Bumpdate 29 weeks!

How far along: 29 weeks! 



 

Baby Size: Head to heel Baby G is measuring between 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs approximately 2.5 pounds.  She is about the size of an acorn squash.  Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain.

Maternity Clothes: Yes of course.

Sleep: Sleep is getting to be more and more difficult, rolling over is tough and my hips and back often hurt during the night.  Trips to the restroom are averaging 2-3 times.

Gender: A sweet little GIRL!

Movement: Oh yes! 

Best moment this week:  Celebrating my baby sister and her fiances upcoming wedding at their shower and bachelorette party this past weekend.  It was a wonderful weekend to celebrate!  I hosted with my older sister and two other wedding party members, I'm exhausted but everything turned out perfect!

Looking forward to: Celebrating our first wedding anniversary this weekend!!

Food cravings: Orange juice, toast with butter and steak…not any red meat, steak! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sick but I cannot stand the smell of garlic.

Labor Signs: Absolutely not!

What I miss: Sleeping through the night (yeah yeah…I can hear you saying get used to it) and not having to run to the restroom constantly.

Symptoms: Growing bump, tired easily, slight swelling after a day of being on my feet, tough to breathe at times (she is squishing my lungs) and a little bit of heartburn.  Overall I am still feeling great and am very thankful for a great pregnancy so far.

Nursery:  We are continuing to work on the nurseryJ  Her rug and wall decal were delivered last week and her crib should arrive within a couple of weeks.  It feels good to see progress in the nursery.

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding set is ON!

Mood: Great! 

With love,

Mrs. G

Bumpdate 28 weeks!

How far along: 28 weeks – third trimester! 

 

Baby Size: Head to heel Baby G is measuring approximately 14.8 inches and weighs in between 2.0 to 2.5 pounds.  She is about the size of an eggplant.  She is putting on layers of fat and her skin has a smoother and less wrinkled appearance.  Her lungs continue to mature and it is likely that she could breathe on her own if she were born prematurely, however we want her to continue to grow until closer to her due date!

Maternity Clothes: Yes of course, loving the items of spring clothing I have picked up.

Sleep: Sleep is getting to be more and more difficult, rolling over is tough and my hips and back often hurt during the night.  Trips to the restroom are averaging 2-3 times.

Gender: A sweet little GIRL!

Movement: Oh yes! 

Best moment this week:  We toured Fairview Southdale Hospital last Tuesday and it was fun to see the Birth Center, it is very nice and we are looking forward to touring the Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital as well.  Abbott is connected to Children’s and will likely be our first choice to have her at.

Also…passing my glucose test!!  So thankful I do not have to complete the three hour test. 

Looking forward to: Working on the nurseryJ  The living room construction started today and will hopefully wrap up early next week and then it is time to get moving on the nursery.

Food cravings: Orange juice, toast with butter and steak…not any red meat, steak!  Not going to lie, I am loving Pirate Booty ice cream (caramel/vanilla ice cream with M&M's, oreo cookies and chocolate chips in it) as well! It is fantastic!!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sick but I cannot stand the smell of garlic.

Labor Signs: Absolutely not!

What I miss: A yummy bloody mary!  My fam enjoyed one before Easter dinner yesterday and it looked so good!

Symptoms: Growing bump, tired easily, slight swelling after a day of being on my feet, tough to breathe at times (she is squishing my lungs) and a little bit of heartburn.  Overall I am still feeling great and am very thankful for a relatively great pregnancy so far.

Nursery: The new windows are in her room and look fantastic!  Thanks to Uncle Bo for helping Mr. G move the armoire in to her nursery, it looks great!  I am so excited to clean it up and get her stuff organized.  We ordered a rug and the wall decal for her nursery, slowly but surely the nursery is coming together!

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding set is ON!

Mood: Great! 

 
With love,

Mrs. G

 

 

Scary pregnancy moment...people really are still nice!

Last Tuesday I had a scary pregnancy moment that I hope to never have to go through again.

I had a meeting at 9am with about 100 of my colleagues, we were all gathering to hear about the 2014 strategy of our company.  I arrived about 15 minutes early and found a gal I know, we sat near the door as I assumed I would need to use the restroom at some point during the presentation.  Planning ahead.

