Pregnancy Update: Weeks 26 to 29

I guess I should note that I as of today I am 30 weeks! But I don't have any pictures to share to go with that news, so we'll just ignore that til the next blog post ;-)

So I was trying to do this every two weeks, but it hasn't really worked out that way... Oh well. I feel like there have been some significant changes since the last time I blogged, so I'm excited to share!

1) I am officially in the third trimester! Woot woot! That happened at Week 28.
2) I started having regular heartburn. Sad day. It started the day of the first trimester. I guess it was baby girl's welcome to me...? :-/
3) I've gained weight! I know, I know. Who cares, right?? Meeeee!!!
4) Okay, can't think of anything else right now. Onto the fun part: pictures!

26 Weeks. Just lounging around, ya know.

26 Weeks. Aww look at that belly :) ...and that cute maternity dress! ;-)

 26 Weeks. Bad lighting in our room.

26 Weeks. Aww, I love it. 

Hmm, so let's see what I can remember from being 26 weeks. Seems so long ago! Well for one, I was in Miami, Florida to celebrate Christmas with the Husband's side of the family when these pictures were taken. It was after we went to Sunday service at the church the he grew up in (same place where our wedding was held!). We drove all the way there! It took 21 hours to get there (long food stops hehe), and it took 16 and 1/2 hours to get back! That's actually crazy because I needed more bathroom breaks on the way back. Hubby was speeding lol. (In his defense, he had to go to work the next morning, and I didn't do any driving...)

So me in all my brilliance realized for the first time during this pregnancy that DR. PEPPER HAS CAFFEINE!! Gasp! I was drinking that stuff like water (slight exaggeration) on the road back home from Florida. So now my husband has been keeping a close eye whenever I grab a drink from a convenience store or somewhere. I still crave it and still drink it every now and then, but not nearly as much as I was before. Don't worry, baby girl is fine :-) I did plenty of research once I realized I'd been consuming caffeine; I was worried that I'd inadvertently done something super bad and damaging. Good news is that I never came close to the daily limits of caffeine that most medical professions suggest for pregnant women. Whew. Definitely a relief.

I'm trying to remember if I had any interesting cravings during Week 26... Well when we got to Miami, all I could think about was chicken fried rice from this hole-in-the-wall place called Cafe Rui or something like that. BEST. EVER. Haven't had any since we were down there for the wedding, and the Chinese places up here simply do not make it like this Cafe Rui place makes it. Yum. That was the biggest craving I can remember, besides the Dr. Pepper. Oh, on the way back I wanted Arby's and almost cried when I thought we wouldn't come across one. Yes, it was that distressing. Okay, that's all. Onward!

 27 weeks.

 27 weeks.

 27 weeks.

 27 weeks.

27 weeks.

You're probably wondering why I have thirteen hundred of the exact same picture. Sorry guys. Couldn't figure out which one was the best. Oh well. So. Yay belly in these pictures! I remember this week. I was having wardrobe issues. (Read: I was trying on clothes in my closet and they simply weren't fitting.) I wasn't going anywhere special, but I was determined to not wear sweats and wasn't feeling like squeezing into jeans. This dress used to be a date night dress, now it's a dress that's stretching right along with my belly, which sadly makes it shorter, but I did not care this day. I felt like I was dressed like a normal, non-pregnant person, and that made me happy :-) I'm sure every pregnant woman, excuse me, every woman in general, has days when they feel like they don't look good in anything, and so this was a good day. Too bad by the time I got dressed and everything, I was exhausted. Boo. Oh well. I'd wear it again, if it hasn't gotten shorter anyway.

 28 weeks.

 28 weeks. I kinda think I look like I'm hiding something under my dress in this picture, not like I'm pregnant hehe.

 28 weeks. Ignore the junk. Yay red shoes! And nails! :-)

28 weeks. Tried to get in better lighting. Unsuccessful.

