27 Weeks - Only a month before we move!

We have so many changes going on right now! Whew.

James changes jobs on Tuesday, we're moving to California in about a month, and we're having a baby in 3 months! So much to think about and plan for. Scheduling our movers, cleaning and vacating our rental house, planning our road trip, finding a new house... lots of uncertainty for our family in the next two months! By the time we're finally settled, we'll be welcoming our newest little member of our family!

It's exciting just the same - we're both ready for change. Kansas has been wonderful, but we're ready for the next big adventure! This is such a great opportunity with the Army for James to be able to get his Master's degree over the next two years, and for us to live on the California coast! And just when we're acclimated to the mild Cali weather, we'll move to beautiful snowy upstate NY for a few years while James teaches at West Point.

We still have plenty left to do in our last month here - hiking on the prairie, enjoying the zoo and discovery center, visiting our favorite restaurants, and taking Zoie to her favorite playgrounds and splash parks. It's odd to think we might never be in Kansas again!

So, we'll have a Kansas baby and a California baby. And who knows... maybe a New York baby after that? Or we could just stop at two. Two would be so much easier. But three would be fun... ;-)

How far along are you? 27 weeks as of Friday.
 
How big is Baby? Baby Andrew is somewhere over 2 pounds, and measures 14-15 inches long. He's about the size of a head of cauliflower. Zoie has been pointing to my belly and exclaiming "Baby Andrew!" more often, so I must be looking big to her! She even offered to feed him a bite of chicken from her fork the other day.

Weight Gain? About 141-142. Up almost 16 pounds.

Gender? Boy!

Maternity Clothes? Indeed. I can still get away with a couple regular shirts, but they're getting too short.

Sleep? It's been a rough week - Zoie's been waking up a lot at night. It's so sad when she pulls at her mouth and tells us "teeth hurt!" at nighttime. Ibuprofen works for her sometimes, but not completely. Luckily, her 2nd year molars are almost done breaking through her gums!

Movement? I've been noticing more distinct "awake time" and "sleep time" with baby Andrew. He sleeps a lot more than Zoie did in the womb! Zoie moved and kicked so constantly, her "sleep time" seemed very limited. Andrew will have longer periods of being totally calm. I've also noticed that I haven't felt any hiccups yet, I wonder when I'll feel it?

Food Cravings? Nothing much really, besides coffee.

Labor Signs? Nope! I never really had Braxton-Hicks contractions with Zoie, so we'll see if I ever feel them with Andrew.

Symptoms? Allergy symptoms have pretty much cleared up. They flared up for about a week, but I'm pretty much back to normal! Besides my annoying hernia, the only pregnancy symptoms I'm dealing with now are feeling huge and less agile.

What I miss? I miss lots of little things about not being pregnant. Mountain biking, ordering alcoholic beverages, curling my legs up in a chair without my belly obstructing my comfort... and not feeling clumsy. It's easy to underestimate the clearance my belly needs when I'm maneuvering around objects! Tight parking spot and trying to get out of the car? Fail...

Best moment(s) of the week? We had fun going to a hibachi dinner with James' parents on Friday night, but Zoie was pretty frightened of the fire on the grill! She loved the food - chicken, beef, shrimp, fried rice... it was delicious. This evening, James and I left Zoie with her Nana & Papa and enjoyed a date night! We only have a month before we move - we'll miss Nana and Papa so much!

What I am looking forward to? Tuesday is a very special day! James is changing jobs, there's a big ceremony, and we're having a BBQ to celebrate with family and some special friends!

Cheers,

Martha

25... 26 Weeks - Almost third trimester already?

One more week until third trimester!

It's been a good two weeks. On Tuesday, we had another sonogram to take a closer look at our baby's heartbeat. During our first anatomy scan, the technician found an irregularity with baby Andrew's heartbeat. My doctor said it can happen randomly as the baby's immature heart is growing and developing, but she wanted to be sure that we couldn't replicate the irregular heartbeat on a second sonogram. If it was still there, she would then refer us to a perinatologist. I tried not to think about worst-case scenarios, but I was pretty worried until we had the second sonogram!

Luckily, Andrew's heartbeat looked perfect the second time around. Everything was just as it should be. It was fun to see him squirming around again - he's such a cutie! I can't wait to see what he looks like. His weight and measurements are still right on track, which is a huge relief! With Zoie, her seemingly small size and decreasing growth rate had my doctor so concerned that we induced labor right at 39 weeks. She actually turned out to be much bigger than predicted from the sonograms. I regret not having the chance to experience natural labor, so I'm incredibly relieved we're not faced with the same issue. I'm hoping for a natural childbirth with baby Andrew!

The hospital we are planning to deliver at in California sounds wonderful - they recently upgraded to wireless waterproof fetal belly monitors and offer birthing stools to women who wish to use them! How awesome is that? I've also picked out my new doctor and spoken with his office about our arrival. I'm getting excited thinking about the final trimester and meeting our little boy!

How far along are you? 26 weeks as of Friday.
 
