33 weeks!

About time I posted something on this poor, sad blog. I have been gone a whole lot and just haven't really felt like writing much down. This pregnancy has been a lot more difficult than Libby's was. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that I have a busy little toddler and I can't just nap whenever I want. Thankfully, sweet girl takes a looong afternoon nap which gives me some peace and quiet for a while every afternoon.

I'm stealing this from Katy because I'm lazy. :)

Weight Gain: Uhh, around 5 lbs. Yeah, I know. I had gotten up to 15 a few weeks ago when I actually lost 10 lbs. in two weeks. The midwives were not too pleased.
This is a main area where this pregnancy is sooo much different from Lib's. I had gained at least 30 lbs. by now and was super hungry all the time. This time I have NO appetite and literally have to force myself to eat. Yeah, very, very weird.

Sleep: HAHAHAHAH!!!! Yeah, umm, I have a "good" nights sleep probably 3x's a week. Still working on that, trying to get a routine down that works.

Gender: Dunno!

Name(s): Not telling :)

Health: Pretty good besides the lack of weight gain and sleep.

Movement: A good amount of strong nudges and pushes but this babe isn't quite as active as Libby was. It feels different too, which is pretty awesome.

Next Appointment: This Friday! I went last week and hadn't gained any weight so they want me to come in and do another check. Baby's heart rate is strong and was around 140 bpm last time. I was also measuring right on target at 31 cm so my belly is growing nicely!

Can't see my toes, this makes Tim laugh, not sure why.
Gotta pee a lot but not too bad.
Braxton-hicks contractions All.the.time. OUCH these are no fun and pretty painful. My stomach gets super tight and its not comfortable. Helps if I take lots of sitting breaks.
Caffeine is really affecting me this go-around. I have a cup of tea or coffee first thing but I can't have anything after around 11am or so or else I can't sleep.
Cravings? Hmmm...not really into food this time but I do want sour gummies a lot, probably not the best thing I could crave!
Acid reflux is bad again so I try to eat small meals throughout the day, drink dairy before bed, take tums and papaya enzyme, and prop myself up to sleep.

Anyway, I keep reminding myself how grateful I am to get to be pregnant and how wonderful it will be to have this new baby, but things are a lot more difficult the second time around. My mom had seven kids and she said each time was worse. Yippie. Not sure how people like Mrs. Duggar make it being pregnant or nursing all.the.time. I am not one of those women who really enjoy pregnancy but I am getting really excited about meeting our new little bundle in August!!

Since I'm 33 weeks he/she could technically arrive anytime after four weeks from now!! WOW! That's soon! I have a lot to do before then. The 'official' due date is August 3rd. and Lib was 10 days late so I'm guessing 8/11 because that's my mom's bday. :) Of course a July birthday would be awesome too. ;)

36 weeks!!

Woo-hoo!! 36 weeks!! Seems like a lot! And it is, a whopping 32 weeks since we found out I was preggers! Libby now weighs close to 6 lbs. and if she were born now there would most likely be no complications! I think 37 weeks is "full term" and if a baby is born before then they're still considered a preemie but don't usually have problems. Anyway, so Libby should be here anytime within 2 to 6 weeks! That's a pretty big gap! Most first-time moms are usually about 10 days late so that would mean her birthday will be on December 30th. Although my mom's first (Rebecca) was born 10 days early so that would be December 10th! Pretty big range!

I'm feeling ok, just huge and sluggish. Its getting more difficult to move around and to sleep. I'm still struggling with acid reflux and I'm hoping she drops soon! That will squish my stomach less but put more pressure on my bladder, oh joy! Also, if I walk around for more than 30 minutes then the Braxton Hicks contractions really hit me hard. My stomach gets as tight as a drum! It's quite uncomfortable but nothing more than that. Just makes me take frequent breaks! And I love my exercise ball!! Every pregnant woman needs one! They're really fabulous and so comfortable. Plus, I'm going to take it to the hospital with me and use it during my labor.

We finished our birthing classes last week and we both feel like they were completely worth it. We learned a great deal not only about child birth but also about nutrition, healthy living, and child care. I would really recommend the Bradley Method for expectant couples! I'll let you know how well it works after Libby is here. :)

28 Weeks!!

I'm sitting here in my pj's drinking a cup of tea and writing this post. At the moment I do not have a decent picture to share of my growing belly but I promise one soon! I do want to give a little update as to how things are going and all that. So if you're easily bored go read this blog and you will be much more entertained. Someone else pointed out that they wanted to write things down on their blog as a type of diary to remember how things were at a certain time. So seeing as I have roughly less than 3 months childless I should do the same!

