28 weeks - 3rd trimester

How far along: 28 weeks

Baby's size: An Eggplant

Ella may be dreaming! Brain wave activity measured at this stage shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase, the stage when dreaming occurs. New tricks this week including blinking, coughing, more intense sucking, and perhaps most important, better breathing. Ella's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

Symptoms: Back pain, rib pain, leg cramps, frequent bathroom trips ... other than that doing pretty well. I am starting to feel bigger, and have noticed I'm starting to walk a little different to compensate my growing bump.

Sleep: Still sleeping well, but hard to get comfortable. I may need to add a few pillows to the bed soon!

Total Weight Gain: officially hit 20 pounds!

Maternity clothes: I'm thinking it's time to invest in a new bra, a larger one! And now that fall is just around the corner, I need to start looking for a pair of maternity jeans.

Best moment this week: My favorite time of the day is when hubby and I crawl into bed (when that actually happens at the same time). Ella thinks 11pm is play time, or dance time. It's so fun to lay there together and watch her dance across my belly!

Movement: Still feeling her all the time. Wondering if I'm suppose to start counting kicks soon?

Food cravings: None.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Being independent. It's extremely hard for me to let others lift things for me!

What I'm looking forward to: Making plans for Ella's room.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: 3rd Trimester! wow how did that happen!


Emotions: I have no idea how it got to be 3rd trimester already! Honestly, I've really been enjoying being pregnant. It's been a really fun time for hubby and me to share. And I rather fond of all the attention as well. I feel great (relatively speaking), and honestly feel pretty cute too! There is just something about being pregnant that makes you feel more alive and more like a woman. At the same time I am also SO excited to meet Ella. Despite enjoying being pregnant, November CANNOT come soon enough!

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wordless wednesday: 27 week bump

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27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks

Baby's size: An Eggplant

Ella's lungs are going through some major developments these days, which (combined with the opening of previously plugged nostrils) means she's now able to practice inhaling and exhaling. The lack of air in the womb means every "breath" is filled with amniotic fluid, but hey - it's progress. Ella's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds she hears are muffled, she may recognize both mine and hubby's voices. Her taste buds are very developed now too; she would be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid if I ate something super spicy! (Though her meal time is about two hours after mine.) She may even respond to the spice by hiccuping. And although hiccups (which would feel like a belly spasm to me) may seem like they're disturbing to baby, she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that she needs to get used to.

Symptoms: Besides the pain in my ribs and back, the only really noticeable symptom is an increase in leg cramps. I mostly get them at night or first thing in the morning, if I point my toes and stretch too hard.

Sleep: Still sleeping well, but hard to get comfortable. I may need to add a few pillows to the bed soon!

Total Weight Gain: no weight gain this week, still at 19 total

Maternity clothes: Yup, I like them.

Best moment this week: I read on one of my iPhone apps that you may be able to hear the baby's heartbeat from outside. So the other night hubby put his ear up to my stomach, and sure enough he heard her heartbeat right away!

Movement: She's quite active! I absolutely LOVE feeling her move throughout the day. But her favorite time of day by far is around 11pm, right when I go to bed.

Food cravings: None.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Being independent. It's extremely hard for me to let others lift things for me!

What I'm looking forward to: Making plans for Ella's room.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: 

Emotions: This pregnancy is flying by, and I still have so much to do!

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touring the birthing center

Monday we finally got around to touring the birthing center at the hospital. They offer free tours the third Monday of every month, but we've been unable to make it there until now.

We don't have much to compare it to - since we obviously haven't done this before - but we liked what we saw! All the birthing rooms are private and include whirlpool tubs. They also have mobile fetal monitoring systems - so I'm free to be in or out of bed and moving around as I wish - and my OB can monitor the results in her office or even from home! The birthing center is up on the 6 floor (the top floor) and all the rooms have floor to ceiling windows, so there's a nice view - not that I'll be paying attention to that! But it's still a nice little perk.

The birthing center itself is fully locked and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Everyone who comes in has to be let in my a nurse. They do not allow random people to come in to just to see the babies in the nursery. They do welcome any family that I want there though, and even have a beeper system so that family can move around the hospital (aka go down and get food!) and be alerted when delivery is near.

And they play a lullaby throughout the entire hospital every time a baby is born. How cute is that?

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26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks

Baby's size: An Eggplant

Ella's soaking up my antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink ... perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes at her daddy. (Her eyes have been closed the past few months so that the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop. She can now see what's going on around her, unfortunately the view in my uterus isn't all that exciting! The iris, the colored part of the eye, still doesn't have much pigmentation, so it's too early to start guessing her eye color. (Even the color she's born with might not be the permanent shade.) Ella's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development as well, which means she can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them. She's growing and will soon be feeling a little cramped in my uterus. My little gymnast will soon have less room for those somersaults and cartwheels that I always feel!

