29 weeks

Due to a very busy weekend and week so far, I am just now getting to my 29 week update, even though today marks the start of the 30th week. This past weekend Erik and I took a wonderful trip to quite possibly my very favorite place, the Blue Ridge Mountains. We spent most of our time in Asheville, but stayed up a little north of the city in Weaverville. Erik found a pet-friendly house to rent so we were able to bring the Munchkin with us.  Highlights of the trip included a visit to The Tobacco Barn (a huge antique warehouse), delicious dinners at our favorite restaurants, Plant and The Laughing Seed, shopping in downtown Asheville, and taking long walks in the morning with Lucy - soaking in the amazing mountain views and fresh air. Quite possibly the best part of our trip was stumbling across a great band playing downtown on Saturday afternoon, the Crow Quill Night Owls. They were so entertaining we watched them until we had to leave for dinner. They play music from the 20's, 30's, and 40s, along with original tunes, and a couple of them were playing homemade instruments. So much fun!  On Sunday we took the long way home, driving north along the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the fall color and lovely views. Before we got off the parkway to head home, we made sure to stop at an orchard near Spruce Pine and hand-picked a big bag of apples to take with us. It was a blast and even Lucy had fun there, running around and sniffing at the fallen apples. This trip was exactly what we needed and will be the last as a family of two before this new little guy decides to make his appearance!
 
The 29 week photos were taken on the property of the house we rented for our stay.  There were a few great backgrounds nearby - a scenic mountain view, a 100 year old church, and an old barn.  The photos in front of the barn turned out to be my favorite, and quite a nice change from the wooden fence in our backyard.
 

29 weeks + 3 days

 
At 29 weeks the baby is the size of a butternut squash, weighing around 2.5 lbs and measuring in at a little over 15 inches from head to toe.  His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain.  Every week I continue to feel more and more activity from this little guy.  Last night in bed he gave me such a hard kick I actually jumped from surprise.  Fortunately none of his movements have ever been painful in any way, but he sure has some strong legs (just like his father.  Another cat 1 cyclist in the making?)  ;)

 

29 weeks + 3 days

 
I have felt a few more Braxton Hicks contractions since last week, almost always during exercise.  These days my exercise routine consists pretty much of a 30-45 minute daily walk with Lucy and some stretching or very light yoga poses.  The hills around our house provide a pretty good workout, even if I am only walking at a medium pace.  I get out of breath much easier now than I used to, so I try not to push myself too hard.  Sleeping has been an issue on and off.  I guess this is to be expected in the 3rd trimester, and even on less sleep than usual I still feel pretty normal throughout the day so it's not been too much of an issue.

I had an appointment at the birthing center yesterday morning, and that went very well.  I only gained 1 lb since my last appointment 2 1/2 weeks ago, bringing my total weight gain to around 15 lbs.  The baby measured in at 29.5 cm which this midwife said is perfectly fine.  At this point we would expect 30 cm give or take a little, so if nothing else he is a touch on the smaller side. 

Probably one of the most exciting things of this past week (besides our trip) was starting our birthing classes.  I mentioned last week that we are taking a 12 week Bradly series, and I am SO happy we are.  Since the series actually extends past my due date in January, the instructor has offered to let us take the last two classes out of order and join into one of her already in-progress class series which will allow us to take all of the classes (hopefully) before our little guy arrives.  The topics of the last two classes are breastfeeding and newborn care, so she said they could be taken at any time.  We took our first class on Monday, and learned about newborn care.  During the class, we took turns diapering, changing, and swaddling a "doll" baby.  It sounds silly, and of course will be much different on a live baby, but the instructor had some great tips and tricks for us newbie parents.  It turned out to be a lot of fun and quite humorous at times!  The highlight of the class was watching Erik take his turn swaddling the doll.  He walked up there and wrapped up the most perfect burrito swaddle with such confidence you would think he did it everyday.  I could have cried it was so adorable...  I know he is going to be such an amazing Dad, and I can't wait to see him in action when the baby gets here.  It gives me the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it.

