28 weeks

How far along?:  28 weeks!  Bakmi's the size of an eggplant.  Mmm... eggplant.

Total weight gain:  We'll find out on Thursday at my next OB appt... if I decide to look at the scale, that is ;)

Maternity Clothes?:  I got my Asos order in and am IN LOVE.  Seriously wish I discovered this line sooner... everything fits so well and the quality is great.  It's nice to feel trendy again.  I wore the yellow skirt to a friend's birthday dinner last week (picture below) and got a ton of compliments.

Just a reminder of what I ordered.  I'm wearing the nude top today and LOVE it.

Weekly belly pic:

Kid totally moved up this week and I think it shows... my belly seems to look higher than it has.  Or maybe I'm imagining things.

Here's the above-mentioned yellow skirt.  Cute, no?  And isn't it funny how different I look between the two pictures?  I've been having far more days of "I'll skip the shower and just throw on a hat" and have a feeling it's only going to get worse...

Stretch Marks?:  Still none.

Sleep:  It's getting more and more difficult to roll over and I'm back to waking up 4-5 times a night to pee.  Although the kid seems to have moved up, s/he is using my bladder as a pillow now, instead of just kicking it.  So I've been sleeping like crap.  

Best moment this week:  Getting the nursery assembled.  I spent all day Saturday painting over Nick's beloved Yankees-themed man-cave to convert it to a tasteful guest room, thus allowing us to convert the existing guest room to the nursery.  And can I tell you?  Spackling, sanding and painting (all freehand, no tape!) by yourself at almost 7 months pregnant is a feat.  I was so sore by the end of the day but so proud that I managed to do it.

Then on Sunday Nick and I moved the bed out of the nursery into the guest room, put the crib together and arranged the furniture.  We're not done yet (still need knobs for the dresser, the ottoman for the glider, shelving and artwork and the window will be replaced) but we're pretty happy with the way it's turning out :)

Don't you love M&B checking things out?  They don't know quite what to make of this new space.

Movement:  All the time.  And as mentioned above, it's definitely higher now.  I'm feeling kicks (punches?) across my entire belly at navel-level.  Kid likes to hang out on the right side though, which has my belly looking a bit lopsided at times.  

Cravings:  Still can't get rid of the sweet tooth.  The biggest change that I've noticed in my appetite comes during breakfast.  I used to HAVE to have eggs (or some sort of protein) for breakfast.  Now all I ever want is something on the sweeter side... cereal, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes.  Not a good way to start my day.

Aversions:  Nada.

Other Symptoms:  Still dealing with the tired, achy feet.  Husband's foot massager has come in handy.  Heartburn is getting worse and the dreaded third trimester exhaustion has definitely come around.

Missing anything?:  Sleep.

Belly Button:  Hanging in there.

Gender Prediction:  Had another boy prediction this week from a friend's mother.

Mood:  Just tired.  And losing motivation at work.  Makes it hard to deal with clients.

Purchases:  Nothing new this week, although my shower invitations went out yesterday (yay!!) so I can start registry stalking soon to see what others have purchased for us.  Is that wrong?  haha

Milestones:  Third trimester!  It's baffling to me that I'm this far along.  I was talking with Nick the other day about how long ago the first couple of months feel and how slowly they seemed to drag by... now time is flying and this kid will be here before we know it.

In Other News:  I took my one hour glucose test last week.  And failed.  My blood sugar came in at 165.  Boo.  So now tomorrow I get to go back to the lab and sit there for three hours for the three hour glucose test to determine whether or not I have gestational diabetes.  As a sidenote, I'm apparently at a higher risk for GD since my brother has type 1 diabetes.  Lucky me.  I'm NOT looking forward to this test at all as it's a fasting test... I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it til 11:30 without eating.  My stomach (pregnant or not) is always growling the second I get out of bed in the morning.  Pray for me :-/

3rd Trimester!

How far along?:  27 weeks!  Bakmi's the size of a rutabaga?  I don't think I've ever seen one so I'm trouble with this comparison.  Whatever.  Kid is large and keeps it's head into my rib cage.  Good times.

Total weight gain:  How much does a small cow weight?

Maternity Clothes?:  Made a few more purchases this week.  Sigh.  I can't seem to stop!  I discovered the Asos maternity line and am IN LOVE.  Trendy maternity clothes!!  I wish I discovered them sooner.

The sequin dress is for my shower and possibly a wedding next month, the black dress is another possibility for the wedding, the yellow skirt just because it was cute and the nude top because it was on sale.  Actually, all of these items were on sale... I got everything for around $120.  Score.

