Two Bellies

It was just a week ago my beautiful pregnant sister and I ventured outside (ahh Spring!) for a mini photo session with friend and local photographer Jill Bergeron. Alisha and I are having a joint baby shower on the Dosenberry side, and we thought a photo sporting our bumps had to appear on the invite. Cheesy? Perhaps...but c'mon, we're 15 days apart! It still amazes me, and these wild life moments need to be documented! Thankfully the rain had ceased, the grass greened up, the flowers started to bloom, and the sun showed its face. This provided a beautiful backdrop for our shoot.


Here are a few of my favs from the session. Enjoy!

And one with mom!

Text Book Pregnancy

Welp friends, I made it to third trimester...27 weeks! What a glorious day!

Me and the little man in the nursery <3

How far along? 27 weeks - finally in third tri! :::does a little dance:::  
Total weight gain:  4.2 lbs 
Maternity clothes: OK, I admit it's becoming a little difficult to come up with a cute work ensemble day after day. Most of my non maternity shirts are no longer acceptable for the office...unless my co-workers are OK with half my belly hanging out. Yeah? No. I DO like that the weather is warming up...stretchy cotton dresses may be my new best friend!

Stretch marks? I don't see any!  
Sleep: It takes me about 5 minutes to switch sides in the middle of the night. No more throwing myself back and forth like I used to!
Best moment this week: Everything checked out perfectly at my pre-natal appointment and the Dr. said I am having a "text book pregnancy". I'm so grateful!

Miss anything? My old wardrobe!
Movement: Comes and goes! Sometimes he is a ninja and other times it's like he's recovering from a long night of partying.
Food cravings: Someone said pizza the other day and now all I can think about is pizza.
Anything making you queasy or sick? I was "first-trimester-nauseous" on Monday - out of the blue! Not sure what caused it and hoping that doesn't become the norm for third tri!
Labor signs: This is not a sign of labor....but I did wake up to Braxton Hicks the other day! Felt my uterus/stomach muscles tighten and relax. Not painful at all! Now if only labor were that easy! ;)
Symptoms: Still experiencing sciatic nerve pain - but I'm growing accustom to it...like it's just a part of me now. My newest symptom is a small itchy rash on my stomach. I'm not a doctor, but I'm assuming my skin is just irritated from being stretched.
Belly button in or out? Well...when I wear a tight shirt it totally looks like I have a third nipple...just saying.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or moody most of the time: Despite the no-fun symptoms, I am happy. Except when I don't get at least 7 hours of sleep...then I am crabby. My husband can attest to this!
Looking forward to: The warm sunny weekend so I can get outside and walk with my preggo sister! :)

Current Bennett Boy STATS:

• Baby Boy is about 14 inches and nearly 2.5 lbs! Size of a rutabaga. Do people even buy those?
• At this stage his lungs are fully developed and he's practicing inhaling and exhaling (amniotic fluid, yummmmmmm)
• His brain is also growing more and more complex! If he's anything like Dan, baby boy will be a mini genius I'm sure!
  

25 Week Update

Hello friends! Today I am 25 weeks.

 
I started the morning at a St. Mary's lab for blood work. My FAVORITE!! Total sarcasm there. Needles are my biggest fear...although I am getting better. I have fainted multiple times and even cried after being poked...and I'm happy to report that neither of those happened today. I have baby veins, so they tell me. During one attempted blood draw during my 10th week of pregnancy, the nurse poked me 3 times without being able to access a vein. She said it was "hiding". Whatever, do your job right lady! OK, maybe I'm bitter, but inserting a needle repeatedly into my arm and moving it around to find my vein does NOT sit well with a girl who already lost hours of sleep just anticipating the appointment! I was already a ball of nerves and she sent me over the edge. Yeah, you guessed it. That one ended in tears! Grrr.

Today's test was for gestational diabetes, a semi common side affect of pregnancy. I had to drink a glucose beverage and wait in the lobby an hour before the draw. Mine was flavored like fruit punch. Tasted like someone made kool-aid and dumped an extra 3 cups of sugar in the mixture. Blech!! I had an immediate sugar buzz and wanted to throw it all up. I waited the long torturous hour and sat in the chair of death. I warned the lady of my baby veins and suggested she use a small guage needle. She said my veins were "popping" and that wasn't necessary. Must be the extra blood flow for baby! Only one poke needed. Thank goodness! No crying, no fainting. Mind over matter. On with the day I went.

Now to the fun part :)

How far along? 25 weeks 
Total weight gain: Up 3 lbs
Maternity clothes: 90% of my maternity wardrobe is from Old Navy. Cheap & comfy! I did order a few items from PinkBlush Maternity online during a 60% off sale. Very satisfied with that purchase!

Stretch marks? I almost typed "not yet", but that would imply that I expect to get them...and I don't really want them....so I'm just going to say "no, no stretch marks."
Sleep: Sleep, pee, sleep, pee, sleep, alarm goes off. Typical night.
Best moment this week: OK, I have 3 this week, so bare with me!
1) The crib and bedding came in! I love seeing the nursery take form. It's one thing to dream and picture the nursery in your head, and another when those images start becoming real. We also finished our homemade closet - since the nursery is in the office/library room, there wasn't a REAL closet so we had to get creative! It's adorable! I'll be sure to do a whole post about the nursery complete with photos when it's done!
2) I RAN A MILE!!! Yes, a full mile, outside, without stopping. I wasn't planning on lacing my shoes and hitting the pavement until after baby arrived, but I've been missing it SO much I had to give it a shot. I was an avid runner before this pregnancy, but after 3 months on the couch blue in the face during first tri, I resigned the idea of continuing my pre-pregnancy activity level. I stayed active in second tri by treadmill walking (boooooring) and some light free weight lifting, but in the back of my head a little voice was telling me I could still do it. After all, it is safe as long as you were a runner before and your heartrate doesn't soar above 150. I measured my beats per minute after the mile and was only at 135. YES!! I'm going to keep this up. 
3) This one is my favorite. Dan finally felt our son move! He kicked him hard...twice in a row. He's been trying to catch it for weeks now without any luck - but after a filling dinner of quinoa and veggies, little boy had some new found energy. I was so elated he finally experienced it I started to tear up.

Miss anything? I miss social drinking with my friends. In time, little Ren.
Movement: I've been feeling many a kicks and turns! They seem to be more routine too. Early morning, after I eat, and right before bed. Usually when my movement is low, he wakes up.
Food cravings: Still not craving anything specific...just FOOD in general. I'm hungry all the time!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not particularly.
Gender: It's still a boy, haha. Maybe I should eliminate this question for future posts...
Labor signs: No, thank goodness!
Symptoms: The latest has been sciatic nerve pain on my right side. Certain positions and movements pinch it - so painful!
Belly button in or out? Still at the halfway stage.
Wedding rings on or off? Fits wonderfully. 
Happy or moody most of the time: I'm a happy pregnant camper.
Looking forward to: Third trimester! Only 2 weeks away!

Current Bennett Boy STATS:

This week baby boy is 2 lbs and 9 inches long! TheBump.com compares him to the size of a cauliflower. He's starting to open his eyes and can sense bright light through the womb. Crazy! Apparently if I shine a flashlight on my stomach he may react by kicking. Kind of want to try that...