{Third Trimester - the home stretch}

It's the third trimester; the 7th inning (month) stretch! We're more than excited, and looking forward to the big reveal. Baby is seriously growing, and I actually had a random stranger ask me if I was carrying twins (I mentally vowed to NEVER wear the outfit I was wearing again!)

Baby Updates:

Baby is 27 weeks old, and the size of a cauliflower.

Here's an image of what baby may look like at this time, the only exception is that our baby is not in this position.

Belly circumference: 34 inches and growing.

Total weight gain: When I weigh in the morning, I've gained 15 lbs. I'm starting to retain a lot of fluid, so my weight fluctuates about 3-5 pounds throughout the course of the day.

Cravings: Still watermelon. In fact, I think I've single-handedly influenced the pricing strategy for watermelon at Albertson's (I hit up the store 3-4 times a week for watermelon, and they've gone up $1 on their melon).

Weird Stuff: Lots of weird stuff happening in the past few weeks. I've never been one to remember my dreams at night; however, every night I'm having crazy dreams. It mostly involves baby stuff or family stuff, and the dreams are usually very, very unrealistic. I also have been flip flopping between being completely disgusted by food to being completely ravenous and eating like an 18 year old boy. I often regret my 18 year old boy food binges because my stomach doesn't have much room to grow, and I get really uncomfortable afterwards.

My wishes for the last trimester: Too many to list! Nesting has kicked in full force, and I'm totally OCD. Unfortunately, my obsessiveness tends to gravitate towards organizing the freezer, rearranging the laundry room, cleaning out my car or making lists. I REALLY need to get to work on the baby room!

I'm most looking forward to: A parenting ABC's class with Zack in 2 weeks. The thought of Zack and I learning to change diapers, feed, burp, bathe, etc., makes me laugh so much. It should be interesting especially since we're both insanely competitive. I'm sure there will be bets taken as to who can change the fastest diaper (I'll win!).

I'm most nervous about: Our birth plan. Bringing a new life into the world is scary business. I'm working on my "game day" play list which hopefully will help to take the edge off.

{Week 25}

The baby is growing by leaps and bounds. I definitely feel a lot more movement (especially when I'm still - which isn't very often). According to our weekly Baby Center update, Baby Bruce is the size of a rutabaga  (huh?).

(a rutabaga)

Since this is not a veggie common to our diets, we'll just say Baby is supposed to be little over a pound; however, I went to my bi-weekly appointment for a quick ultrasound. The little buddy actually weighs 2.2 lbs. according to our last scan. If he/she keeps growing a this rate, I may give Herman Johnson's mama a run for her money (do we have a future LSU football offensive lineman??? - anything could happen).


We're progressing:

Weeks: 25!

Weight gain: 14 pounds (in my defense, we went on vacation last week. I ate trashy, but it was totally worth it.)

Sleep: We bought a Sleep Number bed, so sleep has been much better and much more comfortable.

Belly Button: Almost out!

Labor signs: I think I felt my first Braxton hicks contraction yesterday.

Accomplishments: I finished my registry and we ordered the crib. Woo-hoo! I can't wait to start setting up the nursery (I'll post pictures of our progress).  We also toured the Woman's Hospital L&D, pre-op/post-op and recovery today, so I feel totally comfortable with the birthing process.

Goals for the week: We get to meet a potential pediatrician! I'm very much looking forward to finding a great doctor for Baby.

What we're singing:
Zack and I had a lot of road trip time in the last week, so we've been singing to baby A LOT. Below are the songs I remember.

Florida Georgia Line - Cruise

Macklemore - Can't Hold Us

Vanilla Ice - Ice, Ice Baby

Sheryl Crow - Soak up the sun (my mom got in on the action on that one)

Free - All right now (I was rocking out to that one this afternoon). Every time I hear this song, it makes me feel like I should be at a wedding reception.

 

Coming Soon - Nursery prep!

{Old wives club}

I'm obsessed with Old Wives Tales. I've pretty much tried everything from the Chinese Gender Predictor to the over the belly ring swing. Here are my results:

1. Low vs. High: Apparently, if you carry low, it's a boy, and if you carry high it's a girl. I can't really tell if I'm high or low, but here's a shot of the belly - to me my belly seems middle of the road (not too high, not too low).

2. Lub dub: Legends say that the pitter patter of the baby's heart rate can also be used to predict gender. Faster means girl, and slower means boy. When we went to our first ultrasound, the heart rate was 171 BPM. At my last visit the heart rate was 145, so it went from really fast, to slow.

3. Sweet Thing: I'm craving watermelon (which equates to girl), but I also want chips (which equates to boy).

4. Zack's belly: This wives tale is a bit strange, but fun. If your husband gains weight, you're having a girl. If he doesn't gain weight, you're having a boy. Zack actually lost weight. I wonder what that means?? Maybe we're having a stormtrooper (Zack would love that - shout out to Star Wars day on May 4th)!

While the wives tales are fun for trying to predict gender, I'm certain there's a 50/50 chance we're having a girl or a boy!

Highlights:

How far along: 23 weeks and 3 days
Weight gain: 12 lbs
Stretch marks: Nope!
Belly out: Yes, and belly button is still looking weird. I love when people rub my belly especially when it's sweet older ladies who also usually share advice concerning the height of my shoe heel, local anesthesia and/or my decision to breast feed.
Cravings: Watermelon. Hydrating, with a low glycemic load. I'd say its a winner!
Looking forward to: Going to the beach next week. It will be Baby Bruce's first beach trip :)
Miss anything: My skinny jeans, but it's a small price to pay for a really big reward.
Songs we're singing to baby this week:
Home - Phillip Phillips - My pick
Jack Johnson Medley- Better Together (extra special because it was our wedding song), Upside Down, Banana Pancakes (favorite lyric "Halaka ukulele mama made a baby") -  Zack's pick

Coming soon: Beach trip, hospital tours and pediatrician shopping.