29 and 30 weeks

Wow...I just realized I haven't even taken a picture of myself since 28 weeks. Oops.  And right now the thought of putting on pants to take a picture makes my skin want to turn inside out, so we are going to have to suffice for a promise of pictures later.  Today's activities include sitting in PB's recliner since he is at his parents' house watching football, reading my Kindle, and not achieving much of anything.

Marination Time: 30 weeks, 4 days as of today.  Holy moly.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: I'll take one.  ASAP.  I swear.  Maybe tomorrow, or tonight if dinner involves me putting on pants.

This Week's Produce Item(s): 

And that applies to both week 29 and week 30...I guess if The Bump figures they don't need to update pictures weekly at this point, then neither do I.  

Real Life Baby-Measuring Item of the Week:

Baby's the size of a loaf of bread this week!  

Currently Craving: I've had a hankering for more coconut cake ever since Christmas.  I am pretty sure I could eat a whole one.

Currently Avoiding: Have I avoided anything in the last 6 months?  That's why I'm such a walrus.

Weight: See above.  Managed to lose about 5 pounds during my little bout with having the flu or something horribly similar, but put it all right back on, and am now up to 163. Woof.

Symptoms: In the past 4 days or so, I feel like I have sort of hit a wall.  I just feel SO much bigger all of a sudden and it's hard for me to move around nearly as easily.  Getting out of a chair, rolling out of bed, undecorating the Christmas tree - all nearly insurmountable obstacles at times.  I also pass out on the couch about 10pm no matter what.  My hips and lower back tend to throb at night, but the heartburn may have eased just a tad, which is a plus.  Or heck, maybe I'm just getting more used to it.  Don't get me wrong though, I still don't have many complaints and I'm still feeling like I'll miss being pregnant when it's all said and done.

Belly Button Status: It's all out, all wrong, all wonky, and you can see it through like two layers of clothes.

Sleep Grade: Has been fine, so long as I'm not sick with the plague.  Otherwise, my hips and lower back are pretty sore and don't let me lie around and sleep in on mornings off.  It definitely becomes necessary to get up and go sit on the couch or in the recliner.  

Movement: Still lots of movement, and this week I have felt him get the hiccups a few times!  Super cool.  It just feels like little, tiny rhythmic jumps in there.

Appointments:

Well, I know you were all waiting with bated breath to hear the results of the dreaded gestational diabetes test.  I like calling it the GD test, because I'm usually mentally cursing when I speak of it.

So, last we left off, the nurse told me I had to go back for the blankety-blank three hour test.  Which I did. Took a whole day off work, which turned out to be great because I was SO SICK.  I'm talking full blown flu like horribleness.  Fever, chills, coughing, aching, can't-lift-your-head-off-the-couch sick.  I pretty much slept for about 15 minutes the night before and ate basically nothing the day before.  Forget fasting, I felt too crappy to eat anyway.

I got to the doctor's office looking like a homeless person.  Leggings, long sleeved t-shirt, Ugg boots, no makeup, hair on top of my head.  Basically, I looked like I felt.

I didn't see a doctor, just the poor lady whose calling in life is to stick people with needles. The drill is, you go back to the lab room, they stick you, and you don't care because you feel so crappy anyway.  Then they pull another delicious bottle of sicky sweet orange drink out of the cooler and give you another 5 minutes to chug it like you're drinking PJ out of a trash can at a frat party.  Then it's back to the waiting room to sit there for an hour.  

I ask if there's anywhere I could lie down....I don't care where.  A maintenance closet, some empty stirrups, anywhere will work.  But no, they are too busy and all of their exam rooms are full.  So it's back to the straight chair in the waiting room, with the suggestion that I "try to take a nap." Are you kidding me? I couldn't sleep in my king sized bed the night before due to coughing, hacking, and general misery.  How do you think it's going to go in a straight backed chair in an OB waiting room?  

At this point, I became an excellent people watcher.  It astounds me the way people behave in the doctor's office.  No wonder they seem to have an air of general dislike for their patients.  First there's me, coughing like I have tuberculosis, then there's the couple who brought in a huge bag of smelly sausage biscuits for breakfast that they proceeded to eat in the middle of the waiting room, and the parents who are letting their two year old hit the tap on the water cooler, soaking the entire floor while she laughs.  Wow.

Then the lab tech comes back after an hour, takes more blood from your other arm, and sends you back to waiting room hell.  Rinse, repeat, for two more hour waiting periods and two more sticks.  The sicky orange drink makes you feel like all heck anyway, and on top of the flu, I felt I might perish in the waiting room among the random masses of people filing in and out of the office.

