31 weeks

I get weekly email updates with what's going on with the baby. This week it says he's getting ready for another growth spurt. And that all the moving around is a good sign that he's healthy. And he's certainly moving a lot in there!!

Some people have asked about labor and what I'm thinking about that. I have heard over and over that people have dreams about having the baby (as in scary or weird dreams) but I still haven't, which to me means I'm not even really thinking about it subconsciously. I don't see that as a bad thing though. If I do think about it, I'll probably worry more than anything else. And worrying isn't going to do me any good. I mean, what's going to happen is going to happen and this is something that I can't even start to imagine how it's going to feel. Of course it's going to hurt but at the end I will have a baby. And of course I get nervous thinking about needles, but with the midwife center, if things go smoothly (and I know that's not up to me either) there is at least a chance I can do this without needles. On the other side, though, if I decide I do want needles (like for an epidural) then that option is also there. I have a lot of options open to me, depending on how things go. And for me, some of the needle/doctor type aversion is more about anticipation. I handle things a lot better on the fly (although yeah I still have the needle issues even there but not quite as bad). So when the time comes we'll just see how things go and do what needs to be done.

Speaking of labor, though, contractions. Specifically, Braxton-Hicks. I haven't felt them at all yet. I don't know if it's because I try to stay really hydrated, it's my first baby, or... what. But they told me not to worry if I'm not feeling them.

I ran across this link and thought it was funny. Advice for first time moms.

31 weeks

We took this picture at the end of the day and some days I feel bigger than others. This felt like a big day. :) Definitely a belly there though!

How many weeks: 31

Size of baby: A pineapple and measures 29 cm or 11.4 inches, crown to rump length. Head to toe is 16 inches. The baby also weighs 1700-1800 grams or 3.75-4 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I more than made up for the loss last week and gained 3.5 pounds. Overall I'm up 21.5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes now. 

Gender: It's a boy!

Movement: Kicks are getting stronger and stronger, and my belly button has popped out! Speaking of that, the last time I checked, I did still have an innie belly button when I am lying down. But it's definitely pushing out when I'm standing up. And he's moving pretty actively as I sit here and type this. At work I need to lean back in my chair sometimes- especially at meetings. He must feel squished when I lean forward because that seems to start some real kicking.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well. Sometimes I don't move much at all because it's getting more and more uncomfortable to roll over. It feels like I have lost all of my abdominal muscles. Pre-pregnancy I was one of those people who just laid in bed for awhile waiting to fall asleep. Pretty much all the time right now, I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. It's a nice feeling.

What I miss: I think what I miss the most right now is running. We walked a 5K on Thanksgiving (at 30 weeks exactly) and I was still kind of itching to run it. I do think if I wanted to I could still run but with the weather getting cooler and no workout clothes (running/wicking wise) that fit; specifically pants, I don't think it's really going to happen again. I say that though but if I'm itching enough to get out there and run I might find a way.

Cravings: I still just want a lot of sugar and sweets.

Aversions: None. 

Symptoms: I'm just in general feeling bigger and some days are worse than others. On the worse days I ask Dave to help me with things like putting on my socks. And rolling over, etc., or anything that uses my abs is harder. I can still get down on the floor and back up, but I can tell my balance is a bit off because my center of gravity has shifted. Also, I've never had heartburn before so maybe this is just heartburn but I'm getting nauseous. The first time was in the car on the way back from NY (thank goodness no more longish car rides until post baby- 5 hours in the car was pretty uncomfortable by the end). In the car, I figured it was just motion sickness but it was bad enough that I had a paper bag I was eyeing up. But it's also woken me up several nights and I feel like I'm about to puke. You know, the feeling when if you would just puke and get it over with, you'd feel better? That's what it is. Could this be heartburn at all?

Best moment this week: We had a good time with family over Thanksgiving but were back a day early and it was really nice to just relax and do nothing for a full day at our house. 

Looking forward to: December and the Christmas season. We aren't decorating much at our house this year because if I'm not up to helping Dave take it down I don't want him doing that by himself. But it's getting us closer to holding our baby and is just special this year.

Pie and Glove 5K

On Thanksgiving Day, we were in Corning, NY where I grew up and where my parents and brother still live.   I really wanted to do a 5K and one of my friends from there told me about the Pie and Glove 5K. I guess my uncle, who is a huge runner, usually runs it but he was out of town at his son's so I once again missed a race with him. That's still on my running bucket list! There is no way I can keep up, but someday...

