27 weeks

Maternity clothes: Need more shirts! The ones I got away with back in the 10-16 weeks phase are SO NOT cutting it anymore.

Stretch marks: 3 around my bellybutton, and now introducing one on the top of each thigh!

Sleep: I've been sleeping better this week, only waking up maybe once a night. I still feel like I can't get enough though!

*NEW* Belly Button: Getting shallow.

*NEW* Labor Signs: I learned that Braxton Hicks contractions can be worsened by dehydration. So since everyone says they don't hurt and it turns out they DO... I hereby resolve to better monitor my water intake. *Ballcap over the heart* style.

Best moment this week: I'd have to say it was when the doctor congratulated me on "only" gaining 3 pounds.

Movement: All the time now! I think we've even established a pattern...

6:30 am: he starts to wiggle around and help me wake up

9:00 am: soft thumps to let me know he's ready for breakfast

12:30 pm: strong pointy kicking! (it's the mac & cheese, I'm sure)

5:00 pm: TIME TO GO HOME, MOM

7:30 pm: wiggly again, and recently he's been rolling over or something around now too.

10:00 pm: OK this week he's been doing The Weirdest Thing Ever. I'm laying on my side in bed and out of nowhere it feels like a small animal is trapped between my belly and the mattress!! The first time he did this I just tried to imagine what position he had gotten himself into to make this insane squirming thing happen... but then when he did it again the next night I had to Laugh Out Loud because impersonating a hamster must just be tons of fun!

Food cravings: If this boy is anything like his mama, he is going to LOVE mac & cheese!

Gender: BOY!! I believe we are close to bringing the name debate to a close. Stay tuned, y'all.

What I miss: I miss NOT getting stared at.

"Yes, I am pregnant. November. It's a boy. No, we haven't named him yet. Oh, you can really tell he'll be a big baby just by looking at me? Wow that's talent!"

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower Labor Day weekend! I get to see MOM and JEN and all kinds of OTHER cool family and friends! YAY!

What I have learned: Nesting is for real. When you don't think twice about buying new furniture (and the rug to match, of course), it's real. This incident actually made me stop and think... all the little things I was doing add up! (Like freaking out that the floors are dirty and WHY are crumbs STICKING TO MY FEET? Now, I have to force myself to NOT go to Target and buy a bunch of stuff to finish his room because WHAT IF I’m not ready when he gets here and he has NO SHEETS and NO cute things on the wall to look at and WHAT IF I get too tired in the next 3 months and OMG WHAT IF HE COMES EARLY?!? So, yeah, good times. Luckily these thoughts happen only about once a day and don’t last too long. Nick is good at talking me down too.

Milestones: Childbirth classes! Class participation! Nick had to wear a 25 lb. backpack to show him what it's like to carry the extra weight around. We practiced having him coach me through breathing and she showed the dads some massage techniques that should help me relax. I feel pretty good about it! Nick is going to be an awesome coach.

Third Trimester! Ack!

99 days left!

That is a VERY SHORT time considering that the countdown starts at 266!

Things I still have left to do:

1. Childbirth classes/breastfeeding class/infant care class.
2. Figure out some sort of clothes storage system. Do we refinish great grandma's dresser? Just use the cube thing from Target? Both? Neither and buy one?
3. Buy craploads more diapers. Also, my plan is to have a couple of those neat all in one velcro/snap fancy pants cloth diapers around just in case we run out in the middle of the night. I'm so stinkin' smart.
4. Clean everything. I know it's "nesting" and seriously, I don't care. He's going to be crawling around on THOSE FLOORS? GAH!
5. Name this kid.
6. Must Pass Glucose Test On Monday. (I am reminded of this by the 3 snack packs and small handful of Hershey's miniatures I ate today.)
7. Smack the next person who says, "Are you eating again?" The UPS man just did this, for reals.
8. Attempt to buy a dress for a late September wedding when I will be fully at the end of my 7th month that could possibly be used again for something some day.
9. Eat more fiber.
10. Figure out daycare.
11. Find a pediatrician.
12. Find a list of the million other things I'm sure I have to do but just don't know what they are yet.

25 weeks

Maternity clothes: Anything else would be inconceivable!

Stretch marks: 3 right around where my bellybutton used to be pierced. :-(

Sleep: Yes please! I wake up so much just to roll over. It's really starting to piss me off!

Best moment this week: I'm sitting at work, typing away, minding my own business when I feel a kick. It feels like a good one and I look down and THUMP I saw a kick!

