one more week until...

One more week until I start my third trimester! Actually, it is only a few more days now...I meant to right this post last week. This post probably won't be too long since I plan on posting again before the end of the week. So let's see....what happened last week that I was going to blog about....ah yes! Our doctor's appointment!

Well the 25 week appointment is the glucose test appointment (to test for gestational diabetes)- so I had to fast for 3-4 hours before my appointment and then drink this orange flavored drink and then get my blood drawn. I was kinda nervous because I had read lots of posts on the message boards and heard first hand from some other people in my life that the drink was really terrible. To my surprise, it wasn't bad at all! It had a tiny bit of weird after taste to me and about halfway to our appointment I started feeling a little queasy  but it didn't taste as bad as everyone said. To me, it just tasted like orange flavored Hi-C. The results of my test came back a couple days later and- great news- no gestational diabetes! Yay! But my hemoglobin levels were low so now I am supposed to take an iron supplement. Boooooo!

At this last appointment, Dr. Tutt also did another gender check and verified 100% that our baby is a boy! I am not posting the ultra sound pic because I probably couldn't remember how to label things- it was a weird angle- but anyway Dr. Tutt pointed out on the screen where the cord was and then said "See this over here, this is not the cord. That is definitely a penis and scrotum and they are attached. 100% boy." I was hoping to get a picture of the baby's face- but it was apparently buried somewhere in my hip, so I couldn't. Hopefully when we go for our 3d/4d ultra sound in a couple weeks he will cooperate and be a position where we can see him!

I also started getting sick again this week. Which sucks. I have had to pop a Zofran a couple times and that combined with the iron supplement is making me all backed up again. Ugh-I thought that part was over!

Another thing I learned last week- bowling is much more difficult than I expected while pregnant. My score was awful and I was pretty sore by the end of the night. It was still a fun time, but I don't know if I would do it again until after this baby bump is gone. We went with Marvin and Sarah, and got a little cheater ramp for Marley to be able to play- and she even beat me! Yep- I got my butt handed to me in bowling by my 2 year old niece.

Well, that's all for now. I will save the rest of my news for my next post in a couple days.

pregnancy brain!

I blame this week's lack of detail on pregnancy brain! I forgot to write anything down, so I am doing this from memory- which is probably going to suck. I would remember that I needed to write things down, but would get distracted before actually doing so. Another example of this- I just now got up to get a drink of water and when I came back to the computer I forgot what I was even going to type next! Yikes. My forgetfulness is something that I have noticed more in the past few weeks. I will be in the middle of sentence- or even a word- and have to pause to remember what I was saying or how to say it. I feel pretty dumb sometimes and Nathan has even gotten frustrated with me a couple times when I have to stop in the middle of what I am saying like "Spit it out already!"

Breathing is getting increasing more difficult when I am in certain positions. Sometimes when I am sitting, I have to get up and stand, or walk around for a while. The other day I was sitting on the couch, watching tv and my lungs just felt so squished! So I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood (which by the way smells like rotisserie chicken in the evenings.) I was about halfway through my walk when my hands and feet started to feel puffy; by the time I got home I was super swollen. It was really nice to get out the house and get some fresh air though. I think I am going to start doing more little walks around the neighborhood.

Let's see...what else.....Oh! I signed us up for a childbirth class at the hospital. Here is the description of the class:

Topics include preparing for labor and delivery, OB orientation, body changes, stages of labor,

breathing techniques, positions for labor and delivery, as well as medical options & practices, a

video on labor and delivery, C-sections, and a tour. Please bring 4 bed sized pillow to each class

and your "Parents to be" book; which you receive from your doctor's office.

