3rd Trimester!

Week 28 marks the 3rd trimester! 

How I know I am in my 3rd trimester

1. My shoelaces are tied off-center because its hard to bend over

2. People don't hesitate anymore to comment on my growing belly

3. I have to pee every hour

4. I can not only feel but now see the baby kicks

6. I am out of breath just talking 

7. My running has slowed to a speedwalk pace

8. My winter coat no longer fits and I have accepted that Dan's clothes are sometimes okay to wear

9. My own reflection both surprises and amazes me

10. There is no comfortable way to sleep on my left side-even with a nest of pillows for more than an hour but that doesn't matter (see #3)

11. I am back to frequent snacking just like the 1st trimester. There just isn't room in my belly for big meals

12. It's winter time but I am hot. I thought hot flashes were for menopause!?!? 

13. Our baby's ultrasounds look human- what a relief I am not growing an alien! 

14. My belly button is basically an outie. I really was dreading this one! 

15. My pants are pulled so high they almost double as as a shirt 

28 Weeks and growing! 

We had our doctor appointment today and all checked out good! Little g (still without a name) is 2lbs. 9 oz which means he is in the 52 percentile. I guess that's good because the doctor said too big is hard to deliver. Baby g is the size of a kabocha squash (not to be confused with kombucha- my favorite fermented beverage I miss SO much!). Kabocha is sometimes called a Japanese pumpkin and it is really good as fried tempura. Mmmmm, that is now on my list of cravings!

Size of baby g at 28 weeks

I told the doctor about my car accident last week (yes, rear ended again!) and she said I probably should have come in to be monitored but I reassured her it wasn't a hard hit. She said, "Well, if it happens again, we prefer to monitor you for 4 hours to make sure all is okay". Next time!?!?! Let's hope not. 

I have had soooo many little baby kicks and Dan and I laugh when it looks like he is going to punch right through my belly. The other day however, I felt a little kick that felt more like a muscle twitch. I told the doctor that it felt a little bit like a spasm and not like the other kicks. She reassured me that often times my body or the uterus might contract as a reaction to the baby kicks. However, because my sister Katie had a seizure disorder, she did say that if I feel it again, to call her and they would do a scan. I feel like I have been doing a pretty good job not over thinking or worrying about things out of my control but I have to admit, there are moments when my mind wanders to the worst case scenario. I get flashbacks to hospital visits with my sister and think about all the things that can go wrong during pregnancy, birth and those precious newborn hours. I think about how hard it was for my parents to see Katie suffer and just pray our little one is born strong and healthy. 

Starting to look like a baby! 

Now that we are in our 3rd trimester, we are feeling a bit more pressure to get things ready. Unfortunately, our birthing class got cancelled so we had to reschedule for another weekend. I was pretty disappointed because I am excited to learn more about what to really expect when expecting. However, I took advantage of some free time to work on crafting a lampshade. As I have mentioned, the baby room will be black and white which I guess is not a very popular theme so I am having to do more DIY. I got some fabric for the lampshade and another design that my mom is going to make into a crib skirt. I have enjoyed these little projects and like that the room will be filled with love, intention and style when he arrives! 

Measure and cut fabric

Glue edges with a hot glue gun

And hang! So simple. 

Baby it's Cold Outside!

For every little kid excited for the first snowfall Monday morning, there was a commuter dreading the icy roads. And for every downhill skier eager for the fresh powder, there was a homeowner cursing the start of the snowblower season. 

Normally I welcome the first few snowfalls and then the excitement diminishes as the winter cold drags into March. This season however, the first snowfall had new meaning for me. We are having a winter baby, which means the season  had to transition from fall to winter for this pregnancy to feel like it's progressing. Today marks 26 weeks and although I don't want to rush to week 40, I am starting to feel giddy about meeting baby g!  

According to average fetus measurements, little g is the size of a head of iceberg lettuce. I wanted to continue my unintentional weekly photo tradition but who buys iceberg lettuce anymore?!?! 

Little g is starting to feel like an uppercase G! He is definitely growing, twisting and turning. Today the yoga teacher reminded me that a yoga mom births a yoga baby. I liked that image and sometimes think that when I am extended in downdog, our little one is also stretching in happy baby pose. He is so active that I think he will transition smoothly into tumbling toddler classes, followed by ballet (which Dan can't deny since he too took ballet in college!).  

In addition to the first snowfall representing our transition to winter, it also allows me to start embracing the Holidays. And although there are some elements of the Holidays that bring about stress, overall, I love the traditions, family memories and comforts that make the season special.

