27 wks (5ds)

I am in my third trimester and I feel sick. I'm talking reflux like you wouldn't believe, back spasms and being just generally worn out and exhausted. Right now I am nauseous, probably from all the stomach acid, and I just want to curl up somewhere warm and soft. It's been a busy week, again! But good busy! Thanks to my husband and his amazing parents we have constructed a fence around our yard this weekend. This makes me so excited, because now when Bebe's born we can lounge out in the backyard on nice days. And yesterday Jason and I took our tour of Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and it was, can I say, amazing. As Jason put it, "this place is more like a hotel than a hospital. It doesn't even smell like a hospital!" And it really didn't. The rooms are all private rooms, with bathrooms and large tubs in each of them. Medical equipment is hidden behind paintings and wall decor that moves like it was designed by Q from James Bond. The entrance to the building has you waking through this waterfall corridor thing and the waiting area is this giant spherical shape Jason described as "Sea World meets Death Star." Up in recovery I get my own room again, with a private bathroom and shower, and this crazy room service menu that's all included. Jason, who hates hospitals and is hard to impress, was in awe about the entire place. As am I! As far as hospitals and delivering babies are concerned, this place seems pretty top notch and I'm excited!

This week Bebe is 14.5" long and weighs 2 lbs. - making her as heavy as a head of cauliflower. She apparently has regular sleeping and waking schedules, but I haven't quite figured them out yet. Then again, I don't have regular sleeping and waking schedules so I would not be shocked if she didn't either. Oops :\ But she's opening and closing her eyes now, and she's sucking on her fingers and toes. Her brain is in high development - as are her lungs. If she was born now they would be capable of functioning... with a lot of help, of course. Apparently hiccups can begin around this time so I'll be on the watch for those! Tomorrow is also my first childbirth class too, so with any luck I won't be so late next week!

26 wks (6ds)

I'm sorry I suck at these. I have company right now and she's been very distracting! But I am doing my patented "let me crank this out 1 hour before my next week starts" thing. 26 weeks has been good!! I did Epcot again and survived walking around from 1pm-9pm and then dinner and leaving at 11pm. And today I spent 6 hours walking various malls. So I'm doing really well! I spent a really awesome week down visiting the parents, as well. I've been a busy little bee, I promise I haven't been neglecting this out of laziness!! Bebe's been spoiled this week!! I got my first gift from my Secret Stork (like a Secret Santa, but it's between pregnant people) and it was a really soft green, pink and white striped blanket and a Bunny Bank that looks so cute with her bedding set! Then when my friend Gina visited she brought a BEAUTIFUL little footie onesie with tiny pink and gray Eiffel towers and poodles and a little matching stuffed poodle dog. Then later bought a seriously adorable dress from Janie & Jack that I can't wait to dress Bebe in when she fits in 6-12 mo. clothes! Not even born and already being spoiled. She's also being just as active as ever and as I write this is twitching and moving about inside. Though she typically does this after I've had a busy day. Speaking of busy I went out and got a shirt and dress for my maternity shoot in a couple weeks, a new bra (I have officially gone from a 36B to a 38D, omg), and 2 long sleeved cotton maternity shirts for the upcoming fall/winter. It's so weird thinking how close I am to the end of this.

Speaking of close, Bebe is now 1 and 2/3 lbs. and 14" making her as long as an English Hothouse Cucumber. The networks in her ears are getting really developed and she can hear other voices when I'm having a conversation with them. Which means she has heard a lot of Gina this week! She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid that helps her lungs develop and learn how to breathe. She isn't a boy, but if she was then the testicles would beginning the long journey to descend into the scrotum. But that doesn't matter here! The most important thing is that at 26 weeks her chances of survival outside of me is now up to 90%!! This is such a relief! Basically? Good week.