Movement: Nick felt kicks! We were laying in bed at night after a long trip around Babies R Us. I guess that my walking around kind of rocks baby boy to sleep, because he was kicking away like crazy like maybe he just woke up from a nap, and Nick felt two thumps!

Food cravings: Mac & cheese still rules all.

Gender: BOY!! Still no names...

What I miss: I miss not feeling slow. Like I'm just so heavy that I have to walk more slowly to build up momentum.

What I am looking forward to: First baby shower this weekend!

What I have learned: Morning sickness doesn't stay in the first trimester! Sometimes it can flare up again whenever the hell it wants to. Annoying.

Milestones: Nick feeling kicks... it's so funny that getting kicked would make someone happy, but seriously you should see the look on his face...

22 weeks

Maternity clothes: Need more. I have 2 pairs of pants acceptable for work that fit right now.

Stretch marks: still *fingers crossed*

Sleep: Weird. It's like, when I sleep I'm out cold... but I wake up a lot too.

Best moment this week: Finding the perfect crib set! I have grand ideas for this baby boy's room...

Movement: Here and there, but nothing too exciting. I think he likes it when I lean forward a little bit... either that or he hates it and is trying to tell me to get the hell off of him. Either way, that's when I fell him the most, but it makes it impossible for Nick to feel him. :-(

Food cravings: Still mac & cheese!

Gender: BOY!! Still no names...

What I miss: I miss my body. Not in the way I used to look or anything like that... (I'm SUPPOSED to gain weight and pretty much past ever hoping to look like I did 10 years ago.) It's the fact that a lot of the time, I don't feel like me. My body doesn't react to things the way it used to and it's annoying trying to figure out all the new changes! I have a newfound lactose intolerance, I can't poo or I'm pooing too much, I have random headaches, the list goes on.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out baby boy's eye/hair/skin color combination!

What I have learned: Halfway and then some = soon I'll have to face the fact that I'm going to have to go into labor. LABOR. And DELIVERY. When I think about it, my mind always goes from pregnant, uncomfortable (but worth it) to Yay I'm a mom and Nick's a dad. I always gloss over that middle part with the contracting and pushing and whatnot. Gonna have to deal with that eventually. But not right now. Right now I want some mac & cheese.

Milestones: Um, swelling? I'm swelling to the point where my wedding ring doesn't fit anymore.

20 weeks

Maternity clothes: Yeah... when Aliesha at work gave me a bag of clothes I went home and tried them on and laughed at how big they were... now they fit. Although she is apparently a couple inches shorter than I am. Eh, whatev.

Stretch marks: Nope. I am starting to get the itchies though.

Sleep: Not too bad...

Best moment this week: Had a doctor's appoitment this morning and heard the best words ever to come out of an OB's mouth: "No abnormalities." Woot!

Movement: Finally felt a solid kick last night! I was laying in bed on my side and felt a few twitches... then all of a sudden, WHAM! He kicked the dang mattress!

Food cravings: Mac & cheese. Daily.

Gender: BOY!! Now let the Great Name Debate of 2009 begin...

What I miss: Nothing right now... I feel awesome!

What I am looking forward to: Tee ball and/or pee wee football, potty training with Cheerios

What I have learned: Having a healthy baby really is the most important thing... when the ultrasound tech started saying things like "measuring baby's head... looks good" I felt such relief that I almost forgot my excitement of finding out the baby's sex!

Milestones: I can finally start calling him HIM! And, oh yeah, HALFWAY! GAH!

It's a BOY!

So, yes. We were very sneaky and didn't tell anyone when the ultrasound appointment was so that we could get away with stuff like this:

Sent to my mom on Friday night. The card says "Congratulations Grandma, it's a boy! Love, Sara & Nick" She thought the delivery guy was at the wrong house!

Then on Saturday, July 4th, we had a cookout and told Nick's mom and everyone there by serving cookie cake for dessert!

And just for posterity, here is a picture of the "Pulled Meat Sandwich Cook-Off" Winner 2009.

Oh, crap...

Thanks to this video I am now very glad that my pot pie craving has subsided. (For those too busy/cool/whatever to click the link, a NY Times reporter tests the cooking instructions on Banquet pot pies and finds it very difficult to heat them to the proper internal temperature.)

I mean, I would know if I (or the baby!) had already been affected by the salmonella, right?

::runs off to webMD::

Frick.

What are symptoms of salmonella infection?
Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) can cause diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Symptoms typically start 12-72 hours after infection.

All of those symptoms can also be caused by PREGNANCY.