30 weeks with Baby #3!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

How your life's changing:

You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off.

 Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size. Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of those emotional ups and downs. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent. But if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly irritable or agitated, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 1 in 10 expectant women who battle depression during pregnancy. Also let your caregiver know if you're frequently nervous or anxious.


I can't believe I am 30 weeks already. Where does time go?? 

I remember after I had Annabelle a lot of people asked me if we were done having kids. They said, "You already have one boy and one girl so you can be done!", and I remember thinking, 'No way...that wasn't the last time I will ever be pregnant because I love being pregnant and I have to do it one more time'. Well this time around I haven't enjoyed hardly any of it. Not because it hasn't been enjoyable but because I've been so busy!! So I guess that means we have to have 4 kids!! ;-) We'll see...

Anyway, school is going well and almost done, thank goodness. I'm ready for a nice break. This past week it's really hit me that I'm exhausted. I've been trying to be so strong with work, school, kids, house, pregnancy, all of it and I'm done. I can't hardly take it anymore. I'm just flat out exhausted. 

I have 3 weeks of school left and 1 week of finals. All 4 of these weeks will be crazy. I'll be busy and stressed, but it's one more month...less than that actually since my last day is August 24th. 

I'm really looking forward to JUST working full time! And then being off for a few months with my new little baby!! 

And speaking of my new little baby, I think we have baby names narrowed down to 2 boy names and 2 girl names. So that's exciting. It will be a lot easier deciding from 2 than starting from scratch. 

I know that I've been the one who's wanted to wait and not find out, and up to this point it's been fine. But now that I'm digging through the baby clothes and trying to get stuff ready, it would be a LOT easier if i knew what we were having!! I'm still looking forward to that one special moment when we find out and get to meet him/her at the same time, but I realize why people do want to find out early!

That's all I got for now. More next week I hope!  

Professional Procrastinator

It's amazing how I'll pretty much do anything to NOT do what I'm supposed to do. It's Saturday night and I have the night to get ahead. I should be working on my ethics paper. Or studying for my test on Monday.

I SHOULD be doing all those things. What AM I doing??

Playing on facebook, on pinterest, watching the olympics, reading...

Doing anything BUT what I should be doing.

I was off most of the day Friday too. I should've done homework. I should've cleaned the house or done some laundry.

I cleaned Dom's room, organized baby clothes, then I watched Glee and took a nap.

I wish I could be a professional procrastinator. I'd be a millionaire...

25 weeks with baby #3!

 

 

How your baby's growing

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How your life's changing

Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.
You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.


When you have your glucose-screening test at 24 to 28 weeks, a second tube of blood may be taken at the same time to check for anemia. If blood tests show that you have iron-deficiency anemia (the most common type of anemia), your caregiver will probably recommend that you take an iron supplement.
Have you started thinking about baby names yet? Choosing a name is an important decision, but it should be a fun one, too. You may want to consider family history (Great Grandpa Zeb), favorite locations (Venice, where you honeymooned), or cherished literary or film characters (Greta, Meg, or Atticus, for example). Check out a couple of baby-name books to help you brainstorm, too.

25 weeks and going strong! Things are still going well. This past week has been a little rough for me. I had to work 3 nights until 11:30 pm and had a test on Friday morning at 9 am. But somehow I'm done with it and even managed to get an 86% on the test so it was a good week! 

I've already done my first glucose challenge test and passed so I just have one more to do and hopefully get cleared from diabetes this pregnancy! I really hope I'm ok, because I just discovered Ben and Jerry's Pistachio Pistachio ice cream and yeah, I'm in heaven. I don't know if I can give that up! 

We have started thinking about baby names and our girl names are narrowed down to two, but we are struggling with boy names!! I can't think of anything that I like. The middle name would definitely be Stephen, after my dad, so the first name has to sound good with Stephen and also has to go with Dominick and Annabelle. I always thought naming the first one was hard, but once you have siblings, it's really tough! Plus the added suspense of not knowing if we're naming a boy or a girl. It's tough work. :) 

That's about all I have for now.  Life is good. No complaints here! 

Annabelle - 15 months

We had Annabelle's 15 month appointment today and she's doing great!!

Height: 32" (90th percentile)
Weight: 25 lbs 1 oz (80th percentile)

She's a big girl! Walking, running, playing, kind of talking...

She's a little behind Dominick in everything and that makes it hard as a parent. I'm always worried about her and comparing, but she's doing great. I know all kids develop differently so I'm not always worried, but definitely sometimes. :) Just a bad habit!

But she's beautiful and perfect and I couldn't ask for anything more!

24 weeks with Baby #3!

 

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How your life's changing:

In the past few weeks, the top of your uterus has risen above your belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball. Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between now and 28 weeks. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition.

Untreated diabetes increases your risk of having a difficult vaginal delivery or needing a cesarean section because it causes your baby to grow too large, especially in his upper body. It also raises your baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth. A positive result on your GCT doesn't mean you have gestational diabetes, but it does mean that you'll need to take the glucose tolerance test (GTT) to find out for sure.