Of course, they called me two days later to tell me that I failed the test.  You have to have 3 of 4 readings considered "normal" to pass - I barely failed two of them.  This meant a lot of crying, emailing my Bradley instructor, eventually calling back and asking to be retested, which they refused to do, even though every piece of information about the test ever archived by Google says that blood sugar is drastically affected by illness.  I was told, "Well, remember this is for your baby's health."  I completely lost my mind on the nurse at that point, because they had also refused to give me a referral to a specialist, or any directions about how to treat myself whatsoever, for at least another week because it would "take that long" for the lady who does transfer paperwork to "get to my chart."  Imagine me sitting in the school cafeteria while my kids are at lunch, on the phone with the OB nurse, saying, "IF THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, THEN SHOULDN'T YOU BE ABLE TO FAX ME A REFERRAL?"  

The referral ended with me seeing the most overly perky dietitian I could ever imagine, who likes to use the terms "ladies" and "little ones" about 5 times a sentence.  At any rate though, my blood sugar was 78 after consuming a Bojangle's sausage biscuit and a Bo-berry biscuit about 40 minutes before my blood draw, and it only ever went up to 82.  My a1C as a 5.0, which is great even for someone who "doesn't have" diabetes.  

Really, I just feel like they have slapped me with this label and now I feel like I am going to have to fight to refuse inductions and c-sections and all that mess at the end.  I also feel like I am going to have to fight them sticking my poor kid 820320932023 times after he's born and trying to give him a bottle.  Sigh.  Though apparently pregnancy has totally eviscerated any sense of manners or dignity I once had, so I reckon I'm ready to say whatever craziness I need to say to avoid all of that.  

I know all of y'all are not nearly as interested in my GD drama as I am, but I wanted to record all that for posterity, because just for the record, it sucks.

Highlights of the Week: 

If you stuck with me through that mess, then I am going to reward you and pull out the big guns - Mom got a 3D ultrasound for us for Christmas!!!  It was so cool to be able to look in there and see his little face.  

And just for fun - who do you think he looks more like? 

Here he is with PB's baby picture:

And here he is with my baby picture:

We get to go back on Thursday, because he has a big 20 foot cord that he has in a giant wad in front of his face that he won't move.  We're hoping he's changed positions by next time so that we can get more good pictures!  I can't wait to go back!

27 and 28 Weeks

Oh heyyyyy, third trimester!  I really can't believe that I have 11 weeks and some change before this guy is due.  What in the world?  I guess this is the part of pregnancy where I am supposed to be miserable and uncomfortable and hate life.  Yes, I'm waddling.  Yes, I have heartburn like WHOA most days if I don't load up on Zantac and Tums, and yes, my back and hips are starting to get pretty uncomfortable at night.  All in all though, we're still doing ok.  I'm definitely not ready to get him out of there yet because I'm still enjoying feeling all these crazy kicks and acrobatics that he's really stepped up in the last two weeks.  We're to the point now where you can visibly see my belly jump all over the place when he moves, it is the weirdest and coolest thing I've ever seen!

27 weeks, 2 days - I seem to always remember to do pictures when I am in the skeevy work bathroom these days.  I need to work on finding better scenery.

28 weeks exactly, again in the skeevy work bathroom.

Marination Time: 28 weeks, 4 days as of today

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Other people seem to notice that I'm getting bigger more than I do.  I mean I think I can tell a little difference, but not that much?

This Week's Produce Item: 27 weeks - Rutabaga!  Um, odd - not sure I've ever even seen a rutabaga in person.

28 Weeks - Eggplant

Real Life Produce Item of the Week:

Still a lunch box through week 28.

Currently Craving: Anything sweet! Toaster strudel, school cafeteria peach crisp, birthday cake, you name it.

Currently Avoiding: Nothing? Even had my first cheeseburger of pregnancy last week!

Weight: Ugh, last time I weighed, I had hit the big 160 mark.  I've determined that it really doesn't matter what I eat, how much I exercise, or how I feel about it - every time I get on the scale, it's going up by at least a pound.  

Symptoms: Sometimes I get heartburn so bad I either feel like I'm about to throw up or have a heart attack.  I take Zantac twice a day (and now a double dose, since my doctor told me to start) and pop Tums occasionally.  My hips and back tend to hurt at night from sleeping on my sides, so I'm usually ready to get up and moving in the morning.  Still don't have any stretch marks on the belly, though my belly button is kind of sore from being so stretched - I'm just biding my time until they show up because I feel like they're coming.

Belly Button Status: Oh it's still way out.  Still don't have any stretch marks on the belly, though my belly button is kind of sore from being so stretched - I'm just biding my time until they show up because I feel like they're coming.