About 10 minutes into the presentation I began to feel lightheaded and short of breath, I thought maybe I was just warm so I tried to get control of my breathing and cool off a little.  That didn't work, my pulse was doing strange things and at some point I realized that I may pass out.  The only thing I could think about was getting out of the meeting room so I did not pass out in front of 100 of my colleagues.  I know now that I should have just stayed seated as it was probably more dangerous for me to move but my mind was made up, I was out of there.
I grabbed my purse told the gal I knew that I wasn't feeling well and made a dash for the door.  Thankfully our marketing person for the Minnesota region was in the hall and she knew right away that I wasn't feeling well.  She got me sat down in a chair, helped me take off my cardigan in order to cool me down a bit and I said, "I am 27 weeks pregnant and I think I am going to pass out".  I knew that I needed to tell her how far along I was in case I did pass out and she needed to call the paramedics.
She asked if she should call 911 and I said, "not yet, just give me a minute".  She called the front desk to ask if there was anyone on staff with medical training and within 2 minutes there were 4 staff members around me.  It was incredible, they asked what they could do and I asked for juice and crackers as I thought maybe it was a blood sugar issue.  I swear it was 30 seconds and someone had a glass of orange juice and soda crackers. 

Disclaimer:  I had eaten a good breakfast not 2 hours prior to this meeting, so it was a shock to me that it may be a blood sugar issue.

The orange juice and the crackers helped but I still wasn't feeling 100%, so I called Mr. G and told him to come get me and that we needed to go to the doctor.  I called the doctor and they said to come in immediately.

Thankfully Mr. G wasn't far away and was there to pick me up within about 12 minutes, he said that he was terrified but was trying to stay calm for me. 

During my wait the hotel manager and the marketing women stayed with me and just kept talking to me.  They were both so kind to me, it really helped restore some of my faith in humanity. 

Once we arrived at the doctor they checked my heart and lungs, my glucose, hemoglobin, electrolytes and kidney function along with Baby G's heart.  Everything checked out just fine but the doctor had expected it to as I was feeling better and that I had drank some juice and had crackers.  The doctor mentioned that we could go further and order an EKG on me but that she suspected my blood sugar dropped unexpectedly and caused the "flight or fight" response from my body.  She recommended going home and resting the remainder of the day and that if this type of thing ever happened again to go immediately to the ER as they can get an EKG done a lot quicker and we can see if it is a heart issue. 

I now have a bag of snacks packed in my purse and have needed to utilize them a couple of times, I just think it is part of pregnancy...I felt like I was eating often before but now I feel like I am snacking all of the time.

My husband emailed the hotel manager and thanked him and his staff for their fast actions and complemented their efforts.  I thanked the marketing person profusely for her help and kindness.

While this was a very scary situation it was made better by the wonderful concern and kindness of strangers. 

With love,

Mrs. G

Bumpdate 27 weeks!

How far along: 27 weeks

last week of the second trimester and

88 days until her due date!

 

 

Baby Size: Head to heel Baby G is measuring between 13.6 – 14.8 inches and weighs in between 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.  She is about the size of a rutabaga.  She is sleeping and waking at regular intervals, open and closing her eyes and even sucking her fingers. Any rhythmic movements felt are likely a case of hiccups, which are happening more often.

Maternity Clothes: Yep and loving them!

Sleep: Sleep has been okay this week, rolling over during the night continues to get more difficult and bathroom trips more frequent.

Gender: A sweet little GIRL!

Movement: Oh yes!  She made me a little nervous last Thursday & Friday as she slowed down her movements a bit (might have been because I was a little stressed), but I had nothing to worry about since she has been quite active the last couple of days.

Best moment this week:  Celebrating with my friends at our first baby shower yesterday, it was a wonderful day.  Baby G & I were very spoiled.  Alyssa served yummy food, had beautiful decorations and everyone showered us with kindness and generosity. (As soon as I get the pictures I will write a blog about the shower)

Looking forward to: Continuing work on the nursery and construction to begin (and end) on our living room where we had water damage from an ice dam.

Food cravings: Orange juice, toast with butter and steak…not any red meat, steak! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sick but I cannot stand the smell of garlic.

Labor Signs: Absolutely not!

What I miss: Nothing much.

Symptoms: This might be TMI…but I am running to the restroom a lot!  She must be squishing my bladder even more these days.  Growing bump, ligament pain, heartburn and a little bit of leg pain if I’m on my feet too much.  Overall I am feeling great and don’t have any major complaints!

Nursery: The new windows go in her room tomorrow, hooray!  With the windows going in we can order her crib and move the armoire into her room, that way this momma can get moving on organizing her stuff.  I cannot wait to see her little clothes hanging in the armoire, I’m so excited!!

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding set is ON!

Mood: Great! 

