3rd Trimester & More

Well last week was the beginning of the 3rd trimester. Tomorrow Ill be 28 weeks which means I've hit the 7 month mark! In two more weeks I'll hit the big 30 and then from there its the final countdown of the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy. (Or less if this kid comes early like Aurora did) It's pretty crazy to me that we are in the end like this. The first trimester was such a nightmare and I was so happy to be out of that and with very few symptoms in the second trimester it just flew by! And now 2 out of 4 of us in the T-town clan have delivered (Alyssa had Reese last week - more on that later) so Ash is next, anytime between now and her due date of May 11th, then me!

I had my glucose test on Friday, so hopefully I passed with flying colors. They will also be retesting my iron since the found out I had been anemic this whole time. My last midwife appointment was last Wed, and at first she asked if we were measuring her small yet, which we had not been, and after feeling around a little more we decided she was just sittin really low in my pelvis. (Didn't have to tell me that - I've been having to pee ALL the time cause she's always on it, and I've had a ton of lower back/tail bone pain the last several weeks. Plus I have not had nearly as much trouble breathing and rib aches and pains as I did with Aurora). Between that and the braxton hicks I've already been getting for the last several weeks, I think this baby might be coming early too. Heck I don't care when she comes, as long as she's ready and done cooking. I AM hoping for a quick labor though! Aurora was ~12 after my water broke to get active labor really going, then was a full ~12 hours of active labor until I finally got her out. Have I talked yet about the Epi-No I got and am going to use? I don't think so. Ok so here goes.

With Aurora I knew that tearing would be an issue (I'm sure everyone is over my "I have small orifices" speech.) so I spoke with Rita at length about how to control tearing in labor ect. One of the things she had suggested and had heard good things about was the Epi-No, which they have in Australia and England. Basically its a vaginal balloon that you start using a few weeks before your due date and slowly increase the inflation size to stretch your perineum, so that during labor you are less likely to tear. Well by the time she had heard of it and we talked about it I was already like 8 or 9 months pregnant, and its not available for shipping in the US anyway. (I'm sure some kind of regulations about it being a "medical device" or something). We did everything we could, but as most of you know, I still got a 2nd degree tear even though Aurora was only 6lbs. So this time I went to all these crazy lengths including bribing family members across the pond to purchase the Epi-No for me and another family member to bring it back from there to get it. So I'll let you know how that goes. I promise no pics. Anyway if you are interested, here is the info: http://www.avoidepisiotomy.com/

So my weight has been kinda crazy. I've made up for every pound I wasn't gaining in the beginning. I've now gained 16 lbs from my start weight (21 from my lowest weight). On average I have been gaining 2 lbs a week, and I cant seem to eat enough food, EVER. I'm completely insatiable. I'm doing my best to eat healthy things and make sure I get enough fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and dairy... but I can't stay away from yummy desserts and treats! Funny thing is although my goal was to gain less this time by about 10lbs, so far I'm 8 lbs over target, which is actually within one or two pounds of exactly where I was this same time with Aurora's pregnancy (even though I started 5lbs heavier with this pregnancy). So I'm still trying to be good but for the most part am resigned to the fact that I just carry babies this way and this is how much my body likes to gain when pregnant. Hey, after all, this is my last pregnancy, so why not live a little and not obsess about the food so much? I would be worried if I was outside of the recommended weight gain, but I'm totally right in there, so bring on the food!!!

I've decided on my maternity leave plans. My last day of work is going to be Friday, July 1st. Monday is the 4th of July and is a holiday, and Tuesday the 5th would be 2 weeks before the due date, so I'll actually get to start my leave early by taking that holiday weekend as the start of my leave. Besides, how hard would it be to go through that weekend then have to come back to work for one more week? Then we'll see how my vacation hours end up based on when Abby comes and the disability and go from there.

So back to the T-town fertility water update. Alyssa was due today actually. But she went into labor early in the morning of the 20th. Funny since thats Luke's birthday! So we were all on pins and needles the whole day waiting to see if they would share a birthday or if they would be a day apart. For a long time Alyssa was not progressing any further than 2 cm, but finally in the (nearly) 11th hour she all of the sudden went from 3-10 and pushed out the smallest baby in her family history! Reese Lynn was only 5lbs 13oz; same size as Luke was! So in addition to them sharing a bday they were the same size at birth. She's totally beautiful and we are all so happy for Lukas and Alyssa.

Easter was this last weekend and was so wonderful! Saturday Tierrasanta had an Easter celebration at the Rec Center with an egg hunt, face painting and jumpy houses. Ashley & Dylan and Elly & Brett and us all ended up going and the kids had fun in the egg "hunt" aka free-for-all. Rory picked out a frog for her cheek, and since the jumpy house lines were too long we all went to the playground and let the kids wear themselves out. After heading home for a quick nap, we headed back out for Luke's 2nd Birthday Party at Nicole & Jason's. Tons of fun was had by all and at the end of the evening, I can't say who was more exhausted; all us adults or the kids. Sunday morning we all got together by Elly & Brett's house for our own private egg hunt, and Alyssa & Lukas came out with Reese. Again back home for a quick nap and out again for Easter at Aunt Carol & Chuck's house. It was great to see that family again; it had been like 3 months since we had seen them last! We stayed late and Aurora really started getting comfortable and opening up at the end there, and it was so nice for them to see her talking and interacting like we see every day. (In large crowds she's a little shy). This morning Aurora was NOT a happy camper and I felt her pain. It was so hard to get all of us up and going when not a single one of us wanted to do so!

Aurora sure is talking up a storm these days. I just love her personality, seeing and hearing her antics and the things she comes up with. Every day is something new and a fun adventure through their eyes. Daddy can't read enough books to her before bedtime (he normally has to read like 5-10 of her favorite short books before she will go to bed) so our bedtime routine starts like at like 6:30 or 7, which is a full 30 min before we actually want her in bed. It makes me so happy though that they have that special thing to share (there are plenty of other things that ONLY Mommy can do just right for her).

She is totally excited about the idea of having her own baby in the house too. She has been totally fascinated by both Hayley and Reese. The boys could care less and are playing with toys running down the street and Aurora is standing over them saying "baby" and petting their hands gently and tucking their blankets around them. At the Stoops last night they had a play baby-doll and a little bed set, and Aurora spent tons of time laying the doll in bed, tucking the doll in, picking it back up and hugging it, and repeating the process. SOOOO cute. She knows that the infant carseat is for the baby (click here for the video). She's so maternal and caring already! I can't wait not only to have Abby home for myself but to share having another baby with my sweet little girl. She's going to be the best big sister ever!!!

Next up: Aurora's birthday party this weekend. (When you ask her how old she is she proudly says "Two!".)