25 wks (4ds)

So in direct contrast to my last post, I actually took this picture Saturday and wrote this today since I had no time to sit down and write this. I'm down visiting the parental units for the week! I'm excited, because my family is finally getting to see me looking pregnant - and my Mom got to feel Bebe kicking finally too! The other night at dinner my sister was astonished to hear that I would, in fact, be getting bigger. Much bigger, sorry to say. As my second trimester comes to it's final two weeks (oh dear God, how is that possibly true?) symptoms are starting to come at me hard. Like the fact that a few days ago there was a tiny damp spot on my shirt. I was like, "Really, you have at least 3.5 more months before this is necessary, let's not get over eager." Fortunately, my mammaries listened and they've been good for a few days now. But then there was Epcot. So those who know Jason and I know that our weakness is Disney. It is what we always give each other for Christmas/Birthdays: Renewal of our Annual Passes. And one very big reason why is the Annual Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. THis year it runs September 30-November 13 and we literally wait all year for it. Last year we were trying to get pregnant during that time so when I would find out I wasn't pregnant (this happened twice during the festival run time) Jason would take me there to cheer up and let me drown my baby-less sorrows with Toasted Cherry Coladas at the Puerto Rico booth or champagne at the Dessert booth. This year no such sorrow drowning is necessary and I consider it Epcot's personal baby gift to me that they do not have Puerto Rico and it's Toasted Cherry Coladas this year to taunt me. Instead I have been salivation over the idea of Belgium's waffles and berry compote and Ireland's chocolate lava cake and Canada's cheddar cheese soup. We had been counting down to September 30, so when that day came we hauled ourselves over there in excitement. We started in France where I enjoyed a milk chocolate creme brulee and made our way to Belgium for my waffles and Jason enjoyed some mussels in garlic cream sauce and a beer. It was super hot so I'd already gotten a water bottle and finished it while we lounged in the grass and then in a shop to cool off before heading to Hops & Barley so I could get a lobster roll. I sent Jason inside to the Liberty Inn to get a table and waited in line - ordering another water. All of a sudden my vision just went spotty and darkened. So I opened the water bottle and chugged half of it, but it didn't help. By the time I got my lobster roll my hearing was fuzzy and my vision hadn't improved. I kept thinking "I am going to pass out and Jason will never know and I just have to get inside and I'll be fine." So somehow I managed to walk from the stand to Liberty Inn and saw him and sat down and put my head down and oh my goodness did it suddenly hurt. Eventually it passed and I ate my roll to have food that wasn't technically considered a dessert. We went next door for the 30 minute America! presentation thing because it was dark and air conditioned and I felt a lot better by the time it was over. I had a ravioli in italy after, but needed substantial food so we at pizza at Via Napoli and I was able to walk back to the car after with no problems! But oh my goodness, what a way to start my beloved festival. When I go next week I'll be sure to eat plenty before attempting to eat every dessert they offer there.

Aside from a brief foray into lactating and botching the Food & Wine opening, I'm still doing good and can't believe how close my third trimester is! We have plans this month to put up a fence, paint the nursery and get our crib delivered so I feel a little more in control of everything. And next month I have my shower (November 12)! With showers come, of course, registries. Let me tell you all how Target is the bane of my existence and probably run by minions of the underworld. I registered at Babies 'R' Us first, but decided Target seemed a good supplementary registry so registered there. Then. Oh, then. They completely changed their website and it is EVIL. It refused to let me log in or send me my password and when I called I was told to create a new account and registry and it would be merged. It never was. So I re added everything from my old to my new. Well then my old registry popped up in searches and I couldn't access it so I called AGAIN and they deleted the other registry. Yay. All is well and good. Of course until I tried to add something to the registry. It popped up with the "This item has been successfully added to your registry!" thing but when I actually viewed my registry? Nope! NOT THERE. Hours later and this is still the same thing. I tried logging out and back in. I tried different browsers. I tried different computers. Nothing. By this point I had a migraine and was close to tears. Eventually Target stopped letting me see my Registry at all and instead sent me Error messages. Which is when Jason lost his patience with me losing my patience and declared "Oh my God, just register at Amazon!" This advice proved to be my lifesaver. Amazon was quick, painless and easy. I could even use their Universal Wish List to register for things only available at Target without actually registering at Target! Of course Target refused me access to my registry so I could delete it for almost two weeks, but eventually i got in and it is gone as well as my headache! My hatred of Target was only cemented when I went there to try and purchase and send a gift to my cousin for her wedding and after three days I still got an error message whenever I tried to select the item on her registry. I gave up and used her other registry without difficulties. Burn, Target.com, burn.

