29 Weeks!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

How your life's changing:

Your baby's very active now. Your healthcare provider may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let your provider know if you ever notice that your baby is becoming less active. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion. Sluggish digestion can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation.

Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy. Fortunately, they usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth.

If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your provider before using any over-the-counter remedies during pregnancy, and let your provider know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy. This happens when lying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might notice that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins," lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

29 weeks...so this means that there are 11 weeks to go. Except I will have a c-section a week early if I don't have the baby already, so this really means about 10 weeks to go MAX. That's kind of scary. 10 weeks is NOT a long time. We're getting close now people! This pregnancy has felt like it's taken forever and I think I know why. We knew early with Dominick since I was testing early but I was hopeful, and not sure I was pregnant until I was almost 5 weeks I think. Maybe even 6. We had our first ultrasound with Dom when I was 6 weeks 3 days along. Which is early, but not as early as this time around.

This time I got my first positive test at 9 dpIUI. That means I was only 3 weeks 2 days pregnant. And you have 40 weeks in a pregnancy. So I've known for a Looooonnnnnng time.

Things are still going great. This baby girl is very very active. I feel her move a lot. This morning she actually woke me up because she was kicking AND she had the hiccups. :)

I'm a little nervous that I don't get enough calcium. I'm not a huge milk drinker. (Although I actually had 2 glasses of milk yesterday). And I'm afraid I won't get the calcium my baby needs. I'll have to make sure I pay attention to this and work to get enough.

The only problem I've been having (of the three they mention this week) is heartburn. My chest is on fire and I feel like there is acid in my throat. I don't feel like this all the time. But I feel like this often. I'll be ready for this part to go away.

I don't feel light headed or anything when laying down, but I will admit it's getting harder and harder to get up from a laying down position! I don't know how I'm going to get up in about 8 weeks! I'll have to stay in bed until someone helps me out! :) It's also getting harder to sit with Dominick in my lap. He likes to sit in my lap on the floor and read or do puzzles, but my belly is always pushing him off. I can't get him close enough to me anymore to have him sit comfortably. I guess he'll have to get used to sitting next to me and not on me for awhile.

All in all, things are perfect. Couldn't be better and I couldn't be happier. Only 10 weeks or so to go!

Happy 29 weeks, Baby Annabelle!

Upcoming Appointments:
Friday, January 21 - Ultrasound
Tuesday, February 1 - 32 week Dr. Appointment

No big deal,

BUT

I don't have Gestational Diabetes!!!! Woo hoo!!! :)

I don't know how. But I don't have it. I'm so happy. I thought for SURE that I had it. Well, when I got pregnant I was positive I didn't have it, but then I started testing my blood sugar and was sure I had it. But I don't!

Bring on the chocolate and ice cream!!!!

Just kidding...

Kind of.

Naked

Fruit smoothies, that is.

I love them. Absolutely love them. I discovered them this week and I'm obsessed. Seriously.

I discovered them on accident. I normally go to Schnucks every Monday morning. I get myself lunches and snacks for the week and keep the fridge here at work stocked for myself. On Monday I need to get gas too. I was running a little late so instead of going to any gas station, I went to QT to get gas, coffee and some food. I got a banana, a sandwich and a Naked fruit drink.

It was awesome.

On Tuesday, I did my shopping at the grocery store and got 3 more Naked drinks. Still amazing.

So today I went to the store and got lunch for the day (usually we order in on Fridays but I hadn't heard from Mike yet and didn't want to be without any food) and got another Naked drink.

I got the Mighty Mango. Listen to the fruit that is inside this smoothie:

1 1/4 mangoes
1/2 orange
1 3/4 apples
1/3 banana
and a hint of lemon

That's a lot of fruit!!

It's 100% juice too. No added sugar (definitely has sugar, but it's the natural sugar of the fruit) either.

I love it.

I'm definitely obsessed...

30 x 30 Revisited

So do you remember this post?

It was my 30x30 post about the 30 things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. Well I decided to revisit that post and mark some things off my list and change a few around. My 27th birthday is just a week from tomorrow and there's not much I can mark off this list. I think I'll have to do a lot of work these next 3 years to narrow this list down, but I'll work on it.

Here's my updated and revised 30 x 30.

