Week 26

I was a bit more excited about week 26 because it means this will officially be my last week in my 2nd trimester!  I could not believe that I was going to be 2/3's through the pregnancy.  It is hard to imagine just at the end of March I found out I was pregnant and here I am showing more than even and feeling her move!  The last 6 months have been such a blessing and I am trying to cherish every moment.
One special moment from this past week was having her dad really feel her for the first time.  It was a sweet moment and she seemed to have responded more to his voice than anything.  This meant so much to me because I knew he had been wanting to feel her and boy did she move for him!  I know they say it is hard for dads to be involved or to feel part of the process but I want bp's dad to be a part of every little thing he can be.
Another big thing this week was the gestatetional diabetes test I had to take.  Apparently it is a type of diabetes you can get while pregnant and will go away once you have the baby.  The test included drinking a very sugary drink and getting my blood drawn within an hour of drinking it.  It comes in flavors and the one I choose was orange.  I found out 3 days later that I passed!!!  I honestly think that is the last big test I have to take before baby comes!

How Far Along? - 26 weeks  

Size of our BP - about the size of a large zucchini 

Maternity clothes - having a love/hate relationship at the moment

Gender - baby girl 

Sleep - going better just starting to wake up real hot in the mornings though :(  

Food cravings - turkey sandwiches on white bread with mustard and regular potato chips have made me very happy this week   

What I miss - walking normal.  I feel like I already wobble when I walk 

Symptoms - heartburn still and I think she is starting to figure out where my bladder is so I am going more frequently 

Belly Button - still an innie but not sure for how much longer :/  

Best Moment This Week - feeling her move a lot more and being able to share those moments with my husband.  Also I had a friend over for dinner and we just talked for hours.  It was nice to enjoy those quite moments and cherish those awesome friends I have in my life :)  

Week 25

Another week has come and gone.  This past week has had more ups than downs I must say overall.  I have been consistently walking more often and that has made me feel stronger.  It has been great getting use to a new schedule and embrace walking as my new form of exercise.  It also helps to have walking buddies, my friend and my puppies!  It does us all some good and the weather is hopefully cooling down a little.  I can't wait until it is October and this heat will be behind us all here in Texas!

I have noticed that I have been feeling more heartburn than ever but it has not been too bad overall.  I just keep my fingers crossed that this means she will have a full head of hair when she is born!!  I did when I was born so I am hoping the same for her!  It also makes me wonder what color her hair will be because mine was midnight black and my husband's was platinum blonde!  I can't wait to meet this tiny human we have made!!  She is our little miracle!  

I am also glad to have made it to 25 weeks, because I have read that at 26 weeks the baby has a greater chance of survival if she does come earlier than planned.  I will say it does make me stop and think of all the things that are possible of happening and pray that she comes when she is good and ready.  

How Far Along? - 25 weeks  

Size of our BP - about the size of a squash 

Maternity clothes - so got the online order and size was too big so trying one more time & crossing fingers b/c I really am wanting some cute dresses to wear!

Gender - baby girl 

Sleep - was doing better except for the last couple of days starting to getting uncomfortable again.

Food cravings - this week has been a mix of chocolate and pizza but not together :)   

What I miss - how my hair use to feel.  Since the pregnancy it feels more coarse.

Symptoms - still feeling heartburn but mostly at night when I go to bed and pretty mild 

Belly Button - still an innie!  

Best Moment This Week - we finally got the dresser and even though it took my dear husband 4 hours to put together I am so glad we have it so I can start washing clothes and putting them in their proper place!!  

Week 24

Week 24 has been a better week.  Overall it was nice to visit family in San Antonio last week but being home with my husband and pups just makes everything right in the world.
Another exciting aspect of this past week has been receiving my invitations and sending them off for my first baby shower.  I was so touched when my best friend Sara offered to throw me a shower and even more excited to be surrounded by my friends & family.
However there has been one little dark cloud following me around lately that I just can't seem to shake off, and that is getting used to all the new weight I have gained.  In all honesty the only time I step on a scale is at the doctor's office and that is because they make me!  It has been a good two months since I have stepped on the scale at home and even at the last doctor's visit I refused to look at the number myself.  I know I'm supposed to be gaining weight but it still feels somewhat unnatural.  I know I'm eating for two and our little bp is growing by leaps and bounds, but with the way society treats overweight people, I can still hear a little voice in my head saying, "Oh no what am I doing?  All this new weight is not good".  I know, I know I am pregnant and that puts me on a whole other planet if you will, but I just never thought I would get this big at 24 weeks.  I also will admit that I don't always make the best food choices. I had a whataburger for lunch today, but I am still very aware of what is going in my body.
Another thing that has really been troubling me this past week is I miss running so much!  I didn't realize how much it had become a part of me until I started walking with a friend down at town lake last week.  Seeing all the fit and healthy runners out there made me ache to join them!  It was like I was being called home but could not go.  It hit me hard the first day out there, part of me wanted to turn right back around go back and sit in my car and have a good cry.  If it not had been for my new walking buddy, I would have.  I miss running, I miss feeling my body work hard and feel good at the same time.  I miss my running friends, my running coach, and my running community.  I miss getting up at 4:30 am to do a workout I will feel miserable and sluggish doing but when I am done feel like I conquered the day by 7am!
It also made me humble and to cherish those moments.  I will never take them for granted again.  I am trying to wipe off the pity party girl in me and relish that when I do get back in the game I will go back stronger and I will take advantage of every day I run.
After that first day walking on town lake I have been back a few times with my walking buddy.  I appreciate my friend more than she can imagine for helping me stay active and accountable.  Even though I am disappointed that I cannot run at this time I am grateful to walk those 4 miles with her.  Those 4 miles remind that I was that girl who would run by and I will be a different woman when I get back out there.  I will be a mother and I will have my own little girl to inspire.  I hope that I can be an example to her and maybe one day I will be cheering her on in something she is as passionate about as I am about running.

