28 weeks down and only 12 to go... Three months and we are going to have a new baby brother in the family... It seems really close and also really far away at the same time.
I had a doctor's appointment last week. Fish's heartbeat was strong and steady. And I was measuring 4.5 weeks ahead of schedule -- last week, I was measuring in at 31 weeks. Of course, there are a lot of factors that can lead to my measuring further along. Being breech is one of them -- and he was definitely breech that day. I could tell by the kicks to my crotch that morning. My doctor told me not to worry, that maybe E and I just make big babies. My doctor and his wife have three and he said that they were all 9.5lb+ babies, save the last one who was two weeks early and still weighed 8lb 8oz. Now he and his wife are not big people, they just make big babies. I think that is where we sit now. My next appointment with my doctor is on December 2nd and we will again measure to decide if we need to have an ultrasound to check on Fish and his little swimming pool.
I also had my glucose test done that morning. The orange "drink" was not cold and it was definitely hard to choke down. But I got that sucker down in less than a minute as I gagged. I was nervous about the test as I was measuring ahead (another factor for that is gestational diabetes). But the glucose results came back normal and my doctor sent me a sweet note telling me that I could go crazy on the Kit-Kats that Thursday (which was Halloween) as I was telling him that I had been having some serious sugar cravings. But he mentioned that my iron was low and wrote me a prescription for more iron. I have been feeling quite fatigued lately and am finding that after taking the extra iron, it is partially due to my low iron levels.
The little guy -- let me rephrase that, the BIG guy is running out of room already. I had a conversation with him this week while I stared down at my swollen belly, telling him that I wasn't sure what he was thinking because he still has 3 months left in there and I don't know how I'm going to house him that long. He doesn't quell my concerns as he kicks the crap out of me ALL THE TIME. He is definitely going to take after his father upon arrival. I was looking up the scientific literature on the correlation between fetal movement and infant temperament. We are heading for a very active baby. There are times where he will just nail me out of nowhere startling me and causing me to jump. I'm not sure how these kicks and jabs are going to feel in about a month or two.
I'm starting to get uncomfortable. My ligaments are starting to loosen up in my pelvis -- nothing terrible yet (I'm still waiting for that). But I can tell when I roll over in bed that hormones are starting to work their magic. I'm more uncomfortable in my actual belly this time around. My breath feels short a lot, especially when I am holding Finn and she is resting on my belly, which you would think would open my lungs up as she is pushing my stomach down. And my skin is starting to feel pretty tight. And the Braxton Hicks contractions have really started to kick in -- especially upon the long walk from my car to my desk or after reaching the top of the stairs after carrying Finn up (trust me, railings are being used every time now). I feel really pregnant right now and I still have three months to go!
Yesterday I purchased Fish's nursery furniture. He is going to be rooming with his sister for a while, so I had to figure out something that would allow me lots of storage for his clothes as their closet is very small, but also translate into a nice bedroom set when he finally gets his own room. Our upstairs only contains two bedrooms; the other two bedrooms are downstairs. I want both of them upstairs with us, which means roommates! We will have to see how well it goes...
Fish on the left and Finorah on the right -- both at 28 weeks...
I actually look about the same size -- my back appears arched with Finorah, but you can see that I'm thicker higher up on my stomach. And my face is definitely fatter A LOT earlier this time around.
We are starting to discuss our plans for what is going to happen when we need to head to the hospital and what we are going to do with Finn. We are also starting to discuss holiday plans. I am required to take Thanksgiving off and Finn's daycare is closed the following Friday. E usually spends the Thanksgiving holiday in upstate New York hunting and is likely to continue the tradition this year. I'm okay with that as he promised to bring home wine from my favorite vineyard up there and also an industrial-sized leaf blower to help with yard duty. But that requires that I take Friday off to watch Finn. My PTO (Paid Time Off) is thin due to me taking four days of PTO early in September with my broken foot. The Clinic makes you use the first five days of your maternity leave as PTO (if you don't have enough, you get paid for what you have and the rest of the first week is unpaid). I won't have my five days saved now -- IF (and that's a big if) we go back to Iowa for the Christmas holidays. E has spoken with his parents and we are forgoing New York this Christmas, so that I may have a chance to go back to Iowa (which I'm forever grateful for). But depending on doctor's order, I may or may not be able to return home for the holidays. At Christmas, I will be 35 weeks -- 5 weeks short of my due date. I know that my doctor wouldn't allow me to fly home, but I'm hopeful that he will permit me to drive the 9 hours. This is Finn's first Christmas that she is "fun" and I know that she would LOVE LOVE LOVE Mimi's house at Christmas (her house is like the Iowan version of Clark Griswold, both inside and outside -- no joke). If my doctor tells me that I'm not permitted to travel, I will of course follow his orders, but will probably cry and then cry a little more and end up having a blue, blue Christmas.
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