29 weeks

How far along: 29 weeks

Baby’s size: Pineapple, 16 inches and almost 3 pounds (wow- that's a real live serious baby in there!)

Total weight gain / loss: +32.6

Maternity clothes: Yes and the fit of a tshirt is becoming questionable - I can pull it off with a long undershirt but otherwise the underside of my belly shows ;)

Stretch marks: None yet, but I hear they really don't come until the veryyy end for a lot of women, so we'll see...

Sleep: Pretty good but it's getting harder to stay comfortable. I wake up often on my back which is a big no-no and have to roll back to an (uncomfortable) side... The back sleeping also leaves me very out of breath which really is not good for me or baby, but I don't know how to stop it when it just happens in my sleep! 

Loving: People are SO nice when you're pregnant! Even strangers constantly want to say hi, ask how I'm doing, how I'm feeling, tell me I look great (or insinuate that I'm huge, but this is the "loving" section lol), open doors, offer to help carry things, etc. I can't lie, I thoroughly enjoy it! 

Loathing: Any and all tasks that require movement or energy in any amount after I get home from work. 

Missing: Being able to shave with ease and without huffing and puffing to reach over my stomach to get to my legs. 

Movement: Baby loves to move... Was actually tickling me in the side repeatedly the other night while I was trying to go to sleep- I couldn't stop laughing while also growing increasingly annoyed and wanted to just go.to.sleep!

Cravings: Milk during workouts is really something everyone should try. Not sure why I never thought to do it before! ;) 

Aversions: Not particularly that I can think of. 

Labor signs: I *think* I might have had my first Braxton hicks contractions, but I'm not 100% sure. 

Symptoms: The swelling has definitely increased, achy back and feet (especially feet), heartburn.

Exercise:  Jog/walking (use of the word running would be a disservice to the word here) a few miles a week, yoga a couple times a week. 

Belly button: Soooo close to popping! 

Wedding rings: I finally had to give in and take it off yesterday. :(  Got stuck on my swollen fingers at night and I took that as a sign that it needed to come off the next morning when the swelling went down. 

Mood: Much better and more level than last week for sure! 

Husband: if you thought mommas were the only ones who "nested" you haven't met my husband! That man has been going non-stop for the last month! 

Can't wait for:  My baby shower!!!

28 weeks

How far along: 28 weeks (Hello, 3rd trimester - ahhh!)

Baby’s size: large eggplant, 16 in, 2.5 pounds (that seems big!)

Total weight gain / loss: +32.6

Maternity clothes: Yup.

Stretch marks: None yet.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty decent - sometimes a little tossing and turning from trouble finding a comfortable position.

Loving: I've said it before and I'm sure you'll keep seeing more of this in this section over the weeks to come, but I just can't get enough of the baby movements.  It's such a cool feeling, and makes the fact that a baby is on the way feel so real!

Loathing:  I'll try not to dwell too much here, but if I'm being honest, I'm having a much harder time with body image lately.  Before you get pregnant, you notice the pregnant girls who get the "basketball belly" and the ones that blow up everywhere, and you hope that you're the first when you get pregnant.  As someone who has just gotten huge everywhere - it's hard, and yes we know that we're huge.  I really truly know that they mean no harm, but people - friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers all included - make comments ALL the time about your size, or give surprised looks at your due date, and as much as I try to just let it roll knowing that it will be worth it when I have my precious baby in my arms and that everyone carries differently, it really does get hard to not let it start getting to you - especially as I get further and further along (read: bigger and bigger).  Moving on from my pity party...

Missing: Being able to go in the hot tub!  My parents just opened it last weekend and it's the worst having to sit with just my feet in while everyone else gets to soak and relax - hot tubs are my favoriteeee!

Movement: Baby loves kicking, elbowing, and rolling around!  Also, jamming hands up under my rib cage is a new favorite position.

Cravings: Milk - while I work out.  Don't judge me.

Aversions: None really.

Labor signs: I *think* I've had a few Braxton Hicks contractions, but not 100% sure if that's what I'm feeling.  I'm planning to ask my doctor at my next visit.

Symptoms: Swelling by the end of the day, achy feet, achy back, emotional, acid reflux, trying (and sometimes succeeding) to not pee when I cough or sneeze.  What other symptoms do pregnant women sometimes have?  I probably have that too...

Exercise:  A few walk/jogs and yoga this week.

Belly button: Ready to pop soon!  I'd classify the current state as a "flatty" - not really an innie, but not an outie yet either.

Wedding rings: Fits well in the morning, snug in the evening - I know, needs to come off soon.  Not gonna lie though, I KNOW I shouldn't care what strangers think, but I can't help thinking that I'll look like a knocked up single girl once I have to take my rings off!

