Week 27 -- 3rd Trimester

Can you believe it? I'm already starting my 3rd trimester! Only 13 more weeks, give or take, to go before we get to see and hold our little girl!! Very exciting! Of course, there is a lot that will happen between now and then -- and I'm trying not to focus on the pain that's coming down the road!

In all honestly, I'm beat and don't have much to write today! Emile and I moved into our first house yesterday here in Wake Forest, NC. It's pretty much been non-stop moving since then -- with unpacking, cleaning, and going to a number of stores to get things we need to make the move complete. And of course, we're not done yet! I'm tired! I'm so glad we didn't make the move at the beginning of May like we originally thought we would. I can't imagine how I would have gotten through it given how exhausted and sore I am right now -- and I didn't do any of the actually moving of boxes etc. (as I shouldn't be).

We're looking forward to next weekend -- Emile and I are heading back to Wisconsin for my baby shower (actually in Chicago). My sister and mom are throwing one for us which we really appreciate it! It will be great to see all the family and friends that are able to make it! I'm sure everyone will get a kick out of how big I am now :)

Week 26 -- Double Digits

My last week in the 2nd trimester! I'm down to 98 days until my EDD (estimated due date). Wow!! That just sounds crazy to me. Double digits!

The biggest thing that's been going on this week has been what seems to be an emotional rollercoaster. I pretty much feel like I could cry at the drop of a hat. And probably the biggest -- having overwhelming feelings of wanting to hold our daughter and getting no satisfaction for this right now! My feelings of nesting have been super high -- I was convinced on Friday we needed to go get her more clothes because I feel so unprepared (I mentioned less than 100 days, give or take, right?). So Emile and I took a trip to Babies R Us and got her a dress, a sleeper, four onesies and two pairs of pants to go over the onesies for "lounging". And because it's hard not to buy more cute things while there, we also got her a little stuffed lamb and two board books. I think I'll start feeling more prepared once we move into our house on Friday and can start setting up the nursery! I can't wait.

Not much has changed other than that -- I continue to struggle getting up and down now, can't get comfortable in bed, and run into everything with my belly, including Emile. But no complaints -- it's all worth it!

I haven't had any more pains in my abdomin like I did last week so it may have just been round ligament pain instead of Braxton Hicks contractions -- who knows. So many women on the baby chat line that I visit seem to be experiencing BH contractions frequently at this stage already but I'm not which is great. I'm sure they'll come in time. Overall, it seems my pregnancy, compared to others I've read or heard about, has been pretty low key! This week mostly consisted of her kicking me and doing what feels like a few rolls while kicking me at the same time -- and of course, while I'm trying to sleep! :)

Week 25

Emile and I saw our little girl kicking this week (24w1d). It was pretty amazing to see her little body moving around in there and slightly weird! From what I've read, we can actually start "playing" with her through my belly -- she may actually respond to our touches through my belly wall! She's been much more active lately. It's a pretty strange feeling when she moves around a lot. She seems to be the most active at night and about mid-morning. I'm looking forward to seeing her moving around in person very soon!

She has now formed all 33 rings, 150 joints and 1,000 ligaments in the structure of her spine. The surfactant that is essential for lung function after birth is also beginning to develop. All five senses are fully developed. She's close to 2 lbs now and starting to fill out!

I'm having a harder time putting my socks on and taking my pant legs off etc. I think I make more noises now too when I move around :). I'm just flat out getting big! I think today I may have also felt my first Braxton-Hicks contraction which I've read can start around this time -- a definite tightening of my belly that relaxed in the middle of the day. But maybe it was something else. We'll see if it happens again.

Other than that, Emile and I have been preparing for our move into our new house. Today we went furniture shopping at a million square foot store called Furnituresouth Land near Greensboro (about an hour drive away). They had more furniture in one 4 story store than I've seen anywhere and it is all 40-45% off suggested retail prices! We found a great living room set and office furniture. We're probably going to go back after we close on the house to get these pieces. I'll need the office furniture sooner than later since I'm not telecommuting from home. It will also be nice to have living room furniture so when people come to visit they have somewhere to sit and the room isn't bare when you walk in. We're going to work on decorate one room at a time over the next few years (after getting these first two sets of items).

Week 24

Half way through my sixth month! I am now waking up frequently in the night due to hip pain, mostly on my left hip. And because I can only sleep either on one side of the other, there is no relief for my hips. This week I woke up frequently in pain and had to get up and walk around. Soon I'll be sleeping in a chair so my hips don't hurt. I'm only 24 weeks -- I can only imagine what sleeping will be like in another 10 weeks.

Emile has noticed people are constantly looking at my belly now :) It's kind of funny how people immediately go to looking down at my stomach. According to my "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" book, my uterus is now the size of a soccor ball -- that's amazing!

Emile felt our little girl kick this past Wednesday (23w 4d)!! I'm was really excited he finally got to feel her kick. Now if she'd cooperate more so he could feel it again and get more used to the strange sensation. He at first thought it was just me having gas! :)

I also had my first prenatal appointment with one of the doctors who may actually deliver our baby. I'm going to the Blue Ridge OB/Gyn practice in Raleigh. It was recommended by a number of women. Everyone there was super friendly (as seems to be the case in North Carolina). The doctor I met with, Dr. Corvin, was great -- she actually took time to ask me if I had questions and waiting for me to answer before moving on (Dr. Chrisomalis tended to cut me off and Dr. Jin always brushed my questions off). I felt really comfortable with everyone there. There are about 8 doctors in the practice and because you never know who will be on-call when I actually go into labor, I will be meeting with each of them over the next few appointments. This is very different than in NYC where I had the same doctor at the practice the whole time. I think this is a great idea given that it will be nicer at least having met the doctor who may be in the delivery room! I did find out that the Rex Hospital where I'll be delivering allows rooming-in (she can stay in the room with me vs. going back to a general nursery area) and they have lactation counclers on hand. I will be going to tour the hospital in the next month or so to get the lay of the land! (and so we know where the heck where going when contractions kick in and Emile and I are freaked out). Because we got here so late in my pregnancy, the Rex Hospital birthing classes are all full already. Luckily, there is another option through the Carolina Childbirth Classes. We have signed up for the overview birthing class and baby care class starting February 25th. It will be twice a week for two weeks. I'm looking forward to it!

Today, Emile and I also went to the Women's Birth & Wellness Center in Chapel Hill. They are one of the few stores around that carries cloth diapers (you usually have to order them on-line). I wanted to see the different options before we ordered. It was very helpful. The women there walked through the different types (Chinese pre-fold, Kissaluvs, or BumGenius 3.0 were the main ones). Cloth diapers have come along way since Emile and I were babies -- no more pins or plastic covers. With the BumGenius 3.0, you get a fitted cloth diaper inside a waterproof liner all in one that seals using velcro. The Chinese pre-fold are similar to what we used when babies but now you put a diaper cover (not like the bulky ones when we were younger) over it that is more stylish and uses velco (still has elastic around the legs like when we were babies). The Kissaluvs are fitted cloth diapers (unlike Chinese pre-folds) but also require one of the diaper covers over them. The BumGenius ones last for all stages (they have snaps to change the size) whereas you have to get different sizes depending on the age of the baby for the Chinese pre-fold and Kissaluvs. I'm going to look into getting a few of each to try them out and see what works best with our little one!