Weekly belly pic:

Is is me or did my belly explode this week?

A sampling of outfits from this week.  I felt like a circus tent in the striped dress but after seeing a picture of myself in the paper from Siro's Cup (annual charity event to mark the opening of the Saratoga Racing season) I felt better about it.  The floral(ish?) dress was for another charity event this week.  It's not maternity but I think I made it work.  The last outfit is from work yesterday.  I look 12.  Bad hair day.

 Aforementioned picture that made the Times Union on Thursday.  We be stylin'  ;)

We also made the cover page of the Business Review.  The photographers must've taken pity on the poor pregnant woman.  Or maybe it's just that my husband is awesome :)

Stretch Marks?:  Still none.

Sleep:  Oh Ambien, how I love thee.  I popped half of a pill last night and slept like a rock.  I actually managed to sleep from 10pm to 5:30am without waking up to pee.  That's victory in my book, folks.  Too bad I can't sleep like that without medicinal help.

Best moment this week:  I treated myself to a prenatal massage on Saturday.  It was HEAVEN.  I was so relaxed after that I didn't want to do anything for the rest of the day.  I've also been giving my feet a nightly treat in the foot spa that my MIL so kindly brought to me.

In other news of the week, our home renovations have finally started, but that's a completely separate post.  If I ever get around to it.  The highlights thus far:  7am wake up calls from the dogs alerting us that the contractors have arrived; we no longer have any siding or stone on our house; we're the proud new owners of a beautifully large sliding glass door in our living room where a window used to be; we no longer have a mudroom or covered porch.  Now if only the town would get their act together and approve our permit we could get started on the excavation and really get this ball rolling.

Left: Bella investigating the area where the mudroom and covered porch used to be.  Right: sliding door installation... it's a bit disconcerting to come home to a giant hole in the side of your house, haha.

Movement:  Constant.  And as mentioned above, BB has found a way to lodge his/her head under my rib cage making me feel bruised from the inside out.  

Cravings:  Watermelon Italian Ice from the soft ice cream stand that's unfortunately only a 1/2 mile from my house.  If I think about it, I MUST GO.

Aversions:  Nada.

Other Symptoms:  I'd say the worst right now is the heel pain.  Even after walking through my house barefoot for a few minutes my heels ache.  Doesn't seem to matter what type of shoes I wear or how little walking I do.  They just ache all the time.

Missing anything?:  My flat belly.  Seeing all the gorgeous people at Siro's Cup last week in their tiny little dresses made me miss my cute summer dresses.

Belly Button:  I predict it will be gone shortly.  I'm fighting it though... I don't want to have to remove my piercing, dammit!  Ridiculous, right?

Gender Prediction:  Had a bunch of people at charity event #2 of the week tell me they think boy.  

Mood:  I'm a miserable pregnant lady.  Enough said.

Purchases:  I ordered knobs for the kid's dresser... hopefully they come in soon.

Milestones:  Tomorrow marks the start of the 3rd trimester.  Seriously can't believe I'm almost done baking this babe.

26 weeks.

How far along?:  26 weeks!  Bakmi's the size of a head of lettuce.  With protruding feet and arms that constantly kick me where it doesn't feel good.

Total weight gain:  Who knows.  I'm probably up another handful of pounds since I can't seem to say no to ice cream.  I think I've stopped for soft serve three times in the past week.  Hey, I had a stressful week at work... so it was well deserved, right?  Right? 

Maternity Clothes?:  I lied last week when I said I was done with my maternity purchases.  I bought another (non-maternity but very stretchy/roomy) maxi dress yesterday and ordered a dress for a wedding and my shower and a skirt last night.  I couldn't resist.

Weekly belly pic:

Please ignore the hideously bad hair.

I'm kind of obsessed with my new hot pink shorts.  Funny thing is, I never wore this much color not pregnant... I don't know what makes me feel so adventurous now but I like it :)  Shirt on the right is non-maternity... although I think I need to retire it.  It was definitely stretched to the max that day.

Stretch Marks?:  Still none.

Sleep:  Is like a cruel joke.  The past few nights have been AWFUL.  I can't even count how many times I'm up to pee or (attempt to) roll over.  And please don't tell me "your body is just preparing itself for wakeful nights with baby".  That's bullshit.  I need sleep now.  A woman who works in my building so kindly told me yesterday that I look exhausted.  I knew it was starting to catch up with my appearance but I was hoping that makeup and (small amounts of) caffeine were doing enough to hide it.  Guess not.  And also?  What's up with the fact that whichever arm I'm laying on is asleep each time I wake up?  I'm starting to get a little concerned about my blood circulation.