Finally, if you don't already know how to spot the signs of preterm labor, now's the time to learn.

Looking at that picture above, no wonder I have to pee all the time! :) My baby is getting big!! And pushing on my bladder!!

Things are really good. I'm still feeling baby a lot (less these last few days but I've been on my feet way more) and feeling pretty healthy. Today was slightly rough. I feel a little nauseas, but not too bad. 

I know I'll have to do the GCT again (I already passed it once at 20 weeks), probably at my next appointment around 26/27 weeks. I'm praying that I pass again because I really don't want to be diabetic...but there's always that chance! 

I started off not gaining hardly any weight at all. I'm starting to make up for it!! So I need to be careful. I'm now at 12 lbs gained. Which is ok, but since I was overweight when I got pregnant I'm only supposed to gain 15-25 lbs and I have a long way to go! 

I'll keep watching it. Anyway, things are good. Busy but good. Very good. 

Happy 24 weeks baby!! I can't wait to meet you and see your beautiful face! And find out if you are my second son or second daughter!!!!

Oops!

I disappeared again! Darn it! : )

Life is busier than ever. It seems like every day it's a struggle to keep my head above water. I know lots of people are like this, so I'm not trying to complain, but I can't wait for life to slow down!

I survived my first round of tests this semester. They went a lot better than the first round last term. One test wasn't great but for the most part, I'm doing well. Thank goodness.

I'm loving my clinicals right now. Every Tuesday I'm on a cardiac floor and get to learn about different heart problems, tests, and treatments. Every Wednesday I'm on a Women and Infants unit and get to take care of new moms and their babies, as well as see some babies being delivered. I'm very lucky to have already seen 1 vaginal delivery and 3 c-sections. I really want to be a labor and delivery nurse so this is great experience.

I'm already almost done with the 5th week of school so that means only about 8 weeks to go! Well 9, but one of those weeks is a Summer Break so that totally doesn't count.

Work is still going good. I love where I work and who I work with but sometimes it's hard when I know I have to get up early for school the next day. But it's a great opportunity and I definitely want to stick with it.

Kids are amazing. Dominick is starting to push our buttons a LOT but he's so great it's hard to stay mad at him...He's so smart. Too smart actually. And the kid is a sponge. He remembers everything. EVERYTHING. It's kind of a pain sometimes, but mostly I'm happy he's so smart.

Annabelle is also amazing. She's no longer just walking, she's RUNNING everywhere. She can climb upstairs but not down so we definitely have to keep an eye on that one. :) She actually has her 15 month appointment today. She's getting a few shots, so hopefully she's ok tonight. I don't want her to be sick.

Nick is awesome. Just awesome. I've been doing so much with school, work, doc appointments, etc. and he just does what he needs to do. He hardly vocalizes how hard it is that he's almost always on his own with the kids. He does laundry. He does bath time. He sweeps and vacuums. He's an amazing husband. Truly amazing. I'm one lucky girl!!

I'm really going to try and keep up with life on here. I really want to be able to look back and read all of these posts but it's so hard right now. Hopefully soon I can be done with all this and look back and just smile about all this.

Not too much longer until I'm done and I graduate! :) Let's pray time flies!

22 Weeks with Baby #3!

 

 

How your baby's growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

How your life's changing:

At this point, you may find your belly becoming a hand magnet. It's perfectly okay to tell folks who touch your tummy that you'd rather they didn't. And if people are telling you that you look smaller or bigger than you should at this point, remember that each woman grows — and shows — at her own rate.

What's important is that you see your practitioner for regular visits so she can make sure your baby's growth is on track. You may start to notice stretch marks on your abdomen as it expands to accommodate your growing baby.

At least half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks by the time they give birth. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color). Although they most commonly appear on your tummy, stretch marks may also show up on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. There's no proof that lotion helps prevent stretch marks, but keeping your skin moisturized may help with any itching.


Things are still going fine. Not great anymore but fine. Nick actually put me on his version of bedrest, which I have to admit is pretty awesome. I've been trying to do way too much. WAY too much. And he has cut me off. He made a good point. The last thing we need is for me to go on bedrest and not finish this 2nd semester of nursing school. So I'm listening and taking it easy. 

The main reason we were concerned is I got sick the other day (dizzy, nauseas, seeing spots) and I had my blood pressure checked and it was 142/90. I freaked out about pre-eclampsia. But I've been resting and my BP is down to 122/78 and the spots and nausea have gone away. Now I just need to continue to take it easy. And I see my doc on Tuesday so I'm sure everything will be fine. 

In the meantime, I'm worrying about work, classes and homework. That I can handle. Or at least attempt to handle. 

I'm still feeling this baby move all the time. This baby is a squirmer! And I love every movement. LOVE every movement. I'm still thinking it's a girl. But Nick is still sure it's a boy, so we'll see! We have two girl names picked out and no boy names so we'll see. If it's a boy, I'll be thrilled, of course, but this baby might not have a name for a few weeks! :) 

Well, I'm off to bed to get some more rest. 

Happy 22 weeks Baby!!