27 weekS

How far along? 27 weeks! 13 short weeks to go...

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a rutabaga! 


He's practicing inhaling and exhaling with his rapidly developing lungs. It's official: Baby's showing brain activity! And his brain will keep on getting more complex.

Total weight gain: Still waiting until Nov. 7th to find out for sure. Thank goodness my dr. appointment isn't today or tomorrow...apparently Maverick thinks that calories don't count on Halloween and he wanted EVERYTHING today! ;) All of the sweet snacks at school and running out of groceries didn't help.

Maternity clothes? Sometimes. I'm thinking I'm going to need some more shirts soon! :)

Stretch marks? Not that I've found yet!

Sleep: Can't complain about it. I'm sleeping with lots of pillows all around me to lean on and hang my leg over. Nice and comfy.

Best moment this week: Finding out that I get a FREE breast pump through my insurance. Now just to pick which one...Here are my 3 options. Any input is more than welcomed!

• http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/573/pump-in-style-advanced#!Overview
• http://www.hygeiainc.com/shop/double-electric-breast-pumps/enjoye-breast-pump-with-internal-power-supply/
• http://www.ameda.com/breastfeeding-products/single-user-breast-pumps/purely-yours

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nah.

Gender: Little boy :)
 
Belly Button in or out? Touchy subject. If I'm really full I can see it start to poke out a little bit at the top. But on a regular basis, still an innie. I think it's only a matter of time before it is out :(

Miss Anything? The gym. NOT. hahahaha I'd say not having to be picky about what I eat. I'd like some raw tuna and a COLD cut sandwich, but it's not bad!

Food cravings: Anything edible.

Labor Signs: Nope.

27 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• The same leg cramps, backaches, constipation and hemorrhoids of previous weeks. Not for this girl!
• Skin, hair and nail changes -- they might be thicker, grow faster or be more brittle. Haven't noticed?
• Snissing (that's peeing when you sneeze). Baby is putting a ton of pressure on your bladder. Make frequent pit stops. hahahahaha hasn't happened...yet!

Happy or Moody? Ecstatic!

Looking forward to: Getting my glucose test over with on Tuesday. Wearing my awesome Halloween costume I made. (See pic below!) and of course...MEETING MAVERICK!

26 WEEKS! HeLLo 3rd TRImester!

How far along? Wooowhoo. I'm in the third trimester! 26 weeks, which means only 14 to go. ahhhh!

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a head of lettuce! 


Total weight gain: You'll find out on Nov. 7th after my dr. appointment. BUT just know that I've been eating SO GOOD this week!

Maternity clothes? Tops only, but not all the time. I love the way they show off my bump! :)

Stretch marks? Not yet! I hope not ever, but we'll see!

Sleep: I'm back to getting up several times during the night to pee. BUT I am sleeping pretty good, most nights.

Best moment this week: hmmm...idk?! Maybe meeting baby Croix. It was fun to meet him and hold him. It was like a glimpse into our future! We are SO EXCITED.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Gender: B.O.Y
 
Belly Button in or out? Getting shallower and shallower...ay yi yi!

Miss Anything? Cuban sandwiches from Publix...

Food cravings: Today I REALLY wanted a cheeseburger and fries from Wendy's...but I refrained. I also have been starting to get little cravings for Japanese again! 

Labor Signs: Negative.

26 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• Trouble sleeping. Not really, sometimes...
• Swelling. Not that I can tell!
• Headaches, due to hormone fluctuations or stress. Surprisingly no. I've had less headaches since I've been pregnant than usual! Knock on wood...
• Pregnancy brain -- is it getting tricky to remember stuff? HECK YES.
• Braxton Hicks contractions. These are different from labor contractions because they're irregular and milder. No, but I feel like I should brush up on the differences again.
• Slightly higher blood pressure. That's normal at this phase of pregnancy. Idk? I guess the Dr. will let me know.

Happy or Moody? So so so so very happy!

