Baby P #2 Bump Watch: 27 Weeks Preggers

*Originally posted July 8, 2017 on Fab . Fit . Me*

27 Weeks

What is up with Baby P #2 this week?

• Baby P weighs almost 2 lbs and measures about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended...so about the size of a cauliflower or head of lettuce.

• She sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, opens and closes her eyes, and could potentially even be sucking her fingers.

• She is super active now which means her brain tissue is continuing to develop.

• She is breathing (amniotic fluid) but her lungs are still immature but would be capable of functioning (with a lot of medical help) if she were to be born now.

• And it is very common for her to have episodes of baby hiccups (that rhythmic movements I am feeling from time to time) that lasts only a few moments.

What's been happening with ME this week?

Weight Gained: at my last doc appointment on June 30th, I found out I was still at 17 lbs gained since the start of this pregnancy. Totally didn't gain anything but maybe a few ounces since my last appointment about 3 weeks prior. I also still feel like that's a lot but my doctor didn't seem too concerned. So I guess I shouldn't be either.

Workouts: not a damn one. Just the hustle and bustle of my work life.

Symptoms:

• Mild leg cramps at night...especially when I was up visiting my mother-in-law over the weekend. Not exactly sure if it's because of the altitude since she lives in the mountains.

• Lower back pain

• Exhaustion

• Hot flashes

• Some headaches

Food Aversions: it's been pretty good lately.

Food Cravings: sweets. Junk food.

Sleep: fine except for all the trips to the restroom.

Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases? First baby gift from my favorite sister in the whole wide world!!!

The Sea Punk Tokidoki print Jujube diaper bag. The BRB (Be Right Back). Super cute!!!

Stretch Marks: still the same ones

Miss Anything?: I miss being able to just walk without waddling or feeling like I've done a million squats. I'm barely about to enter into my last and final trimester and I'm already feeling like I can barely move.

Belly Button In or Out? Out

Wedding Rings On or Off? On! But I noticed my fingers were a little puffy over the weekend. Must be the heat.

Happy or Moody Most Of The Time? Happy! Not as irritable this week as the last one.

Any Movement? She seems to be rolling a lot more than kicking and punching. I guess she's still got plenty of room to be rolling around in there. Her kicks and punches have been pretty mild.

Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week?

Took a trip up north to get Ella. Had a good time just relaxing and enjoying nature. Spent some time sightseeing in Tahoe.

And then came back home in time to celebrate the 4th with my father in law and the rest of the fam. Oh! And since Ella was up at her grandma's house on her birthday, we had a little celebration for her on the 4th as well. It was a pretty awesome weekend.

Looking Forward To? Shopping this weekend for our maternity family photo shoot next week! Yup.

Tags: #secondpregnancy #secondtrimester #27weekspregnant #27weekspregnancyupdate #pregnancyjourney #babybumpwatch #babybumppics #summervacation #LakeTahoe

Baby P #2 Bump Watch: 26 Weeks Preggers

*Originally posted June 28, 2017 on Fab . Fit . Me*

26 Weeks

What is up with Baby P #2 this week?

• She now weighs about 2 lbs and measures 14 inches - about the length of a scallion or as big as a head of kale - and she continues to put on baby fat.

• Her eyes are beginning to open! They've been closed up until now. And she can see what's going on now! Kind of. She can see light coming from outside of the womb!

• Her ears are better developed and more sensitive than before. She could very well be able to hear both my voice and her daddy's as we converse.

• Her brain-wave activity is gearing up at this stage of development which means she can not only hear noises. She can now respond to them.

• She's also inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which is essential for the development of her lungs.

What's been happening with ME this week?

Weight Gained: At this point, I feel like I weigh as much as a blue whale. And people's reactions to my growing belly every single day reaffirms my pregnancy weight gain.

Workouts: I walk and walk and walk all day at work. 5 days a week. Occasional long walks when Hubby takes the dog out in the evenings. Key word: Occasional. SoCal temperatures make me want to stay indoors as much as possible.

Symptoms:

• Braxton Hicks contractions. I never felt them before with my first pregnancy. But totally felt something going on in my belly this week. At work, after running around and moving stuff, I sat down at my computer for a bit. And I just felt my lower abs contract. It was the strangest feeling ever. It wasn't painful. But they were "flexing" without me making them flex.

• Mild swelling in the feet/ankles. Not quite Flintstone feet yet but getting there!

• Bloating. And gas. Yup I said it! Baby is taking up so much room now that there's not enough room for food. And I still eat like I'm starving so my uterus pressing up against a full stomach doesn't help. The gas just happens. 🤷‍♀️

• Mild leg cramps. Maybe because I need to drink more fluids. We have officially entered the summer season and it is hot here in SoCal. So yeah, I need to drink more during the days because at night, I barely roll over and I can feel my calf muscles tighten.