Best moment this week:  Our crib and crib mattress were delivered :)  Too bad they'll be remaining unassembled in the boxes til most likely October.

Movement:  This kid never sleeps.  And the kicks are getting so much stronger.  A couple of them have completely caught me off guard and made me jump.  It's pretty humorous.  I've also found myself just staring at my belly lately, waiting to see it twitch.

Cravings:  Ice cream?  I blame the heat.  Oh, and seafood salad from the Fresh Market.  SO good.  I've gone through 2lbs of it in the past week and a half.

Aversions:  Nada.

Other Symptoms:  Back/hip/side pain.  It's almost excruciating at times.  I will definitely be making an appt for a prenatal massage in the near future.  I'm tired of hurting all the time.

Missing anything?:  I'm gonna stick with last week's response:  Feeling like a normal human being.

Belly Button:  Definitely flattening out more and more.  Fingers crossed that I don't have to remove my piercing.

Gender Prediction:  I've been told girl by a couple of people recently.  Because I'm wide.  Gee, thanks.

Mood:  Pretty good.  Just starting to get stressed about having everything done in time.

Purchases:  Other than the few pieces of maternity clothing, I did a bit of shopping for the nursery last week.

Aren't these adorable?  I bought the frames and created the dachshund artwork myself.  Inspired by Miles and Bella, of course :)  I should disclose that I'm really not that creative.  I "borrowed" the idea and layout from etsy.com and recreated them on Paint.  I love the way they turned out and plan to hang them above the dresser/changing table.

Milestones:  One more week of 2nd tri.  Time is seriously flying.

32 isn't so bad...

When you have a husband like mine :)

He seriously made me feel special this year.  He always goes above and beyond but this year was especially nice.

My birthday was Monday so we started the celebration the Saturday before.

Husband made reservations at an adorably upscale bed and breakfast in a little town in Pennsylvania about 2 1/2 hours south of us.

Introducing Hotel Fauchere.  This place was seriously incredible.  Upon checkin, we were greeted with a glass of wine (for Nick, anyway) and surprised to have our room upgraded to the best room in the house.

We spent a lot of time relaxing on our private balcony.  Nick was in love with the marble covered bathroom.  The hotel dates back to 1852 and the room had some of the original charm intact but was tastefully updated and very comfortable.

Milford, PA, where the hotel was located felt like a town forgotten by time... it was one little main street with quaint shops and restaurants.  We went out for a quick walk before dinner and being 6 months pregnant, I naturally made Nick take me to the old-fashioned candy shoppe for fudge and penny candy.  Had we not had dinner reservations shortly thereafter I'm sure I would've stuffed my face with ice cream as well ;)

That night, we enjoyed a fantastically creative 7 course dinner.

Yes, that is a potted "plant" salad, a rock (with sliced bear) and a log (with foie gras) used as plates and on the bottom left is puffed clay.  Who knew you could eat clay?  It was surprisingly not bad.  For as odd as it looks, this dinner was delicious.

After dinner, we retired to our room to find a placard on the bed stating that if we chose, we could call the front desk for cookies, cold milk and a bed time story delivered to our room.  We were a little leery of the bed time story so we passed.  But cute thought, right?

As if being pampered with an overnight get-away wasn't enough, husband surprised me with the most amazing birthday gift... the DSLR camera I've been lusting after for a year.  I can't wait to learn how to use this thing.  Taking pictures of Bakmi with this will be so much better than with our little point and shoot.  The dogs will probably get tired of being my test subjects over the next few months.

Then on Monday (my actual birthday), I was presented with this gorgeous arrangement at my office.  I love surprise flower deliveries!  They were so fragrant that my office smelled incredible all week.  Now they're sitting on my kitchen table, still as fresh as they were 6 days ago.

The finale of birthday weekend was a dinner at one of our favorite places in Albany, Cafe Capriccio.

So.  No complaints about turning 32.  I had an amazing weekend with my favorite person and still feel like a 25 year old :)

25 weeks

How far along?:  25 weeks!  Bakmi's the size of a cauliflower?  Sure.

Total weight gain:  I had my monthly weigh-in at my 24 week appt last week.  It wasn't pretty.  According to the scale at my OB's office, I'm up a disgusting 25lbs. And once again, Dr. Negativity mentioned that my weight gain was only "okay". Thanks for making me feel like crap.  My initial goal going into this pregnancy thing was to keep the gain under 35lbs.  I'm not holding too much hope for that anymore, so I'm upping it to 40.  Sigh.