28 weeks. Just one more! :-)

Yep, more of the same pictures. Sorry, guys. Ignore the junk you see in some of the pictures. Ignore my fuzzy hair too. I can't remember where the Husband and I had gone, but I fell asleep on the way home from where ever it was, hence the hair. Let me just say, the lighting absolutely sucks, plus these are taken on the Husband's phone, which is really good but still not as good as a real camera. Oh well. 

These picture doesn't do justice to this fabulous dress my parents got me for Christmas. A maternity dress, of course :-) It is THEEE most comfortable fabric that I have worn thus far during pregnancy. It's so light and comfy I forget I'm wearing something :-/ haha. I wish you could see it better. It's awesome. I felt so pretty this day :-)

So yeah, yay for the third trimester! Even now as I'm writing I'm blown away at how quickly the time passed. I remember like it was yesterday being 10 weeks and being excited about reaching 12 weeks because the midwife showed me this life-model of how big the baby would be--fitting in the palm of my hand!! *worship moment* God is SO freaking AMAZING!!! I mean, seriously.

I got the worst heartburn ever on the first day of 28 weeks. It could have a little something to do with the fact that I'd eaten nachos, tacos, pizza, burritos and the like within the last 24 hours... Anyways, I tried to go to bed that night but was scared to go to sleep for fear of choking on bile. (TMI? I'm kinda sorry.) I guess it's more like acid reflux than heartburn. Thankfully I haven't had it that bad since that day. I've definitely still had it though. 

29 weeks.

 29 weeks. Yay belly!

 29 weeks. Fuzzy, but it's me and the man behind the belly.

 29 weeks.

 29 weeks. He looks so intense hehe.

29 weeks. My favorite one!

So I've gotta say... I have a pretty awesome belly. I love it :-) I also have a mom who knows me quite well! (Total subject change haha.) This is another dress I received as a Christmas gift. I had been looking at this dress in Target forever, basically ever since I found I was pregnancy and was comfortable enough with my belly size to feel justified to look in the maternity section. However, aside from the fact that I was rebelling against spending any money on maternity clothes, I simply could not get with the prices. Whyyyy is maternity stuff so much more expensive? Geez. Anyways, back to the point. I'd been looking at this exact dress, but never bought it. Then my mom saw it when looking for a gift for me, and with no knowledge that I'd been looking at it, purchased it for me! It's now one of my favs. That's actually a bad thing because now I'll want to wear it all the time. Don't worry, I'll exercise self-control. :-) An awesome thing about the day I wore this dress is that the weather wasn't as freezing as it typically is in January, and I wore it without leggings, stockings, or tights! Happiness! I felt so freeeee.

So to celebrate 29 weeks, I had this awesome (total sarcasm) doctor's appointment. The only reason I was looking forward to it was because I'd get to hear baby girl's heartbeat. Besides that, I was sad and irritable that I had to do this glucose tolerance test. Basically how it works is they give you this bottle that looks innocent enough.

Then they're like, don't eat or drink anything for an hour before you take this test. Then drink the entire bottle within five minutes and write down the time you finish it. Then race to the doctor's office because we have to draw fifteen thousand vials of your blood an hour after you drink it.

I hated every single one of the people who ever conceived the idea of this test as I struggled to get it down. It was partially my fault that it was so hard for me. I had made it into this big thing in my mind. Even while telling myself that it was no big deal, I nearly gagged on the first sip. "Tastes like orange soda" my foot. *angry face*

Anyways, so in the hour before the test, I didn't fast. I ate a bag of chips instead. Oops. I forgot. *shrug* I haven't gotten any calls that the results warrant me coming back into the office, so I must be okay :-) I was on this serious sugar high after the drink, which sucked. Sugar highs for me don't equal energy; I get all shaky and jittery and my heart races. Not cool. And then, I crashed. Hard. I slept at least 4 hours after I got home from the appointment. At the same time I crashed, the sugar must've reached baby girl because man was she hyper! Bouncing all over and really testing the limits of my womb/her living space.

