Third Trimester Update

I'm a couple weeks into my third trimester, and just a couple things to report...

-I'm definitely getting bigger and more tired now.  Before, my stomach was poking out mainly from the middle, where my belly button is, but I can tell it's spreading out at the sides now.  Thank goodness, no stretch marks, yet! (knock on wood!)  With getting bigger, my balance is thrown off, and I sometimes feel like I'll topple over when bending down to pick stuff up.  I also sometimes get short of breath because my lungs are getting squished.  I feel the baby growing and stretching up into my rib cage now, and it sometimes hurts when she kicks in there.

-She's also much more active now!  Not only do I feel little kicks, I feel swirls, sloshes, and feel her when she completely turns her body or moves from one side of my stomach to the other.  She must be getting pretty strong too, since her kicks and movements are very visible to people just watching my stomach.   I've gotten used to her sleeping patterns and know that at this point, she wakes up around 630am when I get out of bed for work and does some big stretching.  Around 9, she starts poking around again, probably to ask when lunch will be.  Right after I eat lunch around noon, she dances for a bit, probably to thank me for eating.  After school, around the time I get home from work and get a chance to lay down, she starts moving again.  This is usually when I'll just sit and talk to her and play some music for her while we wait for Michael to get home.  She probably naps while I make dinner and eat, but after we eat and I sit down, she's very much awake and stays awake until I go to sleep.  Right before going to sleep, Michael likes to talk to her about his day and ask her about her day.  It's cute because she seems to kick in response to his voice.  :)

-Sleep is very hard to come by nowadays.  My back and legs are so achy....and it's hard to find a comfortable position where I feel like my back and stomach are supported.  Also, it seems that just as soon as I've found a good position to lay in, I have to get up to go to the bathroom again.  So my sleep comes in waves and I seem to wake up every 2 hours or so.  Maybe this is my body's way of preparing me for what's to come when the baby is born?

-My doctors appointments have all been good.  She continues to confirm that everything is going well, and that the baby is growing.  Currently, the baby is a little over 3 pounds and about 17 inches long.  My blood pressure is good and my weight gain is right on track, and if anything, is a little bit under due to the weight I lost during the first trimester.  My appointments are now every other week, which is crazy!  Our schedules are always so busy anyways due to work and with me still taking 6 units of classes at CSUF, but now we've got doctor's appointments every other week too...and starting next week we've got some sort of parenting, childbirth, or breastfeeding class to go to.  This week we took the tour of the hospital I'll be giving birth at, and WOW.  St. Jude's so nice and I'm so glad that we chose to go there. High-tech top of the line equipment, SUPER friendly and helpful staff, and plus it's so close to our apartment!

That's pretty much it.  Haven't done much else to the baby's room because I've been sick with another bad cold and have been trying to take it easy.  We're completely done registering at stores (thank goodness!).  It was a long, overwhelming and tiring process...but Michael really enjoyed clicking the scanning gun at things. Haha.  I don't know about showers or anything yet, though.  All I know for certain is that work is going to have a baby shower for me on March 3rd.  I'm pretty excited for that.  :)

Kicking

Just a few days ago, we met another milestone in the pregnancy-- kicking!  Yes, I have been feeling her move for at least a month and a half now, but I guess she's getting bigger and stronger, because now it's not just little flutters and twitches I feel anymore.  She's really kicking...and if you put your hand on my stomach (at the right time), you would be able to feel it too!

It's a crazy feeling.  At first, I didn't even understand what it was.  I had just finished coughing, and just a second or two later, I felt a little flick or a poke from inside my stomach.  I thought maybe I had imagined it...or maybe it was more of the pesky round ligament pain I've been feeling for a while now.  So I just sat there and rubbed my stomach.  I tried coughing again, and then this time, waited with my hand on my stomach.  A few seconds later, I felt the poke again, and this time, I felt a distinct nudge with my hand from inside my stomach.  Apparently the baby's in there asking what all the coughing is about.  :)

I told Michael that I felt her move from the outside. He basically ran over, started rubbing my stomach, and talked to the baby to encourage her to kick.  He's been doing that every time I feel anything.  He's so excited to feel her move, but I guess she's shy to kick for her daddy still, because as soon as he starts talking to her and rubbing my stomach, she stops.  I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time.  :)

20 Weeks!

At this point, my major "symptoms" are that my back and hips are achy.  It's hard to find a comfortable position while laying down.  I soooo miss being able to sleep on my stomach.  Also, I get painful leg cramps at night, and occasionally, I'll see my feet swell a bit.  My appetite is here and I don't have any food aversions, but I'm definitely not constantly eating either.  Michael still needs to remind me to eat every once in a while.  And most recently, my stomach is now starting to itch.  I put on cocoa butter lotion, but all I think it's doing is making me smell like a candy bar.  I hear it's supposed to help with stretch marks or itching...I guess time will tell.  Other than that, I'm still waiting for the baby to kick hard enough to feel on the outside.  I can only feel her flutters of movement on the inside for now.  Michael talks to my stomach all the time and encourages her to kick.  It's pretty funny.

Anyways, time goes by so fast!  I can't believe that I'm at the half way point of my pregnancy.  And just think-- in just 20 more weeks, our baby will be ready to come out of my tummy and come home with us!

Speaking of coming home...Michael and I have been hard at work clearing out our second bedroom so that we can turn it into our little girl's room.  The room was previously an office/store room...and it was FULL! My sister has been so helpful because she's been here helping us clean, sort, and haul car loads of unwanted and unneeded items to Salvation Army.  There were things too that I wish we had room to store until we have a house....but we're trying to keep only what's necessary.  It's not even just the throwing away and giving away that's the hardest part...it's the loading/unloading in the pouring rain that makes this all so inconvenient.  :(  This week, apparently, Southern California is having the biggest set of rain storms it's had in over 10 years.  All the streets are flooding, and it's almost too scary to go anywhere.  But since this is our week off and our only chance to clean...we don't have much of a choice.

Anyways, once we get the room cleaned out we can start setting up the baby's room with some furniture.  Michael's sister & brother in law, Nicole & Branden, have graciously offered to let have their crib and several other baby items.  To top it off, they're even going to deliver and help with assembly! We couldn't be more excited or thankful!