Sleep Grade: Not awesome lately, I tend to wake up about 4 and lightly sleep through some crazy dreams and wake up constantly until the alarm clock goes off.  I managed to sleep in until 7:45 this morning until the hips woke me up!

Movement: I think this week deserves a video - since you can actually see it!

Appointments: I had my gestational diabetes test at 28 weeks exactly.  So that involves showing up, doing all the standard blood pressure/scales of shame/pee in a cup/answer the standard questions...and then the medical assistant gives you a little bottle of sugary drink and says you have 5 minutes to drink it.  You get the choice of fruit punch or orange - I asked what the house specialty was, and she recommended the orange.  I'll second that, it kind of tastes like orange Kool-Aid or flat Fanta.

Then they make you sit in the lobby for an hour until Dorothy the lab tech comes out and takes you to the back to draw your blood.  If you're like me, you're feeling pretty good about yourself because you didn't eat anything after 10:15 and it's now 4:15 (even though they told you not to fast) and what you DID eat was a salad with grilled chicken, cheese, and a boiled egg.  You're also feeling pretty confident because the drink hasn't made you feel bad and you're thinking you've beat the system.

She takes your blood, then they say you'll probably hear something by Wednesday if it's bad news.  Then on Friday, you'll eat cake at the perfect attendance celebration AND cafeteria peach crisp thirty minutes later, because you don't HAVE the diabeetus, yo.  You feel a little sorry for all those poor suckers you know who failed and had to go back for a three hour test or have piggy little babies because they have gestational diabetes that they don't control.  Your pancreas is a beast, as far as you're concerned.

Then your phone rings an hour later.  And the too-perky nurse tells you that you failed.  Not just failed, failed with a big, fat F.  I was supposed to be at 130 or less - I was at 165.  Then you try not cuss the nurse on the phone in front of your thirty students.  

And then, this is who you become:

I have to go back Monday, take the three hour test where they make you drink MORE orange stuff and stick you four times.  I couldn't be more excited.  Realistically, there's a 65% chance that I DON'T actually have the diabeetus. But then who knows.  Maybe I do.  At any rate, Monday should just be a barrel of fun.

Highlights of the Week: 

On a more exciting note, we bought a carseat and stroller that I love!

It's also Brenda-approved.

I adore the orange!

We did what everybody on the interwebs and at the doctor's office and the president and NASA tell you not to - we bought it from Craigslist.  But as it turns out, it was from a family that is mutual friends with someone else I know and who seems quite trustworthy.  It hasn't "expired" (yes, carseats do expire, it's very weird) and they promise me it's never been in an accident.  Their kid is just too big for it now.  So, that meant scoring a basically brand new travel system and 2 car seat bases for $125 - whoop whoop!

Then, PB and I drove in the Kannapolis Christmas parade, which is sort of neat because it's a night parade.  Everybody decks out their apparatus with lights and such and it's a nice, short little parade.  PB rode on top of the firetruck and I drove one of the grand marshalls (and his wife, and his 2 miniature poodles, but that's another story).  It was Ira's first parade!

Finally, on a much sadder note, Grandma M passed away on December 3.  She had been terribly sick following surgery for a few weeks, and passed away at the Hospice House.  It was so hard for the family, but honestly the Hospice House is a wonderful place, and I think at the end, we all knew that she had to be at peace.  She got to feel Ira kick and move before she died, but I hate that he will never meet her, because she was such a smart, spunky, adorable little lady.  

Well, those are the highlights of this installment...next time, we'll know for sure if I need to start calling Liberty Medical for my diabeetus supplies.  I'll keep you updated!

Oops...24, 25, and 26 weeks?

Guys, this is just a classic example of how this pregnancy has totally been sneaking up on me.  It seemed like I had just done a post, and I thought I was only one week behind! Oops.  I seriously cannot believe how fast it is going.  I want to put the brakes on, I like this part!  I just feel like it is all going to be over in three minutes.

How about an update, shall we?

Here we are at 24 weeks, 1 day in the skeevy work bathroom.  Man, I love that maternity shirt from Old Navy.  So comfy!

24 weeks, 4 days at the Santa Scramble 5k!  The belly and I "ran" (okay, waddled) it in 31 minutes.  I sort of felt like my bladder was being trounced the whole time, which made for an interesting run, but we made it!  

It was a first 5k for both Ira and my mom!  

Here we are at 25 weeks, 1 day before going to the 5th annual Deviled Egg Cook-Off!  It was the first year I didn't enter, because we were insane that whole day with making Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family.  We hosted and provided almost all of the food since we have a family member in the ICU and we knew most of the rest of the family wouldn't feel up to cooking.  But whew, by the end of the day, I couldn't even think of making deviled eggs.  I could barely think of eating them!

