{Take Two} 29 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Baby is low, low, low and head down.

Marination Time: 29(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: No appointment this week.

Weight Gain: +21 pounds as of appointment 8/6.

Maternity Clothes: Shorts and tank tops, please.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is the size of a butternut squash.

Name: We have lists! Although Mike is still trying to convince me that if it's a girl, we should name her K. Yes, like the letter. Then she can choose her own name someday? I guess? Or just because it's easy to sign? As you can see, I'm not convinced...

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Boom boom, pow. 

Cravings: ICE WATER. Steak salad with homemade dressing. Mmmmm.

Annoyances: I had a rough weekend - my belly was so sore I could barely move and I felt like I had done a thousand crunches! Every time I moved, I contracted. I was worried for a few days, but the beginning of this week has been good! Trying to be productive on days that I can and take it easy in between. There have been a lot of art projects and lots of drawing going on in our house!

Highlights of the Week: Baby is still in utero. That is a huge highlight.

{Take Two} 28 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Baby is hanging out really far back this week.

Marination Time: 28(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP 110/68, heart rate in the 140s, cervical length between 3-3.1 but cervix is "very, very soft, not dilated but not closed." My fetal fibronection test also came back positive, so I received the betamethazone shots to help mature baby's lungs as a precaution.

Weight Gain: +21 pounds as of appointment 8/6. One pound gain from last appointment.

Maternity Clothes: I broke down and bought a maternity swimsuit. My regular bottoms were getting alarmingly small.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is the size of an eggplant.

Name: We have lists! Finally. No frontrunners, but at least we aren't nameless anymore.

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: So much movement. Sooooo much. 

Cravings: Still with the cold stuff. I've been eating a lot of greek yogurt with raspberries to satiate the cold ice cream craving without going for the ice cream itself.

Annoyances: Failing my glucose test. I passed the bloodwork part by the skin of my teeth, so now I'm watching my carb intake. My direct instructions were, "We can't put you on the GD diet because you passed but you were close enough that you need to watch your carbs. Fruit and whole grains are okay, but watch the fluffy white stuff." No more nightly ice cream. Sad.

Highlights of the Week: It's been a rough week. I've been very nauseous and uncomfortable; baby is hanging out very low so I have constant pressure. The doctor could feel baby's head this week when she checked me! I'm not on bed rest, but have been told to "take it easier than you have been and be judicious regarding your body." The good thing that came out of this week's appointment is that my contractions were quiet while I was being monitored, so I'm not in preterm labor despite the fact that I feel like I contract all the time. Fingers crossed everything stays put!

{Take Two} 27 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Bam! It's a belly.

Marination Time: 27(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: No appointment this week.

Weight Gain: +20 pounds as of appointment 7/24. 

Maternity Clothes: I need them.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is the size of a head of cauliflower.

Name: It's an endless search.

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: This kid needs to choose head down and stay there! If I hadn't had so many ultrasounds, I'd be worried there was more than one, that's how much s/he flips around.

Cravings: Still with the cold stuff and fruit.

Annoyances: Failing my glucose test. Waiting on the results of the bloodwork this week.

Highlights of the Week: The movement is always fun to watch. Lily's new thing is to touch my belly and exclaim, "The baby is kicking me!" She also likes to lean in and yell "HI!"

{Take Two} 26 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Whoa.

Marination Time: 26(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 126/60, Baby's heart rate - 150, Cervical Length - 3.1

Weight Gain: +20 pounds as of appointment 7/24. No gain from last week.

Maternity Clothes: I need them.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is the length of a green onion.

Name: It's an endless search.

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Holy moly. And I thought Lily was active in utero. I am terrified.

Cravings: Cold stuff. Otherwise, nothing in particular which can be really frustrating. Nothing really sounds good and nothing really sits well.

Annoyances: See: cravings.

Highlights of the Week: Not really a highlight, but I failed my glucose screening at my appointment, so we are waiting on bloodwork to see if I have to take the three-hour test. This was my last weekly appointment and we now go to every two weeks. Dr. Jonas is canceling my 28 week ultrasound and we will do a fetal fibronectin test that day instead. I will have one more cervical ultrasound at 30 weeks, and then we are just letting things ride!

{Take Two} 25 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: A little up, not much out. Baby has been hanging back toward my spine and tailbone this week.