Maternity Clothes?:  I ordered what was hopefully my last round of maternity clothes last week.  I actually think I have enough.  And if you know me and fashion, you know that those words have NEVER been uttered from me before.  It kills me that I'll only be wearing these clothes for another few months though so I'm putting a kibosh on the spending.

Weekly belly pic:

Can we talk about the boobs for a second?  They are getting out.of.control.  Husband has been telling me this for weeks but I didn't believe him until I saw this picture.

Both taken at exactly 25 weeks, on my birthday :)  On the right is what I wore to work and on the left is what I wore out to dinner to celebrate.  Loving belts lately.  They make me feel more pregnant and less fat.  haha

Stretch Marks?:  Nope.  I'm starting to wonder if I'll make it all the way through unscathed... (I just jinxed myself, didn't I?)

Sleep:  Has gotten a little better although I think I'm nearing the 3rd trimester return of extreme exhaustion that I keep hearing about.  I can't seem to keep my eyes open past 10pm anymore and even after a fairly decent night's sleep of 8-9 hours I'm tired all day.

Best moment this week:  It's a tie between my 24 week appt where I got to hear little BB's heartbeat again and my weekend-long birthday celebration.

Movement:  Constant.  I don't think this kid EVER sleeps.  I'm starting to think that I should stop eating... literally the second I get some food in me s/he starts kicking up a storm.  Probably should at least stop eating every hour on the hour. You know, to give the kid a break ;)  


At my appt last week, while Dr. Negativity was listening to the kid's heartbeat, I managed to get a smile out of her.  Rather, baby did.  After about 5 seconds of the doppler being on my stomach, BB kicked so hard that the doppler literally jumped off of my stomach.  Then s/he did it again a few seconds later.  It was quite comical.  Dr. commented that I obviously have no problem feeling movement.  This is definitely one active babe.


And also?  Kid could totally hear/sense the fireworks on the fourth of July.  We watched them from a friend's rooftop a fair distance away but they were still loud and I felt constant movement throughout the 40 minute show.  Pretty neat.

Forgive me for the terribly grainy cell phone pics.

Cravings:  My sweet tooth is subsiding.  Slightly.  I managed to want ice cream two days in a row this week but surprised myself by not having to run out and get it.  The if-I-don't-eat-this-right-now-I-might-just-die cravings seem to be a thing of the past.  Although I've had trouble not stopping at every Panera I pass for an asiago cheese bagel.

Aversions:  Nada.

Other Symptoms:  Ugh, the back/leg/feet achiness is killing me lately.  Doesn't seem to matter how much or how little walking I do throughout the day... I'm so incredibly sore by the end of each day that I'm considering hiring an on-call masseuse.  If only I could afford one.  haha

Missing anything?:  Feeling like a normal human being.

Belly Button:  Seems to have stretched a bit more.  It's definitely more flat than it used to be and my maternity belly button ring is barely hanging in there.  Might have to order a longer one soon.

Gender Prediction:  No idea.  Some weeks I think girl, some I think boy.  Maybe it's a puppy.

Mood:  I was in a great mood for the past week but definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I think it's the exhaustion that's got me down.  I'm just tired of being tired.

Purchases:  Ordered my glider and ottoman on Saturday.  And I've gotta say, Babies R Us redeemed themselves with me a bit.  It was such a freaking ordeal trying to order this thing.  Before going in to actually make the purchase, I visited the store twice to try to figure out what to get and in which fabric, only to find out that the salespeople are CLUELESS and had no idea which fabrics went to which chair or if they were even available.  Long story short, the one I wanted was discontinued. Naturally.  And replaced with a newer model that looks identical but costs 20% more.  Story of my life.

In the end, however, BRU honored a 20% coupon I had and let me open a store card for an additional 10% off.  The discounts on top of the $100 gift card I received from a very generous client brought the price of the set down to $311.  I can live with that.

And in other nursery news, I'm almost finished with the dresser transformation.  Remember this?

After one heavy coat of primer, two coats of fantastically beautiful lime green paint and 6 coats of poly, it now looks like this:

Now the hunt for the perfect knobs begins.  I'm thinking glass or ceramic with black/white polka dots.  Anyone know where I can find such a thing?