My glucose test is this Friday morning, hoping to get through that with flying colors.  Cheers to the orange sugary drink!

With love,

Mrs. G

 

Bumpdate 26 weeks!

How far along: 26 weeks!

 

 

Sorry about the quality of photos...not the best this week.

 



Baby Size: Head to heel Baby G is measuring nearly 14 inches and weighs in between 1.5 to 2.2 pounds.  She is about the size of a head of lettuce.  She is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which is essential for the development of her lungs.  These so-called breathing movements are good practice for her first breath of air when she is born.  She is growing eye lashes and her immune system is getting ready for the outside world by getting antibodies from me.

Maternity Clothes: Yep and loving them! I’m trying to find some items for spring and summer that will get me through the pregnancy.

Sleep: Sleep has been okay this week, rolling over from my left side to right side is getting a little more difficult.

Gender: A sweet little GIRL!

Movement: Oh yes!  She is continuing to gain strength as well; she put on a little show Sunday for Mr. G & me as she had my tummy dancing around a lot.

Best moment this week:  Getting excited for my first baby shower, Sunday the 13^th.  My girlfriends from high school are throwing a shower for Baby G and I’m so excited to celebrate with them and have time to catch up.

Looking forward to: Continuing work on the nursery and construction to begin (and end) on our living room where we had water damage from an ice dam.

Food cravings: Orange juice, toast with butter and steak…not any red meat, steak! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sick but I cannot stand the smell of garlic.

Labor Signs: Absolutely not!

What I miss: Not much this week

Symptoms: Growing bump, ligament pain and a little bit of leg pain if I’m on my feet too much.  I had some heartburn Sunday but felt better Monday and today. Overall, I feel great and don’t have any complaints!

Nursery: Still at the same point with the nursery, it is painted but we are on hold until the windows are in and we can order the crib.  This is definitely a source of anxiety for me, I'm ready to get the nursery going.

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding set is ON!

Mood: Great! 

With love,

Mrs. G 

The s**t people say to pregnant women, part 1!

I'm sitting here staring at the computer screen in a bit of disbelief...I am having to write about the s**t people say to pregnant women!  Now I'm not naive, I've read similar blogs by other women that probably should have warned me about the stuff people say but I am living it.  And I am shocked!

You may or may not be thinking, why is it part 1?  Because I am certain that there will be a part 2 and possibly even part 3 considering I am 3 weeks away from my third trimester so that leaves about 14 weeks for more questions and comments.

I found out I was pregnant on November 8th, we kept the secret from everyone except our parents and siblings until we were about 16 weeks along...yes I was a bit paranoid.  So that has left about 10 weeks for people to say s**t and ask really personal questions, since I am approaching 26 weeks.  I don't think that is a lot of time, but there have been no shortage of stories and questions and assumptions made about my pregnancy and future delivery.

Here are some of my favorites:

1.  The ever common, "Were you trying? or Was this planned?"  How am I supposed to answer this question..."yes, do you want a copy of our ovulation calendar?"  Awkward!!

2.  Will you have a natural birth or will you get an epidural?  Well, considering how much this question irritates the s**t out of me I will likely get the drugs as to not be so annoyed.  No, but in all seriousness...who's business is it anyways.  I love my mother, bless her heart, but she had two natural births and thinks that pain medication is ridiculous and she has let me know more than once.  I finally had to say, "well good thing you aren't birthing this baby then because if I decide to have drugs that's my decision."  She hasn't said much after that.

3.  Gender!  Everyone had an opinion about finding out the gender and gender predictions and the list goes on about gender.  By the time our 20 week anatomy scan came around I wanted to scream about the amount of GENDER talk there was.  We had an amazing reveal party and I wouldn't have done anything different but all the talk and opinions leading up to that day was exhausting!

4.  I will never be able to take a shower!  Both of my sisters in law are really good at telling me this. They make it sound like I will have to go days and days without taking a shower and that the baby will never ever allow me out of her sight without bawling her head off. Let me let you in on a little secret, I love showers! I like to be clean and feel so much better if I take a shower, if I can't take a shower I am not productive and not very happy. I'm sure there will be times when I will have to wait for Mr. G to be home to shower but I'm sorry, I do not believe for one second that I will have absolutely NO time for a quick shower.