Well, I usually use the questions as a guide for the current week I'm on, so I'll just shut up from my rambling now and move on. :-)

How Far Along: 30 weeks today! But we'll talk about that next time. ;-)

Total Weight Gain: As of my doctor's appointment last Friday, I've gained 20 lbs.!! That officially put me at where I should be with my weight gain. Woot woot! The thing is, in order to get to that 20 pound gain, I was gaining 2 lbs a week for ten weeks. Now that I'm on track, I can change to 1 pound a week. We'll see if that happens lol.

Maternity Clothes: I have really been upping (is that a word??) my maternity wardrobe! Thanks to Target and the thrift store, I have some great finds, including 2 shirts, 1 cardigan, a coat I can actually close, a pair of jeans (haven't worn those yet), 3 dresses, and two skirts! I thought I'd hate having maternity bottoms, but that extra fabric thingy they put on it actually gives some additional belly support. Who knew!? :) It's also great because it was getting depressing when everything in my closet was getting too snug or short because of my burgeoning belly.

Stretch Marks: Nope! And I'm happy about it. I do daily belly and hip inspections, and besides the linea nigra, they are both still clear! Still lotioning up with Jergens Ultra Healing.

Sleep: Pillows are SO my friend. I use three right now, but I may add more. I remember a day when I didn't understand the concept of sleeping with pillows under your head AND under your hips AND between your legs PLUS something to support your belly. All of the above are typically needed these days, especially the stomach support. Without it, I'm guaranteed to not sleep. Most nights, at least this past week, I've had super insomnia, going to bed/falling asleep as late as 5am. Alas. 

Best Moment of This Week: I've had a pretty great week overall, and I'm not sure I can identify one specific thing as the best, so I'll just share a couple things. On Sunday after church (where there was an awesome and timely sermon), the Husband and I went over our pastor's house, and a couple others were there too. Super fun and great food! I had a productive time doing apartment searches. Really great Bible study Wednesday that the Husband led. Convicting! Great time last night meeting with people a part of our church's upreach. God is going to work!!

What I Miss: Good sleep at normal hours! And not feeling like I have to rush to the bathroom every twenty minutes.

Baby Movement: Baby girl moves around all the time :-) I think the best moment of movement of late was when I was at my parents' house and I could see her moving around through my shirt. I called my youngest brother over (he is so excited about his first niece's arrival) and showed him. He was like, That is amazing!! And then proceeded to race out the room and yell to my siblings, You guys, have you seen Ashley's stomach!? Haha, such a precious moment. :-)

Craving: Idk. I've been eating a lot of mini M&Ms, and since I'm eating chicken again, I've rediscovered Panera's Frontega Chicken sandwich. Last Wednesday after church I really wanted a burger, so the Husband and I had a spontaneous dinner date to Ruby Tuesday, which reminded me of our dating days :-) I ended up having a really tasty turkey burger with avocado and bacon. As I type it, I think I may go back again soon...

Queasiness: Typically, no. However at this moment I feel like crap. I haven't wanted to eat all day because my stomach feels so gross. Happy 30 weeks? :-(

Pregnancy Side Effects: I'm so tired of having to pee all the time. Can't I have my normal, non-smushed bladder back?? Geez. I guess I'll have it back in ten weeks...!!!! My back has been hurting more. Counter-pressure (i.e., the Husband massaging it) seems to help quite a bit though. Sometimes I get headaches, but they're manageable. Heartburn off and on. Thanks to some Facebook friends, I now have a list of natural remedies to deal with it when it comes!The sleep thing is the main thing that's been off.

Mood: Anticipation! (same as last time, hehe) There's so much that'll be changing soon--where we live, stuff going on at church, and of course baby girl's arrival, ahhh!

Looking Forward To: Baby shower! :-)

See ya'll back again soon!