Symptoms: Still feeling like my ribs are pulling apart, and getting back pain. Other than that, feeling pretty good. Noticing that I get short of breath quicker than normal.

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping pretty well. But it is very hard to get comfortable at night. Hubby is starting to complain that I never want to cuddle with him anymore.

Total Weight Gain: 19 total

Maternity clothes: I'm finding myself reverting to the same couple pairs of pants that I know are comfortable, rather than bothering with the bella band.

Best moment this week: Touring the hospital yesterday. It's starting to all feel so real!

Movement: Still feeling her move everyday. Hubby's mom was able to feel her for the first time last weekend!

Food cravings: None.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Being able to comfortably cuddle with hubby.

What I'm looking forward to: Making plans for Ella's room.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: Taking our first prenatal class.

Emotions: This pregnancy is flying by, and I still have so much to do!

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early pregnancy class

Yesterday we went to our first prenatal class at the hospital. They have several classes that they offer, most for free. This one was an "early pregnancy" class. I'm not so early pregnancy anymore, but this summer just got so busy and time kind of got away from me.

There wasn't a ton of new information, but it was all very good. She went through all the stages to fetal development, which was good review. Most of it I already knew from my weekly emails and my iPhone apps, but it was nice to have someone else walk through the entire process. It was also really good for hubby to hear.

She also talked about all the different changes in my body, the symptoms I may experience, and what exercises and remedies are safe. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far, but I haven't avoided everything! So it was a good reminder of what I can do for some of the discomfort.

The biggest question she answered for me was about daycares. I have been quite baffeled about how to fined a good daycare in our area. I never went to daycare myself, and know very little about them. Honestly I don't want to send Ella to a daycare. I would love to be able to stay home with her, but financially that is not an option yet. And I really do love my job.

The nurse told us about the Child Care Resources & Referral website. Each state has their own, but the national site is http://www.naccrra.org/. On the site you can search for daycares in your area, and it will even tell you which ones have openings! I'll definitely be looking into this!

The most reassuring part of the class was hearing the nurse talk about the views of the hospital. I was very happy to find that they are very similar to my own. They feel strongly that natural induction is the best way. They also are very open to using minimal drugs, and they allow you to move around as much as you want during labor. Another cool thing, being that it is a smaller birthing center, they have a one-to-one nurse to patient ratio during labor and delivery. And the birthing center is also a locked facility; they do not allow strangers in to "look at the babies in the nursery." It's very reassuring to know that I will be so well cared for!

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25 weeks - 6 months

How far along: 25 weeks

Baby's size: An Eggplant

Ella's oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and she's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down. Her skin is turning pinker; small blood vessels called capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in Ella's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity - and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But her lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after she is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when she exhales. Ella's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week as well. This actually allows her to begin taking practice breaths - of course since there's no air in there, she is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid.

Symptoms: Still feeling like my ribs are pulling apart, and getting back pain. Other than that, feeling pretty good. Noticing that I get short of breath quicker than normal.

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping pretty well. But it is very hard to get comfortable at night. Because of the pain in my ribs, sleeping on my back is actually the most comfortable - but they advise against it. So I try to make sure I role over onto my side before I actually fall asleep.

Total Weight Gain: 18 total

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes are my friend! But I've had a hard time finding maternity clothes that actually fit me and look flattering. I've had just as much luck finding regular styles that work as maternity.

Best moment this week: We went camping/canoeing with my extended family this past weekend. Many of them I have not seen since I first found out I was pregnant. So it was so fun to see them all and have them comment on my baby bump!

Movement: Still feeling her move everyday. Her movements are getting bigger and stronger. Last night I felt her moving for an hour and a half straight! This weekend my mom was able to feel her move, she's the only one who's felt her move besides hubby.

Food cravings: Still no major cravings! I do notice that I'm in the mood for sweets more often.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Being able to sit normally, without needing extra lower back support.

What I'm looking forward to: Making plans for Ella's room.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): I learned from my What to Expect app today that research has linked good dental health and oral hygiene with longer pregnancies! Who would have thought? Apparently gingivitis can progress to periodontitis - which has been linked to premature birth and even an increased risk of preeclampsia.

Milestones: 6 months!

Emotions: This pregnancy is flying by, and I still have so much to do!

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nursery sneak peak

Like many things, I've been dreaming about Ella's nursery long before I knew about Ella. For a little over a year, I've had a pretty good idea in my mind of what I wanted it to look like. I'm loving the gray and yellow combo that's so popular right now. In clothes, in decorating, anything.