Our second class (but really the first class of our series) was last night, and was just as great as the previous night's class.  It was an intro to the Bradley method and covered everything we can expect to get out of this series.  We learned some relaxation techniques, talked about exercise during pregnancy, and nutrition requirements among many other things.  I can't say enough great stuff about this instructor, she is truly a blessing and quite possibly the perfect person to take a birthing class from.  She is extremely knowledgeable, confident, and so approachable at the same time.  I feel so lucky to have found these classes as this is turning out to be a wonderful learning opportunity for both of us.   

We have a baby-related project on the schedule for this weekend, and if we are able to finish it by next week I plan to write a post about it.  I have been looking forward to working on it for months now, and it's getting to the point now where we need to get it done soon.  Watch for that post hopefully coming up next!

And finally, a few more photos from our trip this weekend...

Apple pickin' (even though it looks like a red potato!)

This lasted about 2 minutes, then Erik was put in charge of the apple picking tool!

Sweet baby Lucy enjoying the sunshine

Recently Made Things

Along with some nesting urges to get the nursery ready and decorated, I have also been feeling rather crafty as of recent, and have made several little projects in the past few weeks.  I even got out my sewing machine for the first time since we bought our new house and took on the renovation project, well over a year ago!  I forgot how much fun it is to sew baby things, and now I can't wait to make more.  Here are a few of my recent creations...

Woolly Owl Hat

I made this cute little hat from yarn I had leftover from my Half Moon Arm Warmers Pattern.  I customized the hat to fit an average 0-3 month size head, so our little guy will actually be able to wear it for the few months of cold weather we have here in the south.  You can download the pattern for free on Ravelry here, but I think you will need to set up a Ravelry account first (also no charge.)

Play Gym Re-Make

I picked up a baby play gym/activity mat at a yard sale over the summer for only $1.  It was not something I had planned on buying, but for such a low price I figured I couldn't go wrong.  I washed it and while it really was in great condition, I couldn't get past the bright colors and "babyish" look to it.  Neither Erik or I are a fan of that style.  So one afternoon last week, I decided to recover it with some flannel fabric that I had leftover from projects I made last year.  Here is a before and after:

To "re-make" the gym, I simply sewed the bottom part as a large "pillowcase" to fit the existing mat.  I then stuffed the mat into the cover, sewed it shut, and top stitched on the zoo animal pattern fabric.  It was a bit tricky running the whole thick mat through my machine, but we got through it!  I removed the fabric from the two bars that criss-cross the top of the gym, and just made new sleeves to fit those.  When I sewed those up, I added little yarn loops to hang the links/toys from.  I tried to just recover the tummy time pillow, but that ended up not working out as planned, and I ended up just making a new one of around the same size.  The only thing I wish I would have done differently is place the tabs to attach the bars in a little further towards the center of the mat.  You can see in my finished product the blue plastic links in the corners of the mat, but overall it's not a big deal.  I still love how it turned out! 

I crocheted a simple ring in coordinating colors to hang from above, and still need to figure out a few more toys that will work to hang from the links...

 Pear Blanket

I bought the fabric for this blanket a while back, not knowing what I would do with it at the time, but loving it too much to walk away.  It turns out I had just the right amount with which to make a blanket!  

 

The top is brown corduroy with aqua polka dots and small green pears, and the back of the blanket is green minky fabric that coordinates perfectly with the green pears.  I wanted to add a little something special so it wasn't just two pieces of fabric sewed together, so I decided to make a large pear on the front using a technique called reverse applique.  I used this tutorial for the reverse applique (which was really very easy) and then I used this tutorial to sew the blanket together.