1) Run a half marathon - DONE! Twice even. :) With another coming up in October. So I can successfully mark this off the list.

2) Go back to Europe - ok not done. But I still have hopes for this one!

3) Learn a foreign language - Also not done, but I'm definitely going to do this one. We are thinking of sending Dominick to the St. Louis Language Immersion School instead of another grade school. This is where they "immerse" the child in a foreign language. They actually don't do anything in English until later. They start in kindergarten and continue through 5th grade before they start at a secondary school. Here is their website if you are interested in more info on that. It would be nice for me and Dom to be able to talk to each other in another language.

4) Have 2 of my 4 children - Almost done! :) God willing, this one will be done in March 2011.

5) Take up golf - for real! - not done. Not even started. I've played a few times and had fun but haven't done it consistently. We'll have to work on this one over the next few summers.

6) Be debt free (except the house) - Almost done!! We are down to one small loan in addition to our house. We were fortunate enough to pay off almost all of our other debt this past year. We have the one small loan and then our credit cards. But we pay our credit cards off each month so I don't count those entirely. We are set to be done with that small loan before I turn 30 so unless we rack up some stupid debt in the next few years, I think we'll have this baby done!

7) Complete an indoor triathlon - This is replacing my Full Marathon goal. With two kids and being back in school, I just don't think I have the time or motivation to complete a full marathon. I would still like to do it someday but that might be a goal that I complete in my thirties and not before my thirties.

8) Watch Gone with the Wind - Not done - but this will be an easy one. I just need to sit down and do it!

9) Watch the Godfather - Almost done. I got this DVD from Netflix and got more than halfway through when the DVD stopped working and I had to send it back. I just had them send the next DVD in my queue and I never finished it...I'll do this one soon. Maybe on maternity leave.

10) Play in a poker tournament in a casino - Not done, but I'm not worried about it. We'll go back to Vegas before I turn 30 and I'll do this one. Definitely.

11) Get a new car (or newer car) - Not done but will probably do that soon. We are talking about getting a new car this year. Not "new" but like under 60,000 miles (which is basically new to us!). We're looking at the Ford Edge or the Ford Flex, just FYI. :)

12) Shoot a gun - Not done, but Pete says whenever I want I can go to the farm and learn to shoot. I just want to shoot a gun once. At a can. Just to say I did it. That I can probably do this summer.

13) Go back to school - DONE! I'm back in school! Not done with being back in school but I'm definitely back. (And my next class starts on January 18th).

14) Learn to drive a stick shift - not done....and I really need to do this one. I'll do that this summer. I promise!

15) Learn to french braid hair - haven't even thought about that one. But now that I'm definitely having a daughter, I guess I need to figure it out! Anyone know how to do this and can teach me??

16) Get into cooking - Almost done...I'm getting there. I got a couple of new cook books that I love. I have my new kitchen island that I LOVE LOVE. So I think this one is almost there. I just need to be more consistent about my cooking. I'll go a week cooking all week from scratch and then the next week we go out or I make frozen pizza...it's a work in progress.

17) Finish the entertainment center - DONE! Roger finished this one last year and it looks great! We still love it!!

18) Register to vote in St. Louis City - DONE!! I finally did this! And I voted in the last election at the school right by my house. It felt great!

19) Fly somewhere 1st class - Not done. Haven't thought about it. I'll do it though. Maybe not this year, but I'll do it!

20) Go on a cruise - not done. I think I'd like to do this after the baby is born. Nick is afraid of getting sea sick so we might do a short 4 or 5 day cruise. That would be fun. I'll start looking into that.

21) Make my own recipe - not done. Haven't thought about this either. I'd like to come up with something though that I'm famous for. Maybe when I start getting into cooking, I'll come up with something uniquely mine. I'll try working on this!

22) Go back to the Signature Room in Chicago - Not done. That was where Nick proposed to me. Maybe a summer trip is in order?! This summer will be the 6 year anniversary of when Nick proposed to me...not a special year but we can celebrate it!

23) Go on a family vacation with my family - not done. Although we've started talking about it and it's more of a possibility than I thought it was. Mom is in, Angela and Andrew are in. We just need to get Dad on board....and find a place in driving distance!

24) Learn photo shop - Not done. But I'm thinking maybe I can go to my sister's while she is on maternity leave and learn some things. We'll see if she thinks she'll have time for me!