Marination Time: 25(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 104/66, Baby's heart rate - 136, Cervical Length - 3.2

Weight Gain: +19 pounds or so (doctor's scale) as of appointment (7/17). Two pound gain this week (over ten days). I am slowly creeping closer and closer to what I weighed on day of delivery with L. 

Maternity Clothes: Can I get away with wearing my swimsuit and stretchy skirts all summer? Because that'd be awesome.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is the size of a rutabaga.

Name: We have come up with a couple more possible girl names but are still pretty stumped on boy names. We have a few on the list but I can't put off the feeling that the perfect name is out there, we just haven't heard it yet.

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Tons! My belly shakes like a bowl of jello some nights. It's like a tae-bo workout in there! Baby also keeps flipping up and down. Last week, s/he was head down and this week, head back up. Let's hope one of these weeks, s/he choose head down and stays there.

Cravings: Fruit. Salad. Lemonade. I want just a little bit sweet, but nothing outrageous. A little nutella on a ritz cracker seems to satiate that craving. I get full quickly and if I overeat, I hurt. There is definitely some stomach squishing starting up, especially when baby is head up. S/he likes to kick my tailbone and smash his/her head into my stomach.

Annoyances: Stomach-squishing, tailbone-pushing, and a few days of contractions have made my belly pretty sore. Nothing too terrible overall though.

Highlights of the Week: The jello-belly is pretty fun. Next week is my last weekly appointment! We will then go to every two weeks - I will still receive an ultrasound at 28, 30, and 32 weeks but an emergency cerclage is off the table. As a precaution, they may do fetal fibronectin tests at those appointments as well. If it were to come back positive, then I would get the steroid shots just in case. Home stretch! Hopefully it will be a long home stretch, but it's the home stretch nonetheless. 

{Take Two} 24 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: About the same size, eh? And looks very similar to my bump with Lily at this time.

Marination Time: 24(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 102/60, Baby's heart rate - 146, Cervical Length - 3.7

Weight Gain: +17 pounds or so (doctor's scale), as of appointment (7/9). One pound gain this week.

Maternity Clothes: Stretch is still best, but I have been living in my swimsuit. It is so hot this week all I want to do is sit in Lily's little pool and let her "cool me off" aka pour water on my legs.

Fruit of the Week: Baby is as long as an ear of corn.

Name: We have some possible girl names but are stumped on boy names. Lily calls the baby "sister" most days, although she has recently switched it up to "brother." 

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Lots of kicks and punches. Baby had his/her first hiccups this week that Mike could feel - we were both very amused.

Cravings: Cold, cold, cold. Ice. Then some cold stuff. Salad. Then some more ice. And ice cream, simply because it's really cold.

Annoyances: It's a cruel joke that just as Lily starts periodically sleeping all night, I have to wake up at least twice to pee. I've started going to bed later just so that I can pee one more time before falling asleep, thus reducing my nighttime bathroom trips to one.

Highlights of the Week: Baby is head down, cervix is stable, and I didn't gain four pounds in a week. But most importantly - viability!

{Take Two} 23 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: There is definitely a bump.

Marination Time: 23(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: Baby's heart rate - 157, Cervical Length - 3.7

Weight Gain: +16 pounds (doctor's scale), as of appointment (6/30). Four pounds gained this week! The doctor says she doubts I ate four pounds worth of food in a week so the gain is mostly fluid, but to watch my salt intake. Otherwise the gain itself is fine because I was behind before and am now on track.

Maternity Clothes: Stretch is best.

Fruit of the Week: Baby weighs as much as a small mango.

Name: We haven't really discussed it. 

Gender: It has one. We don't know what it is.

Movement: Lots of kicks and punches to my lower extremities. My bladder is apparently a trampoline.

Cravings: Fruit, salad, and COLD dessert but not chocolate, so popsicles and light ice cream taste good. I still want everything on ice.

Annoyances: Baby is breech, but has plenty of time to flip. Aforementioned trampoline effect is rather obnoxious, but it is what it is.

Highlights of the Week: I've been so stable, the doctor has no problem with me traveling if I feel up to it! We are heading to Butte for the long 4th of July weekend but will probably stick relatively close to home for the rest of the summer. Even if I'm allowed to travel, we don't feel like chancing it. Plus there's no better place to be than the Flathead in the summer!