Baby #2: Week 32

April 3, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

This week I celebrated my birthday, our anniversary, and Easter! My birthday was low-key, but Andrew let me sleep in and rest a lot, and that’s really what I wanted. I made a donut tower birthday cake for myself, and we went out for sushi for my birthday dinner, so I would say it was a great birthday! Our anniversary & Easter fell on the same day this year. We went out for a late Easter brunch at Lost Forty Brewing and then walked down by the river. It was a great afternoon! We really didn’t do anything special for our anniversary. I gave Andrew his gift before we left Del Rio so the movers could pack it: a copper-colored wind chime for our new home in New Mexico (the traditional gift for 7 years is copper). I can’t wait to hear how it sounds later this summer! And I’m hoping Andrew and I can sneak out for a date night before the baby arrives as a belated anniversary celebration. 🙂

How far along: 32 weeks on 03 April 2018
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a squash or a naked-tailed armadillo (about 16.7″ long and about 3.8 lbs)

Gender: No clue, but you can now go make your guess on our Baby Pool! Looks like you all are split exactly 50/50 right now haha.

Weight gain: 16 lbs
Symptoms: fatigue, back pain, eye issues, nausea, SPD?, Braxton Hicks contractions, varicose veins

Always tired. Sleep isn’t great at night, but it’s not horrible. I try to take naps some days, and they’re really hit or miss.
Back pain when I’m on my feet for a long time.
Taking eczema off my symptoms list! I switched to a regular lotion, and no flare ups!
Haven’t bothered with my contacts in weeks. I’m so sick of wearing my glasses, but I can’t stand having my eyes burning either.
Nausea most often happens around dinnertime, but it pops up randomly too. I started gagging one day when Gerrit called me in to wipe his butt…
Some days I feel like I just ache all day, and other days are not as bad. It’s always uncomfortable at night when I try to roll over.
I had two more days with painful BH contractions. The morning after I hit 31 weeks, I had a repeat of the previous morning: painful contractions while just sitting on the couch having my morning coffee. They went away after 30-45 minutes and drinking lots of water. I made donuts for my birthday, and after I finished, we went out for dinner. Once we got to the restaurant, I started having painful contractions again. They pretty much lasted all through dinner. I’m guessing that was a combination of being on my feet for a long time and forgetting to drink water again.
Varicose veins! I keep forgetting to mention these as a symptom because I rarely see them haha! Andrew pointed them out to me on the back of my left leg a few weeks ago. Another symptom I never had with my last pregnancy…

Maternity clothes: All the time
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in but getting shallow
Sleep: Depends on the night
Best moment this week: Getting to go out for sushi for my birthday dinner! I may have been in a little pain during dinner, but I still definitely enjoyed my meal. Gerrit was being difficult in the restaurant… until his food came. Food is this kid’s love language, haha! And he loves going out for sushi. I ordered some miso soup, and he insisted on eating all the tofu in there. Then his food came, and he loved his teriyaki chicken and fried rice, and then insisted on eating several pieces of Andrew’s tuna and salmon. I think we have another little sushi lover in the family.
Miss anything: Having the patience & energy to keep up with Gerrit. It hasn’t been an easy week.
Movement: Lots of movement still!
Cravings: Nothing new. Green apples & sharp cheddar cheese make me happy. Sometimes I actually have an aversion to sweet things lately.
Looking forward to: Still looking forward to getting set up with an OB. After NOT getting a referral, I called back to see what was going on. I was basically told it would be faster if I took care of things on my own… so I did. I was told I could be seen by the end of this week, so I’m hoping that’s true!

Baby #2: Week 31

March 28, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

This was our first (almost) whole week in Little Rock! We arrived the day after I hit 30 weeks and have been working on settling in.

How far along: 31 weeks on 27 March 2018
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a head of Romaine lettuce or an otter (about 16.2″ long and 3.3 lbs)

Gender: No clue, but you can now go make your guess on our Baby Pool!