Let's get to some of the more serious and scary ones:

5.  This one was courtesy of my dental hygienist, a nice lady about my mothers age with two grown children.  While she was cleaning my teeth she decided it would be a great idea to tell me two horrible things that may happen to me during delivery...ummm, okay, thanks lady...put your hands in my mouth so I can't respond and tell me awful things that can happen to me.  She told me that I would pee the bed every time I had a contraction and that after delivering my baby the nurses would push on my stomach to get the extra blood out and it would look like grape jelly.  Seriously, this is my first pregnancy and I'm nervous enough about delivering a baby the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon, I don't need the additional gruesome details.  Again, I'm not naive and am well aware that childbirth is not a beautiful afternoon spent in a rose garden somewhere but I do not want to know that I could possibly pee the bed every time I contract or that I could pass blood clots that look like grape jelly.

6.  I will have a long and difficult labor, this gem was predicted by a gay guy at a restaurant I was at with some friends.  Yep, you just read that right!  I was enjoying happy hour (ginger ale in a wine glass please) with some friends and both of my sisters and this guy walked over to our table and inserted himself into our conversation.  We had no idea who he was nor why he approached our table.  After a few minutes of general conversation two of my friends went to the bathroom, hoping this man would take the hint...he didn't.  He sat down next to me and proceeded to tell me that he is very intuitive and that I would likely have a long hard labor and that I should get the epidural ASAP.  This coming from a man!!  I carefully put both arms over my stomach as I was afraid he would try to touch my bump and felt my older (very protective) sister slide closer to me as to say, "okay dude, enough is enough".  He took the hint and left the table, everyone was stunned that he commented about my delivery and I proceeded to explain that his comment was just a drop in the bucket!

7.  I am going to preface this next one by saying I am a firm believer in allowing parents to make the best decision for their children (newborns, toddlers, etc, etc).  What works for one may not work for another.  Our daughter is not even here yet and I am tired of the breastfeeding shame, immunization and home birth lectures.  We should be respectful of each other as parents!  This happened to me and Mr. G when we were about 18 weeks into this pregnancy at a gathering of a bunch of friends by a woman who I do not care to ever see again!  She nicely congratulated us on our pregnancy and then proceeded to drive the conversation for two hours about breastfeeding only, her feeling against immunizations and how everyone should give birth at home.  She was rude and judgemental and after two hours of agony my husband drug me out of the gathering because he couldn't take it any longer and I cried most of the way home (the host of the party actually called the next day to apologize).  This woman is entitled to her opinions and I would have gladly had a respectful and open conversation with her, but she didn't want to know what my husband and I had talked about and decided for our baby...if it wasn't the same as her she was sad for us.  SHE ACTUALLY SAID THAT SHE WAS SAD FOR ME THAT I WASN'T A BREASTFED BABY!  Thanks lady, you've offended my mother and me!  Mr. G and I pride ourselves in researching things and making educated decisions for ourselves and now our upcoming baby.  We decided that giving birth in a hospital makes us more comfortable, we will be touring two hospitals and already have a list of questions to ask while we are there.  I have read beautiful birth stories by women that gave birth at home (I actually read one today that was amazing) and I respect those moms for making the best decision for themselves and their babies.  For me, I have decided that a hospital is the best option.  As far as breastfeeding goes...I am going to give it a good old college try and hope that everything goes well.  I'm prepared for tough times and I am going to stick with it as long as I possibly can, however, I will NOT feel shame if at some point I have to stop and switch to formula.  I do not think that any mother should shame another mother for choosing not to breastfeed, we need to build each other up not tear each other down.  I'm going to leave immunizations at this, Mr. G and I have decided to immunize our baby, however, with the support of her pediatrician we will space out the shots a little more since she will likely not be going to daycare the first 8-12 months of her life.  To all of you parents out there, no matter what you choose I respect your ability to make the decision for your child.  Whether I agree with it or not.

Those are my top 7 for now, along with every birthing horror story you could ever possibly imagine but I don't have time to type all of those stories.  Everyone thinks it's their duty to share their horrific birth story with every pregnant woman...enough is enough!

Mr. G and I have tried to laugh through most of these and we have been successful at times, we know that most of the time people don't mean to scare us or to be rude (most of the time)...they just like to tell their stories.

I'm hoping that the next round of "s**t people say to pregnant women" is more humerous than serious; I would like it that way.


With love,

Mrs. G

The Nursery (My Old Office) by Mr. G

Mr. G writing this evening. Oh, how times have changed.  One of my favorite rooms of our drafty home is my old office which will soon be the nursery for our little girl come July.  As of the weekend the walls were painted a grayish color and the ceiling painted pink.  White trim and white base boards.  New energy efficient windows will come in a week and a half replacing the old ones that really didn't keep out winter whatsoever.  (Pretty much welcomed the cold wind with open arms and let it gain entry into our home with a handshake.)  Curtains have been purchased from a store I had never step foot in before, Pottery Barn for Kids.