Unfortunately this color pallet doesn't seem to have made a big splash into nurseries realm quite yet. I know in my head what I want her room to look like, but I've never actually SEEN it done anywhere.

I first found this Dwell Studio pillow online at Target, and fell in love with it. And amazingly, when I saw it in person I loved it even more! So my mom bought it for me as my "shower gift." It'll be my inspiration piece of sorts - the yellow that I use to match everything to.

I've been searching the internet for months for a crib bedding set in this color scheme - to no avail. They all just seem so busy. I'm looking for something a little more calming, and a design that can grow with her. I did finally find this Modern Berries Modif crib set from Rosenberry Rooms that would be perfect for what I have in mind. It is gorgeous, but a bit out of my price range. And by a bit, I mean a lot. It's $399.99 and doesn't include a quilt.

The closest thing I've found to what I have in my head is Leighton's nursery on ohdeedoh. Leighton's mom has a lot of great ideas that I hope to borrow. I love her crib set - which she found on Etsy.

So my plan? I'm going to make my own crib bedding! I'm enlisting the help of my mom and mother-in-law and I'm going to make my own crib bumper, skirt and blanket. Hopefully I can find a pattern with a similar feel to the one from Rosenberry Rooms at the fabric stores. For the blanket, I'd like to find large pattern - like this Bananafish Love Bird pattern from Target below. If not, plan b is to make a quilt like the one in Leighton's room. I figure I can just buy a white, yellow or gray fitted sheet to match whatever pattern I find.

Hubby likes the idea. Mostly I think he just likes how excited I AM about it! He thinks it's great that I'm so excited about making my own stuff for Ella's room. Being a graphic designer though, he had some input as well. He said we need to have another color for an accent - that gray and yellow is a little too dull. So at his recommendation, I'm planning to add plum into the mix somehow as well.

Those are my thoughts for now. I'm all about personalization.There's nothing I dislike more than "boxed sets" so to speak, where everything in a room is exactly the same pattern. I like random things that are pulled together that coordinate, rather than match. I've got many other ideas flying around in my head, but I'll keep them for another day.

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diaper bag

A couple weeks ago we were doing some shopping on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and we wondered into a boutique that had maternity clothes. They had some absolutely adorable and trendy things, but unfortunately they were a little out of our price range.

But we did find our diaper bag! I saw it and instantly fell in love. It is cute, but not cutesy. Hubby still thinks it's pretty girly, but we are having a girl after all. And he'd have our little girl anytime he'd have the diaper bag, so I think he'd still feel comfortable carrying it.

 It's the Duo Deluxe diaper bag from Skip * Hop. It has so many great pockets, all of which are magnetic - not velcro. It includes a diaper changing pad (which hubby thought was for a laptop at first!) It has an exterior pocket for a bottle and your cell phone. It has special clips to attach it to the handle of your stroller. It's not the largest diaper bag out there - but I think I actually prefer that. I'd rather have a small bag to take everywhere, and then a second when I need extra stuff.

I convinced hubby to buy it for me right then and there - even though we hadn't done any other shopping for diaper bags. But the great part is, I later found it at Target for cheaper! So I returned it to the boutique and promptly added it to my gift registry!

They also have this great coordinating Central Park outdoor blanket + cooler!

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dr. h

I had my 24 week checkup on Tuesday. Dr. B is on vacation this week, so I got to meet Dr. H. Dr. H is a short squatty guy with a balding head, but very nice. And I didn't have to wait a half an hour to see him, so bonus!

As Dr. H said, the 24 week checkup is a rather boring one. I peed in a cup, he asked me how I was feeling, listened for the heartbeat with the doppler (137 bpm), measured me, and I was on my way.

Actually this is the first time I've actually been measured. Dr. B has told me in the past that I "measure small," but she never actually measured. Dr. H got out a little measuring tape and measured from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus, which he said was 22 cm. So slightly on the small side, but nothing to worry about. As a rule of thumb, the measurement should equal the number of weeks you are pregnant. But 2 cm in either direction is considered within normal size.

He also told me that the pain I've been experiencing in the center of my ribs is probably heartburn and indigestion. He also said the ache in my right side could be my gull - caused by the same thing. For both I'm suppose to stay away from fried and greasy food, eat smaller meals, and recline as much as possible. Not sure I buy it though, it feels more like a bruise than a sharp pain. I'm more inclined to think that it's from my uterus growing and putting pressure on my ribs. But what do I know?

My next appointment is August 30th when I get to do the sugar test to look for gestational diabetes. Yay!

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24 weeks

How far along: 24 weeks

Baby's size: A Papaya

Ella's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow. If we could get a glimpse inside, we'd almost be able to tell who she looks like now. Her face is almost fully formed. But she needs to gain a little more weight still. At this stage of growth she's gaining about six ounces each week - with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle. Ella can now hear all kinds of sounds: from air exhaling from my lungs, gastric gurgles produced by my stomach and intestines, even loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or wailing fire trucks, and best of all hubby and my voices!

