26 Weeks - Goodbye 2nd Trimester!

How far along? 26 Weeks

How big is the peanut? He is just under 2 pounds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. He is finally opening his eyes! He continues to put on baby fat and develop his lungs. He can now hear much better - both mine and Kevin's voice. He is also beginning to respond to noises and could even become startled by a loud sound.

Total weight gain/loss? I have still gained around 18 pounds so far

Sleep? Still sleeping pretty good. My only complaint is that I often wake up with some leg cramping. I have had 2 really bad charlie horses which is THE WORST way to wake up! Both times I was sleeping on my right side. It is recommended that you sleep on your left to provide the most blood flow, so I assume I just didn't have adequate blood flow to my leg and that is what caused it. It was like 2 whole minutes of intense, unbearable muscle cramp in my calf. I couldn't do anything to make it stop. I literally said out loud "PLEASE JUST STOP!" Ouch! My calf muscles were super sore for the next few days as well, as if I had done an intense work out!

Best moment this week? Feeling Bryson moving. He has been moving for a while now, but this week the movements are much different. Before, I would feel kicking in one specific spot. Now whenever he moves it is from one side of my belly all the way across to the other side! It is such an awesome feeling! I was even able to see my belly move for  the first time! It was subtle, but when he was kicking I could see my belly "bouncing" with each kick. He is getting so big and strong!

Funny moment this week- I asked Kevin to stop by the store on his way home from work to buy me some Oreos. He was in the checkout line with nothing except for cookies, so the cashier joked with him and said "What are you pregnant?" He said "No, but my wife is!" Lol I thought that was pretty funny!

Another exciting thing this week- I finally ordered my hypnobabies home study! I am so excited to get it and start practicing!

Symptoms? HEARTBURN! I have only experienced heartburn once ever in my life before now. My uterus has now grown to my rib cage, so it is cramping my organs more then before.

This week has been a bit rough. I feel like I am re-learning how to do everything! Whenever I try to bend over to pick something up, get out of bed or off the couch, or squeeze through a tight spot, I feel like there is a little voice saying to me...

LOL!!

My back aches whenever I sit. I bought a travel pillow to prop behind my back which has really helped. I assume it is because of the way my back is curved from the extra weight I am carrying. Whenever I sit perfectly upright it hurts like crazy! If I go out to eat, sitting in a booth is almost unbearable! I am seriously just going to take my pillow everywhere! LOL 

Food cravings? This week I've been craving spicy foods... that probably won't help my heartburn! LOL

Gender? Baby Boy!

Labor signs? Nope!

Belly button in or out? Still just partially sticking out

What I miss? My family! It was so great seeing them last week. I miss them!

What I'm looking forward to? Finding a new place to live, and setting up the nursery! We just found out that we will be moving in about a month. I think it will be nice to have a brand new, clean, organized home to bring Bryson home to. 

Milestones? Almost done with my second trimester! This is the last week of my sixth month already!

Bump? 

I took the glucose test today. It wasn't too bad except they make you fast before the test so I was starving and it took 45 MINUTES to get checked in because the hospital was really busy today!

The test checks for gestational diabetes. This is a high sugar condition that some women get during pregnancy.  When you arrive for the test you drink a sugar solution (tastes like a syrupy, flat, orange soda), wait for an hour, and then they draw your blood to check your sugar level. The idea is to see how efficiently your blood processes sugar. I should have the results soon. 

If you have it it means that you have to do extra testing and make changes to your diet. Gestational diabetes typically only lasts through pregnancy, but can carry over after the baby is born for some women. Hopefully I will test negative and wont have any extra worries!

Just for fun- I did one of those fun internet things that tell you what your baby will look like... I uploaded pictures of me and Kevin as a baby and it produced a picture of what our baby might look like... lol

This is me and Kevin (CUTIES!)-

 This what the internet says Bryson might look like-

I am certain he will be much cuter then this photo!!

25 Weeks

At 25 Weeks Bryson is about 13 1/2 inches long and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. He is growing more hair, which if you could see it, you could discern it's color and texture. His nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. He will be practicing taking breaths by "breathing" amniotic fluid. Blood vessels are continuing to form in his lungs and under his skin- which helps his skin appear pinker.

My uterus has now reached the size of a soccer ball! I have gained about 18 pounds. Apparently that is 1 pound more then where I should be, but I am not concerned at all. It might have something to do with the Thanksgiving dinner, tailgating goodies, and going out to eat with family all week. LOL

This week Has been pretty easy. No severe headaches and no trouble sleeping. I have had a little bit of an achy back and struggled more then usual with everyday activities, but nothing major. Bryson is very active. He kicks and flips several times throughout the day. I have begun to notice some pattern to his movement, although it is mostly random and sporadic. He tends to move more when I suddenly go from upright to laying down, or 20-30 minutes after I eat.

We spent this entire week in Missouri. We had so much fun on our trip and Bryson got a lot of goodies! I miss my family so much already! It's hard to believe that I will see them again in only a few months when he is born. Time is going by so fast!

He has so many clothes now. YAY! These are from Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Anthony, Kevin's Cousin Oliver and his wife Jennifer, and of course I had to buy several items myself. Lol I Can't stop buying footie onsies! Too CUTE!