Mood:  It was a rough, rough week.  Just ask Mike.  My hormones were seriously out of control mid-week.  I got a few good nights sleep, and feel back to normal for now - thank goodness.  :)

Husband:  Is in nesting mode big time.  He's working like crazy to have everything done and lined up for when baby gets here.

Can't wait for:  My baby shower!!!!!!!!!!  Do I really still have to wait a month?!?

27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

Baby’s size: 2 pounds / a bunch of bananas or a head of cauliflower 

Total weight gain / loss: +32.4   

Maternity clothes: Of course - but will still include that I can still make a t-shirt work over the bump (because I think the day is coming soon that I won't be able to any more!)

Stretch marks: None yet.

Sleep: I'm tired.  I sleep HARD at night.  But I'm still tired.

Loving: BABY KICKS!

Loathing: Dishes, cooking, laundry, cleaning, and anything that requires any energy after I get home from work.

Missing: A nice cold beer when I'm tired at the end of the day.  

Movement: Baby Deal likes to give me lots of kicks now!

Cravings: Meh.  Nothing crazy here.

Aversions: Still not big on fish, hopefully that comes back after baby (or sooner!).

Labor signs: Nope!

Symptoms: Oh Lord, do I ever feel pregnant (and I have 3 months left to get BIGGER?!?!).  My back hurts and my feet hurt, and to add to the achy feet, they're starting to swell now too.  I'm tired, like... really, really tired.  Heartburn is bad starting about midday and lasting until I go to bed.  It's cheesy, but the baby kicks really do make it worth all the other not-so-fun parts of pregnancy.  Nothing brings a smile to my face faster - so next time you see me grinning like an idiot for no reason, now you know why! :)

Exercise:  Two runs this week (1 mi and 1.5 mi - both in walk/run intervals), and my two yoga classes (my regular yoga class - not prenatal - that I modify is really starting to get hard, not gonna lie).

Belly button: Is SO close to popping.  I actually had a dream last night that it had and it was HUGE (like the stuff cartoons are made of huge) and floppy, so hopefully that's not a sign lol.

Wedding rings: Continuing to fit for now!

Mood: It's amazing how exhaustion can play into your mood.  I would still say generally good, but definitely in need of decompression time to myself when I get tired (aka grumpy) by the end of the day pretty often.

Husband: Is in serious nesting mode! ;)  He has a long to-do list of things he is really eager to get done before baby arrives (cleaning out our garage, finishing basement renovations, getting his B&D real estate business set up to run more independently without so many hours from him each day, etc.)

Can't wait for:  Summer!  There is so much I'd like to get done before baby gets here too, but I'm just so tired after the work day... I'm really looking forward to spending my days working on those things before I get tired and not being limited to only after the long school day is over.

26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

Baby’s size: Butternut Squash

Total weight gain / loss: Oops, forgot to weigh myself this morning.  Darn...  The baby now weighs about 1 2/3 pounds though, so we can assume my weight gain is probably close to that!  ;)

Maternity clothes: Same as the last few weeks.

Stretch marks: None yet.

Sleep: Meh.  I sleep pretty good, but lately I've been waking up with an achy back, leaving me feeling not so well-rested even though I got a decent night's sleep.

Loving: Feeling more and more like a mom - more in the "movement" section on this, but there is no denying there is an actual baby in there any more! Oh - and last night at sweet frog the manager glanced at my belly and then announced he was having a Mother's Day special and my froyo was free! :)

Loathing: Not being able to use the pronoun "he" or "she" --- which one is it?? ;)  As I get more and more connected to this sweet baby, it's getting harder and harder to say "it" when talking to people.  Here's to hoping for one more month of keeping my secret without accidentally spilling the beans!

Missing: Sunshine.  The last week has been SO dreary and rainy - every.single.day.  I want a warm summer day and a nice cold beer.  So I guessing I'm missing beer too - mainly because it goes so well with the summertime I'm wishing for!

Movement: Baby's kicks seem to get stronger every single day!  Mike has felt the movement now (so have mom and Jessica!), and yesterday I could even SEE my belly move from the outside as little baby kicked and kicked.  I stayed in my car for probably 45 minutes after getting home because I was so mesmerized by watching the movement and knew that once I shifted it would stop.  :):)  This is by far the BEST part of being pregnant (let's be real, pretty much everything else sucks lol).

Cravings: Not really.  I've eaten about one billion pounds of chocolate and junk food this week due to Teacher Appreciation week - not because I'm craving it so much, but just because it's there!

Aversions: Bananas by themselves (as an ingredient or mixed with other things is fine though - see last week's post for more on this aversion), and I still don't particularly want anything to do with fish, which is a shame because I love fish. 