Looking forward to: Going to Virginia this week to see my AWESOME cousins and introduce them to my lovely baby bump :) and going to the Luke Bryan concert with my wonderful boyfriend for a date night--just me and him before Maverick gets here! (Which is why I'm posting a day early, we'll be partyin' it up tomorrow night.)

25 WeEKs

How far along? 25 weeks ... Next week starts the 3rd trimester. I THINK. lol depends on which book I look at. 

Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a cauliflower head! 



Total weight gain:  We'll find out at the next dr appointment. If I have ever hoped to be like my mom now's the time! She didn't gain any weight in her third trimester. Probably wont happen but a girl can wish. My goal is 30 lbs so if I can keep it to 10 over the next 15 weeks I'd be a HAPPY camper.

Maternity clothes? I wore my 3 new shirts and my new belly bands this week. They were super cute and showed offmy bump. I LOVE it. A guy at Subway came up to me. He didn't speak English very well and he said "respectfully, you look beautiful" and pointed to his stomach and then mine. He then asked me all about when I was due and boy or girl. So sweet and WAY better than touching me. I don't mind people I know touching me but strangers not so much. I haven't gotten much of that luckily.

Stretch marks? Nope. Vitamin has been applied this week. Fingers crossed. 

Sleep: Sooo. I slept all the way through the night 4 nights in a row. Then I woke up like 2-3 times a night for the past few nights. Blaaaah. Not bad sleep in between though. I do have to say waking up at 5:30 this week sucks. Guess its just preparing me for what's to come in the next couple of months. 

Best moment this week: All the compliments from people about being pregnant. Nothing too exciting happened this week. I DID fill out and turn in my maternity leave paperwork. I guess that was exciting!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, no, no, no Jack.

Gender: Niño (how many ways can I say boy?)
 
Belly Button in or out? Touchy subject. It's getting shallower and shallower. Please pleaselease don't pop out! Flat is ok, but outtie not so much. Ugh.

Miss Anything? I thought of something the other day but now I forget... So I guess no.

Food cravings: Not really anything specfic. Still wanting pickles and hot sauce a lot.

Labor Signs: Thankfully no.

21 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

Constipation-No. 

Hemorrhoids-No. Ewww

Gas and bloating-Don't think so. 

Heartburn-No. 

All over aches and pains-No. 

Trouble sleeping-maybe a little 

Happy or Moody? Ecstatic! I can't believe we are having a BABY. 

Looking forward to: Is it too soon to be looking forward to meeting this cutie pie?! If so, I'm looking forward to having all this baby stuff in a house. Who knows when that will be?!?! Soon hopefully!!

24 WEeks!

How far along? 24 weeks ...only 16 to go...That sounds so short!



Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a cantaloupe! 

At week 24, baby’s progress isn’t just about internal stuff, it’s about her looks too. With pinker, more opaque skin, he’s looking more and more, well, like a baby.

Total weight gain:  According to the doctor's scale yesterday, I've gained exactly 20 lbs., which is all the weight I had lost to begin with! Lol thank goodness for that! 

Maternity clothes? Between the belly bands and the button extenders I'm good on bottoms. I'm running out of tops to wear :( I got a few things at Target and Buy Buy Baby last night, so I'm sure those will make an appearance soon.

Stretch marks? Oops...I just re-read last week's post. By "oh yeah", I didn't mean I have them. Still no on stretch marks and I did do the vitamin E this week but only once.

Sleep: I slept through the night the last two nights without waking up to pee!!! Maverick is a little night owl and likes to do his nightly kicking routine while I'm trying to fall asleep, but it doesn't last long or keep me up. I does make me laugh though.

Best moment this week: Maverick is kicking more and more! Kyle and I read him a bed time story the other night. That was pretty fun! And finishing the registry with my mom last night was exciting. The best day this week was Tuesday at one of my schools that I love! Several teams and the administration finally noticed that I was pregnant. I hadn't thought about them not knowing before or even telling them. But the Kindergarten team was my favorite. They were quite shocked when I showed up to their planning meeting with a cantaloupe sized belly! I had popped into their morning meeting to tell them I'd see them that afternoon. They were just staring at me with their mouths opened. It was like on a cartoon. We all got a good laugh later when I came back and they explained. It was fun to have everybody notice on the same day.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada

Gender: Wittle Baby Boy!
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but she's making me REALLY nervous. She keeps getting shallower and shallower. And she itches A LOT. ugh.

