28 weeks--7 months! Third trimester has started!

   Alright, third trimester here we go!

   Baby is still the size of an eggplant (about 14 inches in length and weighing about 2 pounds). Lungs should be fairly mature (in case of an early delivery, but don't worry. This cupcake still has some baking time left!) and she's just working on collecting fat deposits under her skin (which is wrinkly at this point). She should be able to blink and respond to changes in light (I'm pretty certain she is. If I'm sitting at home and feel her moving around, I'll lift up my shirt to watch the under-skin dance party and she'll stop. As soon as I put my shirt back down, she's dancing again).

   Still feeling pretty good. Things like bending over (and some poses in yoga class) are getting a little more difficult as the belly is expanding. Really enjoying watching her dance around when I'm sitting on the couch. The bumps and kicks are getting stronger by the week! I'm getting to the point where people (aka strangers) are really noticing that I'm pregnant and are making comments or asking questions (I keep getting, "Oh, when are you due?!" or "You look like you're expecting soon!"). I usually reply with, "About 3 months left, sometime in May". Then I'll think in the back of my mind, "Do I really look that huge?!" I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror at work the other day and had to stop. I've only gained 20 pounds so far, but I think (hopefully) most of it is baby, placenta, etc and not just me ;)  Chris keeps telling me that it's all in the belly and not anywhere else (what a good husband). I know I've gained a little in my hips and legs because certain pants are fitting a little more snug, but I don't think it's super noticeable to anyone else.

    Our childbirth preparation class was canceled last week because the midwife and back-up midwife for the class both got called to labors! The first class started a little late because the midwife was finishing up a birth downstairs. It'll be interesting to see how the following 4 classes go. I have one more monthly prenatal appointment and then I'll be going in every 2 weeks until week 36 when I'll go in once a week. It feels like it's taken a long time to get to this point, but it also feels like it's gone really fast on some days. I can't believe we're at week 28! About 10 weeks left! Yay!

                                                           The standard headless side-shot... :)

                                        And an (almost) full picture (with Machi in the background)

27 weeks

   Behind on this week's blog, too. Oh well.

   Nothing new, really. Changing sleep positions (or rather, moving from laying on my left side to my right side) is getting irritating and uncomfortable. Every now and then I'll get the start of a leg or foot cramp, but can usually relieve it before it becomes a full-on charlie horse sensation.

   Omi's little baby Icen is here! She was admitted Sunday night and delivered Tuesday morning. I stopped by Monday morning before work and then again after work around 6pm. I was able to stay all night until about 5:30am Tuesday morning. Aaron slept off and on while Aundi and I tried to help Omi through contractions. She had a menagerie of drugs basically forced upon her because of the preeclampsia (high blood pressure, protein in the urine), but she managed to completely rock it and avoided a c-section. After getting the epidural around 5am, I decided to head home for a few hours of sleep (since that's what she'd be doing) before heading to a local elementary school for a few hours of volunteer work with SMART (Start Making a Reader Today). I got two hours of sleep, then was up and heading to the school. As I got to the parking lot about 9:15am, I was informed that Icen had arrived! I was totally super bummed (I almost started crying in the car), but happy that he was here, happy and healthy (for the most part). And I have to say, I was a little relieved that I'd be able to spend my two hours not worrying what I was missing and unable to pay attention. So I guess if I had to miss his birth for anything, at least I was doing something that hopefully makes a difference (as opposed to something like sleeping or watching tv). He's a little guy! 5 pounds 15 ounces, 20 inches, so his temperature was a little low as well as his blood sugar. But he's doing better and hopefully will start plumping up soon! I was able to spend about 4 hours with both him and mom and dad on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and I have to say, even that was not enough. He is way precious and I'm totally in love with him.

                                                    Aaron (dad) and Icen all bundled up

                              Ayla and Icen. We're going to force them to get married because we can... :)

Me and my future son-in-law! Look at how tiny he is! And how adorable he is! And his fantastic hat!


Chris and I took the dogs to the cabin this weekend. Staying up all night for Omi's labor FINALLY caught up to me the last few nights (I was pretty stoked because I had stayed up until 6am on Tuesday, slept for 2 hours, went to SMART, went back to the hospital, went to yoga with Laura, then finally went to bed around 10PM. Felt totally fine the next day and the next, then started getting a little more cranky and tired towards the evenings). Slept a lot, took Chris to SakeOne for their Valentine's weekend sake and dessert tasting, did some cross-stitching, played some card games with Chris... it was really relaxing!

26 weeks (6 1/2 months!)

   I totally am slacking on my weekly update this week.