My parents and Dave also signed up for the 5K. I did originally plan on walking it together, but oops adrenaline got the best of me.

Waiting to start

We started out at the back to be nice to all the runners. We got there early to get a parking spot at the high school and surprisingly there were still spots at the beginning of the race. It was a good sized race for the area; over 1000 people, and I guess they all parked further away. We got our bibs and were trying to figure out what to run in. I think it was in the 40's when it started, and since we were just walking I had on a pair of cotton pants, a wicking t-shirt, and a sweatshirt over that. I also decided at the last minute to throw a hat on so my ears wouldn't get cold.

When we started I guess I kinda took off walking at a fast pace. I do like to walk, and I do walk fast, so I didn't really mean to. My mom stayed with me, though, and I thought out of the 4 of us she would probably have the slowest pace. So I figured if she was with me, we were at a good pace. (Later she told me it was kind of fast.) I was surprised when I looked back that Dave and my dad were a bit behind, because I thought I was going pretty slowly. (They all told me later that I wasn't. Oops.)

My mom and I were talking, and I don't even know about what, so I wasn't really paying attention to anything around me. We didn't get very far before the lead runner was coming back, which I'm definitely not used to! We cheered the first few runners on and kept walking. With our talking, I also missed the 1 mile marker. Oh, I forgot to mention that I left my Garmin watch at my parents'. I'm such a nerd, I depend on that thing, even for walking, and was really disappointed about that. So I don't have any numbers or mile breakdowns and really have no idea how fast we were going.

My sister from Savannah called and my mom handed me the phone, which apparently slows me down. I did blame her for slowing down but I guess I can't talk on the phone and walk. At that point, my Dad and Dave caught up to us. We hung up the phone, and my Dad and I kind of looked at each other and picked up the pace. I was hoping my Mom and Dave wouldn't mind (but I admit it was kind of mean). We circled around in Denison Park and kept talking about passing the next walking group we saw ahead of us.

When we hit mile 2, I started talking about running. Dad said he can't run from the front door to the mailbox and I told him he could. I was really itching to run, even though I didn't really have on running clothes. But we kept walking, picking up the pace, and passing people. That was really fun.

I also had my first on a race course- getting cut off by an old woman shuffling across the street in her slippers. I have no idea what she was doing but she didn't seem to care that a race was ongoing and cut right in front of us. I just laughed.

The race began and ended at the high school and there was a bridge to cross over. It was the only "hill" of the course. We got within sight of it, and I started talking about running again. I knew that was about .2-.3 miles from the top of the bridge and I tried to convince my Dad what a good idea it would be to just run the end. I even said that the downhill from the bridge would give us a push to get going. He still seemed a little reluctant. But, as we got to the top, a daughter rounded back to get her parents and was telling them to run it out. So they started running, I looked at my Dad, and we started running. Thank you, competitive Thurkins gene, haha! I don't really know if that's what sparked him on, but he did it!

We rounded a corner, saw the 3 mile marker, and I tried to just chat him up the rest of the way. We crossed the finish line and the clock said 50:XX. I didn't remember what the seconds were but I said we might have beat 50 minutes. My Dad thought we definitely did (and when we got the results, yes we did! 48:47).

We got water at the end (no food, I was a bit disappointed with that, and HUNGRY) and turned around to cheer on Dave and my Mom. We did get to see them cross the finish line and didn't embarrass them too much.

My dad and me at the end (finish line is behind us)

A couple of things I didn't mention in the recap.

It was in my hometown and I did see some friends from high school. That was really neat. I also saw some people I recognized but couldn't remember the names of. I should remember this and try to actually meet up with some of my friends if I do something like this again! I never really thought I'd see anyone I'd know.

The end is kind of annoying when everyone is else is done. We were trying to run the last .2ish miles and there were people milling about and walking back on the course. I found that pretty annoying. I know I'm usually done closer to 30 minutes so I don't see it, but at the last 5K I walked we didn't have this problem at all. So runners, just keep that in mind at the end! There are still some people out there working their butts off and there were still a decent number of walkers. I'm definitely going to pay more attention in the future.

I'm proud of my parents and Dave. But especially of my Dad. I really didn't think he would run any of it and he did. I love "racing" with my family. My 5K in Savannah with my sister was one of my favorites and I can't wait to do it again.

30 weeks!

First, wow! I can't believe I only have 10 weeks left until my due date. 10 WEEKS?! Dave and I are both at the point that we really, really are excited about holding this baby in our arms.

