bump update: weeks 26-29

How far along?:  26 weeks

Weight gain: 18.5 total 

Cravings: peaches, ICE.. can’t get enough ice!

Maternity clothes: yes! and i am using the bella band with some shorts.. it is working out great!

Stretch marks? : nope

Miss anything?: sleep.. major insomnia over here

Symptoms: back pain, contractions, hip pain, sciatic pain, itchy rash on my stomach

Movement: YES! She is so busy :-)

Gender prediction:  GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! 

This week: We had a little scare. I had been having some pretty intense and regular contractions.. and then woke up with some bleeding. It wasn’t a lot or fresh, but it still made my heart skip a beat. My doctor wanted to see me right away so in Robert and I went. Luckily, Rob was able to meet us there too (he works in the building next door to mine at the hospital). All checked out well. Little miss was comfortable and my cervix was nice and closed. We talked a lot about my contractions. The doctor is still okay with me staying pretty active, but anything more than 6 contractions an hour needs to be seen immediately. We are all hoping I can avoid bedrest this time around, but this little girl seems to be following her brother’s footsteps. The good news is that in your second pregnancy, contractions are considered pretty normal at this point. Hopefully they will continue to have no impact on my cervix.

How’s Robert doing?:  He is wonderful. Growing up so much.. talking so much about his baby sister. He talks about which toys Lauren can play with and where she will sit in the car. He kisses my stomach and says “hi baby!”. It is my favorite part of this.. watching him love her. We have also started hard core potty training. He is doing very well minus a few accidents. I am hoping to get a firm foundation set before Lauren arrives. We shall see ;-)

How’s daddy doing?: AWESOME! The office is basically empty!! Huge progress! Next week, we are going to pick paint colors and get it going! woohoo! I can’t wait!!

How far along?:  27 weeks

Weight gain: 19 total 

Cravings: peaches, cereal, ICE

Maternity clothes: oh yes :-) still wearing some non maternity dresses and shorts some days

Stretch marks? : nope

Miss anything?: sleep.. oh I miss sleep so much.. I average about 4 hours of sleep each night

Symptoms: back pain, contractions, swelling, hip pain, sciatic pain, and nausea/ vomiting (boo!!!!). Also been feeling super dizzy in the late morning around 10am.. it feels like my blood pressure is so low. I can barely move my legs!

Movement: YES! 

Gender prediction:  GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! 

This week: I had an amazing massage. I finally found someone who was willing to actually put some pressure on my sciatic nerve (safely, of course).. I was ache free the rest of the day! The heat is getting a little ridiculous.. I am so tired and HOT by the end of the day. I can’t imagine it is going to get much better! 

How’s Robert doing?: Great! We have had a fun week of playdates and birthday parties. We went to this cute little children’s amusement park with a sweet friend and her son. It was so much fun.. Robert loved all the slides! We also went to splash at the splash park with some friends, which Robert absolutely loved. He has been waiting all winter for those fountains to turn back on! He is talking more and more about Lauren. Everything is “mommy and baby” do this or that. It is so sweet. 

How’s daddy doing?: Very well.. nesting. Organizing anything and everything he can get his hands on.. we haven’t quite decided on a paint color. He says I paint everything the same color (which is somewhat true.. ha).. so we are looking! We picked out a bookshelf for Robert’s new room and a cool little globe nightlight. 

How far along?:  28 weeks

Weight gain: 20 total 

Cravings: ICE, popsicles 

Maternity clothes: oh yes :-) still wearing some non maternity dresses

Stretch marks? : nope

Miss anything?: sleep!! It has been a really rough week with sleep.. I am up until about 2-3am with pain/ trying to get comfortable. It is enough to bring me to tears!

Symptoms: back pain, contractions, swelling, hip pain, sciatic pain, dizziness, breathlessness

Movement: YES! Sweet girl’s head is right under my right rib and her feet literally tip toe on my bladder all day :-) Sometimes it can be really uncomfortable! Apparently your cervix has a lot of nerve endings that can make some movements feel like “lightening bolts”.. 

Gender prediction:  GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! 