Labor signs: Nada.

Symptoms: Achy back and feet, exhausted by the end of the day, achy back and feet, heartburn (but not quite as bad this week - knock on wood), achy back and feet. Baby brain story of the week - I left the house to go to Home Depot with my slippers on instead of shoes... Thankfully noticed by the time I got to the car! 

Exercise:  Yoga, walks, did one 1-mile run this week.

Belly button: Still just stretched out for now, but I do think it's getting close to ready to pop - my guess is I have another 2-3 weeks of an innie.

Wedding rings: Fits.  I think I'll have to take it off soon!

Mood: Good! :)  (right, Mike?)

Husband: Was so excited to feel the baby kick for the first time!  This morning he came up behind me and hugged me and gave my belly a little rub while I was doing my makeup, I said, "I love you," and he replied, "I love you both too," with his hands still on my belly.  Melt my pregnant mama heart.  :)

Can't wait for:  Baby shower/gender reveal in June!!!

25 weeks

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby’s size: Baseball glove

Total weight gain / loss: +28 (can that be right?!)... yeahhh, I think I'm going to go ahead and stop including this section from here on out...

Maternity clothes: Yes, but I DO still fit in t-shirts.  Not sure how much longer...

Stretch marks: Nope.  

Sleep: Like a rock.  I'm probably going to regret saying this, but this week has also seemed to be a bit of a respite from the endless exhaustion I had the last week or two - I'm not saying I don't get sleepy midday, but it definitely hasn't been quite so bad (knock on wood!).

Loving: This week was the 4 year anniversary of me and Mike's first date, and the 2 year anniversary of his proposal.  Loving re-watching the proposal video, and showed it to all my students too.

Loathing: The look of complete and utter shock on people's faces when they ask when I'm due and I tell them August.  Yes, you thought I was due in May, I get it... thanks and moving on...

Missing: Being able to sleep on my back or stomach.  I actually wake up in the night a lot on my back and have to roll back to side - I'm trying here, what's a girl to do when she's unconscious?

Movement: The kicks, jabs, and rolls are getting steadily stronger.  I swear there have been a few where you would have been able to feel it from the outside if someone's hand had just been in the right place at the right time.  Should be any time now!

Cravings: Still milk!

Aversions: Bananas.  Didn't find out until I was about three bites in.  I've got a good (read: disgusting) story for that one if you want to hear it, but I'll spare everyone of the details here...

Labor signs: Nope.

Symptoms: Achy back

Exercise:  Yoga 2x/week, got a walk or two in this week too, but not much else.

Belly button: Same as the last couple weeks, stretching out a bit but still no pop.

Wedding rings: Fitting quite well - I'll have to keep an eye on that, because they may need to come off soon before they get stuck.

Mood: Good - nothing to write home about here this week.

Husband: Is really looking forward to feeling the baby kick - it's driving him crazy that I get to feel all the movement and he's still in the dark for now! ;)

Can't wait for:  People to get their baby shower invites (being mailed out soon)... La and Jess did such an adorable job on them!

Sorry, never got around to a picture this week! 

24 weeks

How far along: 24 weeks

Baby’s size: Eggplant

Total weight gain / loss:  Forgot to weigh this morning and headed out of town this weekend, so I won't get a chance to do that - darn (but actually more of a relief that I have an excuse to not look at the numbers on a scale this week!) 

Maternity clothes: Yep, yep, yep!

Stretch marks: None yet!

Sleep: I've fallen asleep after work a few times this week without meaning to - I'm just so exhausted! And still no problems falling asleep at a regular bedtime at night either... this momma-to-be just needs rest - it's hard work growing a baby!

Loving: The ever stronger baby kicks I've been feeling!

Loathing: How difficult it's getting to do basic things, like put my socks on, stand up from sitting on the floor, or just generally move around.  And then thinking about the fact that I'm really just a little over half way there.  Seriously, how much bigger of a belly can my body handle toting around all day???

Missing: I could really go for a cold beer right about now.  Or a sangria.

Movement: Like I said above, the kicks are steadily getting stronger.  Still nothing to be felt from the outside quite yet, but I don't think it will be much longer!

Cravings: Milk.  And ice cream if milk isn't available (road trips consist of quite a bit of ice cream now!).

Aversions: Still fish.  Can't really think of any others.

Labor signs: Nope.

Symptoms: Exhaustion, achy back, aching feet.

Exercise:  Yoga twice this week, went on a walk/run a little over a mile one day this week, and day to day things like carrying a REALLY FREAKING HEAVY crockpot into work for a potluck one day this week.  That shit is hard to do, and I don't really remember it being so difficult before, so I'm pretty sure my crockpot has gained some baby weight recently too.