I have great, outstanding news. I passed my 3 hour glucose test. I know that it's hard to understand but I couldn't even fathom the concept of having GD and having to prick my own finger 4 times a day. It's just something I am not physically capable of. I've made progress with my phobia but... I won't go into a whole lot about all that unless someone wants to hear it. And I kept feeling for sure that I had GD. Not that I wanted to take that 3 hour test, either. And the test was pretty hard for me. 

30 weeks 1 day

And I meant to post this earlier, especially since my last post I was pretty upset but I wanted to include the picture. We were out of town, at my parents (which is why the background looks different) and although this picture was taken last Friday, I didn't get it onto a computer until we got home.

How many weeks: 30

Size of baby: A cucumber and measures 28 cm or 11 inches, crown to rump length. Head to toe is 15.75 inches. The baby also weighs 1500-1600 grams or 3.3-3.5 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I lost (wrong way, I know) 1 pound so I'm down 18 pounds total. It's been a really, really rough week for me. Well, a little longer than a week. I'm sure I will more than make this up with Thanksgiving dinner alone.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes now. My only complaint is jeans. I don't have a pair that's comfortable.

Gender: It's a boy!

Movement: He is moving a whole lot, especially at night. The night before my 3 hour test, Dave was so nice and kept his arm around me as much as he could so that I felt comforted. And the next morning he commented how much the baby moves. Yep, that's normal! I'm also glad Dave was able to feel him that much. Also, I swear once or twice that the baby has actually petted our cat. It's the weirdest feeling. My cat still cuddles up on my stomach and purrs, and now the baby, I wish I could see what's going on inside there. It feels like those massage chairs, where something sticks out, but it's from the inside. And it's right where the cat is sitting! Some of this stuff is just really cool (although it does feel a bit creepy as well).

Sleep: I have not been sleeping well at all but it's been because of stress/worry about the 3 hour test and possible GD. I'm going to be sleeping a whole lot better now, I know it. At least for a little bit, my back, etc. isn't even bothering me. I'm just crashing.

What I miss: Honestly I'm starting to miss having my own body. I think it's probably too early for that and I do not want this baby to be premature but it will be nice to hold him in my arms and see Dave experiencing this as well.

Cravings: SWEETS! I cut them out entirely and after the test asked Dave for a chocolate peppermint milkshake from Chick Fil A. I wasn't able to finish it but mmmmmmm. I'm going to try to eat a bit healthier in general from now on but not having anything for a week or so was getting really hard. Especially with all the commercials and stuff on tv.

Aversions: None. 

Symptoms: I have been so preoccupied this past week that I can't think of much specific. Got the big belly there- although I'm getting comments about my belly and everyone is surprised when I say how far along I am. They think I'm more in the middle of the pregnancy. I did ask at my appointment about that (same day as the three hour) and she did the measurement and said I'm just fine. Phew. Maybe it's just my height. 

Best moment this week: The passing score on the three hour test. She told me the numbers each hour and all 4 were good.

Looking forward to: The Thanksgiving holiday and finally being able to relax a little bit. I'm back to enjoying pregnancy again.

29 weeks

This post is going to be short. Unfortunately I failed the 1 hour glucose test. In my head, I understand that's not the end of the world but with my needle phobia I am feeling paralyzed, discouraged, and pretty devastated right now. I still have to take the three hour test but stress affects things and I'm feeling so stressed/anxious that I just know I'm going to fail the three hour as well. And if I started to talk about it this would turn into a huge venting post. I am not going to fill in most of the items because honestly I am just feeling so down right now.

How many weeks: 29

Size of baby: A butternut squash and measures 27 cm or 10.6 inches, crown to rump length. Head to toe is 15 inches. The baby also weighs 1300-1400 grams or 2.8-3.1 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained 1 pound so I'm up 19 pounds. I have to admit I was higher earlier in the week but since getting the news I failed the glucose test I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping and eating and dropped back down again.

MNF - Steelers!!!

Last night I went to the Steelers game with John. John has season tickets and Dave is actually going to the Sunday night game against Baltimore with him next week.

I found out that being pregnant has really affected me. I took a vacation day from work today and I'm so glad I did. I literally dragged myself out of bed at 11am, and for only two reasons:
1. Dave texted to say he left his wallet and I felt bad and thought I might be able to hurry and take a shower to meet him for lunch and get him his wallet. But after talking to him he was going to borrow $ from a coworker so I turned lazy.
2. I need to go to sleep tonight at a decent hour which for me is now 9pm at the latest, so I will be ok at work tomorrow.

I did have a lot of fun at the game, though! I'm just paying for it today.

