Week 29

How big is baby? The size of an acorn squash! 

Baby Development FYI:  Baby already measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. Right now, we weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds but he’s still got a ways to go — can you believe he’ll triple in weight before birth?  He’s getting a little cramped in there, since he’s growing so fast. But you probably already realize that, since you’re getting all those jabs and kicks.  He’s growing white fat deposits under his skin, and his energy is surging because of it.  Feel a subtle twitch? It might be baby hiccupping.

My body has been invaded, how’s that going? Gah leee.  We should refer to this week as the initiation to 3rd trimester!  The most drastic change this week would be the swelling of my ankles a.k.a. the arrival of cankles.  It’s amazing how the ankle bone just disappears!  The swelling only happens after walking around a bunch, so I need to start taking more breaks while walking around.  Also when walking around (too much) my butt/hip/lower back starts aching.  It’s interesting how our bodies have built in “alarms” in it to signal you that you are using too much energy.  And it’s crazy how the weight you gain in your belly affects you everywhere!

Sleep. Ha ha.  What a mean joke to just read that word.  I sleep. But I wake up and have to get up every 1-2 hours to use the bathroom.  Or I’m all the sudden radiating heat and have to walk around to fan myself off. You ladies who were pregnant during the summer, my hats off to you, because I don’t know how you did it!  Then when my bladder is empty and I’m cooled off, the heartburn wakes me up.  And when that’s taken care of…the hormones have my eyes wide open.  

I fully believe that this is all training me for the lack of sleep once the baby comes, so I actually don’t get frustrated by the lack of sleep.  I’m trying to embrace it as much as I can, sense it is a natural part of this process, and use it to my advantage.  And the same goes for all the other symptoms of pregnancy.  Every day is so different and you are constantly having to adapt to your body signals.  This must be getting me ready to adapt to the baby’s needs and the unexpected.  This has all been so entertaining and interesting, I can’t wait for the baby to get here!

What’s been on my mind?  Thanksgiving is coming up, so I can’t help but be thankful this week.  And with Nate gone, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the past few months and anticipate the next…18 years!

Also, I didn’t want to say anything at the risk of being completely wrong and I don’t want to get my hopes up AT ALL.  But I’ve been back and forth on what my intuition is on the gender of this baby.  The past few weeks however, I’ve been leaning towards a boy. THEN I had a vivid dream of the baby and it was totally a girl!  haha.  So I still have no idea and I don’t care which one it is.  I can’t wait to find out!!

Crazy Cravings:  Sweet and spicy!  If the food falls under those categories, you will find it in my belly.

Highlights: The kicks getting stronger.  I had a moment at work where I was sitting with my legs crossed and the baby started kicking really hard at my thigh.  And wouldn’t stopped.  I could tell it was trying to kick my thigh out of it’s way or it was just playing around.  But how funny, I was in the baby’s way! Excuse meeeeeee, let me move my leg for you!  Can I getcha anything else to make your stay more comfortable for the next 10 weeks?