27 weeks (a day early)

Weekly Info...

How far along are you? 27 weeks tomorrow. How did that happen?! Looking back, I missed a few weeks somewhere!! My mind is playing tricks on me I think. 

How I’m feeling: absolutely amazing!! Life couldn't be better this week, unless my family could be close by too...

Total weight gain: No scale today. I'm afraid. Haha!! 

How big is baby? This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is roughly 14 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of cauliflower). 

He or she is sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing those little eyes, and perhaps even sucking on his or her fingers.

With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. The lungs are still immature, but they would be capable of functioning – with a lot of medical help – if your baby 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 your baby, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Maternity clothes: same outfits every few days. I'm loving the outfits my mom sent me! The coral sweater in the pics below is one of my favorites! Especially since Fall has made its presence known this week!!

Stretch marks? No new ones, thankfully. Even though I looked down today and have NO idea where this big belly came from. I feel like she sprouted overnight. 

Sleep: meh. What is that? Between trying to keep my head above water with school work and house work, whew. 

Best moment this week: He. Felt. Her. MOVE!!! That glass of chocolate milk, mixed with my exhausting week so far, and this big ol' comfy bed...she's going insane tonight. 

Movement: always. She is quite the active little thing. And boy oh boy, does she love to kick all day. She was playing kickball with a nerve the past few days and it was unbelievably uncomfortable. Thankfully she found the bladder to play with today. Never thought I'd be glad she was hitting my bladder. 

Food cravings: Chips Ahoy! tonight. While grocery shopping, the mister even picked me up some of the little cup things of them to take to work!! 

Food aversions: none really, thankfully. I hope it stays that way. 

Belly button in or out: in. 

What I Miss: jumping up at the drop of a hat. And being able to get up off the floor with ease. 

What I’m looking forward to: seeing the mister hold her. 

Milestone: we are almost to 30 weeks. Which means we are almost to single digit weeks left. Which means momma had a near panic attack just thinking about that! Knowing that if we were to have her at any point from now on she'd have a decent chance at survival makes me giddy with relief. I cannot believe we are finally to a point where we can breathe a little. This has been a very long road for our family and I'm unbelievably happy we are where we are right now. 

Obligatory pic :) 

One is blurry but it's okay. You'll get the gist. 

Close up of the belly profile...where did it come from?!?!?

Twenty. Six. Weeks!!!

Weekly Info...

How far along are you? 26 weeks!!! 

How I’m feeling: Absolutely superb! Is that believable? Haha. 

I ordered a maternity support belt that's supposed to help alleviate some of the pressure and pain in my back. Wore it yesterday for the first 6 hours and loved it (minus the times I sat down...quite uncomfortable). The afternoon was much more bearable and I got home feeling like a million bucks. I forgot to put it on this morning and I'm back to where I was prior to yesterday...sore back, sore legs, sore front, sore sides, sore feet, swollen feet...here's to remembering to wear it tomorrow!! 

Total weight gain: 5 pounds. But I have a feeling it's gonna start finding its way to me...

How big is baby? "The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He or she may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other.

Your baby is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid. These so-called breathing movements are essential for the development of the lungs. These are also good practice for when your baby is born and takes that first gulp of air. 

Your baby is continuing to put on fat. He or she now weighs approximately 1 2/3 pounds and measures 14 inches (about the size of a scallion)." -babycenter app

Maternity clothes: mom just sent me a box full of super cute stuff!!! I'm even wearing the pjs now! Yes, before 7pm. Judge away. 

Stretch marks? No new ones. But the few I have from gaining weight prior to pregnancy have become a little more visible. 

Sleep: Last night I slept great after feeling refreshed from Monday night. Let's hope the trend continues for a few more days :)

Best moment this week: trying to get Phil to feel her move. He still hasn't. 

Movement: this morning, and quite frequently throughout the day, she found it a wonderful idea to stretch all the way out. Diagonally. Right ribs and left hip were being terrorized at the same time!! The first couple jabs made me wince. 