One of my favorite traditions is one created 10 years ago back in Madison. Our junior year (we think) we decided to come together to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. Now, 10 years later, we still celebrate the holiday and friends drive and fly from all over for this special tradition. Over the years our wine and beer selection has become increasingly more sophisticated (from Point Beer to Craft brews) and our homemade dishes are almost perfected (from canned cranberries to delicious relishes!) We rotate hosts and decided one of these years we might need to rent out a large property to accommodate all the little baby Badgers being born into the group. This year, we welcomed little Oscar Nelson and he visited with us before heading over to his grandparents. We also missed having the Wildenbergs this year as they prepare for their little boy ready to join any day now! (we also missed Barlows, Krakowskis, Flash and Jerusha!) 

I am still annoyed (and baffled) that I didn't take any photos of our gathering this year so I will have to just post a few flashbacks. 

Pre-Thanksgiving ultimate frisbee game in 2008

Thanksgiving 2013 at our home

This weekend was also special because we got to celebrate with Jen at her shower. Luckily I got at least one photo of us at the shower and one of the Badger diaper tower. Yes, once a Badger always a Badger!! 

Jen's Shower (Kristen, Kate, Me, Jen, Meg, Amy) 

25 Weeks!

According to the trusted Wikipedia, nesting is found in a variety of animals (both mammals and birds) including humans. Domestic cats often make nests by bringing straw, cloth scraps, and other soft materials to a selected nook. Apparently, for women, the nesting instinct often occurs around the fifth month of pregnancy, but can occur as late as the eighth. It may be strongest just before the onset of labor.

As I mentioned before, I am not a real fan of the "nesting" term because it feels like a socially construed concept  (like Valentine’s Day) to encourage women to feel pressure to decorate the nursery, clean the house, and buy as much baby stuff as possible. However, I have to admit, my mood and interests do appear to have a pattern.

There must be stages of nesting and I have shifted from the nursery stage to the knowledge/research phase. After last week’s blog, I was so grateful and motivated by all of the mothers that reached out to me with Doula references, yoga recommendations, books, classes and even placenta encapsulation resources! I no longer feel like Googling  baby crib sheets but rather can't stop reading about all the things happening each week for little baby g and what is about to happen these next few months for the two of us.

In line with the knowledge phase, I signed us up for our first birthing class at Blooma Yoga which was recommended by both my doctor and friends. I started reading Great Expectations of Pregnancy and Childbirth and especially appreciated how they described the stages of labor by comparing my cervix dilating from the size of cheerio, oreo, soda pop and then bagel- now that’s something Dan and I can relate to and remember!

I also can't help but see every mother as a huge almanac of knowledge! I have discussed natural childbirth with my friend Kate, the pros of a doula with my co-worker Leah and the strategies for coping with labor pains with my sister in-law Lisa. Maria, Dan's sister, has helped reassure me that its okay to have some frustrations with my ever-changing hormones and she echoed that pregnancy can be scary when you think about another human dependent on you for nutrition and a nest! I love feeling like I have added another community of people into my life. Now in addition to my running, Peace Corps, grad school, college, family, work circles...I have a new mother-to-be circle. And, in this circle happens to be my college roommate and amazing friend, Jen. She is due in January and I SO enjoyed spending some time visiting with Jen this weekend and sharing our pregnancy aches, excitements and lessons learned.

Best friends and future friends! 

After visiting with Jen and Kate at the Talafous home, Dan and I made a trip to Babies 'R Us and Buy Buy Baby. It wasn't our first time at these stores but this time I was determined to get a least a few things decided like which car seat or stroller to select. However, I can't help but get overwhelmed at baby stores and feel like a huge target for their pushy advertisements.

All the crazy advertisements and samples I received when registering

I mean really...why are there 4 types of baby diaper pails? Is the genie really that magical!?!? Seeing all the baby stuff definitely makes me reflect back on my time in Honduras working in the nutrition center. They didn't heat the baby wipes, have a million rockers, bouncers, swings and baby bumbos (yes, that's a real thing!) and yet, the babies were doing okay. Now, in Honduras, many were lacking basic nutrition and a hygienic home, so I am not downplaying the importance of infant care, but I do know that many of the things I feel like I need to buy, are not really necessary. My goal is to have enough baby stuff that I can soothe the baby but not so much that we feel suffocated in our own home.

Sometimes the best toy is a box!

Nutrition Center in Honduras

The documentary "Babies" is also a good comparison for this dichotomy. The film shows that the babies from Namibia, Mongolia, Tokyo and United States all pretty much develop around the same time despite having very different environments, toys, resources etc. I definitely recommend it if the topic of nature vs. nurture interest you.

http://www.focusfeatures.com/babies

So...before closing tonight’s post, I have to report that little baby g is either an eggplant or a rutabaga depending on which chart I follow. He is probably around 2 lbs and almost a foot long. Dan stopped at the store on the way home and I asked him to pick up one of the veggies so he just got both. I am pretty sure this was his first time purchasing an eggplant and rutabaga but I guess I can't say I have ever cooked or eaten a rutabaga either. Suggestions!?!?!

Eggplant or Rutageba! 

25 Weeks!! (outtake photo)