How big is Baby? Our little guy now weighs over 2 pounds, and measures around 14 inches long from head to heel.

Weight Gain? This morning I was 140.8 pounds... So I'm up almost 15 pounds! Last pregnancy I was up only 11 pounds at this point. Humph. Gaining weight isn't fun.

Gender? A BOY!

Maternity Clothes? Yep! These days, fewer and fewer of my regular shirts can appropriately dress this bump.

Sleep? Just when it seems sleep is getting better, spring allergies flare up again and attack! Zoie and I have both been suffering from sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes. Definitely harder to sleep right now. Something outside is pollinating and it needs to stop!

Movement? Just as much movement as ever! It's getting stronger and making my belly jump more. Baby Andrew is still kicking my bladder, and sometimes it feels like I still need to pee right after I go!

Food Cravings? Chocolate, sugar, and all good things that are bad for you.

Labor Signs? Nah, still nothing.

Symptoms? Allergies have returned! Hello again, runny nose and itchy eyes. Last year I didn't experience spring allergies at all... so I think it's definitely a pregnancy thing!

What I miss? I miss having intact stomach muscles! As my belly gets bigger, my ab muscles pull apart (diastasis recti) and become weak. It's getting slightly harder to get up from the couch or the floor.

Best moment(s) of the week? I had a wonderful, relaxing Mother's Day where James took care of everything. He got me flowers and treats, and took the reigns with Zoie so I could relax. Ahhh :)

What I am looking forward to? James has a 4-day weekend for Memorial Day! Not sure exactly what we'll do, but we'll have fun!

Cheers,

Martha

24 weeks - And his name will be...

Andrew James Bowen

Baby Andrew is the size
of an ear of corn!

I love keeping James' first name in the family, and using it as a middle name will keep things simple (although James Jr. has a nice ring to it!). We love the name Andrew! It was actually what Zoie was going to be named if she was a boy. Personally, I like the nickname Andy, and James likes AJ, but we'll just call him Andrew until we get to know him.

Zoie can already say Andrew! Well, she pronounces it "ah-drew", but close enough. Her language amazes me so much every day! Her little sentences are so cute. She's really good at saying "thank you" whenever someone gives her something, and sometimes she'll say it for you if she hands you something. She loves saying "bless you!" when we sneeze, though it sounds more like "bleh blue". She can't get the sss sound down yet, but I think we're getting close!

Babies are still Zoie's favorite thing. She can spend 30 minutes swaddling, singing, and rocking her Bitty Baby. She loves her baby doll to do everything with her, and gets very concerned if forgets her doll in the next room. It's fun to encourage her imaginative play, she gets such a kick out of new ways to interact with her baby doll. She loved it when I made her baby doll use the sign language she knows! I think she'll transition pretty well having a real baby to help take care of!

How far along are you? 24 weeks as of Friday.
 
How big is Baby? Baby Andrew measures over a foot long from head to heel, and weighs around 1.25 pounds. He's about the size of an ear of corn. His skin is still thin and translucent, but it's starting to change! His lungs are developing and he's practicing breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid.

Weight Gain? I'm 137.2, so haven't really changed since last week. Still up 11 pounds.

Gender? Baby boy!

Maternity Clothes? Indeed, this bump is getting bigger. Might need to go shopping again for cute maternity items!

Sleep? Sleep has actually been good lately! Zoie's two-year molars are still in-progress, but they haven't bothered her much for the past few nights. I think once her teeth break through completely, we could be on track for a toddler that sleeps through the night!

Movement? Lots of movement all day! I can see my belly jump sometimes, but usually I'm so distracted with Zoie that I don't pay attention as much. Andrew's little legs are still right against my bladder (I think he's still in a breech position), so sometimes he'll kick and I'll feel a quick jolt of omigosh-I-need-to-pee that disappears in an instant. It's a crazy feeling.

Food Cravings? Coffee. Every morning I grind up my decaf beans with just a small amount of regular beans to brew in my french press. Just enough caffeine for a tiny kick, but (hopefully) it's not too much.

Labor Signs? Nope, nothing.

Symptoms? Nothing new, luckily! Continuing as usual. I haven't gained weight this week, but I just feel heavy in general. Pregnancy is alway such a good reminder to never let myself get fat - I really dislike feeling heavy!

What I miss? I'm definitely being more relaxed in this pregnancy with "the rules", but still it's a pain to watch caffeine intake, avoid lunchmeat (listeria....), sushi... and alcohol.

Best moment(s) of the week? The weather has been beautiful, James has been getting home from work a little earlier in the evenings, and we had a great weekend hanging out. Can't pinpoint one moment, it's just been good. Oh, and the new Avengers movie was completely awesome.

What I am looking forward to? We just booked our trip to Las Vegas next month for James' cousin's wedding! It'll be great to see his dad's side of the family, and enjoy a long weekend in an exciting place. We might even get to sneak away for a date while Nana & Papa watch Zoie!

Cheers,

Martha