Weeks 25 + 26 Bumpdates

The last couple of weeks have been crazy for us. Brian was out of town and while he was away Molly had a huge flare up with allergies and then a reaction to the allergy medication she was prescribed. He made it home just in time for us to realize that she had UTI #3 of the year, so it was back to the vet for another prescription to treat the infection and a pricey date to get on the calendar of the sonographer for an ultrasound to see what's going on with our girl. Add to that two full time jobs, nursery progress, and overall baby stress... and you have an exhausted pregnant woman over here. So the Week 25 update didn't happen and I'm combining the last couple of weeks below. Oh well, y'all - mama tried!

How Far Along? 26 weeks, 4 days. Friends, we have officially entered the double digit countdown - 93 days til our due date! As expected, I've had a couple of total panic moments along the way as I thought of ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO BEFORE BABY COMES OMG HOW WILL WE GET IT ALL DONE IN TIME?! But I know that we will, so I keep reminding myself to just enjoy this sweet time in this crazy pregnancy journey.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: There's definitely a bump there. I still feel pretty good, but feel like I'm getting big... fast?

Sex: Sweet baby GIRL - our little CFK :)

Maternity Clothes: Make my world go round. We finally got a good bit of cooler weather this week, and a lot of my non-maternity tops that I thought I'd be able to make work... don't work. Basically anything that doesn't have some give/flow/stretch to it. I scooped up a pair of black maternity tights and black leggings from Target in a pinch, but I'm not loving the fit of the leggings - they feel baggy and the material doesn't quite feel dressy enough for work. Any suggestions where I can find good, work-quality leggings? Full panel, pass the non-sheer test? I also ordered two dress options for my baby shower this weekend - they should be delivered today and I'm super excited to see how they look!

Baby's the size of...: A butternut squash or a bowling pin, measuring around 14 inches, 2 pounds. That feels so big to me! And trust me, I can feel the growth difference. The lower part of my stomach just kind of... aches if I'm on my feet for too long, or push it too hard during the day. Aches and pains aside, I obviously love that girlfriend is growing away in there!

Nursery: LOTS of progress which makes me feel a lot better. Brian and his dad cut and hung the crown molding this weekend, and it looks so good! We have to fill in the nail holes and Brian has to paint the primed pieces this week, but aside from that, I'm so happy with it - he did an awesome job. We also put the crib together, which gave me allll kinds of happies, and I ordered the rug, which should be delivered today! My mom is flying in this weekend for my baby shower, so I'm planning to get a few more of the little things done (like buying/hanging curtains and organizing a bit) while she's in town.

Daddy duty: assembling the crib! Can I just say - this made things REALLY real?

One of my "Make a pet-friendly nursery" Pinterest pins said to give your dog a space in the nursery where they can go for their "place." We found this little rug at Ikea, which will go in a special place in the nursery on top of the big rug, and Molly already goes to lie on it, which makes my heart explode.

Our biggest To Do right now is the dresser. We made a pilgrimage trip to Ikea this past Saturday, and while I managed to get all of the little things on my list, when we got to the furniture pick-up area, there wasn't a single white stain 8-drawer Hemnes dresser to be found. I didn't handle this well, but we have an alternative solution thanks to an amazing family member, so as of this weekend, we should be good to go!

Movement: ALL OF THE TIME. And I love love love it. It's honestly the best possible feeling, and so reassuring to feel her just bopping around in there. I can bet that she'll be active after meals, and in the afternoons when I'm sitting at my desk. If I lean against anything in my stomach area, she'll kick directly in that spot, which I love. Last Saturday (October 1), I saw her move for the first time and was beside myself. Brian was away so I waited until he was home to show him, and his response was "Well that's freaking weird!"... and I can totally agree. I've been trying to press in certain areas to see if she'll react, but so far no dice. Our down time is when I get home in the evenings and relax on the couch with Molly before we start cooking dinner, and lately Molly has been using my bump as her own personal pillow... which CFK has started to kick back in response to. I love it and am hoping a day will come when Molly feels that little kick and reacts!

Symptoms: A bit of swelling here and there, but nothing too terrible. Majorly bad headaches in the mornings, like to the point where I don't want to open my eyes. Tiredness in the early afternoon, thanks to a stuffy nose at night and not sleeping great. 

Brian: Gets my Dad of the Year award for all of his work on the nursery. He didn't complain once about all of the crown molding work, even though hanging it on Sunday ran through the majority of the Pats game. I love that he's so invested in the little details, and can't wait to tell our girl someday how hard her daddy worked to make the perfect little nursery for her.

Sleep: Not so great. I've been super stuffy during the night, and nothing seems to be helping, so that's annoying. And my left side/lower left back KILLS if I lay on that side for too long. I'm a back sleeper most of the time, so it's definitely been an adjustment to sleep on my sides or semi-stomach (if I can position right).

Workouts: Several long walks and getting my squats in. I'm so not feeling motivated at the end of the day, especially with the not sleeping well part of things. My new Fitbit should be delivered tomorrow, and I'd really like to make it a goal to hit a certain number of steps everyday. It would get me away from my desk during the day and make me move more at night, which would be great.

Cravings: Anything savory spicy - Thai and Indian food come to mind. Honeycrisp apples. Apple crisp (desperately wanted this on Monday but couldn't summon the oomph to make it, so Brian made us baked apples with vanilla ice cream and they were amazing - hit the spot... for now). Colby jack cheese. Bean burritos. Chips and salsa from Chili's. Back to cold clementines. Can't get enough orange and apple juice. Back on a mocktail kick with coconut seltzer water and lots of lime. Creamy pasta and chili are on my "to make" list in the next week or so.

Aversions/Dislikes: The smell of car exhaust nearly did me in while sitting in traffic this week. Back to really disliking lettuce. Can't deal with raw chicken, cigarette smoke, or mayonnaise.

Annoyances: The sound of someone chewing. Loud noises (thanks to the headaches, everything feels loud).

What I Miss: It's been the first nice, brisk fall week this fall and I'm reallllly missing a glass of red wine in the evenings.

Best Moment This Week: Hearing CFK's strong heartbeat at my appointment last Thursday (October 6). She was also kicking against the wand as my doctor was listening for the heartbeat, which was pretty precious. I had my first glucose test that day and passed with flying colors, but am a bit low in iron so I'm taking a supplement for that and trying to up red meat and leafy greens. 

FYI: I didn't have a flavor choice, and this did NOT taste like fruit punch Gatorade...

Looking Forward To: My mom flying in on Friday night, and my second baby shower this weekend! So excited to see all of my people and celebrate our baby girl with them!