This room used to be my old office when I was a bachelor. A place where my computer was and I would sit and eat a frozen pizza and drink beer while playing video games. There were duck pictures on the wall if I remember correctly.  Or maybe a picture about hockey. Very neutral colors were on the walls and ceiling.  I fondly remember freezing cold winter nights in MN staying home on a Saturday night, looking out the drafty windows on my alley in the back. We have one of the only two stories on the block so I would look out and see the lights of my neighbors flicker down below.  The wind would howl and the snow would fly. It was comforting. There was a jazz program that would play on NPR on Saturday nights and I would listen to it on a clock radio that I had in the adjacent bathroom, the only one in the old house.  It was quiet, warm and relaxing. It was wonderful.

And now, all that has and will change some more. It's forming into a room made for a little girl. A beautiful little girl. A pink ceiling, curtains with pink stripes will soon go up. Gone are the neutral manly colors and my desk has been replaced with a changing table. There's a Pooh bear wearing a tutu that was a gift.  Never would I ever have dreamed that this room would look like this.  Never would I have ever have dreamed all these changes are coming. 

And you know what?  I can't wait!  As much as I will miss my old office, it's but a fleeting thought as the joy that is to come into my life of my little baby daughter who's room has a pink ceiling and a Pooh bear in a tutu.

I hope she likes jazz.  :)

With Love,

Mr G

Bumpdate 25 weeks!

How far along: 25 weeks!

 

Baby Size: Head to heel Baby G is measuring about 13 ½ inches and at the perinatal ultrasound on Thursday she weighed in at 1 pound 12 ounces.  She is about the size of a cauliflower.  The baby center app said that she will begin to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat…but after seeing her in the 3D ultrasound…it looks like she is doing just fine;)  She is also beginning to grow more hair and if we could see it we would be able to discern its color and texture.  She has a new sense of equilibrium, knowing which way is up and which way is down.

Maternity Clothes: Yep and loving them! I’m taking a trip to Bellies & Babies sometime this week, it is a consignment store for maternity clothing and baby clothes…hoping to pick up a couple of dresses for some upcoming events.

Sleep: Sleep has been okay this week, with an average of 2 trips to the restroom each night.

Gender: A sweet little GIRL (we are making good progress with her name, although that will remain a secret until her arrival)!

Movement: Oh yes!  She is gaining strength as well; there have been a couple of times when she catches me by surprise with the force of her kicks and rolls.  We are also seeing the movement outside my clothing, very cool to see.

Best moment this week:  We had to see a perinatal specialist because our little lady would not cooperate and allow our normal ultrasound tech to get a picture of her heart. So, our doctor sent us in to the perinatal specialist for a more comprehensive look. We were able to spend close to an hour watching Baby G move around A LOT, kick and put her hands up to her face while the tech took all the necessary pictures and measurements. We came home with some wonderful pictures including three 3D pictures. And we are happy to report that Baby G cooperated and the perinatal specialist said everything looks great and that as long as everything continues as is we should not need further follow up with the specialist and can continue with our normal doctor. We were very happy to hear that!

Looking forward to: Continuing work on the nursery and construction to begin (and end) on our living room where we had water damage from an ice dam.

Food cravings: Orange juice, toast with butter and steak…not any red meat, steak!  My dad made me a steak last night for dinner, YUM!!!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not sick but I cannot stand the smell of garlic.

Labor Signs: Absolutely not!

What I miss: My favorite cheeses…brie & blue cheese especially.

Symptoms: Growing bump, ligament pain and a little bit of leg pain if I’m on my feet too much.  Overall, I feel great and don’t really have any complaints…I’m loving the second trimester (only 4 weeks of it left, wow!).

Nursery: I love making choices for her nursery, this weekend we had it painted and I love how it turned out (2 pics below).  We have also purchased curtains and the curtain rods with cute little pink butterflies on each end.  And I think, we have chosen a gliderJ  We have chosen the crib but are waiting to order it until the windows are done.  I told Mr. G on Saturday that I’m loving the decorating since this is likely the only time I will get to make the choices for her without her voicing her opinion;)

Wedding rings on or off: Wedding set is on but sadly Great Grandma’s ring is off and safely in our safe deposit box for the duration of this pregnancy.  It was just getting too tight and I did not want to risk having it get stuck.

Mood: Great! 

With love,

Mrs. G