30 Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks (Whoa. I suddenly went from having so much time to get ready, to being in the 30’s. He could be here in as little as 7 weeks! Realistically, though, I’m thinking we’ll have to discuss induction once his due date passes… Not sure why... call it mother’s intuition?) Also, my daily countdown has us at 70 days til little man’s due date. 70 DAYS!

How big is the baby: Baby is the size of a head of cabbage. –image via babycenter

Weight gain/Maternity Clothes: Gained this week: +0.3, Total Gain: +9.7.

Movement: Pretty much all the time. Some of his harder & well placed kicks/jabs are starting to hurt.

Food cravings/aversions: Still drinking milk like it’s going out of style. Still don’t like salads, which is unfortunate because they’re kind of a summer lunch staple for me. I’m also having a difficult time making sure I eat enough vegetables without the salads. I thought about trying one, but I made a salad for J’s lunch this morning and seriously started gagging at the thought.

Gender: Boy.

Symptoms: Pregnancy brain (I seriously feel like I’m walking around in a fog about 80% of the time), big belly, big appetite, fatigue, sensitivity to smells, vivid dreams, mild nausea, heartburn, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, side/back pain, hip pain (OMG, this keeps me up at night!), tender breasts, dry skin, gas, heat rash/chafing, irritability, and mild swelling.

What do I miss: being comfortable and being able to sleep for more than an hour at a time.

This week: He’s a little over 15.5 inches long and weighs about 3 lbs. His eyesight is continuing to develop & will be about 20/400 at birth.  It feels like we’re just focusing on growing and putting on fat for the next 2.5 months.

Bump shot:

Kinda feels like the bump is smaller.

4 Years

Four years ago today I walked down the aisle to meet the man of my dreams at the end.

It hasn't been an easy 4 years, but they've definitely been some of the best years of my life (so far)!

Since our wedding, J & I have lived in 3 very different "homes," collectively worked 8 different jobs, and made one baby! He's also made sure I graduated college (even when I was ready to give up and start working) and made sure that I have always been taken care of. He's put countless quarts of oil in my about-to-breakdown car, given me about a million back rubs, and done a thousand loads of dishes.

Sure, we've had our ups and downs, but anything worth having is worth putting some effort into. Thanks, J, for all the work you've put into our marriage. You have shown me Christ's love every single day. I cannot wait to see you become a father and watch how much Ryker  will love you too. You are such an amazing husband and I'm so excited to see what our fifth year has in store for us!

29 Weeks

How far along:
29 Weeks.

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a butternut squash.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: 0
Total Gain: +9.4
So, apparently I like to go a few weeks without gaining anything and then gain 5 lbs in one week... and then go a few more weeks without gaining. Interesting. Still rocking pre-pregnancy shirts a majority of the time.

Movement?
Yup. And it's getting stronger. I watched my whole belly move with his hiccups the other day. His strongest movements are infiltrating my dreams now. He still doesn't like to move when J puts his hand on my belly. Although, J is still impatient and will only put his hand on my belly for like 30 seconds.

Food cravings/aversions?
Just downed my second glass of milk this morning. :) We still love sweets and have rediscovered string cheese. So, there's been a lot of cheese eating lately.

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, sensitivity to smells, vomiting (caused by sensitivity to smells... especially bad ones), vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, pain in sides & back below ribs (nurse says to invest in a maternity support belt), hip pain, increased appetite, tender breasts, dry skin, clumsiness (more than usual), drooling, carpal tunnel in left arm, insomnia, unstoppable gas (which can be super embarrassing!), heat rash in a very undesirable place, booty & hips are growing (I just had to buy bigger undies... and it's kind of like heaven right now!), irritability and weepiness.


What do I miss?
Just being able to get comfortable.

This Week:
Ryker is 2.5 lbs and a little over 15 inches long. His muscles and lungs continue to mature and his head is growing to accomodate his baby genius brain. His skeleton is hardening and about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited to his bones each day. Guess it's a good thing we love milk!
-From Babycenter.com

Bump Shot:

Decided to change up the background. Introducing... the upstairs work bathroom!

28 Weeks

How far along:
28 weeks (12 to go! Yikes.)

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a Chinese cabbage (or an eggplant)
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +4.5 (wha...?)
Total Gain: +9.4
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the gigantic gain this week. I AM ALWAYS HUNGRY!

Movement?
After the no movement scare, he’s back to his normal routine. He usually starts rumbling around at about 4-5am. And then every few hours after that, especially after I eat.

