Gametes In Love

How far along: 29w
Weight: 143lb
Sleep: Decent. I can’t sleep through the night without feeling like my bladder would immitate Mt. Vesuvius, but it’s not bad. My only complaint is that my AM pee run seems to happen between 5 & 6 a.m. and I can’t fall asleep afterward.
Gender: Winer? No weiner.
Movement: S2 is one active kid. S was watching him shift around this week-end (if you stare at my belly for at least 2-3 minutes you’re guaranteed to see him do “something”) and acknowledged that it must be really difficult to pay attention to anything when I’m constantly being tapped from the inside for attention. Yep. Welcome to my world, buddy!
Feeling: Good. Joint pain is likely going to hang around until the end, but it is not constant (thankfully) and manageable. I’m stiff, but I can now go 2 weeks without seeing a chiropractor… I think. This is the first week we’ve alternated, so we’ll see.
What I miss: My mind. Specifically my memory. I can’t remember stuff too well. I think babies are like zombies. They suck your brain while they grow. Eh, as long as they get smarter in the end.
Food cravings: Still watermelon. G’s enjoying this craving though: watermelon is one of his favorite fruits, so he’s shoveling it in as fast as I am. I’m going to need to start buying more than the 1/4 slices.
Fetal development:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you’ll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby’s hardening skeleton each day.

How far along: 28w
Weight: 142.2lb
Sleep: A bit better actually! I lowered the number on my bed (Sleep Number beds are SO kick-ass!) and it’s made a difference. Kind of makes sense — I’m XXlbs heavier and my mass distribution just isn’t the same anymore.
Gender: We’ve got wiener.
Movement: Yep, Mr. Wiggles is jamming out in there.
Feeling: Good. Tired.
What I miss: My energy. And my patience. If found, please return.
Milestones: First case of heart-burn this week-end.
Food cravings: More watermelon… and tea… and sweets.
Fetal development:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He’s also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

The third trimester did not hesitate to bring some friends: constipation and constant fatigue. It’s 9am and I am MORE than ready to crash… and I haven’t even been up 3 hours. This promises to be a fine day.

For the record, this is a party I didn’t ask for.

Yep, you might remember this game. It’s the “guess the baby stats” game. It’s easy, it’s quick, and hey you can win yourself $30 (in an Amazon gift certificate).

My mom won last time, and to make things fair, even if she guesses best at everything again, she won’t win the prize (Sorry Mom!)

You can take the survey now:

[polldaddy survey=”7C20D3C85D8AE909″ type=”button” title=”Take Our Survey!” style=”inline” text_color=”ffffff”]

or if that doesn’t work, follow this link.

Here are some hints to help you cheat:

– S2 is due Nov 21st. He’s been measuring a 3-6 days ahead since conception. G came 3 days early, and he measured a few (1-2?) days behind.

– I gained 40.4lbs when pregnant with G.

– At birth G was 6lb 6oz and was 19″ tall? long? (what do you call that measurement?)

– G had some hair, fine and dark when he was born.

The rules (yep, there are some):

1. one entry per person

2. once you respond, you can’t change your vote (sorry!)

3. you have until Nov 1st to vote.

4. if there is a 2-way tie, both people will each get $30. If there is more than a 2 way tie, the two people to enter in their votes earliest each get a certificate (that way for all you scheming folk that wait ’till the very end to figure out how much weight I’ll gain won’t have as much of an advantage)

Ready? Set. GO!

How far along: 27w
Weight: 141lb (and by the way, WTH? I was 140.2 yesterday. Ugh!)
Sleep: Same.
Gender: Still a boy. We’ve got more proof too.
Movement: Uhmn, yes, lots, and very concentrated on my right side. S2 is head down and facing toward my right hip. All that space and he’s crammed to the right. Joy!
Feeling: Same, but now that I have a bit more of a hint that my hips are achy because of how I’ve been sleeping, I’ve been relying on pillows more, trying to sleep more on my right, and I also adjusted the softness of my bed (have I mentioned how much Sleep Number beds rule?). Pain’s not gone, but it has made a difference.
What I miss: Not having to run to the bathroom every other minute because someone’s little foot is kicking my bladder
What I am looking forward to: Seeing how much G and S2 look alike (or not).
Milestones: 3rd trimester baby! This last trimester went by fast.
Food cravings: This week? I’ve been craving roasted veggies.
S2 notes:
We had an anatomy scan yesterday and another 3D u/s. S2 looks healthy, adorable as ever, and is measuring a week ahead. I’m not sure how I feel about the last part on two levels: 1) I really, REALLY want him to come on time. I want 2 weeks off of work to have time to re-focus and transition my brain to the new job I’ll be taking on. I needed that time with G, also to finish the small projects I had to myself and it took me a full week just to get to that state. It wasn’t until mid-way through week 2 that I felt like I had finished up everything I wanted to and felt “ready” (or as ready as a first-time mom could get); 2) I’m not sure how much I want to have 2 kids of disproportionate size. While I would LOVE not to have to stress out about a second kid staying on the charts, and counting every calorie, I also don’t want to give G a complex about having a younger, bigger brother :-/ I don’t know if measuring ahead is any predictor of either a kid coming early OR that they’ll be on the higher end of the percentile scale, but there it is.
Fetal development:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

S2 in profile.

Have you ever had a Hallelujah moment? You know one of those cartoon segments when a little light bulb goes off above your head?

