***I have no idea what is going on, but Blogger suddenly links some of my words... please do not click on the orange links. I can't seem to get rid of them.***
Baby is the size of: a butternut squash, and how appropriate for Thanksgiving?! :-)
Total weight gain/loss: On Thanksgiving morning, I was 8 pounds over my starting weight. This morning (Saturday), I am 9 pounds over my starting weight. A couple of weeks ago, I was 13 pounds over at my heaviest... I think it's safe to say that while I am still eating PLENTY (no diet here), my stomach and other organs are just higher up and getting squished and I guess I'm not as hungry as I used to be. Or, I get full faster, but hungry more frequently, so my meals are much smaller. It has worked out nicely!
Maternity clothes: Still in love with them, still embracing my big baby bump.
Cravings: I was lovin' stuffing and cranberry sauce this week, and was sooooo excited to eat Thanksgiving dinner (mashed potatoes and gravy mmmm!).
Trader Joe's white bean hummus with cranberry sauce, on pita chips!
Aversions: Brushing my teeth, but yes, I still do it.
Mood: I am so happy, but also feel like I am getting more irritable as the third trimester progresses. I feel like I have less patience with people. I am anxious about our Birth Day, excited to experience childbirth, and slightly impatient about the next two months going by faster. The often-unwanted advice and tips from everyone around me are still pouring in, but are more about newborns and raising a baby now, not so much about pregnancy. Even after debunking every pregnancy myth you can throw at me, people are still telling me, "Just wait until ______!" or "You won't be able to handle _____, because I couldn't!" It's still annoying, but I am getting better about just taking it all with a grain of salt and trying to be polite about it....and remembering that I have never done this before, and some of the "unwanted" advice is actually wanted and may come in handy.
Physical symptoms: 29 weeks sucks. Corbin has found the exit and was punching or head-butting or kicking it (I'm not sure because I don't know what position he is in almost all the time). He has done it a few times, and the biggest rapid-fire punch fest was when I was sitting at my desk, in a quiet room of people who were working quietly and contently. I actually had to squirm a little and yelled, "Ahhh!" because it hurt! There has been almost-constant pressure, very low and very heavy, and I feel it in my front, in my cervix, in my hips, everywhere in that general area. Nothing up high... no rib kicks, no pain, able to breathe just fine. My hips and lower back hurt towards the end of the day, and after standing for too long to chop and prep our Thanksgiving sides, I felt like I had a pinched nerve in between my shoulder blades. My sweet, darling husband fixed that with a nice long massage using my new Eucalyptus Spearmint oil from Bath & Body Works. Have you smelled that stuff?? It's amazing! Not only did I get a massage, but Corbin got one too.... upward circular motions on my belly to sort of guide him up a bit (barely), but Baby and I slept pretty well after that! Other complaints.... I have started getting very mild cases of heartburn. They are so mild I almost don't notice, and they don't last long. My legs get achy and need to be stretched as I sit at my desk, so I get up to walk quite a bit still. I still get cramps...actually most days, I am just crampy throughout the day. They are mild, but they are there, and have been there since the beginning. My energy level is a little lower these days, but that is so hard to measure, as I work full time and am up at 5am every morning, we are constantly go-go-going, it's always a full weekend of events, birthdays, holidays, or baby-or-birth-related things we are doing. I don't sleep 14 hours like I was in the first trimester, but then again, I don't have time to either.
Miss anything: I was missing my feet, until I actually positioned myself on our bed to give myself a pedicure on Wednesday. :)
Showing yet: Oh yes.
Labor signs: Pressure, cramping... nothing alarming yet. All pretty normal.
Baby movement: Our little ninja boy is always up to something. He jabs a lot, pushes a knee or elbow out, stretches, turns, adjusts his position, waves his hands in the air like he just don't care.... but no big kicks. I appreciate that about him. I think Corbin is a little lazy, and I am very much okay with it if it continues into infancy and helps us all sleep on a regular schedule. Sometimes my belly is very hard all over, sometimes only on one side, sometimes it's more squishy.... all depending on where Corbin is and how he's positioned. We love it!
Wedding rings on or off: No swelling here... at least not yet. Rings are on, and they spin a little.
Items purchased for baby this week: I bought Corbin a reeeeally soft "minky" material blanket that is more of a decoration for his nursery. It's a slightly-burnt pumpkin color (like the color orange in his crib bedding) and it is chevron stripes on one side, solid orange on the other. It's a 50"x60" throw, and I plan on draping it over whatever chair we put in his room... to decorate a little more, and to have a coordinating blanket nearby for when Mommy or Daddy wants to wrap up too. I also bought Corbin his first ornament.....
How is Daddy doing: Daddy is great! I didn't think it was possible, but he somehow gets more and more excited as our due date approaches. He is soooo stoked! And he loves my belly, loves feeling Corbin, and is quick to take care of me... he makes me sit and rest, lay down and put my feet up, he rubs my back, gets me ice water refills..... Daddy is so great! He is going to be an incredible daddy because...he already is!
Favorite moment this week: Spending Thanksgiving with my family... always fun, always filling, always the best.
Looking forward to: Our upcoming trip to Washington! Yayyy more family time. I miss the Clancys and Finnegans so much!
Laying down with one of the loves of my life...my Dwight!
