28 Week Update / 3D Ultrasound- Round 1

Overall, it's been pretty smooth sailing but I feel like things changed around week 26 and all of a sudden it was like I was carrying a bowling ball around. This week was a rough one. Gianna found my sciatic nerve and decided no matter what position I was in that was where she wanted to be. Monday through Wednesday were really hard and most of the discomfort was in the evening after I'd get home from work. She has been low and sitting at work all day makes my belly really sore. I get up often but I need to make more of an effort to get up and move around even more. By the end of the day I couldn't sit or lay down and just needed to stand and keep moving. I spoke to the nurse and she recommended a maternity belt. We went to Babies R Us over the weekend and got one. The first night I used it there was a big difference. I slept in it and it was so much easier to roll over and my back didn't hurt when I got up. I wore it the next day and noticed a difference, too. Last night though I couldn't fall asleep or get comfortable even with it on and was up until almost 3am. :/

Also, we found out I failed my glucose test so I'll need to go and have the three hour test this week. In addition, my hemoglobin was low so I'm now on an iron supplement. I am not looking forward to either of these things but hopefully I will pass the three hour test and won't have gestational diabetes. If I do have it, we'll work through it and make sure everything is good in there for Gianna. 

We went for our 3D/4D ultrasound and I was really looking forward to it. It's amazing how much detail you can see. We went to Miracle in Progress, which is the same private ultrasound place that did our gender check at 15 weeks. I love this place because it is comfortable and you can bring friends and family with you. We invited my mom, brother, Linda and Marco to come along. Unfortunately, Gianna was breech and most of the time she had her arm, foot or leg up covering half or more of her face. We did find out that she has some hair though!! How cool is that! I had no idea you could see hair in an ultrasound. We are going back in two weeks for a rescan and at our doctors appointment next week we'll see if she is still breech or if there are any tricks to getting her to flip. :)

So excited she has some hair!

Some neat profile pics. She was sucking her thumb :)

In other news, the rest of our special order items (toddler rails, glider and ottoman) came in. I was most excited about the glider and ottoman! We picked them up and Marco put them together. I love this thing! I am keeping it in our family room so I can rock in it and watch TV. Once the nursery is done we'll move it upstairs but I'll enjoy breaking it in in the mean time. Now we just need the wood from Brazil which is apparently on time for delivery the week of the 20th.

How far along? 28 weeks
Total weight gain: About 23lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Gianna has found my sciatic nerve and has made it her new favorite spot so this past week has not been good for sleep. Pretty crappy, actually.

Best moment of the week: Our 3D/4D ultrasound even though she didn't cooperate. :) 
Miss anything: Nothing specific.

Movement: It's so funny how her movements have changed as she's gotten bigger. Feeling her in there is my favorite thing in the world! I can feel her lower in my pelvis now, too.
Food cravings: Nothing this week. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: The sciatic nerve pain isn't very fun but it's the 'inside kicking' that makes me feel kind of sicky.
Gender: Girl!

Symptoms: Lower back pain, heavy belly, overall uncomfortableness.
Belly button in or out: Still considered an innie.

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: Nope

Happy or moody most of the time: Happier this week but it was a tough one with not a lot of sleep.
Looking forward to: Maternity photo session, our tour of Summerlin Hospital, and the arrival of the wood from Brazil. I can't believe 30 weeks is almost around the corner already.

27 Week Update- Officially in the Third Trimester Club

I am now a member of the Third Trimester Club. It's not a real club, but I am happy to be here nonetheless. :)  Part of me can not believe it's already here. I was so impatient in the beginning, waiting for the belly to arrive (and stay) and now it is here in full force. I've had two people ask me in the last week if I was sure there was only one in there. Yes, I'm sure! :) I always wanted twins, now I'm not sure where people keep the other one! LOL. The nice part was that this was balanced by two people telling me I looked small for where I am at so I figure it's a draw.

Gianna is moving more and more. She has started rolling across me in the last week or so. I have felt her up near my ribs, about an inch or so below them. It'll be another week or two before I get my first jab to the ribs but it's right around the corner. I have also noticed that I feel her more on my side this week. Usually she is front and center (and really likes to push on my belly button). I have also started to feel her on both sides at once, like she's punching and kicking me at the same time. She is getting really long! We moved to the new measurement chart this week. She is now measured (well, estimated) from head to toe as opposed to crown to rump. She is 15 inches long which is 2-3 times as big as she was at week 12! She weighs just over 2lbs.

I went for my glucose test this week but do not have the results yet. This orange drink wasn't too bad. It was warm and flat. Once you start drinking it you have to finish within five minutes, then sit there for an hour before they draw your blood. The first half of it wasn't awful. The second half kind of burned my throat a little. It tasted like super sweet orange Tang...or like the syrup from an orange Popsicle, without the deliciousness of an actual Popsicle.

My overall weight gain is within the normal/healthy range but I was concerned that I have been a little above the recommended monthly gain lately. My doctor wants to see if my sugars are normal and it was perfect timing for my glucose test anyway. I know not being able to exercise plays a part but I am hoping there is nothing else going on. If I "fail" the one hour glucose test then I will have to go for the three hour Glucose Tolerance Test. That one doesn't sound very fun at all.

We didn't take a picture this week. :( It's the first week we missed. Marco was in California and the weekend just flew by before I realized we missed it. I promise to have one for 28 weeks and on. I'm kind of sad we missed one!

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain: About 21lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes. I have finally been recognized by the masses as pregnant. :) I like when people ask me when I am due. I don't like when people ask me things like if I "should be out? Looks like it's getting close." EW! Seriously?! (Thank you random dealer at the Aliante Station Casino.) I am seven months pregnant...what am I supposed to look like?! :) Actually, I have always wanted to be pregnant and I have always wanted to have a big ol belly so I guess I got my wish. Good thing I really like being pregnant!
Stretch marks? Nope! The dark line is super faint on the top half of my belly but I am confident to say now that I do believe it exists. 
Sleep: A little better this week, but still on and off. 

Best moment of the week: Getting stuff for the baby shower and also some items for Gianna's room. I can't wait to put her nursery together! 
Miss anything: Nothing specific.

Movement: We are now rolling and dragging elbows across mommy's tummy.  :) 
Food cravings: Nothing this week. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I think she kicks facing in sometimes (like she's kicking my organs) and it makes me feel like I drove over a bump too fast and my tummy is in my throat. It's more like a queasy feeling but not nausea. 
Gender: Girl!

Symptoms: My back hurts more when I get up. I limp around for the first few steps. 
Belly button in or out: Still considered an innie.

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Labor Signs: Nope

Happy or moody most of the time: This week as a little better. Marco was out of town for a few days so I was super happy when he got back! 
Looking forward to: We are going for our 3D/4D ultrasound this coming weekend! I can not wait!!! I am shopping around to get maternity photos done in the next few weeks. Getting the nursery set up!

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. :)