But frustration hasn't been the only thing I've experienced lately. I recently registered for all Jason's and my pregnancy classes! They're offered through the hospital I'm delivering at, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, which makes it super easy. Our first class on the 17th is the Hospital Tour and then Wednesday we start our first of a Four Week series of classes called 'Preparation for Birth.' Then after we finish those we have a Basic Infant Care class. Two weeks after that is our Pre Natal Breastfeeding class, then next week is a class where we learn about early infant illnesses and things, then finally the next week (12/21) is our last class which is Planning a Positive Birth. I'm sure you'll all hear about these as I take them and share about them when they happen. But I'm really excited to begin classes! It makes it seem real that this is actually happening and SOON!

How soon? Well at 25 weeks Bebe is 13.5" long and weighs about 1.5lbs, making her around the size of an eggplant. She's long and skinny right now but she'll be filling out more as the weeks pass. Her hair is really starting to come in and apparently if I could see her I'd be able to tell what color and texture it is. This is still a topic of conversation and Jason and I are venturing to guess that she'll be born with darker hair and it will lighten to a dark blonde color similar to Jason. I'm hoping she has his hair's tendency to curl as well. My mom still thinks she'll be a redhead like my sister and my uncle, but we'll see in 15 more weeks I suppose!

24 wks (6ds)

I never claimed to be good with deadlines, all right? I am pretty sure my problem isn't actually writing these blogs (which I can do fairly fast) but in taking pictures. Oh my goodness do I avoid doing it! Maybe it won't be as bad when I get my iPhone (oh my God, I've been waiting like 3 years for an iPhone people) and can take my picture when I like and not be dependent on Jason coming home with his phone. BUT I DIGRESS. I am 24 weeks. Yay me! Odds of Bebe surviving outside of me are now up to 50% which is a lot better than 30%! As for me I am still starving and I still want cake and sweets (I made Monkey bread at 1am last night) which is going to make the week before my glucose test next month when I cut out sugar SO MUCH FUN. That's sarcasm. I did have my 24 week appointment on Friday and everything was great! I measured right on track and I am +13 lbs from my starting weight. Her heartbeat was high 130's - low 140's. My blood pressure was perfect. Everything is going great! As for her, she's moving around like an insane person and I feel her all the time. I still have bad acid reflux though, which isn't fun at all, but I'm crossing my fingers and going "hair hair hair hair."

Bebe! Bebe is 24 weeks and she's now just over 1lb. and 12" making her the size of a Subway $5 Foot Long. Or an ear of corn. Whatever you're into. My uterus has now grown to the size of a soccer ball. Her brain is developing even more and so is her tastebuds, meaning she's really enjoying that monkey bread flavored amniotic fluid. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Right now she's still thin and lean and her skin is translucent but in the next few weeks that's going to improve!

23 wks (3ds)

I am 23 weeks, and this means Bebe is officially viable. Now, when my mom first told me she'd breathe easier when i got to 23 weeks because of this I was like "okay cool?" but didn't really get it. So I did what all first time pregnant people do when they come across a term related to their pregnancy that they don't entirely comprehend: I Googled it. Now the term 'viability' by itself isn't that confusing. I know it means that the amazing staff at Winnie Palmer - where I'm delivering - would do whatever they could to keep her alive and that she had a fighting chance. But just HOW viable would she be? 23 weeks is very early, after all. According to the all mighty Wikipedia, in a study done from 2003-2005 shows that babies born at 23 weeks had a 20-35% survival rating. This increased to 50% at 24/25 weeks and up to 90% for the 26/27 week mark. So it's very much a relief to have reached this point in my pregnancy, and I feel like I have a safety net to work with. Of course I want her to stay in there for the next 14-17 weeks (oh my God, how do I only have 14-17 more weeks left??) so that she grows strong and healthy. I still worry about her constantly, but I have learned to accept that as just par for the course. I'm never going to not worry about her, so I may as well just accept it and put it aside as something I won't be able to help. But Friday is my monthly appointment and I'm looking forward to hearing that woosh-woosh heartbeat and knowing she is alright.

