the entire thing and get some good pictures of him. I'm very excited for it:) I'm hoping they can video tape it, like some places do. We'll see. Hopefully he'll have his thumb in his mouth! He was moving around a lot during the first one and so the tech wasn't able to get may good pictures of him. Eh...come on baby, show mommie you're sucking on your thumb!

I was at target shopping for some home things and realized what a neat idea it would be if I made a scrap book for him. All the way from the start of my pregnancy to the very end. It's time to contact my aunt in Phoenix for some input, as she is an AMAZING scrapbooker! So far I have some cute scrap booking things and ideas. I'll keep you posted...

This past week, I gained 1.5 lbs, I measured in at 24 inches, similar to my gestational age and apparently good. http://www.pregnology.com/faralong.php?month=11&day=12&year=2009

So far, the only major downfall this week was the pressure of him growing and pushing my stomach out. Ouch! There are only 103 days to go until I get to meet him!! It sounds like far off, but it is shockingly close! He's constantly kicking up a storm and turning in my stomach. It feels bizarre and I mean, really bizarre! I wish I had a tiny camera to watch what he is doing inside my stomach!