25) Be in the audience at the Ellen DeGeneres show - Not done. This will be a tough one, but I'm determined to make it to the show!

26) Get into exercising consistently three times a week - Not done, obviously. This is more of a goal for when I'm done being pregnant. This summer I'd like to get into a routine. One that works for me, Nick and both kiddos. Hopefully I can find a way to make this work. Whether I go to the YMCA or just work out at home. I'd like to be doing it consistently.

27) Reach my goal weight. - Definitely not done. I would like to have this accomplished by next September. Maybe not realistic but I'm going to try. I'll rejoin weight watchers as soon as the baby is here and my doc says it's ok. And I'm still a member of the Y right now. I'll pull out the Wii Fit and get my booty into action!

28) Try every beer on the list at Growler's . There are like 131 beers on tap there and you get a card and every time you try a new beer you get a stamp. I'm going to get a stamp on every space. :) Not all at once mind you...over the course of the next three years starting after I have Baby A.

29) Watch the AFI Top 100 movies - Not done but working on it. Not even close really but I think I've seen about 20, so I can watch 80 movies in the next 3 years. No problem.

30) Become a nurse!! In theory this should be done in the next two years..we'll see!

I eliminated a few from my original 30x30 and I can't come up with a good 30th goal....any tips?

I'll keep working on these and I'll try and keep you posted on my accomplishments. I'll get started on these and hopefully I'll reach my goals by my 30th birthday.

January 14, 2014 is my deadline. :)

Decisions, decisions...

So I had my doc appointment yesterday. And he made me question some things.

First, I'll tell you about the appointment. It went well. Baby's heart rate was good (although they didn't tell me what it was). I heard it though, and it sounded great. My weight gain is still fine although much higher this time than with Dom. I'm at a total weight gain of 17 lbs right now. My doc told me he wanted me to gain between 25 and 30 lbs and supposedly (according to babycenter.com) I'll gain about 11 lbs this trimester so that's fine. The really sad part is that my weight now (28 weeks pregnant) is only 2 lbs more than what my weight was when I GOT PREGNANT with Dom. Eek! I don't ever want to be that heavy again. Major working out will start in May.

Sorry, off track again. So the appointment went well. No problems. Everything looked great. I'm doing fine. I got my blood drawn for my glucose test and will get those results either Friday or Monday. Until then, I'm being cautiously optimistic that I don't have GD. We'll see for sure soon though.

Next the doc and I sat down and just talked. He asked if I had any questions and we started talking about delivery. I know I still have 11 or 12 weeks to go, but if you know me at all, I'm a planner. He asked me if I wanted to consider a VBAC (guys stop reading - VBAC stands for vaginal birth after caesarian). I told him that I did want to consider it if my water broke on it's own or something. I definitely don't want to be induced again. He told me that they won't do an induction with a previous C-section patient. So it's written in my file now. If I go into labor on my own, we're trying for a VBAC. If I don't, I'll have a scheduled c-section 4-8 days before my due date (which he has as March 27th. I thought it was March 28th).

SO - at my next appointment (which is in 4 weeks), I'm scheduling my c-section. If I go into labor on my own, great. But if not, we'll already have the c-section set up.

Then we started talking about potential dates for the c-section. I told him that I'm taking a class this spring and was honestly trying to plan around that if I ended up scheduling a surgery to miss as little school as possible. He looked at me like I was insane.

He told me that he recommends that I drop the class. He told me that ultimately it's my decision, but he's afraid I'll get put on bed rest (due to stress of being pregnant, working and taking a class) or something will happen after that baby is born (like my healing being slower or something) and I won't be able finish the class. He doesn't want me to lose my money if I withdraw too late. He thinks these are probably just precautions and I should be fine, but he leans on the safe side.

So now I'm faced with a major decision. Do I drop the class?? Take my chances??

I've asked a few people and so far the consensus is to try the class. See how it goes. Talk to the teacher. Try and get it out of the way now before the baby comes. And that's where I'm leaning too. I know my doctor is just looking out for me but I personally think I can do it.

The class is from January 18 to May 15. If the baby is born the end of March, I'll only have 6 weeks of being in school with a newborn. And I'll be on maternity leave so I'll only have to focus on my kiddos and this one class. No work.

