28 Week Check-Up & Welcome 3rd Trimester!

I had my 28 week appointment and officially hit my 3rd trimester on Monday!! We're pleased to report that our little guy continues to do well. My appointment this time was rather lengthy as it involved my 1 hr glucose test, a sonogram, and then a visit with my OB.  This appointment was my last "monthly visit", which totally freaks me out that I'm now moving on to more frequent visits.

First up...... my glucose test. It wasn't as awful as everyone makes it sound. Yeah, the drink isn't good, but it could have been worse. I downed the orange flavored drink in 4 minutes before leaving home, then got my labs drawn right at the 1 hour mark. So, everything was timed perfectly.



Mmmm!

My sonogram was after my labs. I got to see the same nutty (in a good way) sonographer again. This lady is a hoot and has been doing pre-natal sono's for 30 plus years so she's good! First things first she determined that he was head down, his little tush was on my left side, then his feet were up in my right rib cage. She then did some measurements on our little guy and determined he was about 3 lbs and 1 oz (whoa!). I was shocked that he is already estimated to be this big and I asked her if I should be worried. She said, "no, that's why they make drugs." NOT FUNNY! She did an unofficial BPP on him (Bio-Physicial Profile) and he passed with flying colors. Although he was a bit stingy with a good side profile shot, he faced us majority of the time and kept opening and closing his eyes. He was also snuggled in with his hand right under his chin, just like how his momma sleeps. :) Unfortunately, John wasn't able to be there, but the sonographer made sure to send me home with lots of pictures.

I ended the morning with seeing Dr. W and got the following report.....

• BP was high initially (150's/80's). Retake after laying down for a while was 106/52. Figure that one out!
• Urine was still free of protein and sugar.
• Belly measured at 29cm.
• Heart rate was in the 140's
• Weight gain- about 3 lbs, total now is 20. She is not concerned about this number at all.

She said I would get a call in a few days if I didn't pass my glucose test. Otherwise, if it was normal I can carry on. I'm still crossing my fingers. We talked a little about Braxton-Hicks and how I have them occasionally but nothing consistent. Dr. W also told me she wanted to see me back weekly starting at my next visit on August 14th. She wants to do weekly BPP's, monthly growth checks, and then still do my visits with her every two weeks. Her reason for the BPP's are to monitor me and him more closely with my history of Factor V. I'm not complaining one bit that I get to see the little guy weekly. :) The sonographer did mention that if he doesn't pass something in the BPP right away that they would put me on a monitor in the office. She said to help avoid that I should drink a little caffeine or juice before my sonograms so we can catch him being active and not sleeping.

All and all it was a good visit. I was bummed John couldn't miss work to be there but, he is planning on going to one of my September appointments.

I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and can't seem to wrap my mind about how fast this pregnancy has gone. We've got 11 1/2 weeks left until we meet our son and yet so much to do between now and then. I'm just trying to soak it all up while I can and try not to stress about the little, un-important details. All that matters is that he's healthy and that we transition well as a family.

Keep up the good work little man. I can't wait to see you again on the 14th! :)



Foot

Profile shot

Facing us with  eyes open and right hand under his chin.

Another face and hand under chin view.

Confirming he is still a boy!

  

3rd Trimester! YAY!!!

27 weeks

Today marks the last day of trimester #2!! I simply cannot belive how fast time is going. I'm feeling good (with the exception of pesky back pain) and anxious for my OB appointment tomorrow. Week 27 has been a busy one,  but there week be more to come in other posts. Until then,  enjoy a few bump shots.  :)

26 weeks

Not a lot of change to report for week 26! This momma is really starting to get a round belly and I am so in love with it. Our litle man continues to kick and stretch all day every day. His kicks and punches are starting to get more powerful, in result keeping momma up. If I wake up early in the morning to pee the odds of me going back to sleep are slim thanks to his ninja moves. :) But, what a blessing to experience.

John has been super cute and continues to dote over my figure. He constantly tells me that from behind I don't even look pregnant ( I love him for this sweet comment), although I would argue differently. My belly button is also starting to become more of an "outie".

My next OB apt is just 10 days away where I'll do my glucose test and get another sonogram. Keep on growing little man! Your arrival is not far away and we are getting so excited to meet you!

Nursery

We started little man's nursery last weekend. YAY! It is slowly a work in progress but it's coming along. John and Grandma Linda were awesome enough to give up their Saturday to give the room a fresh coat of paint. Silly me for not taking a before picture. Although the room was so cluttered I would have been a little embarassed to show anyone.

The color is "Coventry Grey" by Benjamin Moore (same as our bedroom). It's the perfect soft grey to go with the navy and white bedding that is on our registry. We are slowly working on getting the room put back together. Our desk still remains in the middle of the room and there are some areas that still need to be touched up.

John and I ventured to Nebraska Furniture Mart last Sunday to take a look at potential furnitire options. Now, we just need to make the decisions and order certain pieces.

Slowly but surely his room is coming together nicely, and our little man will be residing in it by the end of the next 13.5 weeks (WHOA!).

25 weeks

When the 25 week mark hit, I suddenly had a surge of varying emotions running though me. Time is seriously going so fast and I often find my mind racing as I ponder my gigantic, pre-baby arrival to-do list.

I was looking through Aunt Meggie's blog the other night back to when she was pregnant with Jack and found this format that she had used for a weekly update. So I thought I would change it up a bit!


How Far Along? 25 weeks

Total Weight Gain: Scale at home says 18.

Maternity Clothes: Mostly. I can still wear some non-maternity items, but not many.

Sleep: Up and down. Some night's it's good and others I tend to toss and turn more. It's definitely getting more uncomfortable to just sleep on my side (makes my hips sore).

Best Moment This Week: Feeling little man kick high into my ribs.