Milestones:  Um.  Baby's finally putting on some fat?  Can I use that?  Oh wait.  I turned 32.  That's a milestone, right?  :)

Happy V-Day to Baby P :)

How far along?:  24 weeks!  In other words, viability.  Today marks the day where if baby were to make an appearance, he/she would have a decent shot at survival.  Although I don't plan on letting him/her out anytime soon :)

Total weight gain:  I'll be weighed on Thursday at my 24 week appointment.  I am 100% NOT looking forward to it.  I feel about the size of a house and I can't say no to anything sugar-laden so I'm sure my OB (i.e. captain negativity) will have something to say about it that will undoubtedly make me feel awesome about my ever-expanding self.

Maternity Clothes?:  Actually wearing a non-maternity top today.  I ordered some stuff from Gap and Old Navy that should be here any day and will hopefully be the last of my maternity purchases (with the exception of a dress for a wedding and my shower).  I'm so tired of spending money on clothes that I'll only get to wear for another 3ish months.

Weekly belly pic:

See?  Size of a house.  And I still have 16 weeks left.  Also noticed this week?  My arms are getting fat.  Sigh.

And here's a prettier picture from this week.  I actually dressed up for work one day.  I had to attend a closing and see clients and attorneys so I figured it would nice to look appropriate ;)

Stretch Marks?:  Still none, thankfully.  Although I've started using BioOil to keep my belly nice and moisturized should they make an appearance.

Sleep:  Sucks a fat one.  Last night I slept from 11-2, got up to pee, feel back to sleep but seriously woke up every 15 minutes, got up to pee again at 4, couldn't fall back asleep so I got out of bed at 4:30 and moved to the couch to read, feel asleep around 5:30, woke up at 7 when Nick got up, moved back to the bedroom and slept for another 30 minutes.  Intermittent sleep like this does not work well for me.  And please.  I don't want to hear the "your body is preparing you for sleepless nights with baby" crap.  I need sleep now, dammit.  

Best moment this week:  This week was pretty uneventful.  I'm seriously having trouble coming up with something.

Movement:  Is still super low the majority of the time which does not bode well for my poor bladder.  This kid is kicking up a storm in there though and I love every second of it.

Cravings:  Still the same... cupcakes, chocolate, candy, caramel, cookies.  Does anyone else find it odd that those are all 'c' words?  I have a problem.  ha

Aversions:  Not really an aversion, but I have no interest in meat.

Other Symptoms:  Heartburn is a daily occurrence and my feet, legs and back get so sore if I overdo it.  I also noticed after a day of errands followed by 6 hours outside in 90 degree heat that my toes swelled and I literally hurt all over.  By the time I got home my stomach muscles were seriously crampy and all I could do was lay on the couch in a pitiful lump.

Missing anything?:  Sleep.

Belly Button:  Hanging in there as innie.  It's always been super deep so I'm not sure it'll pop out completely but it seems to be getting a bit shallower.  And last week I changed out my regular metal belly button piercing for a flexible maternity bar.  Can you believe they actually make those?  I'm a bit too attached to my piercing and was seriously afraid of losing it so I was pretty excited to find a maternity alternative.  It's not the most attractive and is seriously long but hopefully it'll allow me to keep it in even if my belly button goes flat.

Here's my ugly little maternity bar.  I miss my old one... it was much cuter.

Gender Prediction:  I keep thinking boy.  And husband dreamed last night that it was a boy.  According to him, said boy came out of the girly bits the size of a two year old with a huge head and blue eyes.  Oy.

Mood:  I'm quite irritable these days but am trying not to take it out on those around me.  Although I almost lost it on the bagger at the grocery store the other day... but c'mon... the kid was literally only putting one or two items in each bag.  Talk about wasteful.

I've also been pretty stressed about the house renovation lately so I'm sure that's affecting my mood.  We still haven't started and are very quickly running out of time.  I met with our architect AGAIN yesterday and he had more plan revisions to okay. Now that the floor plan is (I feel like I'm jinxing myself for saying this) finally finished he's working on the corresponding drawings (roof plan, foundation plan, elevation, etc.) to submit to the town along with our application for building permit. Hopefully the permit will be issued next week so we can get this show on the road.  

Purchases:  Ordered our crib this week and we're picking up the dresser this afternoon.  The crib is back-ordered til July 16th but came with a free crib mattress so I can deal with that :)

Babyletto Hudson crib in white.  Isn't it lovely?  Can I tell you how hard it was to find a modern crib that we liked that wouldn't break the bank, though?  

This is the dresser.  Yes, it's unfinished.  And yes, I'm probably insane but I plan to paint it a lovely shade of lime green and add some fun knobs.  Wish me luck.

Milestones:  V-Day!!!

*For the first time ever, I'm going to try to link up to another blog in a lame attempt to grow my pathetic little blog (linking to Growing up Geeky's monthly bump update).