After I was done I realized that the front and back didn't stay together in the middle they way I thought it would, and decided I needed to sew them together somehow.  My Mom had a great idea, to tack them together with a little bit of DMC floss.  It was the perfect solution, and I added the knots (through both layers of fabric) at the top of the pears which actually adds extra cuteness to the blanket. 

 Hanging Bathroom Shelf

Not everything I have made recently is for the baby!  I made this wooden shelf last month after seeing the tutorial on pinterest.  It turned out to be the perfect thing to hang above the toilet in our downstairs half-bath.  I love it!

I would love to tell you that I made the entire thing out of reclaimed wood and used recycled screws to fasten it together, but that would be a lie.  Truth be told, I went to Lowes and bought new materials to make it, and even had them cut the wood for me there.  As it turns out, the shelf as instructed in the tutorial would have been huge in that small space, so I did have Erik trim down each board by a few inches.  Since it was so heavy when we went to hang it up, and there was no stud conveniently located behind the spot where we put the hook, we ran 4" screws on a diagonal through the shelves and into a stud.  The holes are strategically covered up by the decor, and the hook is now purely for decoration.  Done and done.

Office Desk: from black to aqua

This isn't so much a craft as it is me just re-painting a piece of furniture, but I still thought I would share it since it is also a "recently made thing!"

When we moved into the new house I brought along this little table that I had been using as my desk at the old house.  It is just the right size, however it was painted a shiny black finish and the drawer was a bright green.  Erik painted it years ago, and I think I had requested those colors back then.  I am no longer interested in black furniture, so I decided to just re-paint it.  I took it outside and (wearing a mask) power sanded off as much of the black paint that I could, then put on a coat of light aqua satin finish paint.  I bought the premium paint from Lowes as they promised it would only take one coat, and sure enough it did!  The desk sits in the corner of my office, and while it looks a little small in this big empty space we will eventually have more furniture in here to fill it up a little better.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but the office walls are a light green, the desk is a light teal, and on the drawer is a darker teal porcelain knob.  This is where I sit and write almost all my blog posts (as I am right now) so now you can picture me writing as you read this  ;)

Hope you enjoyed my recently made things!

28 weeks

28 weeks...  and the beginning of a new (and final) trimester.  This week started out with the search for a birthing class that we will ideally have completed by 36 weeks.  As I called around inquiring about various classes and speaking with several different instructors, I realized that this is something I should have registered for weeks ago, as most classes were nearly full.  Fortunately, I found what I hope to be quite possibly the perfect class for us with a woman who sounds like an amazing instructor.  Not only is it being taught nearby at our birthing center with a new series just about to start, but she had just one space left in the class when we registered.  There are so many different types of classes out there to take, and we decided on a 12 week series that teaches the Bradley Method, otherwise known as "husband coached childbirth."

Initially, I wasn't focused on taking this type of series, as I didn't know how comfortable Erik would be with not only taking a class that required such a time commitment, but also having so much responsibility placed on him during labor as my "birth coach."  We have been planning on hiring a doula who would come to our house once labor began, who would be there to provide extra support especially during the first part of labor while we were at home.  However, after talking with the instructor, she said that couples become so comfortable with the knowledge they receive in her class series, that they often change their minds about the necessity of a doula.  We will see how we feel as we get closer to the due date, but as of now we are still on the fence about whether or not we will really need one.  Our class starts in just over a week and we are both really looking forward to it. 

If you want to read more about the Bradley Method, this page has some great information.  The instructor teaching our class told me that 96% of her students go on to have a natural, unmedicated, intervention-free childbirth.  The Bradley Method is quite well known for its success in helping women achieve the natural birth that they desire, and the average "success rate" is around 86% nationally.  That being said, I know that this information doesn't guarantee anything, and that first time births are often long, exhausting, and usually "harder" than subsequent births.  So perhaps the statistics would be a little different if they were only looking at women experiencing their first childbirth.  But still, I am pretty impressed with those odds and I have no doubt we will learn a lot and come out of the class with as much preparation as we possibly can for something that is rather tricky to prepare for, with all of the unknowns that can play into each individual labor.