Our class in the first week in May. I don't expect to learn a ton, but I do think it will help me feel a little more prepared- especially since it is based around the experience of that particular hospital. I have done a ton of reading on labor and delivery and c-sections already. I have even read through the "Parents to be" book that they mention in the description of class at least twice already. The first time I looked at it- I dubbed it the scariest book ever written; I wasn't ready to read/see all that yet and it was pretty much terrifying. Then I got to thinking, that it's not really anything to be scared of and reading about it, and knowing what is going to happen is going to make it a lot less scary. Now I don't feel scared about labor or delivery at all. I haven't fooled myself into thinking that it's going to be easy or comfortable, and I'm sure once the contractions start, I might get anxious- but I'm not scared or worried about it. I am actually really excited to take the class and tour the hospital.

I also decided this week to do some research about places in the valley that do elective 3d/4d ultra sounds. I got a little flyer about one place in Gilbert, but it seemed really pricey- like $200. I thought I might want to do it, but I don't want to pay THAT much for it. I found a place that does pretty much the same thing for $90- so I think we are going to do it! They have a setup that allows for up to 20 guests, but we are thinking that we will only invite the grandparents. I know the only part of me that's exposed for an ultra sound is my tummy, so it's not really that, I dunno, I just feel like it would be weird to have TWENTY people in the room. I do think it would be cool for Nathan and I, and the grandparents to get a sneak peak of the baby. I am so anxious to see what he looks like!

And while I am on the topic of spending money, we bought another bigger baby item this week- the pack-n-play! I got the one that matches the travel system. It had good reviews and wasn't super expensive. Plus, I like the colors and design.

Now for some pregnancy TMI- I am warning you in advance, if you don't want to read it- skip to the next paragraph. Ok.... so another thing that happened this week that was totally weird- my boobs started leaking! Not like a lot or anything, just a few droplets through out the day. And I don't think it's happening everyday- I've just noticed it a couple times this week. It's not even bad enough for me wear breast pads- I think it would be a waste at this point- but I am going to bring it to Dr. Tutt at my appointment on Monday to see what I should expect. Maybe I need to have some breast pad things laying around just in case? I dunno- I've never done this before.

Alright, I think just about covers it for this week. The only other thing going on is that I am getting more and more excited to meet this little guy every day! It's getting more and more real that we are finally going to parents! I am getting nesting urges, but can't do a ton of nesting until after my baby shower in April- but I am doing little things here and there. I am just so incredibly grateful for this experience- no matter how uncomfortable and awkward it may be at times. It truly is a miracle that I am amazed by every day.

milestones

Today I pass to very important milestones- First, it is our 4th Anniversary! Yay for happy marriages! )I will be posting more about that on the family blog) - but today is also an important milestone for baby Lunt too, as I am now 24 weeks along which means my pregnancy is now considered "viable." This means that if something should happen and the baby needs to or tries to come out, he is developed enough that he actually has a chance at survival. Of course, we want him to stay in there and cook quite a while longer, it's just nice to know that if something should come up, he is big enough that the hospital staff could keep him alive.

On to my weekly update! I remembered to jot down little things that I wanted to document on the blog, so this week will give you a much more in depth look of a week in the life of pregnant Tarin.

We will start with this morning, since it is fresh in mind. I had what I like to call a pregnant girl problem. I woke up sooooooo thirsty but also nauseated. I know if I drink water- I will throw up for sure, but I am thirsty for water....sigh....I really really really really hate throwing up- so I opted for some graham crackers and room temperature apple juice. Sometimes I feel like I have the eating habits of a toddler.

Another event from this morning- I had to text my dad to see if he could stop by on his way to work to change the bottle on the water cooler for me, since Nathan forgot to do it before he left for work. Before this big ol' gut I could do it by myself, but the bottles are too heavy for me to safely lift now. I am pretty sure if I tried I would strain every muscle in my back and belly.

So now, on to my list!

First thing I wanted to talk about this week is kicking. I feel this little guy moving around and kicking me every day now- and when he does it- it's a like a kung fu marathon in my uterus; when he is active, he is really active! I love feeling him move- inside and out. He never cooperates when Nathan tries to feel it though. We have tried a couple times, when Xander is kicking really hard, but Nathan still isn't sure that he has really felt anything. He'll feel it sometime soon though, because I have seen my tummy move with some of  the baby's more powerful punches.

