Baby Shook #3: 28/29 weeks

Baby Size: Butternut Squash

How I Feel about being Pregnant: Like a whale. I have had two people tell me I look significantly larger than 29 weeks. While that is completely true, DON'T TELL ME THAT! Tell me I look beautiful, I deserve a nap, and am glowing...or anything else super nice. This even came from women who have had children. People, for the love...

Symptoms:  Swollen ankles and feet for days. 

Food Cravings: All the sugar and sweets. Pizza is always on my list too. I keep seeing billboards for the new Spiked Arnold Palmer and I really want one. 10 more weeks or so and its going to be my first alcoholic drink.

Food Aversions: Kale? I actually don't really like kale anyways but now I have no tolerance.

What I am Excited About: 3rd trimester! Potentially single digit weeks remaining! Also, I got to see my favorite doctor in my OB practice and she told me she really hopes she gets to deliver this baby. She is the perfect balance of doctor and mother. Let's hope the stars align and I have a 38 week baby, somewhere between 6 and 8 pounds, no NICU time, successful VBAC, and this doctor is on call.

Sweet Thing My Husband did for Me: Loves me even when I walk slower than a toddler on his way to take a nap. Y'all should have seen my limping around downtown Asheville. Painfully slow. He also knows how to handle my hormonal freak outs like when I decide I have a blood clot that will kill me at 11:00 pm. He is a champ. He also says I snore like a freight train, but won't wake me up because he wants me to get rest. All the things you don't know about someone until you are married to them, but make the most selfless, loving husband.

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: I actually did something! We bought an attachment for our stroller so we can put the baby car seat in it!


Funny Moment: Gwen has a new middle name option for the baby and is telling everyone. She has proudly decided the baby's middle name will be Joy. We will see how convincing she is.

Weekly Stats:

Days until Due Date: 77

Days until My Prediction (July 25): 65

Week Number: 29 weeks today!

Gender: Girl

Weight Gain: I am avoiding the scale like the plague.

Bump Pic (28 weeks)

Does the Biltmore make my belly look any smaller? Also, it was REALLY bright.

Baby Shook #3: 26/27 weeks

Baby Size: Head of Cauliflower 

Since I don't write weekly, one of the bigger updates was that I failed my 1 hour glucose test. Waaaaahhhh! I was focusing on not eating sweets and fruit, but as a wise friend pointed out, I inhaled Chipotle which included white rice, then chugged the orange stuff. Didn't even think about white rice affecting things! 

I did the 3 hour test the next week. Honestly, it felt like a mini vacation. I sat in a dimly lit room all by myself, in a recliner, with cable and wifi. I felt great except for being hungry. I even survived the 4 blood draws and I hate needles. I would definitely have my blood drawn every hour if it meant extended alone time in the peace and quiet. What would have been an inconvenience in pre-kid days, now feels like a luxury. I passed with flying colors and will now resume my regular sugar intake. 

How I Feel about being Pregnant: Overall, good! The day I turned 26 weeks must have been one of those hormonal days where everything felt hard and emotional. That was the first day I thought, "Hhhhmmm, kind of sick of being pregnant!" Mostly all of it stemmed from my upper GI burning and pain issues not related to pregnancy, but a pregnant lady in pain is a recipe for disaster. I'll be 27 weeks tomorrow and have felt great about things otherwise! Ready for the 3rd trimester!

Symptoms: I've been getting the classic swollen ankles. If I stand for too long, the cankles appear. Definitely more stretching and growing pains, but nothing too bad! 

Food Cravings: Always fruity candy like sour patch kids. We had some gummy bears in the house and I had to throw them away because I was crushing the bag. Later in the day I would wonder why I was so tired and felt bad. Major sugar crash! 

Food Aversions: I don't think anything! 

What I am Excited About: Under 100 days!!!! When we were engaged, I noticed time sped up after the 100 day mark and it has been true for babies too. I'm working really hard to put in place better routines for our family to streamline things for when the baby comes. Also, the more disciplined I become, the more consistent I can be with getting the kids to help. Having a clean kitchen every day is changing my life!