I think I can do it. What do you think??

It's a New Year

It's 2011....how crazy is that??

We didn't do much for New Year's Eve this year. We knew we wouldn't. I can't drink. Nick doesn't drink much. I can't stay awake past 10. You know, the usual.

So we went over to my sister's house for pizza and salad. We had dinner around 6ish and just hung out and talked. We watched the kids play games. We had the beginnings of a Wii Jeopardy tournament (with Nick and I realizing how LITTLE we know compared to my sister, Andrew and his brother, John). It was good. We were at the championship game of the Wii Tourney when the kids wouldn't cooperate. Dominick wouldn't sleep in the pack n play and Cecilia was very upset to hear Dominick cry. They both cried and yelled and carried on and we finally got Dom out of the pack n play to see if he'd sleep on me. That didn't work. So at 10:30, we headed home to put Dom to bed in his crib. I had every intention of putting Dom to bed and then going downstairs and being awake for the ball drop or something.

But then I laid down, finished reading 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' on my kindle and then fell asleep around 11. Yes, I'm a nerd.

Nick crawled into bed at 4:30 a.m. after playing Call of Duty Black Ops all night long...

Happy New Year to us!

Saturday we ran around and did so much stuff, I didn't even realize how late it got! We did Dom's 2 year pictures at Sears in the morning (didn't even buy a CD because they were so bad. Because of Dominick...not Sears. We bought like 6 pictures for us and the various family members and called it a day. Then Dominick went to Maw-maw's house while Nick and I were at home. We cleaned, organized, played more Call of Duty, and then went to lunch. On the way, we brought our tree to wherever it is you bring your Christmas trees when Christmas is over...Nick knows the city way better than I do. Some recycling center where there was a HUGE pile of Christmas trees. Anyway, then we went to my sister's to get Dominick from my mom (she brought both kids there and we got Dom from Angela's).

After playing for a bit longer, we headed back home to do more work. I think our house is looking good for Dom's party (which is just 2 weeks from Saturday...EEK).

Sunday was an outside day. We loaded up the car and drove to Columbia, MO with Ang, Andrew and Celia. We went to Shakespeare's for lunch and then to Mizzou for the women's bball game against Florida State. It wasn't the best game for Mizzou but the kids ran around and had a blast, and that was more the point than anything else.

When we got home, we watched the end of the 3:00 football games and then settled in to watch the Rams game. It didn't have the best outcome, and wasn't the best game honestly, but the Rams were playing for a chance at the playoffs and after having gone 1-15 last year, this was a huge deal. We gave Dom a bath at halftime and tried putting him down in his new room. That didn't work and he wanted to play, play, play. Around 9:45 I gave up and brought him up to his crib and put him down there. We need to get this big boy bed to work though, any tips???

We went to bed after the game.

So far we haven't done much in 2011, but it's been pretty nice. Just hanging out the family. The best start to a new year. :)

28 Weeks!!

How your baby's growing:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing:

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.

At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.)

Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

Woohoo! 3rd Trimester! I'm very excited to hit this point, I'm not gonna lie. This has been a VERY easy pregnancy so far and I'm not ready to be done being pregnant yet, but I'm glad to be this far along and to worry less. Actually, this time around, I haven't worried much at all. I've been relatively calm throughout this pregnancy and I think that's been very good for me. But there's always that little fear while you literally have no control over certain things, and I'll be happy when those fears are gone.

Anyway, I have a doc appointment tomorrow for my 28 week check up. I'll also do my next glucose screening tomorrow. I'm very nervous about that. I'm convinced I have it. And I'm not looking forward to pricking my finger and dieting for the next 12 weeks. But if I have to, I will. Anything to help my baby, of course.

I really hope I don't have to start going to the doc every two weeks, but if I do, I'll make it work. I just hate missing so much work. Especially since I'll be leaving for 2 whole months soon. But again, if that's what we have to do, we'll do it. I'd just rather put that off a few more weeks.

That's it my friends! I'll let you know how the glucose test goes when I get the results. Probably will be a few days.

Happy 28 Weeks Baby A!

Upcoming Appointments:
Tuesday, January 4 - Glucose Test and Dr. Appointment
Friday, January 21 - Ultrasound