As for me I've still had the Acid Reflux, though since giving up OJ it has been a lot better. I read an interesting ARTICLE about a study on heartburn that Johns Hopkins University performed on Heartburn and Hair Growth that was really interesting!! I've also been finding myself getting terribly nauseous around dinner time. I'll eat dinner and then feel like I want to be sick. Last night it hit me around 9pm and tonight around 8. It's starting to wear off a little now, but I still just feel ill. Hopefully this isn't a symptom that stays because I am starving all the time now and I really really just want to eat.

As for Bebe, she weighs just over 1 lb. and is now just over 11" long making her about the size of a papaya. Her sense of movement is now developed and when I jump around or dance or move she can feel it. BabyCenter says I might be able to see her moving but they're a little off as I've been seeing her move for a week now. Blood vessels are developing in her lungs as well to prepare them for breathing (and screaming). Her ears have also gotten pretty keen and loud sounds she hears now will help prepare her for life outside of me. We saw Lion King in 3D last night, so while the 3D did absolutely nothing for her I hope she absorbed listening to the movie!!

22 wks (4ds)

So this week was characterized by people I don't know acknowledging my pregnancy! An older man in Publix asked me if the baby was going to eat all the food I was getting and I laughed and said she was the reason I was there. And the pâtisserie girl in Morocco at Epcot asked how far along I was and the gender and then started giving me a dozen or so girl names I should use. Each awkward in their own ways, but the awkwardness did not eclipse the "!!! I look pregnant and not like I am wearing clothes way too small for me!" feeling that I am (still) self consciously experiencing at times. Also notable this week is that I am coming to the very sad realization that I cannot, in fact, spend all day walking a theme park anymore. Before pregnancy I would have no problem spending 16 or so hours opening and closing a park and being on my feet the whole time. Yesterday I did about 7 hours - with frequent stops to sit and rest - as I walked the whole park and back and forth across the World Showcase twice and I had to sit down at the Boardwalk resort and let Jason pick me up with the car because he took one look at me shuffling and knew taking another step was asking a lot of me. Today my shins are in, oh my god, so much pain. But I had an amazing time exhausting myself with my cousin, Becca, and ate a lot so in the end it was totally worth the pain. And I am not exaggerating by saying I ate a lot either. I did.

Bebe was pretty quiet the entire day at the park but almost as soon as I got home and sat back in the recliner with my poor abused feet up and a pillow behind my back then she started moving like crazy. It wasn't, however, until around midnight when I was watching tv that I looked down at my stomach and saw that just to the right of my belly button a part of my stomach move up and back down. Weirdest. Thing. Ever. It's one thing feeling her move but seeing my stomach move was just so bizarre. Amazing, yes, but in a sort of creepy "holy hell, I have something living in my stomach and it's MOVING" sort of way. This morning I was laying in bed and feeling her move so I decided to watch again and sure enough there was a noticeable visible movement to my stomach a few times. I think this one is going to take just a little bit to get used to because it is so so weird!

