Starting to feel real

How far along?: 27 weeks! Officially Third Trimester!

How big is baby?:  over 2lbs

Stretch marks?: they aren't as bad as i anticipated!

 Sleep?: well i am usually so exhausted by the end of the day i fall asleep around 8-9pm and i wake up between 5-6a so i would say i'm getting some pretty good sleep!

Food cravings? nothing really. i'm eating and that's all i really care about most days!

 
Movement?: most of the time! and her kicks are getting even stronger!

 Gender?: GIRL!

Belly button?: still hidden!

What are you looking forward to this week?Well it's kinda unreal now, kel and i have been saying we are going to take this one trimester at a time, which turned out to be REALLY perfect for us. I was so sick we have been focused on ME staying healthy for baby. However now that we are third trimester it's time to do/think about all those things we have been neglecting. We need to find a pediatrician. we signed up for classes, we need to go back through our registries, we are garage sailing to see if we find anything good that will come in handy. Pretty much we've hit crunch time and instead of figuring out how to live pregnant we are trying to figure out how to live with a BABY!

Hearing what a mom-to-be never wants to hear

How far along?: 26 weeks!

How big is baby?:  she's big, but could be a little bigger!

Stretch marks?:yup! my stomach is FAR from attractive

 Sleep?: not very well lately, but i think that is more from Kel's new overnight position than from the pregnancy.

Food cravings? nothing... i've been really really sick again this week and have barely eaten anything at all. however every time i see chicken wings i get really excited, so i am eating out with my little sister who is finally home from Spain at BWW today.... we will see how that goes

Movement?: she always seems to be moving UNLESS there is someone around who is really excited to feel her kick... then she gets shy!

 Gender?: GIRL!

Belly button?: still hidden!

What are you looking forward to this week? First i can say what i am NOT looking forward to this week:

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Learned A LOT about what has been going on for the past 20 weeks. Turns out that there was a tear in the placenta as it was forming around week 15, that's what put me in the ER with bleeding. since then i have had ultrasounds and doctor's appointments every two weeks because they needed to monitor the tear. After 20 week the baby stops receiving nutrients directly from the mother and starts receiving them through the placenta (sorry if this is TMI for some people). Well now that i am 26 weeks the doctor measured and said that structurally baby is an appropriate size. She was VERY concerned through to hear that i am still sick and can't keep down any nutrients. I don't eat meat at all like i should (protein) and other than cheese and chocolate i am pretty much anti-food right now. for four weeks i only gained 1.5 pounds. The doctor is definitely concerned because at this gestation period the placenta gets nutrients DIRECTLY from what i eat- to simplify my food detours through the placenta before getting into my small intestine for me to receive nutrients. Baby takes what she needs and i get the rest, except i have nothing left in reserves and i am not eating enough (good or bad) to support us both. This means that even if Baby is 8lb (very possible) she will be all structure and no substance and will not be nourished like she should. This could lead to her being premature, very sick at birth, unable to gain weight after birth, breastfeeding issues, complications during birth, and finally this could affect EVERYTHING developing, brain, liver, lungs, etc.

However, there is some hope... The doctor has me on a special diet. I am supposed to be VERY VERY careful with foods all pregnant women are supposed to avoid, hot dogs, lunch meat, undercooked eggs, caffeine, etc. I also am on protein shakes that have extra vitamins in them. Along with that i am on a "nut" diet. since there's no risk of baby having a peanut allergy i am supposed to be eating cashews, almonds, peanuts (yes peanut butter DOES count!) and other nuts to help me get protein. a handful of EACH KIND possible a day! Not only that but since i am having a hard time keeping down fruit she told me to try and hide it in things... make homemade ice cream with TONS of fresh fruit in it, sherbert, cut it up and put it in ANYTHING i can stomach! Fruit Juice! basically anything at all. And on top of that i am to be eating very small slow meals ALL DAY! If i eat a large fast meal i risk upsetting my stomach, which i having a very hard time keeping up as it is, so i need to munch on food all day long as much as possible. This also means caffeine is a big no-no. She said i can drink no more than 12 ounces when needed to keep off headaches, but i am supposed to be weening myself off caffeine, especially if i am going to try breastfeeding... however chocolate is still allowed in small doses.