The weather at the game was interesting. It started out around 60 when I drove downtown to meet Dave and John for dinner. But it was raining off and on. And it was supposed to drop down to 29 by the end of the night with a possibility for snow. How do you dress like that? And especially when you don't fit your normal clothes?

I looked like a snowman. I felt like a snowman. But I was for the most part fairly warm and John lent me a Columbia water proof jacket he had in his car, extra. Dave and I bought a $2 poncho but I didn't end up using it.

Before the game, getting out rain gear to wear

I wore my Uncle Jeff's Steelers jacket to the game. Uncle Jeff passed away in late August of this year unexpectedly. He was there in spirit, through me though! And his jacket turned out to be waterproof AND warm, which was awesome.

With my big belly, anything in the pockets bulged out, haha.

John and me before the game

 In honor of Veteran's Day (Thank you all Veterans, past and present), they had cards in most of the seats. There were actually instructions on the back and a slit to see through. John and I were testing them out before the salute.

John with his cue card

With my cue card

Since it was cold and rainy out, I pocketed my cell phone for most of the game. Dave kept sending us updates- sometimes when they're doing an instant replay, etc. the people watching tv know a lot more than those in the stands. John was getting them too and let me see what Dave was saying. (I had a lot of texts when I finally pulled my phone out.)

Rusted Root during halftime

I have to say, though, that although the Steelers one the game they got lucky and didn't deserve it. A win is a win but that was a hard game to watch. I always say good teams overcome bad calls. I hate being a team that depends on the refs to win the game! I hope we do a lot better against Baltimore on Sunday.

In memory

I feel compelled to post this just because I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

One year ago today, we said goodbye to our second baby/pregnancy. I wish I could be holding that baby in my arms right now, sitting at this computer, but it just wasn't meant to be. I hope our first two babies are up in Heaven, playing together. There have been days that that's the only thought that keeps me moving. Even a year later.

I know it's a popular song on Christian radio, but especially lately Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns keeps coming on the radio. That's really what prompted me to even post about this day that I will be remembering and praying.

Our band plays Praise You In This Storm and I handle it fine when we're playing it but I can't sing along to the whole thing when it comes on the radio. I end up stopping because I'm tearing up too much. I wonder if that will every fully go away. This song has so much meaning to me and has really become a reminder to me of both of our losses.

Verse 1:
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Chorus:
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Verse 2:
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Chorus x2

We love you and miss you, baby. We learned we were expecting you on September 26, 2011. We lovingly nicknamed you Little Monster. Your estimated due date was June 5, 2012 and we lost you at 10 weeks 1 day on November 9, 2011. You will always, always hold a place in my heart.

28 weeks

28 weeks

How many weeks: 28

Size of baby: An eggplant and measures 26 cm or 10.2 inches, crown to rump length. Head to toe is 14.8 inches. The baby also weighs 1100-1250 grams or 2.4-2.75 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained 1/2 pound so I'm up 18 pounds. 

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes now. I boxed up all my regular clothes for after, actually. With working on the nursery I guess I started to get into nesting mode and started sorting through/cleaning a lot of things. With my regular clothes, though, I don't want to get rid of anything until I see what does and doesn't fit after so it's all going into storage for the next few months or so.

Gender: It's a boy!

Movement: I still go for hours or so without feeling anything but that usually tends to be when I'm preoccupied or busy. I think he's moving; I'm just not paying attention and his kicks aren't quite hard enough that I feel them every time (I assume eventually I won't be able to ignore them haha).

Sleep: I didn't get enough sleep this past weekend so I've been exhausted. I also haven't exercised which I think is making my back ache more and I do sleep better when I exercise. I'm working on that though, and trying to go home earlier from work. And this weekend we don't really have plans so hopefully I'll be able to catch up on some sleep finally. 

What I miss: Running and exercise in general. I did ride the bike earlier this week, finally! It's been a few weeks and the problem with exercise in general has been more about the long hours I'm working and not having time if I want to sleep. I think finally things are calming down though so I'll keep exercising. No more running for me though. :( I'm looking into walking a 5K on Thanksgiving morning, whereever we end up. 

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: None. 

Symptoms: I'm starting to really feel my stomach now, especially in bed when I roll over. I tried rolling from one side to the other via my stomach and I won't be doing that again! And I'm just in general pretty tired, although it's a combination of pregnancy and being really busy with work. I still get short of breath easily, but I've started walking up the stairs at work again since I'm not exercising much otherwise, just to keep moving. 

