36 week picture

28 weeks

Starting to feel heavy. Sleeping lots and getting kicked a bunch. Baby just started doing a bunch of this head/butt pressing into the front of my belly about 2-3 inches above my belly button. No signs of an outie belly button to come yet. Less than 12 weeks until my due date now! I'm getting super excited!

Having lots of fun nesting, although I'm starting to run out of things to do! As soon as we get back from Nevada on the 16th, we'll be putting up pictures, shelves and decals. Super excited!!!!

Organized the top of the dresser. Look back a few posts to see what it looked like before. Second pic, me in a dress I wore non pregnant 3 summers ago. Still fits with a bit of growing room!

How your baby's growing:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. I guess I haven't been reading very well lately since last I remember, baby was like 1.5lbs... over 2lbs of baby. That's unreal to me! She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. Flashlights on the belly... must try that!! She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. 2 down, 1 to go and this is the one that starts to get uncomfortable too :( If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester. It will probably be more for me but I'm not concerned.

Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. My glucose levels in Canadian terms were 5.7 which in American terms is like... 103. I think that's within what they want you to be. That orange drink was NASTY!

Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS. KMFX no RLS. I don't need more problems.

Photo Bomb:

gonna go on the wall like scrabble tiles... cheap paper cut in squares and stencils with sharpie

vowels in turquoise and consonants in green

car seat box covered in fleece blanket to make it look prettier for now :)

car seat in our old snap n go. hoping we'll get our expensive stroller before 

baby comes but this buys us a bit of time if we can't

left side, patterned diapers; right side, plain colours

left side, NB pockets; right side, NB covers

best bottom inserts and pocket inserts

left side, kushies diapers; right side, all covers bigger than NB

fitted diapers

27 weeks

Biggest milestones of this week (writing this on thursday since I got lazy):

• got carseat! thanks FIL!
• passed my GD test with a 5.7 (apparently canada measures differently than the u.s.)
• DH got kicked in the head (lol)
• third trimester :)
• uber heartburn/acid reflux

Crazy baby didn't even go nuts after the UBER sugar GD drink. Worried me for a while there. Been pretty active since then though.

One week from tomorrow until we leave to go to Nevada!

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.

Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief.

Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

It may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, but it's not too soon to think about family planning. You'll want to have made some decisions about postpartum birth control before your baby arrives. If you're considering a tubal ligation, be aware that most states require you to sign a consent form at least 30 days beforehand. So if you'd like the option of having the surgery during your postpartum hospital stay, don't wait too much longer to discuss it with your caregiver. (You can still change your mind later.)

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9 weeks of growth

26 weeks

(Written on Monday) Baby was doing gymnastics last night multiple times. So I'm pretty sure baby is now feet down since I'm getting so many low low kicks today. Those gymnastics are pretty cool to feel though.

Only 14 weeks left and almost in the 3rd trimester. Today (Tuesday) marked 6 months pregnant. 3 months and 5 days left until my due date.

We are estimating that baby will come on September 29th which is 40+5. Any guesses?

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. That's amazing how baby has gone from a tiny little cell to close to 2lbs in 26 weeks... wow. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

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25 weeks

Baby is kicking more and harder. It's quite fun to see my stomach shake and quite fun to feel the big stretches where I get booted up high and down low. I don't think I will get tired of this. It's very reassuring.

I have 7 days of work left with the kids and then one more outside of that. I am SOOOOO ready for the summer. It means that the count down to baby is so much closer! The summer will be awesome (but hot) and I can't wait to go visit hubby's family in mid July. Once the summer is over, we're only about 4 weeks away from the baby being here.

I'm so excited to hold and dress and nurse and play with my baby. It's becoming more real. It's not fully real yet, but I'm getting super excited. The nursery needs some more furniture and wall art, but I don't know that I want to do the wall art until I know exactly where the furniture is going to go.

I'm trying to think about what furniture we've still got to put in the room... I'm thinking we still need to put out:

• mamaroo bouncer
• tummy time mat
• swing
• rocker/glider (not sure which is going to go in the baby room)

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

The difference 24 weeks makes

24 weeks

Heartburn has introduced itself to me within the last few days. It's not very exciting. Sleep is harder to do. I have to get up to use the bathroom or else baby kicks me and keeps me awake. I'm just loving the kicks. They're the best thing in the world. I only wish that hubby could feel what the kicks feel like on the inside.

Still people who don't know me well aren't daring enough to ask if I'm pregnant... I almost bought a shirt today that said something about pregnancy just so I could wear it on friday to the sports day with all those people I only see once a year and it be obvious. I don't want all the attention that TELLING everyone brings but I want them to know so they don't think I'm getting fat.

