30 Weeks!

Wow--30 weeks! Now it's really starting to sound closer! I am feeling great, but I am definitely starting to notice some of the first trimester symptoms come back now that I am in my 3rd trimester. I have more fatigue, more heartburn, and my feet and back hurt more at the end of the work day. I am trying to find more creative ways to teach without standing up all day long!

We had our 30-week appointment today. Grant's heartbeat and measurements are still normal. I am still having the Braxton Hicks contractions, and I have to keep my eye on them to make sure there is no change or added pain. Luckily, the doctor checked and I am not dilated or anything, so it really isn't a concern right now. They will check in about it again in 2 weeks and see if there is anything else we need to check. But for now, I am just loving and enjoying every step of this pregnancy and trying to step back and make sure I never forget being pregnant for the first time. Doug and I are also making sure that we take advantage of all the time we have together now, before we become a family of 3!

29 Weeks

We are past 29 weeks now. I passed my glucose test, which is great, so now I don't have to go back for a 3-hour test that could diagnose gestational diabetes. That is a big relief. I also had my 8-week thyroid blood test this week. For those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my miscarriage in November of 2008. I continued to work with my doctor to regulate it with medicine. It took awhile after that to get it regulated. They now have to check it every 6-8 weeks while I'm pregnant to make sure I don't need to change the dose of my medicine, which is very safe to take and won't hurt the baby. My doctor says some women even take this medicine only when they are pregnant, because the baby can take more of the hormone and it may need to be regulated. I, unfortunately, may need to be on it forever, but if that is all it takes to be healthy, I am fine with that. I've only had to up the dose once, in the first trimester, and it has been good ever since.

Doug also got to practice changing a diaper this week--only this time on a boy. He has changed our niece Clara--or at least has watched her be changed, but we knew he needed to try it on a male baby to prepare for Grant! While with our new nephew Timmy, we all thought it would be a good idea for Doug to practice changing a boy, and luckily Kristen and Andy didn't mind Doug using their child for practice. Luckily, he did very well changing him, and Timmy was nice enough not to spray him during the process!

Grant is kicking up a storm this week, and I now seem to notice when he has the hiccups. Grandma Gates, Aunt Susanne, and Aunt Tammy have all been able to feel him move so far, so they are excited about that. A few other people have tried, but Grant doesn't always cooperate. I am also having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions this week--or at least that is what it seems to be based on what I read. There is no pain, but I just feel my belly tighten and harden for a little bit, then it relaxes. You can even see it rise and tighten, and it feels hard as a rock! A few evenings last week it happened on and off all night. This can apparently be normal to feel after 20 weeks, and it shouldn't be any problem as long as there is no pain. I plan to talk to my doctor about it at our 30-week appointment this Friday just to make sure, though. Just another fun, new experience of pregnancy!

Diapers

So this week, Julie and I went to a child care and safety class at Good Sam. Among other things, we learned about swaddling the baby, car seats, and of course, changing diapers. Now, I have had an infant goddaughter for almost a year now, and through use of trickery and cunning, I have managed to escape changing only one diaper the entire time. Needless to say, it is time to really learn. So, that's what I did. We got to practice a number of times on a remarkably creepy looking doll, and I must say, I am now a diaper changing rock star. I also learned to swaddle the baby, and some other interesting and useful tidbits. It's less than 12 weeks until Grant gets here, so it's good that I am finally learning to do this stuff.

Also, Julie went to the doctor again on Friday for her normal checkup, and everything was great there as usual. In addition, she had her glucose test on Friday. We haven't heard back yet, but we are confident everything will turn out alright. From now on, Julie will have to go to the doctor every two weeks until 36 weeks, and then she will have to go every week from there on out. This is normal procedure, and they just like to see you more often as the baby gets closer.

We can't wait!

27 Weeks!

We've had a very fun week! As Doug said, we had our carpet installed, our furniture picked up and assembled, and many of the accessories put in the room. We have had such a great time getting the nursery together. I can't stop going in there, and many times, I just sit in the glider and think about rocking Grant someday. It looks like we are done with the room, but of course we still need many more things to complete it and fill up the drawers. But at least it looks good from the outside so far!

We also had our breastfeeding class this week. It was very informative, and with every step like this that we take, we realize we are one step closer to becoming parents. While at this class, I was feeling the baby move and kick a lot. I looked down at some point and could actually see my belly jump out and move! I nudged Doug and told him to watch, and sure enough it happened again. It was a such a neat thing, and I realized that the best part about being pregnant is reaching these new, exciting milestones. There is always something different to look forward to each week--there is never a dull moment!

At 27 weeks, our baby weighs about 2 pounds and is almost 15 inches long. He will continue to grow so much more at a quicker rate the next few weeks. As we start the 28th week, we are so excited to be entering the 3rd trimester. It won't be much longer now!

English Hothouse Cucumber

So we were reading one of our baby books the other day, and it was telling us how big Grant is right now. Usually, they compare the size of the baby to something that people will recognize, like a golf ball, apple, etc. This week, they decided that the baby is now the size of an English Hothouse Cucumber. Eh? Does anyone know what the heck an English Hothouse Cucumber is? Does anyone know if such a cucumber is larger or smaller than a regular cucumber? Of all the things in the world they could have used to describe the size of the baby, they landed on this one. Geesh.

All cucumbers aside, we got the new carpet installed yesterday, and we picked up the baby furniture! I put the crib together last night, and everything is looking amazing in the room. I am sure Julie will have some pictures in a post later today or tomorrow. I spent a while just standing in the room by myself and smiling last night before bed...we can't wait for Grant to get here!