Symptoms: Still getting a daily side-ache on the right side ache, feeling like my ribs are pulling apart, and getting back pain. Other than that, feeling pretty good

Sleep: Sleeping is starting to get more challenging. It's tough sleeping on your side all night, especially with sore back and ribs.

Total Weight Gain: 18 total

Maternity clothes: I'm finding maternity clothes, especially pants, increasing appealing! I still have my eye on a couple pairs of maternity jeans ... but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Best moment this week: Having complete strangers come up and tell me how cute I look and congratulate me. It's fun to be obviously pregnant, and not mistaken for just a little chubby. It's also fun to have everyone so excited with us!

Movement: I feel her move everyday, periodically throughout the whole day. She's the most active right around 11pm when I go to bed. I can really tell that she is growing too! The other night I felt her move on the right side of my belly AND below my belly button at the same time!

Food cravings: Still no major cravings!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Not having back pain and rib pain everyday.

What I'm looking forward to: Starting our baby registry!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: choosing a name!

Emotions: I am feeling like there is SO MUCH TO DO! Need to research and pick a car seat, stroller, crib ... need to lineup a daycare ... need to figure out my maternity leave ... need to start a baby registry ... and the list goes on and on!

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stroller / car seat dilemma

Now that we know Ella is a girl (oh I just love being able to use a name when I'm talking about her!), and with the realization that I'm past half way through this pregnancy, I'm feeling like I need to get my butt in gear with planning and preparations!

There are SO many things to be done. And SO many decisions to be made. I don't really know where to start! I'm making my lists of course, because that's what I do. But I decided it was best to start with little steps. So I thought picking out a stroller and car seat would be an easy one to start with.

Not so much.

For those who have been there, you know. When it comes to strollers and car seats, there are so many different options and features to think about!

Well I decided to start my search at Target. I didn't really know what I was looking for, so I just started out by looking at size, material and looks. I saw the Baby Trend Expedition jogger stroller and Flex-Loc infant car seat. I loved the heavy fabric, the triangle-shaped carrying handle, the small size of the car seat despite working for a baby up to 30 lbs, and really I loved the sophisticated black/gray color combo. I'm not a jogger, but something about a jogger stroller still appeals to me. It just seems like it may be more maneuverable. The one big downside, that hubby noticed, was the "puzzle piece" buckle. In order to secure baby in, you have to put the two pieces together first, before clicking it in. That may not be a deal-breaker, but it's certainly a big negative in our minds.

Next we looked at the Graco. We really like the SnugRide 35 infant car seat, with the MetroLite stroller. So many car seats only go up to 22 lbs, and we really like the flexibility of this one going to 35 lbs. I wasn't crazy about the patterns I saw at Target or Babies R Us, but found the Laguna Bay pattern online and really liked it! I'm really not looking for something super girly, even though we're having a girl. So I like the neutral-ness of this teal/green combo. I also liked the fabric on this one, the stroller has a much bigger basket below, and the buckle is much easier to manage with a squirmy baby (with each piece going in separately.) Another difference to the Baby Trend car seat, is that this one has the base release lever located at the head of the seat, as apposed to the foot. Hubby liked this one better, I liked the other - I guess it's just a preference thing!

These two were really the best options we could find to actually look at in our town. We live in a decent sized city, but for some reason we don't have a Super Target or a dedicated Babies R Us (just a section in Toys R Us.) So the options are rather limited. But we plan to do some shopping in a bigger city sometime soon (hopefully!)

But since doing our shopping, I've had several people recommend the Chicco KeyFit 30 infant car seat to me. Then the weekend before last, hubby's mom went to buy a stroller for the cabin (for my 2-year old niece), and came home with the matching Cortina stroller. We used it several times for walks over the weekend, and I have to say I'm really falling in love with it! It is SO easy to push! The umbrella comes fully detached from the back, so you can put it in front of baby if you are walking into the sun. The basket is large, the tray comes off completely, the seat back is adjusted by actually hardware rather than just a strap like the others I've seen, and the fabric is great. The only real downfalls I see are the small cup holders (my Camelback water bottle doesn't fit), and there is a plastic window in the umbrella that doesn't have a flap to cover it.

So the hunt continues. We need to do more shopping so we can see them in person, rather than just online. And of course I need to check into Consumer Reports for safty ratings and such. But I think I'm leaning towards the Chicco at this point.

What systems do you use? I'd love to get your thoughts and recommendations! I am sure there are so many factors that I have not thought about! I'd love to hear any input you have to share.

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