29 weeks- Q1-13 is a Butternut Squash!

We had a wonderful time home over break. I spent 5 days putting my feet up, reading, grading, and studying for my Comps Exam on Saturday.

I've been spending a lot of time reading in the baby's room. I just love sitting and rocking in the glider while I feel baby kick. :)

28 weeks- Eggplant Baby!

Well, the third trimester is here!  It's been an interesting past 2 weeks.  Braxton Hicks contractions started hitting daily last week, but only on days when I am teaching and always around 2-4 o'clock. Both doctors concluded that I need to change my teaching style and sit a little more. So, exercise is even further out of the picture.  :( 

I woke up a few days ago and said to Matt, "I feel HUGE". I had him look at my belly and asked if he thought it got bigger in the last day too.  He said he also noticed a change, plus my clothes were even more snug.  I believe that I literally gained 5 pounds overnight Saturday night. I went to the doctor this morning, and he also noticed a huge jump in my weight since the last time I was in. Thankfully I am still within target range and it is not too much weight. Phew! However, he said that from here on out I need to gain a pound a week!  WHOA!  Good thing this week is Thanksgiving and Christmas is closely following!  :) 

How far along? 28 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs
Maternity clothes? Even some of my maternity clothes are getting snug!  :(  I am consistently wearing sweat pants to work, lol. 
Stretch marks? Not noticing any new ones. 

Can you see your toes?  Not anymore! 

Sleep:  It's getting harder and harder to get comfortable.  I may need to give in and buy one of those wedges. 

Best moment this week:  Putting together the glider in Q1-13's room and rocking and singing to him :) 
Miss Anything? As usual, RUNNING. It's getting worse and worse, and now I can barely walk to the end of the culdesac without having pain! 
Movement: I started doing kick counts this week twice a day.  Lots of movement still! 

Still running?  Sore subject...
Food cravings: Meat. Seriously. Sausage, breakfast sandwiches, chicken cordon bleu, hamburger. 
I don't recognize myself. 
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Yes....I have had a few nauseous days these last 2 weeks. Last week breakfast was provided at school, so I didn't eat before I left the house. BIG mistake. I vomited all over myself before I had made it to the end of the street! 
Have you started to show yet: way past that point.  There are 2 of me! 
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks started last week, but doc says as long as they go away when I sit I am fine. 
Belly Button in or out? It's kind of in the in-between stage right now. 
Wedding rings on or off? On, and actually really lose.  Thankful I'm having a boy because I've read that nothing really swells when you have a boy except for your belly. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy most of the time!  Except when I think of Roxy. With being home a little more often, I am feeling her absence so much more. 
Weekly Wisdom: Lots of sitter suggestions (we have an interview with a lady next week!) and also to get a backup sitter for when your full time has a conflict.  Great advice! 
Looking forward to: Being home with my family for Thanksgiving tomorrow! I can't wait to eat SO MANY mashed potatoes! Movie day with mommy while the boys are at a football game. My brother Grant hasn't seen me since June when I went home and told them I was pregnant!  Wow!  He is in for a shock when he sees my belly!  :) 


Here are sone more baby room photos- updated with pics of the new glider/ottoman! 

New ottoman/glider!  :) 

Starting to put some baby animals on the shelves- we need more!

These next few are repetitive, but I just love this room so much!

27 weeks! What is a rutabaga anyway?

Well here we are at 27 weeks, and baby Lewis is the size of a rutabaga.  (Any ideas on what I can do with this vegetable thing now that we've taken the photo? 

I can't believe how much bigger I look this week than last.  I'm actually not wearing the same shirt (I just happened to pick out 2 different maternity shirts in the same blue, lol).  Anyway, I feel like I am swelling up to twice my size!  Oh wait...

It's been a rough week emotionally for us. The loss of Roxy has been hitting us especially hard lately. If I ever hear someone say, "she's just a dog" ever again.... I just cannot believe how much I am still missing her. I know now that no dog will ever fill this void, but I am hoping that a beautiful baby boy will help it diminish for the next 18 years. 