Food cravings/aversions?
Love milk. And sweets. Most meat is ok. Everything else I could probably do without. There's honestly nothing that really turns my stomach (at least nothing that didn't already do that pre-pregnancy).

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, mild nausea, vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, night sweats (I feel like this needs it's own mention), swelling, heartburn, pain in sides below ribs, hip pain, increased appetite, tender breasts, breast changes, dry skin, clumsiness (more than usual), drooling, carpal tunnel in left arm, insomnia, irritability and weepiness. I feel like the waddle is either here or will be here soon.


What do I miss?
A full night of sleep.

This Week:
Ryker is almost 15 inches long and weighs 2.25 lbs. He can blink and his eyes have lashes. His baby genius brain is developing and he’s putting on fat to prepare for his life on the outside.
-From Babycenter.com


Bump Shot:

Can't seem to rotate this picture. Don't really care.

Mild Freak Out

Ryker hasn't moved since about 7 last night. And he wasn't as active as he has normally been. Trying to stay calm... I only googled when to call the doctor and refuse to read any internet horror stories about this.

So I just downed a cup of coffee (still tastes gross to me, btw) and ate a sugary breakfast. Now I'm lying on my left side for the next hour hoping to feel something.

This kid is seriously a troublemaker already.

Miscellany Monday

Joining the lovely Carissa for some new material, since I only seem to write about Baby Nerd these days.

1. My phone will not stay charged. So, there won't be a ton of pictures. Boo. At least there's only one month left on the contract and then I can get a new phone (that will actually work!)

2. June is in-law month at Self Lane! J's brother and his family returned from Guatemala last week for a 6 week visit! And next week, J's sister and her family return from France to begin the next phase of their missionary journey. (photos from facebook)

3. On Saturday, my friends and I threw my beautiful BFF a baby shower. She is stunning of course. It was an intimate gathering, and we had a lot of fun! I didn't get to take any photos (because I have a lame duck phone) and the pictures that were taken haven't been uploaded to facebook yet.


4. I also love this map. Yay for linguistics. Never been prouder to be from the land of "y'all", "coke", and "slaw." (Map photo from the study.)

5. And one baby related listing. I am kind of at a loss on what to register for little Ryker! What do veteran moms actually use? I'd hate to waste someone's money because I think I'll need something (like a swing or bouncer... cuz they ain't cheap) and it turns out the kid won't even use it. So, I go back and forth between having next to nothing (aside from diapers and stroller) on the registry to going crazy and having everything on a checklist on the registry. Then I delete half the items and I'm back at next to nothing.

27 Weeks

How far along:
27 Weeks. Whaddup third trimester?

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a head of cauliflower
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: 0
Total Gain: +4.9
No weight change. And I'm ok with that since my belly is still growing and he's still thrashing around in there. No change in clothes. Still have very limited wardrobe. Still complaining about it. Still not willing to spend money to buy more clothes.

Movement?
Mostly after I eat, early in the morning (around 4am & 6am), and in the evenings. I read somewhere that babies have 45 minute sleep cycles around this stage. Maybe mine sleeps more? (Please let this be the case!) Or maybe he's just not making such big movements? Because I don't really feel him as much as other people seem to feel their babies move.

Food cravings/aversions?
Still love milk so, so much. I have started sneaking lettuce and tomatoes onto sandwiches. Don't think he's caught on yet. Still too scared to eat a real salad.

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, nausea, vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & sweating, mild swelling, heartburn, pain in sides below ribs, hip pain, increased apetite, tender breasts, breast changes, dry skin, clumsiness (more than usual), drooling, carpal tunnel in left arm, insomnia, irritability and so much crying lately.
Also, I have been feeling so off lately. I had to leave work early two days in a row because I just felt so bad - nauseated, extreme exhaustion, overly emotional, overheated, and with a terrible headache (that was probably responsible for all the crying...). At first I just thought, well this is third trimester pregnancy, but then I thought about what I've been doing differently and consulted with Dr. Google. I was probably dehydrated. Lately, water has seemed gross to me and I haven't been very diligent about drinking it. Started drinking a lot of water to replenish and I have started feeling SO much better.

What do I miss?
A full night of sleep.

This Week:
Ryker continues to grow and weighs about 2 pounds now. He's about 14.5 inches long. He can now open and close his eyes! He's sleeping at regular intervals and may have the hiccups (but I haven't felt anything like that yet).
-From Babycenter.com


Bump Shot:
See the tired eyes? I felt like poo at the time.