Best moment this week: Our nursery is really close to being done and I love it! It's the brightest room in the house right now. The rest of the house is painted in neutral colors. And it is fairly plain but that's my style and I'm happy. We want to order a decal and need to figure out furniture arrangement in the room but with my dad's help we made a LOT of progress this last weekend. Not to mention it prompted us to start really going through the rest of the house and cleaning out. It looked like our house exploded with stuff- we had piles all over (and still do to some extent). 

Looking forward to: Ok this is kind of a mixed "looking forward" to moment. I have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I should have probably done it earlier and I'm high risk because of family history. Plus if you know me, I have a real, real problem with blood draws. This one will be awful because you have to drink a sugary drink and then sit there for an hour. I have been going to a hypnotist about my phobia (and yes it's a phobia- a lot of people don't really understand when I say I have a problem with needles but I really, really do). The hypnotist has helped but the anticipation is what kills me and I don't know how I'm going to handle sitting there for an hour knowing what's coming. Dave will be with me though and maybe we can bring a card game or something to play to take my mind off things. The plus with being so busy at work is that it has taken my mind off this and I haven't been thinking about it as much as I normally would! Oh and I said this is mixed because please cross your fingers for me but I'm really hoping the result I get is that I don't have gestational diabetes. This test can only give a definitive no. If I fail this test, there is another one with 4 different blood draws over 3 hours to see how the blood sugar levels settle. Anyway, I'm hoping I will get good news that I don't have to worry about gestational diabetes. 

October Exercise Totals

With work ramping up, I am not exercising at all anymore. I'm going to try to still keep up but I'm also getting out of breath a whole lot more easily so we'll see how this goes.

Also, I think I'm done running. All my muscles can handle it except my stomach. I ran/walked in intervals on the treadmill and was pretty sore for a few days so that might be the last time I even attempt a run until post-pregnancy. I might need to do Couch to 5K again to get back into running afterwards; we'll see!


October
Run: 6.97 miles
Bike: 43.7 miles
Walked 4 times 

Total Run mileage
January: 60.122
February: 61.634
March: 77.715
April: 38.022
May: 23.28
June: 0
July: 0
August: 4.98
September: 5.9
October: 6.97
November: 0
December: 0
2012 total: 278.7

Total Bike mileage
January: 20.2
February: 52.7
March: 57.9
April: 22.3
May: 50.6
June: 34.8
July: 52.8
August: 100.2
September: 43.5
October: 43.7
November: 
December: 
2012 total: 478.7

I'd really like to get above 500 miles for the year. It's completely doable- I tend to go for about 8-9 miles each time.  I should be able to bike 4 more times the next 2 months...

27 weeks

Excuse the picture, this was in what I wore to work instead of trying to find a tighter fitting shirt, and I'm pulling the shirt tight in the back to show off the belly. And excuse the somewhat tired look. It's been a long day/week.

27 weeks

Oh! And I am officially in the 3rd trimester now. YAY!

How many weeks: 27

Size of baby: A cauliflower and measures 25 cm or 9.8 inches, crown to rump length. Head to toe is 14.5 inches. The baby also weighs 1000-1100 grams or 2.2-2.4 pounds. Keep growing, baby boy! 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained 1 pound so I'm up 17.5 pounds. 

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes now

Gender: It's a boy!

Movement: He moves a lot, especially at night and his kicks are getting harder. I jumped the other night when a kick made my whole stomach move enough that it touched the sheets. It was very, very weird.

Sleep: I'm not really sleeping well. I'm tired, but I really think it's the baby kicking that's waking me up. He's very active at night.

What I miss: Evenings! Lately I have been working every night pretty late. Dave is being amazing though and helping with everything.

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: None. 

Symptoms: My nose is bloody again... but the weird things is that my gums aren't quite as bad. I am definitely feeling bigger and I don't think I'm big enough to feel this way but I do sometimes have a hard time bending over, leaning over, putting on socks or pants, and tying shoes. I know I'm still not THAT big and I can see my toes, so... I wonder sometimes if I'm just whining too much.

Best moment this week: Um... honestly this whole week has been pretty much work. My favorite thing right now is waking up at night and rolling over to cuddle with Dave. It's cold enough now that we can do that again.

Looking forward to: My dad is coming to help with the nursery! 

Speaking of the nursery, I asked about paint opinions and thanks to everyone who gave me an opinion. I apologize for not responding. We have not narrowed it down further but I do feel better in general about those choices based on feedback. But we haven't had time to really look at/talk about this.