But of course I did eat one of all 15 entries, and then I was whining about my back and ribs hurting because I am the ultimate fatty. PB decided to lead back stretching on the garage floor at our friends' house.  I don't know how I got up from down there, but I did!

Then I realized that I have no pictures from 26 weeks yet, so here I am looking just whipped after work today.  We are 26 weeks, 2 days today!

Marination Time: 26  weeks, 2 days

Musings on the Weekly Photo(s): I think I look a lot bigger today than in the other pictures, for some reason.  Good Lord!

This Week's Produce Item: 

Um, I'm sorry, those sizes just baffle me.  Doesn't a cantaloupe seem bigger than cauliflower and lettuce?  Odd.

Realistic baby-measuring item of the week: 

From weeks 25 to 28, The Bump says the baby is the size of a kid's lunch box:

Currently Craving: Had to finally scratch the itch for real sushi yesterday and got a calamari roll and a crab/shrimp salad roll from Wasabi Cafe for lunch with Mom yesterday.  And then I remembered just why I thought that crap from Harris Teeter is comparable to Little Friskies in a plastic tray - Wasabi sushi is SO much better.  Also been really wanting regular Coke lately, because I am a bad mother.  And I had a Diet Pepsi yesterday and a Diet Coke today.  So sue me.  I'm sorry, Ira, at least it isn't an illicit drug.  OH, and a big milestone - we went to dinner with my in-laws on Saturday night to Longhorn and I had the very first steak I have eaten since I got pregnant.  It was pretty darn good too, medium-rare with a cheese-stuffed portabello on top.

Currently Avoiding: As much as I want sushi lately, the thought of our traditional weekly fried-fish dinner that we usually do on Thursdays is making me feel green.  I'm kind of excited that we have Bradley class tonight so that I can make barbecue chicken pizza, because that's what I'm really wanting tonight!

Weight: Ugh, got the scale battery replaced, which means I was up to 151 as of November 13 (24 weeks). At November 20 (25 weeks), I was 154.  This morning, (26 weeks, 2 days), I was 156.  Holy snot rockets, that is some serious weight gain.

Symptoms: I went back to the chiropractor at the beginning of the week, and that man does wonders for my sciatic/hip pain.  It's only been barely twinging.  I've moved on to taking Zantac for the ri-fricking-diculous heartburn that I have constantly.  Pretty sure all my guts are somewhere in the vicinity of my upper rib cage, so it's logical, but jeez.  That's really about it.  

Belly Button Status: It enters the room about 15 minutes before I do, it's so far out.

Sleep Grade: Pretty great over Thanksgiving break, and I was able to sleep in until unheard of times, like 10:00.  Last night sucked though, because sometimes I just can't get to sleep after I get up to go to the bathroom at 4am.

Movement: I pretty much feel him all day long, slamming around in there.  I feel like it's a preview of what's to come when he's 16 and throwing things in his room because he's pissed off at me.  Calm down, child!

Appointments: Next appointment is December 11, which is the dreaded gestational diabetes test appointment.  I have a strong feeling I'm going to fail, and I'm hoping to goodness I don't, but I just have a feeling....gah.

Highlights of the Week: 

We started what I hope will be an awesome tradition for Ira at my parents' house!  Those are big light balls hanging from their trees.  Putting them up involves borrowing the neighbor's high powered tater gun, which is quite the sight to see.  It took a lot of dedicated neighbors a lot of time to help us put them up, but the end result is really magical in person.  

Aside from Thanksgiving, the Christmas parade and 5k, and the deviled-egg cookoff, this week marks our first week of Bradley classes!  We are going out of order since the next session ends after my due date, and tonight's class will be infant care.  I'm excited to see how it goes, I have a feeling it may make all of this feel very, very real!

23 weeks!

Technically 22 weeks, 4 days, at the Hospice Benefit at the Hotel Concord

Hospice Benefit again...this is where we had our wedding reception!  Can't believe it's been over a year since then, and I can't believe how much has changed! 

23 weeks, 2 days...made PB take a picture of me before I left for work in my "Charlie Brown" shirt.

23 weeks, 4 days - yesterday at our Christmas mini session with the weenies! 

Marination Time: 23 weeks, 4 days.  Still can't believe how the weeks keep ticking by.  I think I told people all week that I was 22 weeks still, because I just wasn't mentally ready for 23 weeks.  Crazy!

Musings on the Weekly Photo(s): Holy pasty skin, Batman.  Oh well, I guess fall is officially here.  Also, wow, why did I decide to wear a cardigan to the Christmas pictures?  The way it falls behind my back makes me look like a giant manatee.  I do like the pictures though!

