The big THREE ZERO!!!!

How far along? 30 weeks!!!  I can't believe how close we are already to meeting our newest son...just 10 weeks to go! :)

Maternity clothes?  Yep, even bought some leggings...I swear these are a pregnant woman's best friend.  They are WAY more comfortable than maternity pants and still look great :)  The ones I got are even lined with fleece (perfect for the colder weather) :)

Stretch marks?  I'm not sure if there's new ones, but the older ones (from Adrian) are more pronounced around my belly button now (which is funny because those are the ones I couldn't see with Adrian until he was born)

Sleep: Pretty good actually...I have to switch sides several times a night or else I get really bad hip pain, but I haven't had to get up as frequently to use the restroom, so that's a pleasant plus :)

Best moment this week:  We had our prenantal appointment last Tuesday with Margie and everything sounds/ looks great.  My blood pressure was great.  I gained 7 lbs since my last visit (6 weeks previous) so a little over a pound per week which is awesome. I am still measuring ahead at 32cm but I measured ahead with Adrian too, so I think that he'll still come around his due date and not early.  And his heartrate was 126 bpm :)  I looked at my pregnancy journal for Adrian, and I just happened to have a prenatal visit the same week with him and his heartrate was 127 bpm...so they're pretty similar in that aspect :)

Another plus this week was Thanksgiving and being able to spend 4 days with Manny...I think Adrian really enjoyed having his dadda with us all day long for the long weekend :)  The food was awesome and the company was equally great with family and friends.  I indulged a lot in sweets and juice, but I think I need to get back to my exclusive water drinking (at least until Christmas dinner).

Movement? He's still really relaxed and only moves certain times of the day (like afternoon around Adrian's nap time and especially when I lay down to sleep).  There were several weeks that I considered him to be a baby ninja because he'd kick and punch out of nowhere a couple times and then that was it haha  That has seemed to calm down, but now he likes to stretch his feet into my ribs and it feels like he lays transverse at times which always causes me to have to run to the bathroom lol
One this that I always enjoy are baby hiccups though...I don't know why, but I think they're just so precious and, unlike Adrian, he doesn't really seem to mind them...When Adrian would get hiccups, he'd get all upset and start kicking like crazy LOL

Cravings? Just sweets since I am limiting myself on them...the more I eat/drink sweets, I would notice swelling in my feet and ankles, so it's best I think to limit my intake, but it makes my craving for them more prononunced :)  I always look forward to my prenatals at night since they are sweet gummys :)

Labor Signs:  None...I'm getting some braxton hicks contractions here and there now, but that's normal...practice makes perfect afterall :)

Belly Button in or out? It semi sticks out now and I can see it through thinner shirts...sometimes it's still flat :)

Rings on or off? Still wearing them...I don't think my hands have swelled at all (even when I had the swelling in my feet)

What I miss:  Motivation to clean haha  Household chores just seem to be even more of a chore now because my center of gravity is off with the growing belly and I seem to get a backache fairly easily.  Funny thing is, is that I am actually beginning to miss being pregnant already because I know this is the last one, and it has been going by super fast this time and I know it'll all be over soon.

What I am looking forward to: Personally, I am looking forward to the birth of my friend Stephanie's daughter in a little over a month from now!  She lives in Italy, so of course I will only be able to see her through pictures, but Stephanie is going to be such a great mom and I am just so thrilled for her and her husband.  I am also looking forward to knowing the gender of my cousin's baby who is due in April!  Not sure if it's just wishful thinking (on my part), but I think she's having a boy (that would make 2 boys for her as well) hehehe
For this pregnancy, I am just looking forward to delivery day, not because I want it to be over, but because we finally get to meet our littlest little man.  We still are making progress on his room, so I am anxious to get that done...which is getting more complicated with the holidays being upon us now.  But he'll be staying in our room in the bassinet at night for several months, so I guess it's not essential to get his room done right now, but it would be a weight off my mind to have it done before his arrival :)