Food cravings: Quaker fruit and cream oatmeal every morning. Greek yogurt----I'm trying really hard to cave into this craving by trying different kinds but it's still tough to choke down the first few bites. 

Food aversions: nothing really comes to mind right this moment. 

Belly button in or out: in

What I Miss: nothing today :) I'm pretty content with where we are in this journey and where we're headed!! 

What I’m looking forward to: 

Milestone: double digits, yo! Double. Digits!!! Did you catch that?!? We. Are. Down. To. Double. Digits!!! (until the due date of course) 

Obligatory weekly shots with a few extras added for hilarity and random fun knowledge. 

Frontal view

Me: do I need to move my sweater out of the way so you can see my belly?

Him: ha. Uh no. 

Me: well that answers that. 

Profile shot... The ripples on my belly are from my tank top that isn't straightened out. 

Tonight's footsies. (The rounded marks are from my no show socks, the straight lines are from my shoes)

Footsies from Monday night. No matter what socks I wear, when I wear socks they leave marks. 

Got my baby shower invite in the mail this week!! I LOVE it! They couldn't have chosen a better invite :) love you girls!! 

Letter to AG

What. A. Day. 

I am emotionally drained. I am physically drained. I am just drained. My heart aches for our unborn babies. My heart aches, remembering all of the heart ache and (at the time) devastation we experienced. 

I started a college class today on advancing youth development. Great class so far. I really only signed up for the class because I needed a lot of recertification points in not a lot of time. Before starting, all I could think about was just making it through this class before baby girl arrived not caring about the actual content. 

Well, fast forward to just after lunch today and the instructor has us write a letter (just filling in the blanks on a preformed sentence structure type thing) to a child of our choice. It could have been to any child, unborn all the way to grown. I chose to write to our unborn child that's currently growing healthy inside. I earnestly filled in the blanks and felt so many different emotions throughout. It made me think of this being our first baby we get to bring home (Lord willing). It made me think of the things we don't get to experience with our first three babies that are dancing with Jesus. It made me think of everything we wished for with the first three that we'll get to wish for with this one. It's tough. So, back to me writing the letter. I filled those blanks in thinking it was for me and the child I chose. What I didn't realize, we were to then share these letters with our table mates. Then with the whole class. Now, you may be saying "just don't share." Not that easy when there's only 10 other people in the room and every person is looking at you trying to hold it all in and failing miserably, crying. So after much internal debate, I shared. Then I felt the need to share a brief version of our story (3 losses before this pregnancy and we've finally made it past the "this is a viable pregnancy" point). Well, needless to say I lost it allllll. Lost. It. All. In front of all ten of those folks. One came over and consoled me by just touching my shoulders. What a statement. I'd never met any of these folks. Just 4 hours prior, we all walked into a room just wanting to take a class for recertification points. I walked out of there feeling a little shaken up emotionally but also with a sense of peace knowing that these 10 people truly care about others. What a relief it is knowing there are still caring individuals in society that are caring just because, even when they know very little about you. 

Here's the infamous letter:

Night all. 

25 glorious weeks!!

Weekly Info...

How far along are you? 25 weeks 

How I’m feeling: wonderful!! Minus the lower back pain, right leg numbness, and the occasional cramping... Haha but seriously, it's been a pretty good week. 

Total weight gain: 5lbs total 

How big is baby? Your baby now measures around 13 1/2 inches in length and weighs a pound and a half (about the size of a rutabaga), but is beginning to exchange that long, lean look for some baby fat. As this happens, wrinkled skin will smooth out and your baby will start to look more and more like a newborn.

Your baby is also growing more hair – and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture!

Maternity clothes: comfy for sure. I wish they made the school shirts in maternity. My school t-shirt is getting snug in some spots. 

Stretch marks? None thankfully. 

Sleep: none of that either. It's very hard to get comfy lately. I think I'm just learning to go with broken sleep. 

Best moment this week: hearing baby's heartbeat again at the appointment this week. Just as strong as ever. I will never get over the feeling of hearing a healthy heartbeat. 

Movement: constantly. So much so when she doesn't move it's a tad worrisome but also a tad relaxing because she isn't terrorizing my insides. 