Movement: TONS! He moves

Food Cravings: Frosted Mini-Wheats are still a current favorite.

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button (in or out): Half in and half out...looks super weird!

What I miss: A nice cold beer on these hot summer days & a high intensity workout!

What I am looking forward to: Starting little man's nursery this weekend! Eeek!! :)

Holiday with the Howe's

John and I enjoyed the 4th of July holiday weekend with the Howe clan. We set out after work on Thursday for the 6 1/2 hour drive north. We made pretty good timing, arriving at the Howe's at midnight. We grabbed our stuff and tip toed into the house to head straight for bed. We were greeted with quite the display in the guest room. First, a lovely display of towel swans, this time including a baby swan. :) Then, this beloved box that holds what is our jogging stroller! We are SOOOO excited for this gear item and know it will get a lot of use.

Our beloved jogging stroller!

Impressive towel swan display- courtesy of Dr. Howe

Friday, we were awoken by little foot steps as both girls hopped into bed to snuggle with us. There was a lot of discussion about them wanting to know where the baby is, if it's a boy or girl, and what his name is (super cute!). We shuffled downstairs to see Matt and Malia and enjoyed chatting over breakfast and planned the day ahead.

Morning snuggles

After breakfast, we all got ready to head to Minneapolis. This journey consisted of lunch and beer tastings at Surley Brewing Co. Surly is a MN beer that we cannot get in KC and it has become a favorite of John's. Surley not only has great beers but we also discovered that they have amazing food!!

Lunch at Surly

After lunch we ventured to the Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, not far from Surly. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and a leisurely walk around the garden.

Walking on the bridge.



While walking through the Sculpture Garden, John spotted a sign labeled "Taproom" with an arrow pointing down the street. Intrigued, we all followed the sign and stumbled upon a little tasting room by Sisyphus Brewing Co. I was told the beer was tasty. I enjoyed my water along with the girls enjoying their Strawberry Soda. The atmosphere of this place was very chill. The owner had their dog roaming about, other customers were ordering pizza from outside sources, and they had both adult and kid friendly games. It was a win for everyone!



A little game of Guess Who

Shuffle board

 Exhausted from the trek around Minneapolis, we headed back to Rochester to relax, enjoy a delicious grilled steak, and play some new games before turning in for the night.

"Camel Up"

The 4th (Saturday) was yet another fun filled day. Malia and I enjoyed a nice morning walk before getting ready to head out on a sisters date for lunch at Chester's down by Mayo. It's not every day I get to enjoy 1-on-1 time with each of my sisters, so it was nice to have some girl time. It was nice to catch up and get some soon-to-be mommy advice. We devoured a yummy lunch before Malia introduced me to the beloved dessert below, Banana Cream Pie. There are no words for this dessert, purely one of the best desserts I've had to date.





Banana Cream Pie- Out. Of. This. World.

Sister Selfie

While Malia and I were on our sister date, the boys loaded up the girls for a bike ride. John got a taste of what it's going to be like to bike with a child bike trailer. He's been researching different options for us to use once our little guy is big enough.

The girls loaded in the Burley, ready to be chauffeured by Uncle John.

Post bike ride and sister lunch date, we all got ready to head a little 4th of July party with Matt and Malia's friends. We enjoyed a yummy dinner, an outside movie, dessert, and fireworks!

Ready for the party.

Obligatory Aunt/Uncle and niece picture

Smoke bombs!

The party hosts

We got up early to pack, load the car, and enjoy a quick breakfast before hitting the road. It was a great weekend and we really enjoyed our time with family. I couldn't help but think that likely the next time I'll see our nieces there will be a new addition to the family and how different that will seem. I'm definitely excited to see how our nieces and nephews react to our little one.

Our journey home went smooth. We had a mid-afternoon pit stop at mom and dad's for appetizers and a quick chat before finishing the drive to KC. The weekend simply passed too quickly!

Thanks again Howe's for having us!

24 weeks

How is it possible that we only have just over 15 weeks until we meet our little man?!?!

Just thinking about how quickly this pregnancy is going scares me at times. I often find myself day dreaming of his birth and the emotions involved, how my delivery will go, and what life is truly going to feel like with a tiny human. It's exciting and somewhat scary at the same time.

Things that are happening.....

• Insomnia- I have been awake more during the night just tossing and turning trying to get comfortable due to the increase in side of the bump over the last couple of weeks.
• I'm addicted to Frosted Mini Wheats (thanks Aunt, Meggie!!!).
• I'm feeling more movement- he's rolling,kicking, punching, and today he started taking an adventure into my right rib cage.
• I'm feeling less agile and some things like bending over to put shoes on are getting harder to accomplish. 
• I finished my first knit baby hat! 

Overall, I'm feeling good and time is passing by. Keep up the growing little one! 

My beloved mini-wheats...Costco edition.

My first ever knit baby hat!

Baby Mobile

 As I previously mentioned, John's beloved red truck died 2 weeks ago. He was en route from his office to the airport to catch a business flight when the truck died in the middle of the intersection on his way to the airport. After much discussion, we realized it was time to move on to another vehicle. We knew the days of the truck were coming to an end in 2015 as was a single cab and did not have sufficient room for a carseat (John would argue this, but I'm too OCD about a baby and the truck).

 

John loved his truck and I'll admit I was a little sad for him (although he likes to think I celebrated the truck's death). He had done a lot of research on quad-cab trucks and small SUV's. We spent majority of 10 days searching for the perfect fit and finally found our gem last Wednesday.

 

We are now proud owners of a GMC Terrain and we love it! We made sure to get a hitch so we can get a bike rack to haul our bike gear and it has plenty of back seat room for our little man and riding guests.

 

Welcome to the family, Baby Mobile! :)