Kevin's cousin's wife, Jennifer, (Whew that was a mouth full! Cousin-in-law?) does embroidery. She made this ADORABLE bath robe with our last name!

Nana, (Kevin's mom) picked this one out! HAHA

I mean how much cuter does it get then little matching top/pant outfits?? I LOVE THESE!

My obsession with monsters continues... this one has a monster on the butt! Haha! Thanks Nana!

I can't wait to try them all on our little man!

Bump this week...

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 Weeks!

How big is the peanut? He is 12 inches long and weighs around 1 1/3 pounds. About the size of a cantaloupe! He is working on fattening up! He is supposed to gain about 6 ounces a week and will double in size over the next 3-4 weeks!

To put that in perspective... He weighed only 9 ounces a few weeks ago when we found out that he is a boy, and now he is gaining 6 ounces per week! Crazy to think how he is getting so big now! I assume that means I will be getting bigger in the next few weeks too! Bring it on!

Total weight gain/loss? I have gained around 15 pounds so far and I am feeling it! Things are starting to get a little bit more difficult! lol

Maternity clothes? All maternity now. I had to go through my closet and figure out which clothes will actually fit and put the others away for the next few months! For my birthday dinner i tried on a dress that is normally way too big on me and I couldn't even zip it up!

Sleep? Still sleeping pretty well. Can't complain too much about that yet!

Best moment this week? My birthday! We went out with friends for an early birthday dinner. We had hibachi at a Japanese steak house (yum!) and then went out afterwards to play pool and darts. It was a lot of fun! Everyone brought me a children's book as a birthday gift which was awesome. I am so excited to build a library of books to read to our little guy! It really warms my heart to think about reading him bedtime stories at night. So far I have several good classics: Where the Wild Things Are, The Rainbow Fish, The Hungry Caterpillar, Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You'll Go, Curious George... etc. So exciting!

Symptoms? Headaches as always, swollen feet, extra weight making it hard to get up/down and bend over.

Food cravings/aversions? None. I guess I have kind of been on a Sonic Slushy kick. They are yummy!

Gender? Baby Boy

Labor signs? Nope. I could start getting mild braxton hicks soon, but none so far.

Belly button in or out? Still barely poking out at the top for now.

What I miss? Egg nog! They are starting to carry it in stores now and it looks SO GOOD! Unfortunately, I can't have it because it contains raw egg. It has always been one of my favorite parts of the holiday!

What i'm looking forward to? Spending this next week with family in Missouri. We are actually traveling home now! We are going to spend some time in Jefferson City and in Kansas City to see friends and family. We will have an ultrasound while there, an early Thanksgiving dinner (since Kevin has to work on Thanksgiving day), and go to a Kansas City Chiefs game. I am super excited to spend time with everyone!

Milestones? I turned 26 years old... lol

Bump?

23 Weeks

23 Weeks!

Bryson weighs just over and pound and will double his weight over the next four weeks. His sense of movement is developed now (so he could feel if I were dancing). He can hear loud noises outside of the womb such as dogs barking, or a vacuum cleaner. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. If for some reason he were born premature, he could survive. The youngest that a baby can survive outside of the womb is 23 weeks. (obviously I hope... and PLAN to carry him to term lol)

We had another doctor's appointment this morning. Everything looks great! Bryson was being stubborn again and did not want to show his face, but finally she got the shot that she needed. He does not have a cleft lip. His face is perfect :) and the spots/cysts that they saw on his brain last time are all gone! YAY! His heart rate is 146 and everything looks healthy!

He is breech right now but no need to worry, he has plenty of room and time to flip around. The ultrasound tech laughed and said to me, "You poor thing! He has his little feet right where he is just kicking you in the bladder!" He had the hiccups during the ultrasound which was really cute to watch. I can't feel those yet though. He did kick once or twice which was really neat. It is so amazing to watch him kick and feel it at the exact same time! She commented on how because I am so skinny, you can already feel where he his through my stomach. She had me feel right in the spot where his head is and it was awesome to know that what I was touching and feeling was the top of his head! I could see on the screen where I was pushing on him! The whole thing is just fascinating to me!

She said that because I am naturally skinny and the placenta is on the back side of my uterus, I will be able to feel him ALOT. She said pretty soon I will be able to watch him roll from one side of my belly to the other. We did get a shot of his boy parts again. She said there is absolutely no doubt about it... he is a boy! (I didn't doubt it before but it is nice to have extra confirmation that we wont be surprised on his birth day!)

I have gained 15 pounds! Holy cow that number seems high, but it is right on track. I should gain about a pound a week which means about another 17 to go!

Only a few more weeks left in my second trimester! I can't believe how fast it is going by! I will go to have my glucose test sometime in the next 3-4 weeks and then we will go back to the doctor for a check up at 28 weeks. I am pretty sure from then on I have to go see him every 2 weeks until Bryson is born.

Here are some pictures of his little face. You can see his little skeleton... kind of strange! We didn't get as many "cute" pictures as we usually get. Like I said, he was being stubborn!

My Halloween "costume" this year-

Bump this week-