Weekly Wisdom:  I think with the holidays around now, all I can think to write for this weekly wisdom is just for all the things I am thankful for.  I am so thankful for my family near and far that are always such a huge support for me.  I am truly blessed to have everyone I do in my life.  I wish that I could see everyone more often (for those that are far), but am glad to be able to have the technology we do these days to be able to keep in touch so well, even at a distance.
I am also blessed and so thankful that I have been given the ultimate gift of motherhood from the Lord above.  I have two wonderful sons who are my whole world and give me new perspective and purpose in life.  Without them I know that life would not be complete and they definately make me feel whole.
I am grateful to have such great in-laws who raised a wonderful son whom I love with all my heart.  I always feared the "in-laws" that you hear so often about that you just can't please or get along with, but I am lucky enough to have a wonderful extended family who have taken me in since day one as another daughter :)
To me, the holidays are more about family and spending time with one another than about the gifts.  I'm glad to have Adrian with us (and soon his brother) to celebrate the holidays because sometimes I get a little sad missing those that I can't spend the holidays with and those that I will only see again in heaven.  Adrian brings back the excitement and wonder to this time of year and I hope that he will grow to appreciate the holiday as I do and not just for the commercial side of it.

Milestone:  Baby can now regulate his own temperature and he produces his own blood now too!  He will also be gaining about a half a pound per week now until birth (and I will gain around a lb per week).  10 weeks to go!!  According to a little countdown clock on my phone, 66 days! :)

 

 

 

 

27 weeks today! 13 weeks to go!!

How far along? 27 weeks today! Chugging right along! :)

Weight Gain?  I am up 20-21 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight (I weighed 145.8 lbs this morning)...not too bad (sounds like a lot sometimes, but I know my body is quick to go back to normal).  At the end with Adrian, I weighed 164 lbs and when I weighed myself the day after he was born, I had lost 12 lbs immediately.  So I expect I'll probably gain another 19 lbs or so in the coming weeks (equals less than 1.5 lbs per week)...hopefully the holiday eating is good to me though haha

Maternity clothes? Yep!  I was able to fit in quite a few non-maternity shirts before, but now only the longer more flowy shirt are what fit over my big belly haha

Stretch marks?  I'm not sure if I've gotten any more (Since Adrian), but my belly has been itching more lately, so I try and slather on much more lotion! :)

Sleep:  Still waking at least 3 times a night to use the restroom and to flip myself from one side to the other.

Best moment this week: Well last week was so fun with Halloween!  Adrian's first time trick-or-treating and it was definitely a treat having my great friend Stephanie join us.  Adrian was so cute going up to the doors and saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" to everyone...He was not quite sure of the person dressed as Santa though (foreshadowing of whats to come trying to get pictures with Santa this year?) lol  once he saw the candy in his hand, then he cautiously approached him, took the candy and said thank you.  The same happened with a lady dressed as a minion from Despicable me...he was afraid to turn his back on her though when we went to leave haha

Another great moment was getting Adrian's 2nd birthday pictures...although his enthusiasm when taking pictures was short-lived, we still got some great shots and I can't wait to pick them up on Saturday.

I may be biased, but isn't he the most handsome little man you've ever seen?!?



Movement?  He likes to move a lot early morning (I'm getting kicked right now as I type) and he moves a lot when we lay down for bed.  I have gotten a couple rib kicks at 3am when he decides to move and stretch and those were not so pleasant (and they weren't even that hard. yikes!)  At times, he really likes to snuggle really low which means I make a dash to the bathroom (as fast as a pregnant woman can waddle dash HAHA)

Cravings?  Probably sweets since I'm really limiting my intake of them...the day after Halloween, I had indulged in the leftover candy we had and at the end of the day, my feet and ankles had swelled up, which hadn't happened since I had cut out juices and started drinking water exclusively.  So just a sign that what I'm doing is beneficial, but makes sweets even more desireable now!