This Week's Produce Item:

23 weeks means baby is the size of a grapefruit.  

Realistic baby-measuring item of the week: 

Apparently The Bump's dad-to-be team got lazy and decided to call one item "good enough" for weeks 22 to 24.  So, that means we're at the size of a baseball mitt again.  But um, in what universe are a baseball mitt and a grapefruit equivalents?  Confusing.

Boy or girl: Why do I keep feeling like I have to be a slave to all these questions and continue to answer this one? It's still a boy.  Just like we have all known for six weeks.  Goodness gracious.  For the last time - boy!

Currently Craving: Still have a major sweet tooth....aaaaaand it doesn't help that Mom bought me a whole box of Christmas tree cakes.  Oh, AND a whole box of honey buns.  Or that I have half a box of toaster strudel in the freezer.  Or that I was up at 2am for no good reason last night and ate one.  I have also been majorly wanting sushi this week.  I had some from Harris Teeter before our photo shoot because it was the only place I could find to get sushi at 10:45am, but the itch has officially not been scratched.  PB and I also went to eat Indian food because I was craving it last night, which was super delicious.

Currently Avoiding: Um, let's see. Anything healthful, apparently?

Weight: PB is doing all this annoying Cross Fit mess and as a result wants to weigh himself like twice a day, which in turn has caused the battery on my scale to die.  So, right now I have no idea how much I weigh and I don't wanna know.  It is what it is at this point.  Thank god for pants with an elastic waist.

Symptoms: Taking Tums like it's my job.  My back and hips have been keeping me up at night and driving me crazy during the day.  Sometimes when I get up from a chair or twist funny, I get shooting pain down my lower back, into my butt.  Sometimes it makes me want to swear in front of the kids - so far, I've held back.  I ordered a super cool maternity brace that probably makes me look like I should also be wearing headgear and a fanny pack.  It makes me feel so much better though - I'm definitely going to be wearing it when I am back at work on Tuesday and on my feet all day.  Also my wedding bands often don't fit in the morning, which is annoying - so I bought a Diamonique set from those fine folks at QVC to keep me from having panic attacks when I can't get it on and imagine that I've lost my wedding set.  Also so I don't look like I should be on 16 and Pregnant, I suppose.  I don't need any more judgy people with their judgy eyes.

Belly Button Status: I didn't think it could be more out...and then it poked out further.  My current annoyance is that people want to poke it like I am the flipping Pilsbury doughboy.  OMG people.  I am ticklish and also, it kind of hurts when you poke me.  Cut it out before I poke you in the eye.  

Sleep Grade: Varies from a B to a C+.  Again, thank goodness for the pregnancy pillow. (Even though last night it also included two very squirmy wiener dogs.)

Movement: I usually feel him a good bit during the day, and his kicks are starting to be higher, like near my belly button instead of below it.  He tends to kick if I lean over (I guess he gets annoyed that I'm squishing him) or after I go on a big fatty binge and eat a lot.  I also feel him at night when I go to bed.

Appointments: Not til the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Highlights of the Week: This afternoon, I went with my mom and some family friends up the street to this really spooky-looking old, historic home for a Christmas light workshop.  The guy who lives there makes these orbs out of chicken wire and Christmas lights and hangs them from the big trees in his yard.  We made a bunch for my parents' yard, I can't wait to put them up (hopefully) tomorrow!

We have a day off from work tomorrow for Veterans' Day and I cannot describe how excited I am about an extra day of sleeping in, with absolutely no plans besides cleaning the house.  I wanted to decorate for Christmas but that might have to wait since PB didn't drag the Christmas tree down from the attic for me.  

Last night, PB and I went for a date night to Spice 9, because I had a restaurant.com gift card and I had never tried it.  It's an Indian place and it was delicious - it had been forever since I'd had Indian food.  Afterward, we went to see Flight (the new movie with Denzel Washington) and loved it. There were times during the movie where I just wanted to scream at him to get his mess together and then he'd just keep screwing up and we'd keep cringing - but overall, it was a really well-written, well-acted movie with a little bit of action, a little bit of drama, and a little bit of humor.

Welp, that's all for the week, folks!  See you at 24 weeks!

21 and 22 weeks....catching up again

Yes, it's another two for one deal.  I think this is indicative of the fact that work has been kicking my tail lately - I pretty much come home, make dinner, fall asleep on the couch, go to bed, rinse repeat.  Also, we had the most wonderful holiday of the year thrown in there and all of the requisite preparations (including making a fantastic costume you'll see momentarily).

21 Weeks, in a maternity shirt we found for $3 at the Tot Trade!  I never knew how much I loved consignment stuff until I got pregnant.