   Cucpake is still the size of an eggplant, so between 13.6 and 14.8 inches in length (I think still measuring from crown to rump at this point) and weighing about 1.5 to 2.2 pounds.

   We had a prenatal appointment last week and everything is going great! I've gained about 20 pounds so far (no stretch marks yet, hooray! Luckily I've been slowly putting the weight on and my skin's had a chance to start it's slow stretch. Check out my tattoo!) and my midwife says I'm at the perfect size and exactly where I should be. Still no swelling, no heartburn, nausea's been long gone, no gagging, no constipation, no sweating or feeling really warm... my hips get sore every once in a while, but nothing major. I'm still able to do 30 minutes of exercise every day (either a dog walk, going to the gym, yoga, or walking on the treadmill) and getting at least 60 ounces of water. Sleeping is getting a little uncomfortable. I now have to sleep completely on my side (as opposed to my usual stomach/side position). Supposedly I'm at the point where some Braxton Hicks contractions might be a little more noticeable. Oh! And I did feel some baby hiccups last week on the third. I had woken up (around 5 am, which seems to be getting the normal time of when I wake up, regardless of what time I go to sleep. Sometimes I'll wake up a little hungry or have to pee. Usually I can fall back asleep within half an hour), went to the bathroom and grabbed a string cheese. As I was laying in bed, I felt little "pulses" every second or two.

     Last week was our second childbirth preparation class at the waterbirth center and we're really enjoying it so far! There are about 10 couples in the class and we really like the midwife who's teaching it. Omi and Aaron are taking the class with us ("due date" February 26th) and so is Omi's brother and his wife ("due date" May 22nd, I believe)-- (though, Omi is currently in the hospital and it looks like little Icen will be here just a few weeks earlier than expected due to preeclampsia. I'm excited to be her doula and be there for her and Aaron! I stopped by on my way to work this morning and will be heading back in just a few hours to see how she's progressed. She wants to do as little interventions as possible, so things are slowly moving along without her getting pumped full of Pitocin or an epidural. No c-sections for that woman!). I was able to meet up with Katie last week. We talked for four whole hours! I couldn't believe it! She's "due" with little Dawson February 22nd and she looks fantastic!

     I think on Wednesday (at 27 weeks), I'll be starting the third trimester! Ahhhh! I can't believe I only have about 3 months left. Little CC still has so much growing to do in a relatively short amount of time (I fear the stretch marks will be coming along with that...).

25 weeks---size of an eggplant!

   As slow as this seems to be going, I can't believe I'm at 25 weeks (which is almost 30 weeks, which is almost 40 weeks... ahhhh!). Baby is about the size of an eggplant for the next few weeks, meaning she's between 13.6 and 14.8 inches in length and 1.5 to 2.2 pounds in weight. I can't believe she's still got about another 6-7 pounds to gain.

   With all the bouncing around (and belly moving), I think I'm still in disbelief that there's a baby in there sometimes. It seems so real some days and not on other days. I do have to say, I have come to enjoy watching the little bumps and prods show through my stomach when she's dancing around. It was way too creepy at first, but now I really love watching her. I had a dream the other night that I was watching my belly with some friends and we saw the Cupcake stick her little arm or foot out and then I could feel her do a few somesaults (which I haven't been able to decipher the difference in real life yet), which made me laugh uncontrollably. I do have to say that I've been feeling her move a little closer to my ribs in the last few weeks and that makes me nervous. I know quite a few friends who have mentioned the oh-so-fun-and-comfortable feeling of having baby snuggle up and kick you in the ribs. Ugh.

   I still don't really have anything to complain about, in all reality. It really has been a pretty easy pregnancy so far. The last week or so, my hips will hurt occassionally. I'm sure it has to do with the hormone Relaxin that loosens your joints in preparation for labor (or maybe just the fact that she's gaining weight and the extra stress isn't welcomed by my hips. And she's only about a pound and half right now... oh man!). My feet were really extra sore one night, but I think it's because I spent about 3 hours in the kitchen baking cupcakes. Still no swelling in my ankles, feet or wrists yet.

   One of my best friends is coming up on her 9-month mark and I'm so excited for her! Little Icen is going to be so cute and have a ton of family and friends that love him! I can't believe we're both going to have babies soon. Another friend is also due around the same time (about a week ahead) and little Dawson is already so handsome! They went in for another ultrasound and had some 3D images taken. What a cutie!

24 weeks---6 months!

   I feel like the "bump" has grown a lot in the last few days, but I don't think it really has. It seems like my belly button is losing ground and going to be flat pretty soon. I've finally gained about 15 pounds! Still have energy and am able to get some gym workouts and dog walks in. I'm enjoying it and know it's only going to last a few more months before I get too big and uncomfortable.