Food cravings: today? Chocolate. Thanks to my coworker having mini Kit Kats!! I devoured the two she gave me. 

Food aversions: none this week. Although where we heat our food in the cafeteria had allllll kinds of smells going on the other day that made me gag. I think it was just the two microwaves going at once with a mixture of smells that did not go well for me. 

Belly button in or out: in 

What I Miss: sleeping in any position I wanted. I never really was a full on tummy sleeper but man I could go for a good night's sleep on my tummy. 

What I’m looking forward to: I'm extremely busy these next couple of months, trying to get things done before Little Miss' arrival (personal and professional). 

Milestone: Twenty. Five. Glorious. Weeks!!! This family is super stoked to continue this pregnancy knowing everything is going smoothly and she's healthy as can be. 

Yes, that's a basket of her clothes. No, that's not how big I am below the belly. Our chair is blending with my pants. Look closely. 

Belly gropes

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/pregnancy/sex-relationships/baby-bump-etiquette-check#090514

Reading this link, I need to get better at this one..."Thwart unwanted touches by role-playing with someone you trust. Have a friend pat your stomach and practice saying, “I’d rather you didn’t do that.” Repeat this until you feel comfortable setting limits. “You have the right to say no to any unsolicited touch. If the person doesn’t respond, give yourself permission to walk away,” Gabriel says."

If you know me, I have a bubble for sure...and don't really like it when people I'm not close with get in my bubble. I just want to know you're going to be in my bubble before you enter. I think of it as common courtesy but I'm also well aware of my "weirdness" when it comes to things like my bubble. 

Luckily, most ask me if it's okay to touch my belly. But there have been a few (extremely) unsolicited and unexpected belly rubs/pats/gropes. The instinctive flinch didn't work, so looks like I'll have to find a polite way to say "don't grope my stomach." Don't think adding please will do it haha. 

Family, you're different. We've been in each other's bubbles for a long time now haha. 

24 weeks!!!

Or 6 months!!! Eeekkkkk!!! Can you believe it?!?!

Weekly Info...

How far along are you? 24 weeks!!

How I’m feeling: it's been a tough week physically but I'm okay. Just tired from starting back teaching and taking care of my 26 kiddos :) and this one growing inside gets quite feisty at times. 

Total weight gain: I'll let you know next week after my appointment...but the appetite is in full swing! I cannot seem to get enough to eat lately. 

How big is baby? "Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him or her at just over a pound. Since your baby is almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he or she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point. But your baby's body is filling out proportionally and it will soon start to plump up.

His or her brain is growing quickly now, and taste buds are continuing to develop. Your baby's lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help air sacs in the lungs inflate once your baby hits the outside world. His or her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon." -babycenter app

Maternity clothes: loving them...time to invest in some maternity (or larger sized) tank tops-like cami style undershirts. 

Stretch marks? Not yet. 

Sleep: not this week...even as tired as I've been. 

Best moment this week: Phil seeing my belly move. Little Miss was going insane inside and my belly was jumping. I think she was mistaken, thinking she was at a disco. 

Movement: non-stop. 

Food cravings: Brach's Mellowcreme Pumpkins, grilled chicken, avocados, Honeycrisp apples 

Food aversions: still a little iffy on mayo. 

Belly button in or out: in

What I Miss: finding a comfortable position for bedtime. It's so uncomfortable to sleep this week which makes for a very tired teacher. 

What I’m looking forward to: these next few months. I seriously can't believe we're in our sixth month and she will be here before we know it! Theres A LOT going on over the next few weeks/months and it just means we're one step closer to her being here!!

Milestone: SIXTH MONTH!!! Sixth daggum month, y'all!! Can you believe it?!?! 

Warning...the pictures you're about to see portray a tired teacher after a long (although super fun and I can hardly wait til tomorrow) day. I'm very well aware of how "rough" I look and it's okay. If people made pregnancy look glamorous 24/7, us imperfect folks would feel even worse about ourselves when we feel overwhelmed. 

Weary one, out. It's past my bedtime.