22 weeks, 1 day, on Halloween!  In a "maternity" sweater that I'm pretty sure would barely be long enough for me if I didn't have this huge belly.  Fail, zulily.  Thank goodness for a roll-down skirt from Old Navy that I've just started pulling up over the belly rather than rolling down.

Marination Time: 22 weeks, 4 days.  It's FLYING by!  I can't believe I've been pregnant since June. It feels like 5 minutes.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: I feel like we aren't growing by leaps and bounds really, just holding fairly steady. I can tell a little difference, but not huge at this point.  Which is good because I think I would explode otherwise.

This Week's Produce Item:

21 weeks - Baby is the size of a pomegranate.  I feel like these produce items continue to get more and more arbitrary.

22 weeks - Baby is the size of a papaya.  Oookay. And now on to the more realistic sizing.

Realistic Baby-Measuring Item of the Week:

21 weeks - Baby is the size of an 80's fanny pack.  This might be my favorite week yet.

22 weeks - Baby is the size of a baseball mitt.  Almost  a foot long!  Jeez, that puts in perspective.  No wonder I'm so big.  And I still don't understand all these skinny girls at 22 weeks.  Where do you have space to stash a foot-long baby with barely any bump?

Boy or girl: Still a boy...no evidence to suggest otherwise!

Currently Craving: Sweet stuff.  I bought some strawberry and cream cheese Toaster Strudel and I have been eating those jokers as dessert every night.  Mmmmmm.

Currently Avoiding: Not much of anything.  Still don't just love plain ol' chicken breast, steak, or pork chops that I have to cut up myself, but the meat aversion is a lot less intense.

Weight: We were at 147.4 a few days ago.  Blergh.  Not looking forward to seeing the scale jump past 150, which I'm expecting any second now.

Symptoms: Lots of heartburn, yuck.  Taking maybe 4-5 Tums a day to try to stay on top of that.  And having sciatic pain in my lower back/hips/butt, especially my left side.  I wake up and my lower back is so sore!  Also sometimes my back will sort of "catch" when I get up quickly and make me want to say something ugly.  I still generally love being pregnant though, it really is neat.  Can't complain too much.

Belly Button Status: OUT OUT OUT.  So noticeable that if I don't wear two shirts or a sweater, it's totally not possible to conceal under a shirt.  One of my kids even mentioned it the other day.  I said, "Well, don't get pregnant, that's what happens."

Sleep Grade: C+.  Back pain/soreness has been making it tough lately, especially towards morning when I've been lying down longer.

Movement: Usually I don't feel him move unless I'm sitting or lying down (especially after dinner or right when I go to bed).  When I was standing in line to early vote was the first time I felt him while standing - I guess he was excited about his first voting experience.  Lately, I've been feeling him a lot!  I still always feel him below my belly button.  PB also has felt him kick once!  I was lying down after dinner and had him come over and he got to feel a few hard kicks last week!  It was pretty awesome.

Appointments: I went back at 21 weeks and measured exactly 21 centimeters.  I never knew that your centimeters and weeks were supposed to be the same!  Everything was totally normal otherwise - I don't go back until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Baby Related Purchases: PB and I went to Babies R Us last Saturday night to play with strollers and look around, which was a lot of fun.  I broke down and registered there too since most of the things I want are online-only from Target and I know people are unlikely to do that or buy from my amazon.com registry.  My mom has been buying ALL KINDS of cute things from zulily and today, I went shopping with her, my grandmother, and PB.  She bought him two cute little gray sleepers with firetrucks all over them (newborn and 9 months).

Highlights of the Week: Halloween!!!!!  You know how I love Halloween.  Mom helped me make a costume, a la Pinterest.  We deconstructed a baby doll from Wal-Mart, cut holes in a maternity shirt, and rubber banded the arms through.  We added some fabric paint and a teeny trick or treat bucket, and TA-DA.  Instant awesome creepy Halloween.

I handed out candy at my parents' house as usual, which was fun.  A lot of kids would say, "Hey, your baby is coming out," much the same way you might tell someone their fly is unzipped.  Some were just mesmerized and staring, and I got a lot of laughs. I saw a few pregnant folks who said, "MAN, I wish I had done that!"  I know it's creepy but come on, how many Halloweens are you going to be pregnant unless you're Michelle Duggar?  I think you have to make the most of it when it comes along.

And of course, I had to include the weenies - they know it as Halloweenie, after all.  

Cheater post...18 and 19 weeks. Maybe 20 too.

Dear Ira,

I am sure this will be one of many parenting fails on my part - your mama has been too darn busy and too darn tired to blog.  Every time I get a free minute at home, I find myself comatose on the couch, no blog post to be had anywhere.