Yesterday Erik and I took a class on cloth diapering that was held at the birthing center.  They offer two free classes per month (the other one is on baby wearing and I will take that one next month), and we were both really happy that we attended.  We decided early on that we will cloth diaper our kiddos - the health, environmental, and economical benefits are too great to not do it.  Google will provide you with a vast amount of information if you search for "cloth diaper benefits" so I don't need to list them all here.  The class was great for helping us learn about the different kinds of diapers, how to care for them, and also gave us the opportunity to check out in person just about every kind of cloth diaper system available.  I couldn't wait to get home and shop on amazon for the kind we decided upon.  Who knew someone could get so excited about diapers?! 

28 weeks + 3 days

At 28 weeks, baby B is the size of an eggplant, weighing approximately 2 1/4 pounds and measuring in around 10 inches from crown to rump and 15 inches head to heel.  He continues to add more fat every week, and will gain around 1/2 pound or so each week from here on out.  His eyes, complete with eyelashes, are likely open by now, and he can see bright light shining through my belly.

28 weeks + 3 days

I wore this shirt yesterday when Erik and I went out to grocery shop and ran some other errands, and if my hand isn't resting below the bump, the shirt sticks out in a way that makes me look quite pregnant!  Strangers have gone from asking me "are you expecting?" to "so is it a boy or girl?!" or "congrats, when are you due?"  I have to admit, I am rather enjoying all this attention  :) 

As far as new symptoms go, I have been feeling this weird "stretching" very low in my belly for the past couple of weeks.  It happens when I stand up after sitting down for a while, and feels like the baby has turned himself transverse and is laying as low as he possibly can.  It resolves within a minute or so and then I feel normal again.  Last Thursday, Lucy and I were on the way out the door for our morning walk, and I felt the low stretching feeling start.  Only this time, it came all the way up over my belly and it seemed like my stomach was very hard, despite trying to relax it.  I am pretty sure it was a Braxton Hicks contraction, which I have read can start around this point in the pregnancy.  It didn't hurt, but sure was an interesting sensation!  It's the only one I have felt since then, but if it was a BH contraction I am sure there are a lot more coming my way...  I am still loving every kick I feel, and my favorite thing is to pull up my shirt when he really starts moving around and watch my belly move.  He continues to be the most active when I am laying in bed, but so far he hasn't woken me up with his nighttime exercise routine.

According to thebump.com, at this point my breasts already have colostrum which is the first milk that will feed the baby until my milk really comes in a few days after birth.  It's weird though, during the 1st trimester I felt like I couldn't get out and buy new larger bras fast enough, but during the 2nd trimester I don't think they have grown a bit.  I am certainly not complaining, I know they will probably double in size once he is born!

Despite my best efforts to keep the calender free from commitments and obligations as we start the 3rd trimester, we have a busy couple of weeks coming up.  Next weekend we will be in Asheville for our last getaway as a family of two, and the following week I have my next appointment with the midwife and our birthing class starts.  Fortunately this weekend was a nice relaxing one, allowing me plenty of time for nesting and crafting.  More about that in my upcoming post!

27 weeks

I am taking a break from my never-ending baby item search to write this update.  In the past few months (and even more heavily in the past few days) I have done more research on crib mattresses, car seats, cloth diapers, and baby monitors than for any item I have ever bought for myself.  I have read more about crib mattresses than I have on all the cars combined that I have ever owned.  Last night I spent an embarrassing about of time researching baby nail clippers.  nail clippers.  Who knew you had to cut a newborns nails every 2-3 days?!  This is news to me, and now I feel like I need to have the very best clippers out there for all this tedious nail care I will be performing in just a few short months.  I spend most of my time researching on Amazon (my favorite place to shop) and have read hundreds of product reviews about everything from the least toxic co-sleeper mattress to which cloth diaper liner holds the most baby poo.  Yes my friends, this is my reading material these days.  As you probably know if you have been following this blog for any length of time, nearly all of the baby stuff we have bought so far has been secondhand from yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment sales.  These items are mostly clothing and other things that can be thoroughly scrubbed or laundered.  Some stuff that we need I either haven't found in good used condition, or I had planned to buy new from the beginning.  These are the items I have spent so much time researching lately.