In less exciting developments, I am probably going to have to sadly say goodbye to my daily OJ because I cannot TELL YOU how terribly I've had Acid Reflux this week. I should note that I have never in my life experienced acid reflux before. But the other night I couldn't even sleep because I would lay down and feel like my throat was filling with stomach acid. I finally piled up three pillows and managed to sleep somewhat half sitting up. I know the old wives tale about heartburn being relative to the hair baby has, so I'll put up with it if it means she's going to come out with a headful of whatever-color-hair. My mom informed me that of her three pregnancies she had the worst heartburn with me and I had the most hair, and she had the least with my youngest sister who was born bald. So who knows! According to the all mighty internet, it is being caused because the increased production of estrogen and progesterone (which, yay for my body finally producing it. thanks placenta!) intended to relax my uterine muscles and help them to stretch has also relaxed my lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and is allowing stomach acid to flow into my esophagus. Acid can also be pushed up into my esophagus if the baby is crowding my abdomen, and since she is sitting really high this is entirely possible as well. I just don't like it. It was suggested to limit my intake of dairy, chocolate and fruit and I went "haha, no" since those are pretty much the staples of my diet these days.

That growing baby, Bebe, is now about 1 lb. and 11" - making her the length of a spaghetti squash. Eyelids, eyebrows and lips are all distinct now and she's growing tiny toothbuds beneath her gums. Her eyes are formed beneath those now formed eyelids but the iris' are lacking pigment. Meanwhile I am trying to guess what color eyes she is going to have, but they don't even have a color yet! She's also developed a fine covering of hair called lanugo which she should have until around 33-36 weeks. She also has deep wrinkles in her skin right now as it waits for her to gain some fat to fill the skin in and make her look like a real newborn. Inside, she is working had on developing her pancreas. She is also destined to be a ballet dancer or an acrobat or a martial artist because, I swear, she is doing something in there. But it's fine. Her mom has no grace or athletic ability so if she does it can't possibly be a bad thing.

21 wks (6ds)

Let's see how fast I can write this! I'm sorry I'm so late. I had company and I lost my dress for a few days and finally found that it had fallen behind a suitcase and oh my God was that a headache. Speaking of headaches, I haven't had those. BUT. I have had like everything else this past week. Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux. It's been fun. Lots of fun. Especially when I got bad indigestion cramps and called my mom to make sure that's really what it was and not something really bad. Nope. Just my body deciding it wanted to give me some fun new symptoms. I still have backaches but a nice body temperature bath or shower and it feels a lot better. I've also gotten this awful roll of exhaustion this past week and I just want to curl up and sleep for a year some days. Yeah yeah, this will all get multiplied by about a billion in the coming months I know. Sigh. I also made an appointment for our 3D ultrasound in Ft. Lauderdale for October 29! I'll be 29 weeks and the girl said it was the perfect time when I told her that so I am excited and HOPING Bebe cooperates. I also made plans with Lindsay (You Are The Roots) who has done all of Jason's and my important photos (engagement, wedding) to do our Maternity photos on Sunday the 30th. I am so excited you don't even know. I just want to go shopping now even though I know I need to wait a little longer so that I buy clothes that will, you know, fit me. Also really exciting was this weekend when Jason's parents were visiting we got our crib and dresser set (not in white, it's in cinnamon)!! But yes, lots of things this week.

Baby shower also has a date! Nov. 12th! And I'm going to have to start compiling invitation lists. Fuuuun. But! Question for all you moms - and you can answer here or FB or e-mail me, whatever!

1. What is one item you registered for that has proven invaluable?
2. What items did you register for that have proved a waste of money?
3. If you could go back and register differently, what items would you make sure you put on the list>

Bebe is now 3/4 of a lb. and 10.5" and is as long as a banana! But Katie, 10.5" inches is a huge jump from 6.5" inches! How big did she grow?! Not that big. But at 21 weeks measurement changes. She is now being measured from crown to foot instead of crown to rump. Fun huh? So yes, she is a banana now and she is super active. Tonight Jason even remarked that he felt the best kicks yet (and she was super active tonight - I guess she really liked my chicken tender sub from Publix!!) and she has certainly been feeling stronger to me. I can tell she is laying with her head on my right side and her feet on my left and I can feel where her head is on my stomach too. It's so bizarre, but amazing. Bebe finally has eyebrows and eyelids now, although her eyes are still fused shut as she grows her eyes and won't open for another 7 weeks. We can wait. We have plenty of Disney music to listen to.