So that means you get a catch-up post.

18 weeks...look at me in those regular pants with a belly band! I won't lie, they made angry red marks in my belly after a few hours though.

19 weeks and a new top from Target, wahoo for maternity clearance!

20 weeks exactly.  Thought maybe we were tired of the mast bath so I switched to the guest bath/laundry room in honor of the halfway point.

Marination Time: 20 weeks, 2 days.  We are officially more than halfway there!  I sort of want time to slow down...I actually really like this being pregnant gig most of the time.  No, for real.  I couldn't be more shocked myself.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Well, there is a little progression, but not a whole heck of a lot.  I am definitely more bumpalicious than I was at 18 weeks!

This Week's Produce Item: It's like triple coupons at Harris Teeter...you're getting three for the price of one this week.

(This photo just seems wrong to me.  Sweet potatoes do not look that scary in real life.)

(The size difference here seems a little ambiguous, eh?)

(And suddenly the baby is skinny? I BEG TO DIFFER.)

Or if you like the dad-to-be, real-life version better:

(18 weeks - a Ben and Jerry's pint!)

(19 weeks - a square tissue box.  No wonder I'm a giant.)

(20 weeks - a whoopee cushion.  Bahaha.)

Boy or Girl: I saw the pictures myself - he's definitely a boy unless things have changed drastically in there.

Currently Craving: Just FOOD!  I am starving all the darn time.  Ridiculous.

Currently Avoiding: Um, nothing? I am generally always hungry.  It's a curse.  I even ate a hot dog for the first time since being pregnant during week 18.

Weight: Managed to pack on 4 pounds in three weeks - 144.4 as of yesterday.

Symptoms: I have been so exhausted at night lately that I pass out on the couch by 9pm, tops.  If it happens after 9pm, I don't know about it.  Also, holy heartburn, Batman.  I've had a reprieve for the past day or two, but otherwise I am chewing Tums like a crazy person because I am on fire.

Belly Button Status: Out! So much so that you can almost see it through my shirts now.  Wow.

Sleep Grade: The past week or so have been rough because my lower back has been killing me, despite the pregnancy pillow.  It wakes me up at night and is super lame.  

Recent Crazy Dream: Hmmm.  Really haven't had any crazy dreams lately, except for dreaming about my kids at school and their crazy mess.  

Movement: WHOA.  I still don't feel him when I stand up, but I definitely feel him if I am sitting or lying down, especially with my feet up on the loveseat.  I have been able to feel him from the outside (starting in the later part of week 18) but PB hasn't been able to yet.  That's partially because he stops moving whenever PB tries, and partially because whenever he does kick while PB is trying to feel, it's just never one of the stronger ones.

Appointments: Haven't been back since our ultrasound appointment.  Next time I go back is October 25, probably for the standard heartbeat/uterus measuring/get weighed/blood pressure check/pee in a cup/go home routine.

Any baby related purchases?  Not on my part...but on my mom's? WOW.  She has gotten him the cutest things.  Little Ralph Lauren polo onesies that are basically like a long polo shirt that snaps into a romper at the bottom, little overalls, knit pants and onesies, and a big fleecy bunting that looks like a monkey.  And that was just today.  Pretty sure he isn't going to repeat an outfit until he's two.  Too, too cute though.

Best/Worst Thing to Happen in the Last (3) Weeks: 

Week 18-

PB had open house at the fire department, so I got to parade the bump around for lunch and to nose around for a bit.  

The next day, we went to the Panthers/Seahawks game, which had its good and bad points.  Bad point? I hadn't even gotten my butt in the seat when some guy climbed over the seat next to me and proceeded to promptly spill his beer all over me.  In my hair, all over my shirt, my purse, my jeans, you name it.  Then he apologized and offered to buy me a beer...I stood up and was like, "Um, seriously?"  But the experience redeemed itself when I got myself a big order of barbecue nachos.  OMG.  SO delicious.  And then all was right with the world.

Week 19 - 

Highlight of the weekend was building a fire in the backyard fire pit with PB.  I made hot chocolate in the Keurig and put strawberry marshmallows in it.  (A big win.)  We also toasted pumpkin spice marshmallows and then sandwiched them between iced animal crackers.  (Another obvious win.)

Week 20 - Well, 20 weeks just happened on Tuesday and so far I have just had a really tiring week at work.  But tomorrow is 6th grade language arts planning day, which means a) I get to wear jeans, b) I get to drive to a school much closer to my house, c) I get to be there at 8:30 instead of 7:30 and d) I get to have a lunch out with adults, just like regular people do.  Basically, it's a vacation.  

And tonight, we got to go out to eat with my parents and a family friend, and it was so nice to be able to hang out with everyone since my parents have moved home from their lake house for the winter (yay!)

