{Take Two} 34 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Baby has dropped a lot! I've been getting a lot of comments on how low s/he is. This kiddo is also hanging out anterior (unlike Lily, who carried posterior and was born that way), so this bump pops out a lot more.

Marination Time: 34(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 102/60, Heartrate - 147, Measuring around 33cm, Fingertip dilated and 50% effaced.

Weight Gain: +24 as of appointment 9/30

Maternity Clothes: Final stretch! The black tanks in the comparison photo are my go-to shirts.

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

Name: We have lists!

Gender: Still unknown. Although, I have had two nights in a row of girl dreams! We shall see.

Movement: Less movement than we've been having, but I think that's because baby is getting "locked and loaded" with the dropping this week.

Cravings: Still no appetite. Still want ice water. 

Annoyances: I am having a lot of lower back pain/aches, so my body is gearing up to do something and dealing with the added weight out front.

Highlights of the Week: Still pregnant! We also got one more trip in to Missoula this weekend. It was great to see everyone and celebrate Wyatt's birthday before baby comes. A definite nice change of scenery, even if it was only for a day!

{Take Two} 33 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Baby is still high! And creating a nice little shelf for Lily.

Marination Time: 33(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 96/57, Heart Rate - 140s

Weight Gain: +23.5 pounds as of Tuesday 9/9.

Maternity Clothes: I might have to steal one of Mike's coats if this crazy weather keeps up. What's with winter in September, Montana?

Fruit of the Week: Baby weighs as much as a pineapple.

Name: We have lists!

Gender: Still unknown.

Movement: Lots of rolls and stretches.

Cravings: I have pretty much lost my appetite 99% of the time. Nothing besides ice water sounds good. I need protein though or I get really dizzy.

Annoyances: I had an allergic reaction to my progesterone shot this week (Monday, 9/8). We ordered a new vial from the pharmacy and will try one more next week, and if I react again, we are going to stop them as I'm almost done anyway (originally planned on receiving them until 36 weeks.)

Highlights of the Week: Still pregnant and we've gotten a lot done between Sharon and my Mom the last two weeks. It's nice to have the help!

{Take Two} 32 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: This baby is a lot higher this week than Lily ever was - I've been feeling kicks higher than I knew you could be kicked! I'm definitely bigger than I was with Lily too, even though I'm at the same weight.

Marination Time: 32(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 96/57, Heart Rate - 125

Weight Gain: +23 pounds as of appointment 9/3.

Maternity Clothes: As the weather chills, covering the bump may get tricky. But at least I have a few pairs of pants and can always layer with my flowy cardigans.

Fruit of the Week: Baby weighs as much as a jicama.

Name: We have lists!

Gender: Still unknown. Almost every single person we know thinks it's a boy though...

Movement: This kid rolls around a lot. Mike commented that s/he seems to kick a lot less than Lily, which is true, but s/he definitely flips around a lot more. Interesting difference. 

Cravings: Still with the ice water. Sugar sounds pretty gross most of the time, which is interesting. Actually nothing in particular sounds good.

Annoyances: We had another trip to L&D last week due to some spotting and lots of contractions. They aren't regular though, so I was sent home with stricter bed rest instructions. The contractions have eased up a fair amount and seem to be directly related to baby's position. Right now, baby seems to be head down but be curled up over my right hip and the contractions are minimal. Whenever s/he moves down, they ramp up. I just have to adjust my positioning to encourage him/her to stay out of the birth canal!

Highlights of the Week: No hospital admittance, and I'm still pregnant! I even scheduled my 36-41 week appointments as an act of confidence. Fingers crossed! I also finally got a project done for the nursery that is baby's and baby's alone - not a hand-me-down. Yay for fun homemade mobiles!

{Take Two} 31 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Well, it has definitely grown in a month but not so much in the last few weeks. Some days I'm huge and other days I'm not - it depends on where baby is hanging out. His/her favorite position is still transverse breech, but this week s/he prefers my left ribs.

Marination Time: 31(ish) weeks.

Doctor Update: BP - 102/68, heart rate in the 140s, cervical length - 3.4

Weight Gain: +22 pounds as of appointment 8/20.

Maternity Clothes: It's been cold (what the heck, August?), so maternity jeans or yoga pants. Thankfully I have some stretchy coats that barely zip. Late September may get a bit chilly, or I may be stealing one of Mike's coats! Ha!

Fruit of the Week: Baby weighs as much as a coconut.

Name: We have lists!

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Lots of kicks way down low. Baby needs to flip! 

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

Annoyances: The whole transverse breech thing is kind of a bummer. Flip, baby, flip!

Highlights of the Week: At this point with Lily, I was in the hospital until I had a baby, so the fact that I'm home and still mobile is great!

{Take Two} 30 weeks

Due Date: October 25th, 2014

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Baby flipped over again. Awesome. Yes, I realize that 3 looks like a 5. No, I am not 50 weeks pregnant.

Marination Time: 30(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 weighs as much as a cabbage.

Name: We have lists!

Gender: Still unknown. 

Movement: Baby has flipped transverse breech again, so his/her head is smushed up under my right ribs most days with his/her butt to my left hip and feet to the bladder/cervix. So lots of movement down low that is less than pleasant. Definitely get some kicks that stop me in my tracks. 

Cravings: ICE WATER. Steak salad with homemade dressing. 

Annoyances: Breech = bummer.

Highlights of the Week: Good days and bad, more good than bad. I even got to go on a short walk this week!

{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!