Belly button: Apparently "stretched out" and "weird" (see last week's post).

Wedding rings: Loose to fitting well, depending on how hot it is that day - my hands have definitely been swelling a bit on hot days.

Mood: Generally good, but a little crankier when I'm especially tired.

Husband: Is dying to feel the baby kick!

Can't wait for:  Roomie reunion down in Blacksburg this weekend - so excited to see my favorite girls and all their kids/babies!

And on that note, this weeks bump picture comes hokie style (and with two bumps!) :)

23 weeks

How far along: 23 weeks

Baby’s size: A bunch of grapes??  Seriously??  That seems more than a little ambiguous...  Thankfully, I was also able to find that the baby is about the size of a chinchilla, so that clears things up...

Total weight gain / loss: +19.2 ("Bunch of grapes" may be a really vague size, but I'm almost positive I've never seen a 19 pound bunch of grapes, which leads us all to of course wonder where the rest of that is going... womp womp)

Maternity clothes:  Almost always... still able to stretch the school t-shirts over my belly on Fridays for now though!

Stretch marks: None yet (fingers crossed)

Sleep: When I'm out, I'm OUT.  The only problem I have with sleep right now is that I can't seem to get enough of it!

Loving: Knowing that baby can hear sounds pretty well by now.  I've started playing music when I get ready in the morning.  The other day, Mike tried talking nice and loud to baby, and got two firm kicks "hello" in reply.  :)

Loathing: Chores.  I don't want to cook, clean, or do laundry.  So sometimes I don't...

Missing: We went to Bobby McKey's dueling piano bar for Lara's birthday last weekend, and it was SO much fun - I was really wishing I could take part in the drinkery though!  I settled on splurging on a chocolate milk instead.  They delivered, but I wonder if the waitress has ever actually had someone order a chocolate milk before (it's a 21 and over only bar) ... her look told me probably no... ;)

Movement: Baby Deal's kicks and flips are getting steadily stronger and more regular - there's definitely no more wondering "was that the baby??" - which is really fun.  Still not strong enough to be felt from outside the belly (much to Mike's disappointment), but I think we may be getting there soon.  

Cravings: Medium rare steak - because I can't have it.  Milk - because it is a miracle instant cure for heart burn.  Our gallon of milk used to last about 2 weeks until the expiration date, when I often used to have to end up dumping the rest when it would go bad.  Now I'm CRUSHING a gallon a week.

Aversions: Fish. Sushi.  Ew.  So funny that these were cravings earlier in my pregnancy.  Seriously this grosses me out now.

Labor signs: Hell to the no.  It has crossed my mind though that I am far enough along now that there are technically miracle preemie babies who have been born at this stage and survived - amazing.  It's like - a real, live little human in there.

Symptoms: Heart burn, exhaustion, sore feet and achy back and hips after a long day.  Pregnancy brain:  I made this delicious beef and broccoli crock pot meal yesterday, and get a text from Mike while I was at yoga asking if I knew the crock pot wasn't plugged in.  "Yes, babe, it's the latest fad in crock pot cooking trends.  You let your raw food sit at room temperature on the counter all day and then do a quick flash cook of your spoiled food on high for a few minutes when you get home before you serve it up!"  We went to Red Robin for dinner...

Exercise:  Yoga twice a week (I almost missed last night because of a brief moment on the couch where I was just going to "rest my eyes for minute" - we know how that ends - but I managed to get my butt up and run to class about 5 mins late, and I'm glad I still went).  I also went with a short jog/walk with Mike on Tuesday when it was really beautiful out.  Oh, and I walked up the stairs in my school one day this week (trust me - it counts).

Belly button: Same as always. Edit: I was trying on maternity clothes with Jessica and she pointed out that my belly button IS in fact changing and looking more stretched out, or as she put it (repeatedly), "Oh my God! I can't stop looking! It looks so WEIRD!" Thanks, Jess, I get it.  Gotta love sisters - no holding back! (To be fair, I would do the same to her). ;) 

Wedding rings: Well, I said before that they've always been loose... hmmm, seems to be fitting pretty well today when I just looked down to check it when answering this question.

Mood: Do you mean my mood when I think about the fact that the weekend is here?  Fantastic!  My mood when I find out my crock pot meal has to be thrown away?  Pretty crummy.  My mood when I watch Simone Biles perform a stellar floor routine? Blissful.  

Husband: Is starting to get really protective over things like me lifting even semi-heavy-not-really-so-heavy things.  Which is really cute.  But sometimes annoying.  ;)

Can't wait for:  My prenatal massage tonight!  Hubby gave me a gift card for Christmas that I finally scheduled and these tired, achy muscles seriously CAN'T WAIT!