28 Weeks

28 Weeks

Hello 3^rd Trimester!!!

How big is baby: The baby weighs about 2 ¼ lbs, like a Chinese cabbage, and measures almost 15 inches from head to heel.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Back aches and pain in my ribs.

Maternity clothes: My first pair of maternity pants is starting to feel too tight! You know you are really “blossoming” when your maternity clothes don’t fit you as well as they use to.

Stretch marks: Still not a sign of them…

Sleep: I have to turn from side to side frequently throughout the night but I feel fortunate that at least I’m not completely out of the bed to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes yet. Famous last words.

Best moment of the week: I just absolutely love feeling the baby move especially now that she responds to touch and sounds.

Movement: She is giving me fewer kicks and jabs. Now I just feel her slowly rolling and stretching.

Food cravings: Fruit!

Food aversions: None

Labor signs: None

Belly button: I would call it a halfsie. It’s not completely out but it’s certainly a different look than I was sporting pre-pregnancy.

What I miss: Sleeping through the night on my stomach.. the small things..

What I am looking forward to: I am really looking forward to not being pregnant anymore and just being a mom to our daughter. As selfish as it may seem, I want my clear skin and body back.

On the to-do list: Finishing up the nursery and organizing all of her things!

Milestones: She can now blink her eyes! With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters through.

Something funny/memorable from work: I think the bigger I get, the more reality sets in for my students. I had the “when is your due date again?” question at least a dozen times this week. I think up until the belly really started to pop, they were able to put it out of their mind but not anymore. I have less than 40 days of work until I am on family leave. This is really the final stretch!

27 Weeks

27 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby Voorhies is almost 2 pounds and 14 ½ inches long with her legs extended. 2 pounds is about the weight of a head of cauliflower.

Pregnancy Symptoms: I have aches in my back, hips and ribs.  

Maternity clothes: Everything is maternity now. I keep rotating my tops!

Stretch marks: So far, so good!

Sleep: I am more tired now than I have been the last few months. I am back to having naps almost every day. Sleeping through the night is impossible.

Best moment of the week: Rawley and I were sitting on the couch this week relaxing and I was trying to get him to feel the baby kick and move. I ran my fingers across my belly to see if I could wake her up and she responded right back by moving right across the same area I touched. We tried this a few times and each time she responded! It was pretty amazing. I was also able to find her heartbeat for the first time with a fetal stethoscope at home that a friend let us borrow.

Movement: Tons of movement. It is my favorite part about being pregnant other than having a baby in the end.

Food cravings: Nothing special.

Food aversions: The smell of fish.

Labor signs: None that I’m aware of. I’m suspicious that I may be experiencing Braxton Hicks from time to time but I’m not sure.

Belly button:  Still in.

What I miss: Uninterrupted sleep and big glasses of wine.

What I am looking forward to: When I am awake in the middle of the night, looking at our baby and having a reason to be awake.  

On the to-do list: We are still working on decorating the nursery and it is coming along. I think it is going to be amazing!

Milestones: She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now.

Something funny/memorable this week: Rawley called my belly a “one pack” yesterday. I got a good laugh out of that!

26 Weeks

26 Weeks

How big is baby: Our baby is as tall as an English cucumber at 14 inches head to heel. She weighs about 1 2/3 pounds.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Still experiencing the acne plague but on a happy note, I have noticed a huge decrease in frequency of headaches. Fatigue is make a comeback and I am starting to take naps again on most days.

Maternity clothes: Say goodbye to all my pre-pregnancy clothes. They are now being packed away. The bump has taken over!

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Lots of naps!

Best moment of the week: I think I felt hiccups this week! I also found, only once, the baby’s heartbeat with a fetal stethoscope we are borrowing from a friend.  

Movement: Hiccups, kicks and body rolls. I love when the baby is moving!

Food cravings: none

Food aversions: none

Labor signs: none

Belly button: In but it is definitely starting to creep out…

What I miss: I miss not having any sense of fear on a daily basis. I always saw myself as a realistic and rational person but now I am extremely paranoid. Every new pain or change in movement freaks me out. I worry about our baby and if she is okay to the point of obsession. Thank God the nurses are so patient and understanding with us first-time moms!

What I am looking forward to: I’m looking forward to the next time I get to crawl into bed and sleep!

On the to-do list: We need to keep working on the nursery and finalize plans with the doula we have contacted.  

Milestones: “The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat.”

Something funny/memorable from work: I was walking very quickly to the piano in the auditorium when leading the guys in for a sectional during class and I heard one of them say, “She is moving so fast. She must have the strength of two humans!”



Before and now...

Here is my first baby bump photo at 8 weeks pregnant:

And here is my most recent photo at 25 weeks:

Big changes and more to come!

25 Weeks

25 Weeks

How big is baby: She is about the size of an eggplant weighing 1 ½ lbs and measuring 13 ½ inches.

Pregnancy Symptoms: My skin is still yucky but the headaches are becoming more manageable which is an incredible change! I can really feel the weight of the baby now on my internal organs (bladder…) and she barely weighs much! That makes me nervous for the next 3 months~

Maternity clothes: I received so many cutes tops for Christmas! Thank you family J  I purchased another pair of maternity jeans at Target. Love those maternity jeans! I might keep wearing them forever J

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: My naps during the day are much more successful than my evening attempts at sleep.

Best moment of the week: The baby was awake for our New Year’s Eve celebration bouncing around to the all the sounds she could hear.

Movement: The baby now has a sense of equilibrium and is learning right side up from upside down. I think this is what is causing all the movement at night when I shift from side to side. Now that I’m back at work this week, the baby is awake most of the morning moving around while I am teaching and things quiet down in the afternoon.

Food cravings: No new cravings this week.

Food aversions: None

Labor signs: None

Belly button: In

What I miss: Sorry for the description, but I miss normal bathroom patterns. If you can’t be honest on your blog…

What I am looking forward to: The weekend is almost here and I am excited to get some extra hours of sleep! I am also really excited for Teresa, Misty’s mom, to come up and brainstorm ideas for the nursery! J

On the to-do list: Nursery decorating and meeting with pediatricians. Our calendar is full of appointments. Yesterday I went from an appointment with my diabetes nurse to an appointment with the chiropractor. There is always something!

Milestones: She is beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. She’s also growing more hair- and if you could see it, you’d be able to discern its color and texture. But if she looks like I did as a newborn, she will definitely be a baldy!

Something funny/memorable from work: My students were very excited to hear the news that we are having a baby girl. Now they want to know her name. Isn’t knowing it is a girl enough for you!! J