My belly is getting rounder almost every day it seems and there is no hiding the fact that I'm pregnant! I think I'm normally sized although people still ask if I'm 4 or 5 months and then get surprised when I tell them when I'm due. Two sweet Hispanic ladies in DC were convinced that I was having a boy (because of the way I'm carrying?) and weren't sure if I knew what I was talking about when I said "nope, a girl!". I know that everyone carries differently but I'll take anything that will help me avoid getting stretch marks! Oh and if you're preggers or when you are you have to use Burts Bees Mama Bee Belly lotion. It is the best! If I don't use it or if I use something else then my skin gets dry and itchy within an hour. But this stuff is fantastic! Who knows if its actually helping me avoid getting them but I think it does. :)

Libby kicks and very hard! Last night I couldn't sleep so I went and laid down on the couch and watched "What not to Wear" and the Sunday Night Football game. Yes, I have very varied taste. :) And I could see her moving and kicking even with a blanket wrapped around me! Also, after she finally relaxed my insides were a little sore! Maybe my sister is right, maybe she is a future soccer player. :) Another interesting note about her kicks is that I usually notice them in the same place! Anyone else experience that? She's usually kicking way down low or to my right. I hardly ever feel her kicks on my left side. Don't know whats up with that! Its fun to see her move around and I hope she's good and jumpy for my family next month!

My appetite is about the same although I'm trying to eat more protein and veggies so that gets tiresome. I've gained a good amount of weight, right in the middle of the range they say I should be at. My doc says I'm doing fine so I'm not worried about that. I don't want to blow up like a balloon but I also don't want to become overly concerned about my weight so I don't eat the right things for Libby's development.

My youngest sister, Amy, and the oldest boy of my family, Nathan, are coming up to visit a week from Thursday! I'm extremely excited to see them and I know we'll have a blast. They're 18 and 21 respectively so I'm sure they'll have a lot more energy and get-up-and-go than I do at present! So I'm just going to drop them off at the train station and let them explore the city a little. Saturday I think we'll all go in together and I'm really looking forward to that! I wonder if NYC in the fall will be like it is on "You've Got Mail". And now I have an overwhelming desire to watch that movie. :) The weather has been very rainy and humid since Friday so its been a bit dreary without being too cold. I'm really hoping that its bright and sun-shiny and chilly when Amy and Nathan come! They'll really appreciate that!

Tomorrow is my Gestational Diabetes test at my doctors office so hopefully everything comes back normal and I don't have to deal with GD. I haven't had any "symptoms" so maybe that means I won't have to worry about it!

Well, I guess I'd better get some stuff done around here! Hope you have a fantastic day! I think I'll watch "You've Got Mail" today, seems appropriate!

20 weeks!

Half-way!! At least I hope so! A lot of first-timers go over their due date, but I'm going to just pretend for my own sake that she'll arrive on or before December 20th. :)
It feels like its been so much longer than 20 weeks! I guess we've only known about 16 weeks but it seems like it should be more. Oh well, hopefully this will be the downward end and things will pick up and go faster.
I've enjoyed being pregnant so far. I haven't had to endure the morning sickness that most women face but I've had other symptoms. Mostly fatigue. Its very annoying to always be tired unless I've had a lot of rest and getting tired very easily is well, tiresome! Also, I've developed some kind of eye allergy that is extremely annoying. I've always had very poor vision and have worn contacts or glasses since I was eleven. Well, it seems my eyes are revolting against my contacts! And its been very gradual. At first they would just get slightly red and irritated if I wore them too long but now pretty much if I wear them at all they get bright cherry red and hurt like the dickens! I've heard of women developing allergies while they're pregnant and maybe my eyes just don't like my contacts anymore! Its frustrating though, I wouldn't mind wearing my glasses but they're not nearly as convenient as contacts. And my eyes get very dry so my vision is hazy and that's extremely annoying! Well, anyway, sorry to be whiny about this but its very difficult to have your vision compromised. It was difficult even to clean for Tim's family because I couldn't tell if I was getting the floor clean or not! So if you think of it, please pray for my poor sick eyes and hopefully they will return to normal soon!
Oh and if you tell me I look like a mom when I wear glasses you are no longer my friend. Just kidding! ...sort of... :)