Weight gain: 15 lbs (shockingly no gain this week)
Symptoms: fatigue, back pain, eczema, eye issues, nausea, SPD?, Braxton Hicks contractions

Still tired. It doesn’t seem to matter how G sleeps at this point. I toss and turn so much that I’m always tired.
I’m noticing more back pain again. I’ve been trying to be more aware of my posture, doing more pelvic tilts, and resting when I can.
I still use Sudocrem on my chest, but my skin is definitely less itchy lately. Maybe I can start using regular lotion again!
Still limiting my contact lens use. I didn’t even try wearing them this week.
Nausea wasn’t too bad this week, but my appetite was definitely lower. Baby must be squishing my stomach.
Some days I feel like I just ache all day, and other days are not as bad. It’s always uncomfortable at night when I try to roll over.
They day I hit 31 weeks, I had some painful Braxton Hicks contractions for the first time. It was right away in the morning; I hadn’t really done anything to exert myself. The baby was moving around a lot right before it started, but the only other thing I could think of was being dehydrated from sleeping. They lasted about 45 minutes, and it definitely felt like the early contractions I had when I was in labor with Gerrit.

Maternity clothes: All the time
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in but getting shallow
Sleep: Depends on the night
Best moment this week: Getting settled in our house in Little Rock. The drive was tough because of my fatigue, so I was so glad to be done with it! The house we’re renting already had rental furniture set up when we arrived, so that was really convenient. We did a bit of rearranging (and still have a bit more to do), and it’s slowly starting to feel like a home.
Miss anything: Not waddling, bending over, and rolling over easily in bed
Movement: Sometimes I feel like it’s ALL the time! The baby has to sleep once in awhile, but there are days where the movement seems nonstop.
Cravings: Nothing new. Green apples still just taste amazing to me. Craving sushi too!
Looking forward to: Getting set up with a new OB. Just waiting for my referral to go through! I haven’t been seen since the 1st of March, so I’m eager to make sure everything still looks good.

Baby Update · Daily living

Baby #2: Week 30

March 21, 2018March 21, 2018 nk330Leave a comment

The day I hit 30 weeks was the day we said good-bye to Del Rio, Texas! Definitely mixed feelings about this: we met a lot of great people, made some wonderful friends, and will be leaving with lots of memories. But I’m excited for the next chapter, to get to know a new base/city, and to see some family while we’re close-ish. And I seriously can’t believe we only have about 10 weeks until we meet the newest member of our family!

Not a great picture, sorry. It was the morning we left TLF, so we did it quickly before we packed up the car. And I’m very basic when it comes to photo editing haha.

How far along: 30 weeks on 20 March 2018
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a cantaloupe or a platypus (about 15.7″ long and almost 3 lbs)

Gender: No clue, but you can now go make your guess on our Baby Pool!

Weight gain: 15 lbs (hoping the weight gain slows down soon… it’s been coming on fast these last few weeks!)
Symptoms: fatigue, back pain, eczema, eye issues, nasal congestion, nausea, SPD?, Braxton Hicks contractions

Gerrit has been up more again recently. I think he’s having dreams (he says weird things when he does wake in the night), but he’s also been more clingy. He often wants me to lay with him when he’s falling back to sleep. And then when I try to go back to sleep in my own bed, it takes awhile. So lots of fatigue.
I’m noticing more back pain again. I’ve been trying to be more aware of my posture, doing more pelvic tilts, and resting when I can.
Still limiting my contact lens use. I didn’t even try wearing them this week.
Nausea come and goes. Usually in the evening like it has been throughout this pregnancy, although I’ve been dry heaving some mornings again too. Low appetite at dinner seems to be coming back again too.
I’ve definitely been overdoing it with lifting and bending while packing. I’ve had some pretty painful SPD symptoms on those days.

Maternity clothes: All the time. Down to only what I packed for this TDY, so hopefully I chose wisely haha.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in but getting shallow
Sleep: Depends on the night
Best moment this week: Heading out of Del Rio! Like I said above, LOTS of mixed feelings here. The reason it’s my “best moment” is because I hate being in limbo. Waiting in TLF had us all on edge, and I’m ready to feel settled again. But leaving Laughlin AFB for the last time? I had tears in my eyes. I know I complained about the Texas heat, the lack of things to do here, and being far from family, but the community here was amazing, and I will miss so many things about the squadron and our neighborhood. 😦
Miss anything: Not waddling, bending over, and rolling over easily in bed
Movement: Sometimes I feel like it’s ALL the time! The baby has to sleep once in awhile, but there are days where the movement seems nonstop.
Cravings: Nothing new. Green apples still just taste amazing to me.
Looking forward to: Getting settled in Little Rock — I’m really excited to set up a new (temporary) home and explore the city!