Labor Signs:  None, 13 weeks ---> 91 days to go!!  Not sure if I've had braxton hicks at this point either, but that's fine with me...funny thing is is that I forget what contractions feel like (except the point that I hit transition and had back labor)...I know I'll remember once they start though haha

Belly Button in or out? It's kind of flat at this point.  Sometimes the bottom sticks out a little, but I don't think that it ever completely popped out with Adrian either.

Rings on or off? They are still on and easily slid on and off :)

What I miss:  My energy.  I know that I'll be exhausted once baby is here, but at least I'll be able to do things like walking up and down the stairs without feeling winded and needing to take a break haha  I also miss not having restless legs when I'm tired and not having pain from SPD, but I know they're not forever and come with the territory of being pregnant, so I will gladly deal with them for 13 more weeks for a healthy baby :)

What I am looking forward to:  I am truly looking forward to meeting our new little man and beginning life as a family of 4!  It seems like this pregnancy has flown by so far, and I'm sure it's bound to start picking up even more now with the holidays!   I think I will miss pregnancy since we're done after this, so I am enjoying it while it lasts, but I think this experience has made it apparent to me that pregnancies after the first are much more exhausting becuase you already have another baby to run after and take care of...I'm not sure how people do it with 3+, but I'm pretty sure that it is definitely not for me haha

I look forward to taking pregnancy pictures in the next couple weeks too probably 3-5 weeks from now :)

Milestone:  One week until we reach the THIRD TRIMESTER!  Yes, that's right, the 3rd trimester already!!  Where did the other 2 go? haha  Baby is approximately 2 lbs now (according to babycenter.com)


Weekly Wisdom: Being a part of a birth board group on a website I think has it's benefits because people share their stories, concerns, questions and most of the time you can relate to them or gain insight from people's posts.  I am a member of a group for February 2013 babies, so all the women on there are generally around 24.5 to 27.5 weeks pregnant at the moment.  My problem with some posts lately is that some women are already discussing how uncomfortable they are right now and/or will be towards the end of their pregnancies and are already talking about how they plan on trying to naturally induce themselves after 37-38 weeks.  I just don't understand the thought process because I understand that while you may not be comfortable the last couple of weeks...it's only a couple weeks!!  The baby is still developing and growing and preparing to make it's entrance into the world...the baby will not stay there forever, and should be allowed to come when it's good and ready (medical issues aside).

I am so grateful to have never experienced a loss and have had two successful and healthy pregnancies thus far, but I don't take that for granted for one second.  How selfish I think it is to complain about the discomforts of pregnancy and decide for yourself the child should be born on your schedule, not theirs.  It makes me angry and sad that there are women who struggle to get pregnant, or to keep a pregnancy and would give anything to reach that 40 weeks, enduring all the pains happily because it's worth the prize at the end of a healthy baby to hold in their arms. And then there's those that complain about every little thing like it's not a big deal to be pregnant.  Every pregnancy is a blessing and a miracle and should be treated as such, not as an inconvenience as some of these women portray it to be.  I think it's sad that some women haven't educated themselves about the benefits of the baby remaining in the womb until it's ready.  Even the March of Dimes has a campaign going urging women to at least go to 39 weeks because it's that important to allow labor to happen naturally rather than to induce because "you're done." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/health/09brody.html

My hope is that more women become educated about the well being of their babies, and stop thinking of themselves selfishly.  I pray that those women I know who are struggling with getting pregnant or loss are able to experience all the "discomforts" that pregnancy brings because it's all worth it. All the morning sickness, all the back ache, all the swelling, all the stretch marks...all of it is worth it!  There should be no complaining about something so precious that many women yearn to have the pleasure of experiencing.

Okay, I've said my piece...onto pictures haha

27 weeks

Adrian and baby brother in belly (stretch marks are my tiger stripes earned from having Adrian) :)

You are so loved little man...can't wait to meet you in February :)