    I've woken up a few times around 5 in the morning (way earlier than I need to be up) either hungry or just unable to sleep. Guess I need to start eating a bit more before going to bed and try to keep a better sleep schedule. I haven't been overly tired lately (except for this morning. Ugh, it was terrible. I could not get out of bed and go to yoga to save my life. I didn't get very much sleep a night or two before, though), but I'd rather keep it that way as opposed to being exhausted and trying to figure out sleep issues.

    I have the option of doing the blood glucose test in a few weeks (to check for high blood sugar/gestational diabetes), but I'm going to decline. The only testing I've done so far was some blood work around 6 weeks and the ultrasound around 20 weeks. Everything has been fine so far and some of the tests don't really conclude anything (they just put you on high alert which is the last thing you need while pregnant), so I'm not going to stress about it. I believe that when you're pregnant, your body is going to be a little haywire anyway, your blood sugar is going to fluctuate and unless you're having symptoms, exercise and a healthy diet are the way to go. My midwives leave the decisions up to me (no doctor pressuring me into unwanted options, yay!) and I feel confident in the choices I've made so far.

    If you haven't seen this site yet, check it out. I discovered it a few months ago and still get a laugh from the photos: http://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2010/12/10/awkward-pregnancy-photos.html  Awkward pregnancy photos!

23 weeks---size of a papaya (still)

   Baby will be about the size of a papaya until about week 25 (month 6) where she'll be about the size of an eggplant for a few weeks, then a squash, honeydew and finally, watermelon! So right now, she's still between 10.5 and 11.8 inches in length and weighs about 12.7-20.8 ounces (just around a pound).

   This week, the little cupcake's face should be fully formed, with the exception of fat deposits under the skin. The website I reference mentions that I may be feeling or looking swollen in the wrists and ankles because of the increased blood flow from the last few months, but so far, I don't notice a difference. Hooray!

   Nothing too major or new this week, but we did make it to IKEA to buy a crib. It's all set up in our second bedroom/office/animal room and ready for baby! It's kind of a tease to have it up so early. Every time I see it, I get excited and want her here already!

22 weeks (5 1/2 months)---size of a papaya!

   At this point, Cupcake is about 10.5 to 11.8 inches long and weighs anywhere between 12.7 to 20.8 ounces. She's definitely getting bigger and I'm feeling her move around a lot more! I can't believe she has about another 6-8 pounds to gain and is about half the length of what she'll be at birth. I don't have that much room, where is she going to fit?! Out, out, out is where she'll be since I barely have room for myself.

   Chris was finally able to feel her moving around! With our work schedules, we don't always go to bed at the same time, so when I'd be able to feel her moving from the outside, we'd be in separate rooms (he'd be asleep) or he wouldn't be home. But finally, a little more than halfway through the pregnancy (and a few weeks after I was able to feel her move), the stars lined up. He was surprised and excited to experience it! Ayla was having a little dance party the other night when I went to lay down, so I grabbed his hand (he barely woke up) and placed it on my stomach. He made a little comment about it and then went right back to sleep. I mentioned it to him a day or two after and he didn't remember it at all, haha

   I took a bath a few nights ago to unwind from a few long days at work and was amazed and very creeped out that I could see her moving beneath my skin! The first time I saw it, it was really creepy because I didn't feel her moving. She got a few kicks in that I both saw and felt, but the rolling and seeing the skin ripple without feeling her move was... oh man. I thought I was in a horror movie. I've been told it's only going to get creepier as she gets bigger and stronger. I can't imagine.

   We're slowly accumulating more and more baby things. I got a supportive belly band from a friend at work to use when I get bigger and two breast pumps (one manual, one automatic) from a friend in my Bunco group. And I can't help buying just a few clothes here and there (they're on sale AND have little cupcake designs? How can I say no?!), especially when baby shopping for Omi's little Icen! We moved the little pink loveseat/fold out bed from the second bedroom/office/animal room to make room for the crib we're going to pick up soon (we found one we like at IKEA). Chris moved the glider into the room as well and we're both enjoying it (as well as the cats from time to time).

   I think I'm going to have the baby shower in March sometime. I found some cute invites and some plates/napkins with (what else) cupcake designs. You know, it really worked out that the Cupcake is going to be a girl, because there are no little boy clothes with cupcakes. The "cupcake theme" is developing itself quite well! :) 

   Okay, here's the 22 week/  5 1/2 month picture! I'll get a non-headless shot soon, I promise.