• Trouble sleeping at night... mainly because I can't get comfortable enough laying on my side. It's starting to hurt. My pregnancy pillow just isn't doing the job. I've added more pillows to the mix.

• Lower back ache.

Food Aversions: nope

Food Cravings:

• Grapefruit sprinkled with salt

• Anything coconut flavored - I had a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks with coconut milk. Totally worth the extra $0.60. Soooo yum.

• And all things sweet. Nothing in particular. Just anything sweet. I maybe had 3 servings of something ice cream this week. Maybe.

Sleep: Just okay considering the uncomfortable-ness that's starting to happen. Frequent trips to the bathroom doesn't help. And now that the weather is heating up... it gets pretty stuffy. I don't like to sleep with the AC on... but maybe I'll go buy a 2nd fan just so this pregnant lady doesn't get too hot.

Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases? Finally made a pregnancy related purchase!!! And this first purchase was for ME!!! Yup, just purchased 2 wrap dresses from an online boutique. I've never bought anything from them before, so I'm hoping the dresses fit and and actually look nice on me. If they do, I'll try my best to "model" them and take some pics to post on here. But still no purchases for Baby P just yet. I'm still in the process of "nesting" here... but maybe after the baby shower, I'll have some stuff to show off on my blog.

Stretch Marks: None yet... but at the rate the belly is growing, I think it's just a matter of time before some new ones appear.

Miss Anything?: Being able to eat (pig out) without feeling like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

Belly Button In or Out? Out!

Wedding Rings On or Off? Still on! But mild swelling is happening because of this heat so maybe it'll be coming off in the coming weeks. Eeek.

Happy or Moody Most Of The Time? Moody in the beginning of my gestational week - I realize that people at work easily annoy me now. I'm usually pretty good at not letting things get to me, but this pregnancy has definitely made it difficult to tolerate that stuff. But happy towards the end for sure!

Any Movement? She's just as active as her sister was, if not more! I'm talking non-stop ninja warrior action.

Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week? Not fun but definitely interesting. As mentioned in my last post, I said I'd keep you updated on my whole thyroid nodule situation. Well, results came back Stage 3 Undetermined. It means they can't conclude if it's benign nor malignant. I have to go back in 3 months after the Baby is born for another biopsy. This is what happened the very first time I had a biopsy. I went in 3 different times before they could conclude that it was benign. Anyway, trying to remain positive! For now, I'm just going to focus on continuing to grow this Baby. No time for negative thoughts right now.

And!!! I also went in for my 3-hour glucose test on Saturday. The lab at my clinic is open on Saturdays so that's where I spent my morning. I had to fast - couldn't eat anything past 10pm the night before - and tried to get to the lab at 8. Yeah I couldn't get myself to get out of bed. But I got there about 8:45. Got my first blood draw right away and then drank the glucola. Flavor this time? Lime. They didn't have the orange flavored. It wasn't so bad. Tasted like a very syrupy Sierra Mist. But thank God they chill these drinks because I don't know if I could drink it warm. 😖

My 2nd blood draw happened at 9:52, the 3rd around 10:52, and the 4th and final at 11:52. By the end of it I was sleepy and hungry! Came home and just started shoving food into my mouth. I probably exceeded the recommended calorie count for the day but whatever. I was starving and shaky. Anyway, got the results same day and guess what? No gestational diabetes for this chick! Woooohoooo!

Looking Forward To? This coming up 4th of July weekend!!! Friday, after my prenatal doctor visit, Hubby and I are taking a road trip up to my mother-in-law's to pick Ella up from her 2-week vacation away from us! We also plan to spend the weekend up there and then drive back Monday, in time to celebrate the 4th back home before we go back to work the next day. Probably the only "vacation" I'll have this summer and before Baby P #2 comes.

Tags: #secondpregnancy #secondtrimester #26weekspregnant #26weekspregnancyupdate #pregnancyjourney #babybumpwatch #babybumppics #babybump

Baby P #2 Bump Watch: 25 Weeks Preggers

*Originally posted June 18, 2017 on Fab . Fit . Me*

Okay, so my turnover days fall on Wednesdays. Which means Wednesday is the start of my new week. And the day my 25th week started, I had a doctor's appointment that was non-pregnancy related. Remember back in the day before I got prego? I was dealing with thyroid issues. Not sure if I went into detail about it in the past but long story short, I found a lump in my neck. Turned out to be nodules. After about almost a year of testing (3 tests to be exact because the first 2 were inconclusive) it turned out to be benign. But for some odd reason, with both pregnancies, they've grown. And then I have to go in for biopsies to check it all out again. I've been told that benign nodules rarely turn malignant but it's still better to check things out anyway. It's a little scary to think about cancer when you're pregnant, but I'm always doing my best to stay positive. Anyway, I won't get the results for probably another week or 2 so I'll keep you updated on that.