How your baby's growing:

And they don't even mention the biggest excitement of this week! Viability! The hospitals will try save babies born after 24 weeks. Within the next few weeks, baby's chance of survival skyrockets!

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How your life's changing:

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. That's just unreal to me... soccer balls are so BIG!! Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT 1 hour test) between now and 28 weeks. Not sure if I'm hoping to do it before or after our trip to Nevada... I'll ask the Dr. when he usually books them when I see him on thursday. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition.

Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT 3 hour test) to find out for sure.

Finally, if you don't already know how to spot the signs of preterm labor, now's the time to learn. Contact your caregiver immediately if you notice any of the signs mentioned below.

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Laundry

You know you're going to be a mom when you're SUPER excited about laundry soap and wool dryer balls ;)

Best part: It's cloth diaper safe and baby friendly. It's also 18 cents a load ($20 for the whole thing) and once it's used up, it's 9 cents a load because we can refill the tin at the store we got it at for $10.

23 weeks

I don't think there's much to report except sleeping is getting more difficult. I've also had crazy dreams (that I kinda sorta remember) for the last 7/8 days... baby is moving a lot but still not at convenient times for grandparents to feel.

How your baby's growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Not through clothes yet, but I always miss the big movements with my eyes anyways. I bet I'd be able to see them if I caught them at the right time. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb. Haven't noticed baby jump or kick around loud noises yet but I bet that will happen soon.

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22 weeks

Blogged this on Sunday night. Nothing is really different since then.

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How your life's changing:

At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate. Yeah, don't even try it at this point... my parents haven't even felt the baby move yet; I'm not letting strangers grope me.

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Holiday Weekend

Busy day today! I picked up 2 pairs of maternity pants for $10 total as well as 15 pairs of socks, 11 soft caps, 3 pairs of booties and 1 pair of shoes for $3 total.

baby's closet. we finally cleared out most of the random crap to make room for baby's stuff. we'll have closet doors within 2 weeks.

crib against the green wall. we'll put a rocker or glider in the corner near the heater

change table dresser. to the right is the tall dresser from the first pic and the closet

newborn gown I made today :) not such great sewing but it's functional and I followed a pattern.

This past week

Wishing that I looked a bit more pregnant. I saw a bunch of people this week that I don't often see. Not one of them knew I was pregnant before I told them. What a bummer. C'mon guys, I promise I'm not this fat otherwise... :( Oh well, I'll get there. Let's hope baby has a major growth spurt in the next 3 weeks because I've got another one of those "see people I don't often see" type days coming up :) I'd like for someone who never sees me to know I'm pregnant.

Baby is quite the wiggler now... I'm feeling movements every day and usually at least 5 separate occasions in a day. The exception is if I have a more lazy day, I feel them more often and when I have a super busy day, I feel them less. Movements have severely started up at night time lately... lol

Made 2 registries this week. Got a bunch of free goodies from them, which is cool. BRU gave a bag of items and it contained a playtex drop-ins bottle (now I have 2 to try before opening my sets) as well as a pampers (huggies? idk) NB diaper! It's so TINY!!!! There were many more things too but those were the most exciting things to me. Didn't register for anything really exciting though.

We did a cloth diaper workshop this weekend as well. Didn't learn a lot but got some questions answered and saw some more brands of diapers in person.

The dog was playing fetch with a timbit (aka donut hole) today. It was HILARIOUS!!

Fetching/eating

Aaaaand the big news of the week, we moved a bunch of crap around and painted some stuff. Click the pictures to see them bigger.

FROM MAY 13TH

Cube shelves with storage/view from door

view from window/pack n play and random other things

FROM MAY 20TH

new computer area/hubby setting up crib

CRIB with bedding (not washed yet but we'll wash in august/sept)

painted green wall (in natural light it's less reflecty and the blue on the other walls come out more)/stuffed animal net

And right now I'm having my bladder used as a trampoline, so I'm going to head off to bed and see if laying flat stops this lol.

21 weeks

Super movement this week and baby finally got strong enough that I've felt movements while standing. The movements haven't been consistent enough (or high enough) that I could try feel them from the outside while standing. How weird would it look with my hand way down on my pelvis while standing outside on duty at work? Lmao. But the movements are often just one or two at a time. Sometimes baby really gets moving and kicks like 10+ times in a row. That happened the other day when DH and I were able to feel the movements from the outside. I feel pretty miserable by the end of the day. It's like the growing pains I used to have in my legs all the time as a kid, but in my stomach. It makes it really hard to sleep at night. I'm almost at the point of needing a wedge or something to stick under my stomach because it's already so heavy.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

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