Well, I had one of those this morning.

At my regular OB appointment, Dr. M’s assistant, J, asked me how my back was doing. I told her that while my lower back is now much better, I had reconciled to the fact that I will likely have weekly visits to the chiropractor until the end of pregnancy since my left hip keeps making me miserable. She then asked “Is that the side you sleep on?”

DING! DING! DING!

I’ve been obsessing over how it is that I keep messing up my hips every week. I feel good on Monday, and Tuesday, but then by Friday I feel stiff, sore and achy all over again. I look forward to Mondays purely for the chiro visits. How sad is that?

Last Friday was so bad at one point I couldn’t apply ANY weight on my left leg, and even sitting hurt. (Kind of freaked S out. We were in IKEA and I was just… stuck) I’ve been paranoid over how I walk, sit, stand… everything. But never ONCE did I think that I’m re-injuring myself while sleeping of all things. It makes sense. I can’t sleep on my belly (sad), and at this stage being on my back for long periods of time isn’t working for me either, and I am favoring my left for some reason. Well with all that weight, and trying to get comfortable on my side, I must be tweaking my left hip. So now I’m on a mission to figure out a better way to sleep.

J is brilliant! Brilliant I tells ya’!

Oh, in other news. I got a 120 mg/dL on my glucose tolerance test. A FAR cry from my 141 with G. I’m diabetes negative and free from worrying about tasting that nasty drink ever again and having my blood sucked over a period of 3 hours. Hooray!

How far along: 26w
Weight: 139.4lb
Sleep: Good. I typically have to get up once a night to go pee, but it’s working out ok.
Gender: Still a boy
Movement: Uhmn, yes, lots.
Feeling: Good. My pelvic joints are sore (which I guess is normal), and I’m probably going to continue seeing a chiropractor through the end of pregnancy, but other than that, no complaints. S and I had a conversation about consequent pregnancy, if I felt the way I do now, while pregnant with G. The thing is (and maybe this is Mother Nature doing her juju already), as crappy as I’ve felt to date: I’d do it again. Not that we will mind you. We’re done with S2.
What I miss: Ability to sneeze/cough without bracing myself for round ligament ouchies.
What I am looking forward to: 3rd trimester is but a week away.
Weekly Wisdom: Talk to HR early about leave. Get as many questions answered early, because you’ll want to know more than HR knows.
Milestones: I had my gestational diabetes test today. I swear that drink tastes worse than I remember. S2 did not approve either: he returned the favor for being rudely woken up from his nap by flipping around and giving me a few extra-strength packed punches. Sorry, kid! Let’s call it even by you not making me do the 3hr test again.
Food cravings: Carbs & sweets. Oh so not good for me, but taste so good.
Fetal development:
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. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. His testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

How far along: 25 weeks
Weight: 138.2 lb
Sleep: Good, but I’ve been having some really active dreams… about work. Not pleasant.
Gender: Boy
Movement: Yeah, S2 is auditioning for Stomp, I’m pretty sure. Either that or someone passed through some fetal drumsticks that he’s using to poke at me from the inside. He’s an active little dude.
Feeling: Good
What I miss: Nothing comes to mind right now
Milestones: I sat in the most comfortable cradle position EVER after my massage on Saturday. Now, if I can get myself a wedge pillow and surround myself with 4 other pillows I could recreate it at home. And yes, I call this a milestone. Comfort rules.
Food cravings: Melons of all sorts. And sugary deserts.
Fetal development:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn’t much more than an average rutabaga, but he’s beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he’ll start to look more and more like a newborn. He’s also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you’d now be able to discern its color and texture.

For those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of being pregnant (or just lack the equipment to get that way), there’s an interesting condition that occurs as the belly grows: your main abdominal muscles separate and spread out. Now you don’t feel this happening, it doesn’t hurt and nothing looks strange, but if you “look” for it (ie. poke around enough), you can feel it.

At exercise class Monday the instructor tested the separation for everyone in the class. She does this mostly to confirm if you need to adjust the abdominal part of the work-out. The way this test goes is like this: you lie down on your back and bring your chin to your chest. She then presses down, gently, about an inch north of the belly button. So after she confirmed I was good, I got curious: I mean what did she feel for? How could she tell? I started at the ceiling as I pressed at the same spot and felt nothing… until I brought my head up. Holy cow! Yeah, that was different… and creepy… and kind of freaky. It was like going to the theatre: curtain close/curtain open.

So now I’m stuck between “Ew!” and “This is cool!”

How far along: 24 weeks
Weight: 136.4 lb
Sleep: Good
Gender: Boy
Movement: Lots and lots and lots. It’s occasionally a bit distracting 🙂
Feeling: I’m getting more joint pain by the week, but feeling OK overall.
What I miss: Walking without waddling. And I’m waddling because it hurts less.
Weekly Wisdom: Asking people to move their meetings to a location closer to me has been a bonus.
Milestones: As of nowS2 is viable. If he decides to make an early appearance, he has a chance of surviving.
Food cravings: Carbs, carbs and more carbs 🙂
Fetal development:
Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

How about S2’s first video debut? He starts wiggling 9 seconds into the video. Look towards the top of the video screen. Now imagine having this go on for a big portion of your work-day. It feels bigger than it looks, so my pregnancy brain is being taxed: it’s like getting instant ADD.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G57dZ-xa1Sc]