How Far Along? - 24 weeks  

Size of our BP - no longer in the fruit category, now size of a half-gallon of milk!!  

Maternity clothes - did some online shopping and hopefully get them this week!

Gender - baby girl 

Sleep - cherishing every moment I get!

Food cravings - strawberry yogurt!!     

What I miss - my old jeans and running

Symptoms - felt my first heartburn (yaaay maybe she will have lots of hair) 

Belly Button - still an innie!  

Best Moment This Week - Feeling blessed beyond my imagination with such a great support system from family and friends.  I had just met a friend a couple of months ago thru a mutual friend, and she is due right around the same time as me.  We have bonded over being pregnant and it helps just having someone going through it with you.  It also has been great having her be my new walking buddy as most of my friends are currently in training for half-marathons/marathons ( which I am so proud of and can't wait to go cheer them on!).

Week 23

This past week has been a very trying week for me personally.  I knew and had read that during pregnancy one will feel overly emotional, but I was an emotional mess some days.  There was one day in particular where it felt like I should have just stayed in bed all day.  As my day was ending, all the obstacles hit me and it poured out of me like a flood.  The tears just kept flowing and it felt like there was no end in sight.  I just felt so out of control of my emotions and cried for a good 30 minutes.  My poor husband was at work that day and came home to an emotional mess.  The worst part of it all is that I was out of town and all I wanted was to come home.  However, as the saying goes, when you are down all you can do is look up, and the next day brought some relief and a shoulder to lean on.  Sometimes you just have to survive that one tumultuous day and remember at the end of it all that everything will work itself out.

On another serious note, there is something I have held back about my pregnancy.  We were not ready to share this news because we wanted to get all the information we could and take all the necessary steps we needed to in order to be the best parents we can be.  It is a tough subject to talk about but I want to tell our story for all those who have or might go through this.  During our 18 week anatomy and gender scan, the technician found a small object on our bp's heart.  It was a small white dot on her heart which possibly indicates a marker for down syndrome. Our OB was fast to say that this was the only marker they found and that everything else looked great.  She emphazised that she truly felt that with all the other tests, and looking at the anatomy as a whole, our baby looked perfectly healthy.  She really sat down with us and took time to answer our questions but in the end I was still very concerned.  My concern stemmed from something deeper than just worry, it came from the fact that I do not know anything about my biological family.  In all honesty this has been one of my biggest fears because it is scary not knowing all the information of my background and not being able to have something to rely on.  I felt more weight on myself than ever before.  I struggled for a couple of days with all the new information wondering how to handle all the feelings I felt.  Of course we discussed this with our immediate families.  It wasn't until I spoke to my mother about it all, did the weight fully hit me and I let out a lot of fears and tears with her.  Nothing feels as good as seeking comfort from your mother.  After a week of discussing our options, we decided to get a second opinion with another facility for another sonogram.  This sonogram would focus on our little bp's heart.  On the day of the appointment we were both nervous and eager to hear more information.  Unfortunately for us, our little bp decided not to be so cooperative.  She decided she wanted her feet to touch her head and not move from that position.  This made it a bit more difficult for the technician to see the baby's heart from all angles. In the end, the doctor confirmed that there is a calcium deposit on her heart, but that everything else looked good.  She said they saw no problems with her heart but that, as mentioned before, the calcium deposit was a marker for down syndrome.  She also reaffirmed what our OB had said that since this is the only marker found that our chances were still pretty slim.  1 out of 7500 to be more exact.  Still, I felt some unease since they did not get to see her heart from all the angles they had originally wanted.  I read more information online and decided to find out more about a new blood test they have that is less invasive than an amniocentesis (called Maternity 21 Test, recommend by a friend).  I decided I wanted all the information we could get on our baby girl so we could best prepare for her future in this world.  I knew no matter what, we love this tiny human, but we want to do the best we can for her.  Once I discussed my feelings with my husband we got on the same page and decided to go ahead with the blood test.  It was painless, but the wait is what is difficult.  We waited a total of 11 days before we got the news today.  The test came back negative!!  It's 99.1% accuracy, which we are at peace with.  We truly love this little girl and we want to give her all we can.  The one sad thing during this process was being asked that if her test came back positive, would we want to terminate the pregnancy.  I was shocked at first but could understand that it is their job to ask these tough questions.  It never crossed our mind, we just wanted to be as prepared and educated as we could be before she came. I can't imagine being a doctor or nurse who has to ask these tough questions and the parents who have to make these tough decisions. I am thankful every day for my husband, and that we both know no matter what, this tiny human is ours and we are going to love her.  His support and love has been soothing to all my emotions.

How Far Along? - 23 weeks  

Size of our BP - a mango  

Maternity clothes - got some cute shirts on sale at the Destination Maternity store in San Antonio, I wish Austin had this store in town!!  

Gender - baby girl 

Sleep - as long as I have my wedge and body pillow I sleep very comfortably! 

Food cravings - this week it has been pop tarts!  Not sure why but they make me happy :-)   

What I miss - not crying at every little things, man these emotions are crazy sometimes!

Symptoms - crying, a lot of crying has been done this week!

Belly Button - still an innie!  

Best Moment This Week - We received our crib this week, a whole month early!  And we found a good deal on the stroller we wanted so we got that this past week too!!  Another great moment was going to a friend's shower in San Antonio this weekend!  It was nice to see them so happy and of course the best thing about a party is the cake and this cake was particularly yummy!!