Also, we are planning to put up Halloween decorations at my parents' house tomorrow after, which gets me super excited.  Picture me singing, "It's the mooooost wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the yearrrrr."  I just love Halloween.  Bring on the cheesy decorations and the costumes!!

17 weeks! And...

Marination Time: 17 weeks...these pictures were taken at 17 weeks, 4 days.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: Took these before we headed out to an anniversary party for some family friends.  Not so bad from the front...from the side...whoa.

Due Date: March 5, 2013 (though at my last appointment, the kid measured a week ahead, which would be an estimated due date of February 26...but officially, they aren't changing my due date.)

This Week's Produce Item: An onion!

And in dad-friendly terms, it's a roll of toilet paper.  Wow, the baby is just all sort of pleasant items this week...onion and TP.  Jeez.

Boy or Girl: Well, this is the first week that we know...more to come!

Currently Craving: Really really want some sushi.  That needs to happen soon.  Also I have eaten like an entire box of fruit snacks this week.

Currently Avoiding: Hmm.  Haven't been avoiding much.  Except drinking water.  Man, I wish I liked water.  It's a problem.

Weight: Up another pound this week to 139.2.

Belly Button Status: Out!  Can't quite see it through clothes but it's out!

Sleep Grade: Like the dead.  Thank you, pregnancy pillow and silicone ear plugs.

Recent Crazy Dream: That I had the baby and it was a girl but she also had boy parts...and they assured me it was going to fall off, and I wasn't convinced...horrible.

Evidence of Pregnancy Brain: I keep leaving things in various places - I can never find anything I need when I need it!

Movement:  I have been feeling lots of little pops and kicks for the past two nights, and then today was the first day that I have felt movement during the day!  There has been a party going on in there!

Appointments? The biggie was Thursday!  Everything on the ultrasound looked great.  The baby has two ears, two eyes, and a reasonable number of fingers and toes (I didn't count, but it looked right!) It has kidneys and a stomach and those are all inside instead of outside (always a plus).  We have a good-looking cord, and we know if it's a boy or a girl!  Mom and PB both went with me to the ultrasound.  The tech was funny, she said she knew within thirty seconds of starting the ultrasound whether it was a boy or girl.  Of course, none of us had a clue, and when she looked at that part on the screen, we all looked at each other and put up our blinders or covered our eyes so there was no peeking.  She didn't even put it on my chart because she didn't want to run the risk of a doctor or nurse mentioning it when we didn't know yet.  But she did write on the ultrasound - "good growth" and she said that she writes the notes in a code that only she understands, just in case we need to come back and check with her later about what it is.  

Any baby related purchases? I spent way too much time on Target and Amazon today, registering for baby things now that I know what it is.  And I finally fond some bedding that I like! I haven't actually bought anything, but I definitely have a list going!

Best/Worst Things to Happen in the Last Week: Best thing was definitely finding out the gender - other than that, I just had a hugely busy week at work, and then spent ALL day today working on graduate school work that I hadn't had time to do any other time.  We have had tenants move into our rental house and PB started his job on Friday, so he has been out of the house pretty much all the time.  In fact, he's still not home and it's 9:00!

So now for the good part...our gender reveal party!  We had our appointment and found out Saturday night.  So many of our friends and family came, it was awesome.  

We did a fiesta theme, and decided to break open a pinata to see whether we were having a boy or girl. Mom found candy online that was all pink and all blue (like blue vanilla tootsie rolls, Blow Pops, Laffy Taffy, and Airheads). 

The tech sealed up the envelope and signed over it so we couldn't see...and then we dropped it, the pinata, and the candy off with someone who works at the car lot.  He was sweet enough to do the honors of filling it up for us, and delivering it for the party.

Here's PB with our pinata at Party City, contemplating how to put the reject pinatas back up on the top shelf.

We had a little pool going on, where you paid a dollar and put your name in either the boy or girl cup.  When we found out, we chose a winning name from the correct cup.  My Aunt Kay won the pot, but wouldn't take it from me!  She insisted on giving to me for the baby, which I tried to refuse, but she said I had to use it to buy my going-home-from-the-hospital outfit.

Everybody also either grabbed a pink or blue Mardi Gras necklace to represent their guess, or they just came dressed up, like our friend Kim!

Seriously, blue hair and all!

We had taquitos, Pinterest Ro-Tel cups, desserts, cheese dip, and everything else you could imagine while we waited for the official reveal time.  Then we went out and I got after the pinata in my parents' garage.

So here we go...

And the final result....

Turns out I was right...it's a boy!

Good to know who's in there!  Blue candy means it's Ira Franklin!