Miss Anything? Not having to worry about whether I can eat something or not and making the subway people heat just my meat up.

Food cravings: Nothing specific. Still eating a lot of pickles. I discovered I like banana peppers. I'm exciting about eating pizza tonight.

Labor Signs: Negative ghostrider! (Which I just read online came from Top Gun, when Maverick was requesting a flyby. How fitting!)

21 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• Swollen ankles and feet. Not I!
• Leg cramps, which can be sign of dehydration. Not for this momma.
• Back aches --Nope.
• Linea nigra. That's the dark line that runs up the center of my belly. It will fade after baby's born. Haven't seen this yet!
• Stretch marks, which may continue to appear as my skin stretches even more. Not yet and hopefully not ever.

Happy or moody? H.A.P.P.Y!

Looking forward to: All of these awesome showers people are throwing me! I have the most awesome friends :)

23 wEEKS

How far along? 23 weeks



Size of baby: Baby E is the size of a grapefruit! 

He's forming little nipples (yeah, really!) His face is fully formed now -- he just needs a little extra fat to fill it out! He's listening to our voices and myheartbeat -- and even to loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking.

Total weight gain:  17.5 lbs. No scale until Oct. 9th when I go to the doctor.

Maternity clothes? No, but I think I'm going to need some new clothes soon. I love dressing up for work, but I'm running out of options :(
 Stretch marks? Oh yeah...I haven't done the vitamin E in awhile. Guess I need to get on that. No stretch marks thus far. Fingers crossed.

Sleep: I am having trouble falling asleep, but mostly just because I'M SO EXCITED!! Do I need to keep telling you I get up and pee 1-2 times EVERY, SINGLE night?! ...Because I do!

Best moment this week:Well if you couldn't tell by the two mid-week posts, it was CLEARLY the gender reveal party!! We are sooo excited about Maverick Carter Elam. Then starting the registry was SO FUN--even if Kyle did get sick of it after an hour. lol He was amazing while we were there though and we are continuing to do it online through emails. Also, when Kyle agreed to read books to my belly! That was pretty COOL!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No and I'm still s.ta.r.v.i.n.g. all the time. That might be a small exaggeration, but it feels like it! AND while we are on the food subject, I keep dropping everything and getting stains and crumbs on my shirt. Oh lord!

Gender: BOY! :) Blue team won. See the previous post about the gender reveal for the video footage and other pictures from meyerinspired.com!
 
Belly Button in or out? In. woowhoo.

Miss Anything? Not that I can think of for this week...

Food cravings: hmm...today it was sweets. But I'd say I've had a special craving for fried chicken sandwiches this week. Chik-fil-A, a buffalo chicken sandwich at work today, dreaming about Wendy's Spicy chicken sandwich while passing every Wendy's on my way home... 

Labor Signs: No real ones or and no fake ones. yay.

21 Week Symptoms: Straight from thebump.com

• Swollen ankles and feet (it's totally normal, but call your doc if it's extreme or sudden!) Nope
• Braxton Hicks contractions. Be sure to drink plenty of water and change positions frequently to stay comfortable. Nope
• Aching back -- sorry, but this will likely linger for a while. umm...not noticeable this week.
• Bleeding and/or swollen gums, common because of (you guessed it) pregnancy hormones. Yeah! Weirdest symptom ever. One of my teeth particularly hurts around the gums. Ugh. I can't wait to go to the dentist in March.

Happy or moody? EEeeeeeeEEekk!! Happy is an understatement.

Looking forward to: Finishing the registry, upcoming baby showers, even my doctor's visit on Oct. 9th. I can't wait to see how much weight I've gained.