I wouldn't at all call myself an expert on baby products, but I have learned an alarming amount of information on the dangers of some baby products from all this research.  Most mattresses labeled as "safe" actually contain numerous chemicals such as flame retardants which off-gas for many years and are believed to be responsible for SIDS.  Disposable diapers contain traces of dioxin, a chemical created in the manufacturing process, which is one of the most carcinogenic compounds known.  There are still toys/bottles/teethers out there which contain BPA, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals - and these products are designed for tiny little babies to put in their mouths.  How can this be considered safe or even allowed?  The dangers of BPA have been circulating in the news for quite some time now, but if you care to read more you can go here.  I am not going to police every single toy that our kids play with, but if I can limit their exposure and at least keep these dangerous items out of our house, I feel like that's a good place to start.


Ok, enough about all that, on to the weekly update...

27 weeks + 4 days

At 27 weeks, baby B is the size of an eggplant, measuring in around 14.5 inches head to toe and weighing just over 2 lbs.  His hearing has developed enough that he can likely recognize our voices, which makes sense as last night Erik took a turn in reading Sprout a bedtime story, and half-way through I felt a big kick.  Pretty cute, good timing little guy.  Erik then whispered to me he didn't like the book because it didn't rhyme appropriately making it hard to read, lol...  The baby's taste buds are quite developed now, and what I eat changes what he tastes in the amniotic fluid (around 2 hours after my meal time.)  I made gluten-free vegan pizza this weekend with extra sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms, hope he liked it.  If not I sure didn't hear any complaints  ;)

27 weeks + 4 days

I have now officially outgrown all of my work shirts and have been wearing plain black maternity tops with my scrub pants.  I don't know if I shared a funny story from a few weeks back...  I made the mistake of wearing a pair of pants to work one day that felt "just a little" too small, but I figured I would make do.  By the time lunch rolled around and I had eaten, I felt like my waistband was cutting off circulation to my lower half!  I realized I couldn't go the rest of the day in those awful pants, and fortunately found a co-worker who was nice enough to get me a pair of drawstring waist pants from the OR that I wore the rest of the day.  Yes, everyone noticed that I had changed my pants but we all had a good laugh about it and it was nice to feel like I could breathe again!  Haha...  If you ever find yourself pregnant and needing scrub pants, I do recommend these super-sexy maternity pants.  I only bought one pair, but have two other "looser" non-maternity pants that still fit and I am hoping these three will last me the full nine months, should I decide to work up until the end.

Not much else new as far as symptoms go.  This my last week of the second trimester (actually tomorrow is the last day) so according to what everyone says this is my last week of feeling great.  Although, of all the symptoms I have read that I am "suppose to" experience, I have only had a very small handful, none being too bothersome at all.  I am hoping to sail through the last trimester feeling this good, but I am keeping in mind that things could change at any time.  That being said, I think our healthy, organic, plant-based diet combined with daily exercise and a positive attitude about pregnancy in general has allowed me to enjoy these last few months so much.  Well... those things and probably a little bit of luck!