It's a lot to take in, and it's really scary to be reading about the possible effects of a malnourished baby. i would be lying if i said i didn't feel like a failure. It is all kind of ironic because eating has always been a strong point for me. The number one thing i have to do is make sure i keep up good exercise and healthy eating, two things i have never been good at keeping up with! however Cecelia is MORE than worth it and if it means we have to spend extra on our food budget and less on gas just to buy 8 different kinds of nuts each week, then that's what we will have to do!

Does anyone have any recipes that are yummy, low fat, high fiber, protein and vitamins???????

still not so big

So we got a new nurse at work and she was asking me when i was due, she thought i was 4 or 5 months. I told her in august, i just hit 6 month and her jaw dropped. She laughed and said I'm not nearly as big as i should/could be! She then asked if this was my 2nd or 3rd, and i responded that it was my first. she just sighed and said it wasn't fair, while the other nurse in the room exclaimed "i wish i had stayed moderate sized and not gained 75lbs for my first!"  This was a very weird conversation for me because i feel HUGE and like i double in size everyday, but then i will see someone else who is 6 months and i suddenly don't feel so big. However this came at a HUGE cost keeping my weight gain to a minimum (negative)!

How far along?: 25 weeks!

How big is baby?:  not sure, but we get to see her again next week!

 Stretch marks?:yup! my stomach is FAR from attractive

 Sleep?: much better. for a whole week i have slept all through the night, not even getting up to pee!

Food cravings? ice cream... it's been really bad! but i think it's because it's been 85+ degree outside.

 

Movement?:always! there is literally a party in my tummy going on 24/7

 Gender?: GIRL!

Belly button?: still hidden!

What are you looking forward to this week? seeing her at the doc appointment!

6 down 4 more to go

How far along?: 24 weeks!

How big is baby?:  big... thats all i can tell you! she is over 1lb!

 Stretch marks?:yup! my stomach is FAR from attractive
 
Maternity clothes?: always, i got a new dress i want to wear for my brother-in-laws wedding and i can't WAIT to wear it!

 Sleep?: it is what it is!

Food cravings? no more poptarts, but i have gone out for chips and salsa a few times! 

Movement?:lots! always! i feel like she is ALWAYS moving!

 Gender?: GIRL!

Belly button?: still hidden!

What are you looking forward to this week? not sure, i've still been getting sick almost daily so as always i am looking for an end to that! it's kinda nice to finally hit the 6 month mark, but i feel like i have so much farther to go! However i have officially been asked to pick out baby shower dates... that's super exciting! 

Advice WANTED!

 Unless it is you just telling me to get over it... then you can keep your advice to yourself!

How far along?: 23 weeks!

How big is baby?: honestly i have stopped believing the size charts because apparently this week the size of a banana, which is WAY smaller than even the smallest of watermelons AND we know for a fact that Cecelia is longer than most babies so i am pretty sure she is much longer than a banana. And two weeks ago her weight was measuring at about a pound (which was perfectly normal) but i am pretty sure she weighs more than that already because I have gotten tons bigger and my stomach has gotten tons HEAVIER (even though i have not gained any more weight)

 Stretch marks?: they actually don't look bad and look rather natural.

Maternity clothes?: even regular sweatpants don't work anymore, they all roll off my stomach unless they have a BIG belly band on them. Plus they are all getting so tight and drawstrings only stretch so far i'm desperate. I do have a few nice long and lightweight dresses though!

Sleep?: Yeah, that's a constant battle. I wake up AT LEAST 3 times a night to pee, eat or just because i can't sleep but i am tired EVERY morning no matter how much sleep i actually got.

Food cravings?: yeah i am still eating a lot of poptarts (healthy i know) and i'm still really picky. TWICE in the past week i have gone to a restaurant, ordered my favorite meal and been unable to eat it because of the smell of it. However i think i could eat chips and salsa EVERY day of the week and be fine! i am so confused by my eating habits! Almost everything is unappealing to be except pop tarts, buttered noodles and chips and salsa! I barely eat when i get food but i'm ALWAYS hungry! was it like this for anyone else?????????? I feel like i should suck it up and just eat what is in front of me, but it ALWAYS makes me sick when i do. The doctor said to just eat what i feel like and it as much as possible since i am still having problems gaining enough weight, but we can't afford for me to eat QDOBA everyday and honestly it's SO annoying to have to go grocery shopping every time i am hungry because i am being picky. I am SO SO SO SO SO frustrated!

Does anyone have anything helpful for me to try, or should i just try to eat what i can when i can and hope this passes??????????????????????

Movement?: She moves a lot, and it's actually kinda painful a lot of the time. Luckily she moves mostly during the day when i am awake and i have never NOTICED her moving at night or woken up from it or anything!