This week: This was a busy week! I started off the week with my glucose tolerance test and some other labs. I passed the glucose test, thank goodness, but failed the anemia test. No wonder I am so breathless and dizzy! My counts have dropped 5 points in last 2 months. I started an iron supplement in addition to my multivitamin. Hopefully, I will start feeling better in the next few weeks! I also read that low iron can cause RLS, so I am hoping those symptoms will improve too :-) We also did a 3D sono of sweet Lauren. She looks so much like her brother to me. Such a gorgeous girl! We loved seeing her sweet dimple and how she is just cuddled up and cozy in there. We found out that she is breech. She has plenty of time flip.. but this still worries me. I am mentally prepared for another vaginal birth! We shall see! Just praying for healthy and term! My contractions are getting a bit more painful, which is pretty normal at this point. We are just watching me and I go into L&D with any more than 6 an hour for 2 hours.

squished nose, but you can see her dimple here..

all snuggled up.. 

yes, that's a foot and a hand.. 

How’s Robert doing?: Right after the 3D sono, we went to dinner to celebrate our sweet girl. Sadly, Robert was not feeling well. He started vomiting at the restaurant and couldn’t stop for a few hours. I finally gave him some zofran so he could get some sleep. He was a sick little guy for a few days.. I have never seen him so lethargic and sad :-( Broke my heart. Thankfully, he is all better now! He was SO excited to see pictures of the “baaaaabeeee” on the big screen. He has all kinds of plans for her when she arrives. Hopefully, Lauren likes trains and cars.

How’s daddy doing?: Good! He has been working quite a bit, so that’s no fun. We finally agreed a color for Robert’s big boy room and have it all set up to be painted and a new ceiling fan installed next week!! Woohoo! Rob treated himself to a new bike and it is so awesome. He has had a great week riding it to and from work everyday!

How far along?:  29 weeks

Weight gain: 21 total 

Cravings: peaches, lemonade, ice 

Maternity clothes: yes! got some cute maternity denim shorts this week

Stretch marks? : nope.. some crazy veins though!

Miss anything?: sleep!! always sleep. 

Symptoms: hip pain, feeling faint, breathlessness, vomiting, itchy rash, swelling in legs, contractions.. gosh these just sound so lovely! ha! I am really not miserable 24/7.. but I will admit that it has been a ROUGH few weeks!

Movement: YES! all the time.. I love it. 

Gender prediction:  GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! 

This week: Was a little crazy! We went to Tahoe to celebrate Father’s Day. It was SO nice to get away and celebrate Rob. We went to the lake and also took a tram up the mountain in Squaw Valley. We went swimming.. it was so much fun! It was our last little getaway before miss Lauren arrives. I was definitely feeling the high altitude and tons of stairs all over the resort! Ha! When we got back, it was back to business as usual. I worked my normal days and on both days, I almost fainted. It is so embarrassing! Both times, my BP was high 80s over 50s, which is low. So, I ate a snack, drank some water, and the feeling passed. I am hoping that once the iron kicks in, I feel start feeling a little better. Then, after work Tuesday night, I started not feeling very well. Just off, nauseated. Contractions started coming pretty fast- about every 2-3 minutes for an hour. I was also having a lot of pressure.. so into L&D I went. They got me back fast, and while I am having contractions, my cervix remains unchanged. YAY!! Lauren is also still high up in my pelvis, which is great news. I was told to take it easy and just watch it. The contractions slowed way down with rest and hydration. It was nice to hear her sweet heartbeat as I laid there for an hour. She has great variability and tolerates the contractions very well! 

How’s Robert doing?: He is just cuter than ever. He had SO much fun in Tahoe. He loved putting his toes in the (very cold) lake, swimming at the hotel, and taking the tram up the mountain. He cried to come home and leave the hotel! I wanted to cry too.. it was such a nice break. He is doing great with potty training and getting ready for preschool. He is so obsessed with his daddy and wants to do everything he does. It warms my heart and makes me so so happy. He told me this week that he would bring the baby to eat waffles and to ride on an airplane. Sounds great sweet guy!

How’s daddy doing?: Awesome! He enjoyed the trip as well and had a great Father’s Day. We got him a NOOK and he loves it. No one deserves to be celebrated more than him.. there couldn’t be a better daddy. He was nervous when I went to L&D but was so relieved that all is well. Constantly telling me to slow down :-)