Last thing I will mention, is that I had a midwife appointment last week at the birthing center.  Everything went well as far as the baby is concerned, and he is measuring right on track for 27 weeks.  Total weight gain for me is 14 lbs, up just over 2 lbs from my last visit a month ago.  I have opted out of the glucose screening test and was disappointed that I met with a midwife this week who gave me quite a hard time about it.  My personal reasons for opting out are summed up beautifully in this article, but basically there is no way I would ever consume the amount of glucose in that test in one day (or even 2 or 3) let alone a single sitting.  I follow a very low sugar diet as I don't feel well when I eat a lot of sugars (stomach upset, skin reactions) so that test would be a very inaccurate representation of my normal diet and the amount of sugar that would ever be present in my body at one time.  Not only that, but the drink contains artificial colors and flavors, something I take great measures to avoid, pregnant or not.  So while I left my appointment still very confident in my decision, I felt a fair amount of disappointment that the midwife could be so insistent on a test that is fully within my rights to decline.  My appointments are now scheduled for every two weeks, and hopefully going forward as I meet with all the other midwives they will continue to support my decisions to have a natural pregnancy and birth.  After all, this is why I choose the birthing center in the first place...

26 weeks

Does this shirt make my belly look big?

26 weeks + 4 days

It's not the shirt.  I think we have hit a growth spurt here lately.  I don't feel nearly as "big" as I look in these pictures.  Actually when I look at them I can't believe it's me!  Haha...  I think about the baby all the time but in my mind I still don't see myself looking like a pregnant lady.  At Trader Joes yesterday, the cashier was finishing bagging my groceries and he mentioned that he knows he can't make them too heavy for me.  I usually bag my own groceries, but if they are helping me I routinely ask them not to make the bags too heavy because of my back injury.  Confused as to how he knew about my back, I asked him how he knew I needed lighter bags.  He looked at me and said "well, I am observant!"  Ohhhh yea, duh - the belly, ha!  I am already so used to not lifting anything heavy because of my back I momentarily forgot that it's also a rule at this point in the pregnancy.  And well, I guess the whole incident has made me start to accept the fact that yes, I am quite obviously looking preggers these days!

26 weeks + 4 days

I would like to say I have been feeling awesome in the last week, but that would be a lie.  It's nothing that has to do with the pregnancy though...  I have been attacked by chiggers (3rd time this year) - on my neck, face, chest, arms, and legs  :(  If you have never been bitten by chiggers consider yourself lucky.  I think I picked them up from Lucy as she has been out in the woods a lot lately.  The bites on my sensitive skin are torturous, wake me up during the night because of the itching, turn into terrible welts, and usually last 3-4 weeks.  If they would go away, then I could say that I feel awesome.  Sigh.  Unfortunately I think this is the beginning of a few itchy weeks..  But I suppose it could always be worse - I still feel great pregnancy-wise and our little guy seems to be healthy and growing so overall things are pretty darn great  :)

At 26 weeks, baby B is the size of a head of lettuce, measuring in around 14 inches in length and weighing around 2 lbs (give or take a few ounces.)  The ears are getting more developed and his sense of hearing is becoming more sensitive.  He is also inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid which is essential for lung development.  He has eyelashes at this point, and is also starting to hiccup.  I know this for sure, as I felt it for the first time over the weekend.  I wasn't sure at the time if what I was feeling was really hiccups, but today I felt it again and after reading on the internets about what they feel like I am quite sure that's what he was doing in there.  He has given me some jolting kicks lately too as if he is trying to say "HERE I AM" and his nighttime dance parties are still in full swing.

This week we have our next birthing center appointment, as well as Erik's birthday which is on Thursday.  Two things to look forward to.  Also, we might have found a name for our little guy!  We have a list going but nothing has jumped out at us so far like this one has.  We have decided to keep it a surprise until he is born - we don't want anyone elses opinion to change our mind.  We haven't made a final decision yet (and might not until right before he is born) but it's pretty exciting to have found a name we both like so much  :) 

Half Moon Arm Warmers

Last weekend I finally finished up a crochet pattern I have been wanting to write for over a year now.  I picked a good time of the year to work on it, as the pattern is a pair of cozy arm warmers and the cooler months are just ahead.  I was inspired to write this pattern from a pair of knitted arm warmers that I picked up at a yard sale last year.  I have searched the internet for a similar pattern to make sure I wasn't creating something that was already out there, but have found nothing even close.  It took a lot longer than I though it would to get them just right, and I had to experiment with several types of yarn and different hook sizes to get them to fit and still be stretchy enough to fit hands/arms slightly larger or smaller than mine.