 Gender?: BABY GIRL!!!!!!! Cecelia Grace Robson

Belly button?: almost not there at all... seriously though it is SUCH an innie and my stomach has gotten so big and hard that the belly button hole has closed up and you can't even stick your finger in there.
 
What are you looking forward to this week? well my doctor noticed that i am having a problem holding my stomach up (well my skin and muscles aren't strong enough to keep my stomach from sagging). this is from all my weight loss; i FINALLY learned. When you loose weight your skin looses it elasticity, which i why if you loose TOO much TOO fast you end up with excess skin everywhere that just "hangs" like it's dead. Well i lost so much so fast and my skin and muscles couldn't react normal because i was still growing even though i was loosing weight, very very backwards. So my doctor recommended i get a band to wear around my stomach and back (very similar to a lifting belt that people wear when lifting weights to help them NOT hurt their back) to help lift my stomach and relieve my back pain. The main reason is that my doctor doesn't want the baby sitting as low as she is because it could put extra pressure on my hips (which i have had LOTS of problems with BEFORE i got pregnant) which could mean LOTS of bad things. So i got this band and it actually feels really good and much more comfortable than without it. It also makes me look less awkward, i had a belly before but it was misshapen due to me carrying low. Now it actually looks round and it feels SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE! i can stand without holding it up with my hands and i can sit easier too!

Overall things are going better, but every day is a constant struggle. I do not know how some people do it. I am so blessed that the issues i have had to deal with have not been harmful to Cecelia, but it's still frustrating that they are so uncomfortable and painful for me. I am more anxious by the day for Cecelia to get here but at the same time all i want is her healthy and safe. It's also hard because i am the first of my immediately family and my friends to be pregnant, and those i know who are or have been haven't had any issues so their advice is more like "oh i never had that but i'm sure it can't be THAT bad. I mean my pregnancy was perfectly normal and i'm sure you are just nervous being a first time mom." I'm so sick of hearing that i could scream at people. I know women have been through SO MUCH WORSE than this before, but i still need to know how to handle and deal with everything NOW!

22 weeks!

How far along?: 22 weeks!

How big is baby?: a small watermelon... except Cecelia is longer than she is round, so watermelon is probably the wrong image!

Stretch marks?: they are sprouting up, but i barely notice anymore

Maternity clothes?: yup!

Sleep?: I haven't been sleeping very good lately! i feel my good sleeping patterns were very short lived!

Food cravings?: i had a dream last night about fried chicken, woke up and was about to ask Kel to go get me some when i realized everywhere that sells good fried chicken is closed.... so i went back to bed and literally dreamed some more of eating fried chicken!

Movement?: lots of it! usually during the day and rarely at night- which is AWESOME! i hope that pattern stays!

 Gender?: BABY GIRL!!!!!!! Cecelia Grace Robson

Belly button?: barely there!
 
What are you looking forward to this week?: well i am excited to OFFICIALLY be out of the "danger zone." After 22 weeks a baby is developed enough that if anything happens the chances of them surviving go up each week. There is officially no more chance of miscarriage, just having a premature baby and health defects. However i am stilol beign super careful, it's just good to know that if anything goes wrong they can get Cecelia out and each week her chances get better and better! Plus it's nice to be past the halfway point. However before August seemed like SO FAR AWAY and like we had tons of time to plan for everything, and not August feel like it's SO CLOSE! especially since the doctor wants us to take all the birthing classes, etc, in June because of enrollment and due date questions. There's a chance that my Due Date (Aug. 17th) could be off by 2 weeks in either directions, so either August 6th or August 26th work as my alternative due dates. So she wants me to be prepared stating August 1st for anything and there is NO WAY they would let me go past August 30th. So the entire month just got blacked out in my calendar.

How far along?: 21 weeks!

How big is baby?: a cantelope

Stretch marks?: nothing too new

Maternity clothes?: i got a new dress for Easter!

Sleep?: I haven't been sleeping very good lately! i feel my good sleeping patterns were very short lived!

Food cravings?: anything and everythin, lots of chocolate

Movement?: Lots! It's hit or miss fo whether otehr people can feel it, but every time kel is around and talks she almost ALWAYS kicks which tells me we have a little daddy's girl on our hands already!  I think she likes how deep his voice it!

 Gender?: BABY GIRL!!!!!!!

Belly button?: barely there!
 
What are you looking forward to this week?: more movements. and more eating!