Sweet Thing My Husband did for Me: On the day he got back from camping all weekend and barely slept, I was exhausted from being solo with the kids all weekend. I also have been teaching a lot online. He still was the one that really needed a nap, but instead he let me take a nap to recharge and catch up on much needed sleep! Also, its worth mentioning again that he is the one who gets up with Gwen and Bennett in the middle of the night. I definitely am thankful for this when he is gone overnight and I have to do it.

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: I started a list of things we need to buy before her arrival. There isn't much, but I want to at least buy something! Mostly getting new bibs, bottles, pacifiers (if I decide its actually worth fighting the paci battle again), and an adapter for our stroller. We also installed window treatments for the girl room! Yay! It is so cute! 


Funny Moment: Some of you might think this is awful, but I have to share Gwen's prayer for the baby every.single.night. A little back story, she has heard many prayers for me that my pain would go away since it has been a year. That being said, this is how her prayer goes, "God, don't let baby get the pain, not get sick, and not die. AMEN!" Uhhhhh, amen? I mean I don't want those things either, but I normally pray for things like a peaceful delivery, her growth would stay on track, etc. Gwen cuts right to the chase.

Weekly Stats:
Days until Due Date: 92
Days until My Prediction (July 25): 80
Week Number: 27 weeks tomorrow!
Gender: Girl
Name: I think we have it decided! You will have to wait and see
(New) Stretch Marks: A surprising zero! My stomach is much bigger and I'm shocked I don't have any new additions yet. Maybe rubbing Gentle Baby all over my stomach has helped! 

Bump Pic (26 weeks)
Yes, the room is a disaster. Slowly decluttering and purging my whole house. Think of this as a "before" picture.




Baby Shook #3: 14 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 17 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 24 weeks

Baby Shook #3: 24 weeks

Baby Size: Ear of Corn

An ear of corn feels so significant! Baby is over a pound at this point as well. I am excited to be at the week of viability and also feeling more baby kicks. 

How I Feel about being Pregnant: Still really good! Nothing to complain about yet! I love my bump! 

Symptoms: Not much of anything. This really has been easy lately! My eczema is under control. I think the random nausea I have is more a symptom of my food intolerances than pregnancy. 

Food Cravings: Always pizza and candy like skittles. Since chocolate usually makes my acid reflux worse, all the high fructose corn syrup and food dye candy is filling in.

Food Aversions: Nothing I can think of!

What I am Excited About: Only a few weeks left in the 2nd trimester! I scheduled my 28 week appointment today so it feels even closer. Soon enough I will be going every 2 weeks! Maybe this pregnancy I will make it to the point of going weekly!

Sweet Thing My Husband did for Me: He has been killing it lately. Today we got Chipotle and I have a mild obsession with the salad dressing you get with a salad. After David left, he realized he forgot it. He went back during lunch time rush with a 3 year old and got it for me! He also held down the fort while I was at a convention all weekend and kept the kitchen clean to my standards, which are fairly high.

Boy or Girl: Officially a girl! Motherly instinct was right on this one.

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: Gosh, I really don't think anything. Maybe at some point I will prepare? I am making homeschool plans for the summer and post-baby now so we can keep on going even with a newborn. Setting standards low but also hoping for consistency in the small things. 


Funny Moment: I asked Gwen when she thinks the baby will be due. Her response? Christmas. That is impossible at this point so I asked her if she thought it would be July or August. She said, "July! Jesus' birthday!" Then I realized, Christmas in July! I looked up how many weeks I would be on July 25. Funny thing is that I will be 38 weeks 2 days. Gwen was born at 36 weeks 2 days and Bennett at 37 weeks 2 days. I'm all for it!

Weekly Stats:
Due Date: August 6
My Prediction: July 25
Days until Due Date: 112
Days until My Prediction: 100
Gender: Girl
Measuring at: 24 weeks, right on track



Baby Shook #3: 7 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 8 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 13 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 14 weeks
Baby Shook #3: 17 weeks