I give you my four failed attempts:

fail.

And now...  the end result (5th time is the charm I guess!):

(arm warmers...  and a 25 week belly shot!)

I am really happy with the end result, and love the yarn colors so much that I am currently using the leftovers to make Sprout an adorable winter hat.  The yarn I used is by Bernat, and is an 80% acrylic and 20% wool blend.  The wool adds warmth but the acrylic keeps them super soft and non-itchy.  If you are interested in buying the pattern, it can be found in my etsy store here:  Half Moon Arm Warmers Crochet Pattern.

I have the goal to write one more pattern before our little guy is born, and already have it started.  It's hard to find time these days though and between writing the pattern, physically making the item, photographing it, editing the finished pattern, converting it into .pdf format, and listing it on etsy, it ends up being quite the time consuming process.  Hopefully I will find the time in the next couple of months, because I know come January it's going to be a while before I have any time for crocheting...

First things first though...  Got to finish this cute hat for our sweet little guy!

25 weeks

In case you missed my last post, during my 25th week of pregnancy I also celebrated my 31st birthday.  It was a great day, I allowed myself to be very lazy for several hours in the afternoon (which was exactly what I was needing) and then Erik took me out for a little shopping/dinner/music in town that evening when he got home from work.  I love this time of the year.  Once my birthday rolls around, I know that cooler weather, fall color, apple cider, and cozier evenings are just around the corner...  Erik spent the weekend doing "manly" things in the yard - cleaning out our shed, building a shelter in the backyard to hold firewood over the winter, and even made me a little garden that I requested.  He really is the best  :)  I mostly stayed inside working on a project I have been meaning to finish for a long time now - a new pattern for the etsy shop...  Expect a post on that very soon - I am in the editing stage and it's almost ready for it's debut... 

 

On to the 25 week update!

 

25 weeks + 4 days

At 25 weeks baby B is the size of a cauliflower, measuring in at about 14 inches in length and weighing somewhere between 1.5 - 2.5 pounds.  He continues to add more fat to his tiny little body and has recently developed a sense of equilibrium, allowing him to know which way is up and which way is down.  I will say though, he still spends most of his (awake) time in the breech position, as I am receiving most of the kicks in the lower part of my belly. 

 

25 weeks + 4 days

The only recent development I have to mention this week (besides the obviously growing belly) is difficulty sleeping.  There have been a few rough nights lately and can't seem to figure out why.  I feel like I am awakened very easliy, but even if nothing wakes me I find myself up around 4:30am some nights unable to fall back asleep.  In my previous life (pre-bump) I would almost always fall back asleep just from turning over onto my stomach...  With that not an option these days I am trying to find other comfortable positions but it's just not as easy.  I often wake myself up just from turning from side to side - it has become this big dramatic production of sitting all the way up, adjusting my pillow and blankets, and then rolling over.  What?!  Everytime I wake myself up from that I get a little annoyed, as I think it's totally unnecessary, lol...  Also, whenever I am awake during the night I have realized that Sprout is up too.  Not only is he awake, he is holding his own personal dance party, having a great time kicking, rolling, punching, and doing whatever else he does in there.  I swear he is kicking so hard now that he is launching himself off one side of the uterus and crashing his head into the other...  At least that is how it feels!  Sometimes I just lay there awake and enjoy it, I love feeling him move - even at 3am.  And besides, it's probably never too soon to get used to being awake that early with him  ;)

 

My next midwife appointment is next week, and then I start to follow up at the birthing center every two weeks after that.  We need to get on that birthing class registration soon too.  Week 26 starts tomorrow!!!