26 Week Update, Christy's Baby Shower

My beautiful cousin, Christy, is having a baby boy and we got to celebrate them this past Saturday at her baby shower! Christy is due on October 15th so that makes her about three weeks ahead of me. It was a lovely shower and so much fun to have the family together.  Here are some pics from her shower.

The preggy cousins...no margaritas for us!

Cousin Coltyn!

Presents!

Great stuff for Baby Boy Hynes :)

I can  hardly wait for the new cousins to meet!

Unfortunately, in the midst of the festivities, we got the sad news that my cousin, Mary, had another stroke. It was a big one and her poor body was still weak from the last one she had. We found out Saturday night that Mary passed away. It was a very sad day. Mary was like the matriarch of our family and I can't describe how much she will be missed and the impact she had on our family. We joke that Christy and I are fourth cousins, and our babies will be fifth cousins and that is just unheard of in a lot of families. Our extended family is a lot closer than a lot of other families and Mary was a big reason for that. I am happy she is not suffering anymore and will be with Tony, but I will miss her tremendously.

Also, this week, we got a package in the mail from the Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center (LLVSC). It was a beautiful basket from Dr. Vaughan, Bella's oncologist, and the entire oncology team and office staff. There were yummy treats, a picture frame and candle, a book on grieving the loss of your pet, and a card from everyone with their condolences. It was such a nice gesture and we know how much they loved Bella, too.  This week, my mom was talking to our regular vet (Zoey is having surgery to remove a benign tumor from her lip next week) and Bella came up. Dr. Shaver said she spoke to Dr. Vaughan and they both were amazed not only about how long Bella survived but with such a good quality of life for so long. We knew when she was first diagnosed that if we did nothing she would only have weeks. Even with treatment, it turns out that they didn't really expect her to make it longer than three months.  My girl had such a will to live and made it nineteen months! It really was such a miracle. I do still intend to do a separate post about her but am not really feeling up to it yet. I do recommend this book to anyone dealing with the loss of a pet.

Just because I love her face :)

How far along? 26 weeks
Total weight gain: About 20lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, I am at the "obviously preggo" stage. There are still some non-maternity items in there though. 

Stretch marks? None. That white circle is normal- just my pigmentation is going lighter instead of darker. Interestingly, though, I think I may be starting to get that dark line on the top half of my belly. It was pretty faint so I thought I was making it up. I'll let you know in a week or so. :) 
Sleep: Not so good this week. I am having a hard time falling asleep initially then when I get up to pee I can't fall asleep again. It was a little better towards the end of the week. 
Best moment of the week: Seeing my cousin Christy and her beautiful baby bump at her shower.
Miss anything: My Boo, my cousin, Mary

Movement: Little Gianna is a strong mamba-jamba! She must be stretching in there because all of a sudden I will get a lot of pressure in one spot and it's hard as a rock. Then I push on it and she moves. It hurts when it's near my belly button because of hernia #1.
Food cravings: Nothing crazy. I have noticed, overall, that I am eating more sweet stuff with her than by myself. I like bologna a lot again. :) 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope. 

Gender: Girl!
Symptoms: Crappy sleeping. I'm getting bigger (duh) but am really starting to feel it.  It is harder to get up off the couch, roll over in bed, etc. I am starting to feel ginormous and there is still three months left.
Belly button in or out: Still an innie.

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: Nope

Happy or moody most of the time: Moody/frustrated. We had our doctor's appointment this week and everything went great except that my hernia (#2) is still getting bigger. I am still not allowed any type of exercise other than walking. This is getting super frustrating as I keep getting bigger.  I was so active before I got pregnant and always planned on staying as active as possible doing prenatal yoga, etc so it's a bit frustrating.  I am also still trying to get used to not having Bella in the house and that is hard. I can't start on the nursery until the wood floor issue is sorted out. Overall, it was a frustrating week and I was a bit moody. Sue me. LOL!

Looking forward to: See above...getting all that sorted out. :)