We've had some struggles lately in figuring out what we are going to do when I go back to work. So far, all of our childcare leads are coming up dry. It's tough not having any family in the area, and most of our friends in the area are either young professionals without kids, or have children who are too old to know any good ideas. I just don't know what I'm going to do.  Most people I am finding don't want to take a baby for 8 weeks, have another 3 month break, and then take it back in again. Most people want a steady income (and I don't blame them...) 

We did have some successes.  The baby's room is looking AWESOME!  It's getting to be exactly what I wanted.  I spent about 3 hours in it over the weekend. We also snagged a brand new glider/ottoman set on Craigslist for only $115.  It's the same set we looked at from Target and Babies R Us which retails at $500!  Awesome! 

I just need to take a breath and remember- this is all part of God's plan, and God will provide. 

26 weeks (a head of lettuce) Plus Baby Room Pics!

How far along? 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 15-16 lbs
Maternity clothes? All the time!  Wore a pair of dressy sweatpants with a dressy shirt to work on Friday.  Pretty proud that I can pull that off because buying more maternity pants would be expensive. 
Stretch marks? Not noticing any new ones. 

Can you see your toes?  Not anymore! 

Sleep:  Sleep is going pretty well.  Sometimes he keeps me up for hours kicking, but for the most part I am so exhausted that sleep is not an issue. 

Best moment this week:  Decorating the baby's room!!!  See pics below :) 
Miss Anything? Running.  The doctor (2 doctors if you include my dad) have told me that it's time to stop give the amount of pain I've been having.  Sigh :( 
Movement: Lots and lots of movement, and then other days nothing.  He worries me on those days. 

Still running?  Done.  Yesterday, I jogged over to greet someone at the State Meet, and was in awful pain after jogging about 15 feet.  My abdomen hurt for hours after that. Sad story. 
Food cravings:  Chef Boyardee, Spaghetti, Pringles, and had a Mexican craving this week too.  I made a homemade spaghetti sauce that was meant to taste exactly like Chef Boyardee Sauce- pretty good!  
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing noted this week. 
Have you started to show yet: I am earning the congratulations of random strangers, so I think that's a definite yes. 
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In and getting smaller and smaller.  
Wedding rings on or off? On, and actually really lose.  Thankful I'm having a boy because I've read that nothing really swells when you have a boy except for your belly. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: After last Sunday (when report cards were due) a huge weight was lifted.  Cross country is in its last week (and it was an easy week).  We've gotten a lot accomplished with the house and baby room, and I am really caught up on teaching work and XU work.  That being said, I was really really happy all week this week.  I'm going to make it a goal not to get that stressed out again for the rest of this pregnancy.  Being happy is definitely better! 
Weekly Wisdom: I asked the doctor if I was willing to put up with the pain, can I try to keep running.  She just looks at me and says, "Honey, this isn't shin splints. It's a baby."  Good call, doc!  My baby is worth it to me. I will give up running if it's for the best. 
Looking forward to: More decorating in the baby's room.  Also- THANKSGIVING.  I told my mother that she will need to make a special batch of her mashed potatoes just for me as I am likely to eat the entire batch.  YUM!  


As for today's project.......We went to Target after mass and I picked out a mattress that ended up being $15 off! So once we got home I decided to decorate the crib! We decided to decorate the room with baby jungle animals and I found a super cute sheet set online.

25 weeks!!

Ok I'm posting this almost a week late, but we were 25 weeks last Sunday the 28th. Baby boy is the size of a head of cauliflower!

Good news to report- I had my glucose tolerance test last week and the results came back fine. My sugar, iron, and blood count were all great. Yay! A healthy mommy makes a healthy baby!






















These are pics from our cross country costume run on Halloween.
I was an oven with a bun inside, and one of the girls decided to dress up as Coach Lewis- baby bump and all!