25 Weeks Pregnant {Rutabaga}

My little rutabaga (whatever the heck that is) and I carefully and slowly made it through week 25.

(Average measurements: 13.5 inches, 1.5 pounds)

• I haven't had any more contractions or pain or discomfort in my uterus.  I've been taking the week very easy and trying to stay off my feet as much as I can help it.
• Since I had to really take it easy over last weekend, I sat myself down and started making a quilt for my daughter and another for...possibly a friend or possibly for sale?  Haven't decided.
• I made Dominic's and my first breakfast of 2012 extra delicious...warm cinnamon rolls from Trader Joe's :)  I absolutely love that store.

• I experienced the worst heartburn I've ever had in my whole 28 years of life!  Dominic and I made steak for dinner and we topped it off with some sauteed mushrooms, onions and garlic.  Garlic is tricky with me sometimes.  I love the stuff but sometimes it does a number on me.  Soon after dinner, my insides were burning and churning and shooting with pain.  I lost all energy and desire to even move.  Nothing helped and no position was comfortable to be in.  I couldn't even breathe normally.  Poor Dominic was again left helpless to yet another side effect of being pregnant.  He rubbed my back for a while which helped calm me down.  This pain and discomfort lasted about 3 hours before I just knocked out for the night.  I awoke the next morning, normal again.
• After a few months of absence, Froyo Life frozen yogurt was sweetly savored and enjoyed and a craving was finally satisfied.
• I FINALLY finished my baby registries!  Time consuming is quite the understatement when it comes to these things!  There's so much to choose from and as a first time mom, I don't know exactly what I'm going to need.  I went through so many product reviews, too, to make sure I didn't choose cheap stuff.  Hopefully I did good.  I'm registered at Target, Babies R Us, and Sears.  If you'd like the link to them, feel free to message me :)
• I had a doctor appointment 3 days ago and everything's fine.  I've gained a total of 12 pounds now.  I'm also still taking my uterus relaxing pills, but will be stopping them this weekend.
• I went back to work this week.  My first day (Wednesday), I worked from 12pm-4pm.  I made it through just fine.  Everyone was glad to see that I was OK.  Thursday and today I worked full 8 hour days.  Yesterday I had a pinch in my back from lunch until I went to bed.  Ugh.  Today, I was pretty comfortable. 
• One of my co-workers told her 2nd grade class that I'm pregnant...which is fine.  It was going to happen sooner or later and I think it's easier when word spreads, rather than me announce it to all my 180 students.  When I pulled some of those 2nd graders for art class, they all asked me if that was true and then congratulated me when I said yes.  I even got a few hugs.  One girl said, "Is it a boy or a girl?  A girl?!  Oh yay!  I like girls because they can make more people!"
• House hunt update:  I signed us up on www.Westsiderentals.com because the listings on Craigslist were minimal and not very good.  We're approaching "the yellow" as far as urgency goes on finding a place to live.  So far, there are some decent listings on the website and Dominic and I have already driven by all the houses that we're interested in possibly renting.  There's one that we're hopeful about and they're having a sort of open-house on the 15th.  *Fingers crossed* that we like it...and if so...snatch it right up.

Photo via www.babycenter.com

My phone's BabyBump app says, "Your baby's body parts are continuing to become more proportional to each other.  Baby fat is also continuing to fill in your baby's wrinkled skin for a smoother look and more hair is growing, developing texture and color.  Now roughly the size of a soccer ball, your uterus is halfway between your sternum and your bellybutton.  All this growing might cause your stretched out skin to feel itchy in places.  Try to relieve the itching with lotions and moisturizers.  On the flip side, you're probably still enjoying the fullness of your hair, actually caused by your hormones decreasing the shedding process.  Unfortunately, this extra hair won't last after you've given birth."

24 Weeks Pregnant {Corn}

After a very scary incident this week, I can thankfully say that my little corn on the cob and I have made it through 24 weeks! (on 12/30/11)

(Average Measurements: 12.5 inches, 1.25 pounds)

• My nose has yet to unstuff itself.  Put another box of tissues on the grocery list.
• I woke up 4 mornings this week with a bloody nose, after my usual A.M. nose blowing.

 

• I felt baby Mia moving ALL of Christmas Eve...the most I've felt her in one day.
• Dominic bought me a humidifier from Bed, Bath and Beyond to try and rid the bloody noses.
• I was literally in bed for 4 days in a row (2 in the hospital and 2 at home) as a result of our "Christmas Scare of 2011" incident.  The other 3 days I was on light bed rest.
• I got an unwelcome sneak-peek of what contractions feel like.  I experienced them all Christmas day and  intensely that night, ending me up in the hospital.  I'm still sticking with my all natural birth plan.  I think I can handle the pain.
• Is it possible that my uterus freaked out because Mia had a sudden growth spurt??  I swear, my stomach grew inches while I was in the hospital!  Once I was home, my tummy was feeling tighter and a little more stretched and I actually look pregnant now...and not just fat :)
• My love and trust for my fiance grew this week.  He was everything I needed him to be during such a trying time.  Oh, and he still can't take his hands off of me and my belly.  The bump drives him wild!

 Photo via www.babycenter.com

My phone's BabyBump app says, "With all the rapidly developing senses in your baby, she should probably be able to sense what is upside down or right side up.  Your baby's respiratory system is also rapidly growing, lungs are developing in preparation for breathing, moving amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs.  For now your baby still gets oxygen through your placenta.

Your uterus is roughly 2 inches above your bellybutton.  Around this time your medical practitioner may perform a glucose screen test to check for gestational diabetes which affects around 10% of all pregnant women.  It can be left a risk to you and your baby if left untreated.  This condition often disappears for most women after pregnancy."