That same day, I also went in to get blood work done. It's glucose time again! Yup, drinking that yucky orange stuff and getting poked is never any fun but it comes with being prego. I mean, this stuff is the easy stuff, right? When you're comparing it to childbirth and parenting... it's a piece of cake!!!

And the results? Well... let's just say the numbers didn't quite fall in the "standard range." My test results online shows that my numbers are a little bit higher than the normal bracket. But it could also be because I seriously forgot I had planned to take the glucose test and wasn't thinking (pregnancy brain at its best) and I did not eat my best that day. After my thyroid appointment, I indulged a little and had some yummy Mexican food. And, don't ask me why, but I also had some soda. I'm not much of a soda drinker...but Baby P wanted soda. So she got soda. And by the time I remembered about the glucose test, it was too late. I had already consumed it. Now, you're probably thinkin' "why in the world did you not fast for this test?" Well, my doctor said it wasn't required for this 1-hour test and actually encouraged I eat as normal. So anyway, I'm blaming the high sugar levels on the soda and I'm hoping and praying it really isn't gestational diabetes. I will need to go in for the 3-hour test to confirm for sure. Yuck. Not looking forward to it AT ALL.

*sigh*

Okay, onto my weekly update...

25 Weeks

If you're wondering why my lil photobomber isn't in the pic with me, it's because she went off to spend the next 2 weeks with her grandma. And I'm not gonna apologize for looking yucky in these photos. Taking my update photos aren't high up on my priority list most days so I usually end up taking them when I'm in between chores or when I'm about to start getting ready for bed. So there. That's my story.

What is up with Baby P #2 this week?

• Baby P #2 is now about 13 1/2 inches and weighs about 1 1/2 lbs. She's about the size of a rutabaga or a cauliflower.

• She's starting to gain some baby fat, and her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and start to look more and more like a newborn.

• She's also growing more hair

What's been happening with ME this week?

Weight Gained: When they checked my weight at my thyroid appointment, I think I gained ounces. Can't recall the exact number but it was close enough to a pound from my prenatal appointment the week before.

Workouts: I intended to work out but I have been so tired and busy that I just could not muster up the energy to do a dang thing.

Symptoms:

• Lower Backache - especially from sitting in traffic

• Frequent trips to the bathroom.

• Lots of bloating happening

• Major mood swings

• Mild heartburn

Food Aversions: none

Food Cravings: uh, the obvious as mentioned in my little story at the start of this post... soda! I was also craving my fave pastry from Starbucks - the cinnamon swirl coffee cake. But the Starbucks at work was out of it all week. Made me sad. But then towards the weekend, I started to crave fruit. Ice cold fruit. So we bought some grapefruit. And pineapple. Which I plan to have with some cottage cheese. Mmmmm.

Sleep: It wasn't the greatest but I can't complain. Any sleep is better than no sleep, right? The hubby graduated over the weekend and then Ella left to go spend the next 2 weeks with her grandma up in Tahoe, so we weren't able to sleep in like we normally would. But hey, we got to sleep a little.

Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases? I bought a new top. For me. But it made me look like a whale. In pictures. I thought I looked fine in the mirror but once the pictures surfaced, I was not very pleased with how big I looked.

Stretch Marks: no new ones have appeared...but I fear it may happen soon. The area around my belly button is starting to itch. No bueno.

Miss Anything?: After seeing how big I look and hearing people say how pregnant I look... I'm really missing being in shape and looking cute in anything I wear. *sigh* One day....

Belly Button In or Out? OUT

Wedding Rings On or Off? On!

Happy or Moody Most Of The Time? Moody. Definitely moody. Maybe because the weather's getting hot? Who knows. I just know that everyone has been getting on my damn nerves. And I mean EVERYONE.

Any Movement? Yep. All the time.

Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week? Hubby graduated! Last time I was pregnant, he received his Bachelor's. This time? His Master's Degree. Super proud wifey over here!!!

We thought it would be cute to try and re-create the pose we took 2 years ago at the hubby's Bachelor's graduation ceremony. And we really did try. But Ella wasn't exactly interested in cooperating with us in this moment. So this is the best we could do.

#FAIL

Looking Forward To? Since the baby is away, I'm looking forward to nesting as much as I can. Decluttering our space, organizing, and just getting ready for Baby P #2. I'm hoping to maybe even start planning the baby shower... we'll see.

Tags: #secondpregnancy #secondtrimester #25weekspregnant #25weekspregnancyupdate #pregnancyupdate #babybumpwatch #babybumppics