A new thing that the baby did this week was found my bladder. Yeah, that was not cool little baby! I was just laying there, minding my own business and all of a sudden he either punched or kicked directly into my bladder like 4 times in a row. I litterally exclaimed "Woah!" when it happened, and of course,moments later and I had to get up and pee. I hope that doesn't become a habit for him, because as much as I love for him to be moving around, that particular action is quite unpleasant for mommy!

Next stop on my list, new pains! Yep, two new pains arrived this week. First I have discovered "Sciatica of Pregnancy-" see diagram below.

Let me just tell you, sciatic nerve pain is no joke. Shoot! This is something I definitely talking to Dr. Tutt about at my next appointment to see what can be done. My lower back, hip, and sometimes my bum hurt almost every day. It helps to limp a little sometimes when I walk, but limping when you're pregnant looks a lot more like a waddle. 

I also had my first real round ligament pain. For those who don't know what that is- the round ligament is one of the many ligaments that help support the womb- as the womb get bigger this ligament can become strained causing round ligament pain. It's really common during pregnancy. Up until this past week I had some round ligament discomfort, but walking through Walmart with Nathan the other night I had PAIN. It only lasted a few seconds but dang, it hurt. I have also experienced it a lot at night, when I attempt to roll from one side to the other. Oh, and when I woke up and needed to blow my nose a couple days ago, I pretty much screamed out in pain. My sciatic nerve and round ligament are telling me that the next 16 weeks may be long ones.

Next we will move on to a cooler, happier topic. Since I am pretty obviously pregnant now- people that I don't even know are being way nicer and more courteous. People hold doors for me, and offer to reach things up high or down low. I arrived at a single stall public restroom just behind another lady and when she saw the baby bump, she insisted that I go first. I thought that was so nice!

In other news, I wore a maternity dress when Nathan and I went out for date night. I bought it because it looked insanely cute on the hanger. Well, I put it on and while I think it looked pretty cute from the front, when I turned to side, I felt more like I was wearing a tent! I was really kinda looking forward to finding some cute maternity dresses to wear for the last part of pregnancy, because they are so comfy and easy to move in but I don't want to look like I am wearing a tent! Maybe it's just the style and material of this one dress, I really hope it is.

I also decided this week that I need to stop weighing myself. It stresses me out. I am just going to let the doctor worry about weighing me. I haven't gained a ton- I am up like 12 lbs I think- the number on the scale is just so high! I don't like it. When I think about it in terms of how many pounds I have gained, it doesn't really bother me but when I see the number on the scale I freak out. Plus, I have been retaining a bunch of water, so a lot of that is just water weight. Which reminds of something that I thought was pretty funny earlier this week. Most days my feet and ankles swell- not every day, but often enough that I am used to looking and down and seeing fat puffy feet. Well, I was talking to Nathan and happened to be standing, leaning against a wall in the bedroom- in a way that I could actually see my feet and I looked down and them and thought to myself "Dude, my toes look so skinny today!" and this thought made me, like, insanely happy- and when I realized how happy I was about skinny toes, I felt like an absolute weirdo! Haha

And on to my last topic...I realized this week that I only a few short weeks away from being in my 3rd trimester. Just as I becoming more and more aware that there is actually a baby inside of me, growing and moving around, I am also realizing that it's not that long until that thing is coming out and I am actually going to have a child. Not gonna lie, sometimes I have little mini panic attacks because I feel so unprepared- like the nursery isn't set up, we don't have hardly any baby stuff yet, we haven't taken any birthing classes or toured the hospital. Then I remind myself that we still have time for all that. My baby shower is still over a month away- I have time.... but time flies! It's a vicious circle! 

I will end this post with the view I have when I look down. Where I used to see my toes, now I see this: