Week 29-Baby is the size of a SQUASH!!!!

This week has been fairly uneventful.  I have started having difficulty sleeping.  If I'm not waking up three times to pee, I have awful heartburn, or leg cramps, or am way too hot to get comfortable. Mid-day naps are becoming more frequent! Still feeling good, and trying to enjoy this experience!

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain: Down 10 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes, love my maternity jeans! 
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: All of a sudden, sleep sucks!  I have to pee constantly, am hot, or have terrible heartburn!
Best moment this week: Daddy Josh got to feel a BIG kick! Thus far, he's felt little kicks but the other night he definitely felt a foot! Feeling baby Ellie get the hiccups! :-) 
Miss Anything? Sleep, energy drinks, Happy Hour! 
Movement: Getting SO much more frequent! 
Food cravings: Still loving fruit dipped in Cool Whip! Apples and peanut butter, Pink Lemonade, BBQ Potato Chips.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Seafood
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, rib pain (which has been getting better!) and overall lack of mobility - i know, it's only gonna get worse.
Belly Button in or out? Still flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So unbelievably happy!!! I cannot wait to meet her!
Looking forward to: My first baby shower on Sunday.  Cannot wait! 


Baby already measures about 16.7 inches long. Right now, she weighs about 3.8 pounds but she's still got a ways to go -- can you believe she'll triple in weight before birth? The other day Josh said, "Your belly isn't going to get much bigger will it?" I said, "Uh, ya! She's supposed to triple in size, which means I will triple in size!" Haha. Can't imagine getting much bigger! I felt Ellie getting the hiccups this week! She gets them at least once a day! Makes me smile! :-) 

Week 28-Baby is the size of a head of CAULIFLOWER!!!

Can't believe it's week 28 already! I say this every week but they are absolutely flying by now.  Daddy Josh painted Ellie's room this week and it looks amazing! I just go sit in her room sometimes (creepy, I know) and try to imagine her being in her crib.  It feels so surreal! 

This past week, I went down to Beaverton, OR to see a Perinatologist (a OB/GYN who specializes in high risk pregnancies).  Having gestational diabetes classifies me as "high risk".  We need to monitor baby closely to make sure she isn't gaining too much weight.  While down there, I learned so much about what causes gestational diabetes and further learned that this is not my fault and there was nothing I could do to prevent it.  The doctor was very impressed with my blood sugar levels since the diagnosis.  I simply cut out regular soda, and that seemed to be enough.  Doctors were also very pleased with Ellie's progress.  She is measuring right on track and was only in the 34th percentile for abdomen (which is what they'll really be watching).  While getting my ultrasound, I asked the technician if they did 3D.  She said they did, and I BEGGED her to see if Ellie would cooperate and show us her face! Boy did she cooperate! We could see her face PERFECTLY! It was by far the most emotional point in my pregnancy.  She looked exactly like me, with Josh's nose! I instantly fell in love with this little person that I've never met.  She's absolutely perfect! These 84 days are going to drag on! 

This week, she's just working on gaining weight.  All the major organs and features are formed, she just needs to plump up! She's approximately 15 inches long and weighs close to 3 pounds.  This week, her lungs are mature enough that she could probably survive if for some reason she needed to come out.  But we're not ready for her yet!

Today is also Father's Day!  We spent the day by going to church this morning, eating a big brunch at home, taking a long nap, and watching golf.  It was an awesome day!

Week 27-Baby is the size of a RUTABAGA!!!

It's the home stretch!!! Can't believe the third trimester has begun already. This is going by SO fast. This is also the first week in our new house. We are absolutely thrilled!

This past week, I was unfortunately diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  I was completely shocked! I didn't have any of the risk factors.  But I'm confident that I'll be able to manage this with my diet.  It's been an interesting time learning how to test my blood sugar.  I  am not too fond of needles, but am getting the hang of it.  

When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of your food down into a type of sugar called glucose. The glucose enters your bloodstream and then, with the help of insulin (a hormone made by your pancreas), your cells use the glucose as fuel. However, if your body doesn't produce enough insulin – or your cells have a problem responding to the insulin – too much glucose remains in your blood instead of moving into the cells and getting converted to energy. When you're pregnant, hormonal changes can make your cells less responsive to insulin. For most moms-to-be, this isn't a problem: When the body needs additional insulin, the pancreas dutifully secretes more of it. But if your pancreas can't keep up with the increased insulin demand during pregnancy, your blood glucose levels rise too high, resulting in gestational diabetes.

Being in the new house is fantastic! We have decided on a paint color and are going to start painting Ellie's room this week!  We bought her bedding and Daddy Josh put it on her crib.  I love it!

Can't believe in 13 weeks, she'll be sleeping in this bed! We cannot wait!! :)

Week 25-Baby is the size of an EGGPLANT!!

I'm officially two thirds of the way through my pregnancy!!!! This week has been pretty good.  I had my 1 hour glucose test, which was higher than doc wanted.  So, I go back on Friday to do the test for 3 hours.  Not looking forward to that, but understand we need to make sure I'm processing sugar the correct way.

This week has also brought some more excitement...we are closing on our first house!!!!!

This is the PERFECT house for us! I am so excited to be able to bring Ellie home to our own home.  So, hopefully by this weekend, we will be all moved in and the nursery decorating can begin!

25 weeks means that if for some reason, I had to give birth, Ellie would be OK.  (Even though I cannot wait to snuggle her, she needs to stay in there for a while longer.) This week, her eyes are beginning to open.  I've read that I can put a flashlight up to my tummy and she'll try to move away from it.  Daddy Josh says that's not nice, but I may try it! Haha.  She's currently about 14 inches long and weighs 2 pounds.  She's not out of room yet, but my belly button is flattening out so she's quickly running out of room in there! :-)  

How far along? 25 Weeks

Total weight gain: Still minus 12!
Maternity clothes? Oh Yes!
Stretch marks? A couple on my hips.
Sleep: Some nights are better than others.
Best moment this week: Learning we are closing on our house this week! 
Miss Anything? Mikes Hard Lemonade
Movement: TONS of movement.  Now, I can see my stomach move from the outside! So amazing! 
Food cravings: Oreo Blizzards, all fruit, Calypso Melon Lemonade.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Haven't been sick in a while! YAY!
Gender: sweet baby girl
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks contractions
Belly Button in or out? Flat
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: So incredibly happy!!!!
Looking forward to: Moving into our house!!!!

Week 23-Baby is the size of a GRAPEFRUIT!!!

Well, another week has gone by.  This has been a fairly uneventful week.  Still not getting sick, which is amazing.  I'm still trying to be active, playing golf 3 times this week.  I've had a wonderful time helping coach the Mark Morris Girl's Golf team.

Baby Ellie is the size of a Grapefruit this week.  She's about 11.8 inches long and weighs about 20.8 ounces.  Her face is fully formed. She can now hear my voice, my heartbeat, and my stomach growling.  We've started putting headphones on my belly, getting her used to music! :-)

This past weekend was my first Mother's Day.  Josh bought me an amazing card, and a baby girl charm for my charm bracelet. It was an amazing day spent with both of our moms! :)

We have a doctor's appointment this week! Can't wait to start getting her room ready!

Week 22-Baby is the size of a PAPAYA!!!

Another week has gone by! :-)  A somewhat uneventful week.


How far along? 22 Weeks
Total weight gain: down 13 Maternity clothes? Yep! Loving maternity pants, still wearing my shirts.Stretch marks? Just starting...YIPEE! Sleep: Sleeping great....except when I wake up in the middle of the night with heartburn! :(Best moment this week: Grandma O was able to feel Ellie move! :)Miss Anything? I had to have a Virgin Margarita on Cinco de Mayo! Definitely not the same...Movement: Lots of movement!!! Especially in the morning. Food cravings: I CRAVE fruit! I finally got a good batch of strawberries that tasted SO good!Anything making you queasy or sick: SeafoodGender: Girl Labor Signs: NoSymptoms: Still having some Braxton Hicks contractions occasionally, heartburn, sore back, and growing BELLY! :) Belly Button in or out? InWedding rings on or off? OnHappy or Moody most of the time: Josh may say moody...but I say HAPPY! I am still so in love with this baby girl and cannot wait to meet her!!! Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready! We move into our new house in 3 weeks and the decorating can begin! 





Baby Ellie is about 11.8 inches and weighs approximately ONE POUND!!! Her eyes and lips are much more developed...she's looking more and more like a baby! She's also figuring out a sleep cycle.  She's sleeping 12 to 14 hours per day.  She sleeps while I'm awake and wakes up when I'm going to bed! Haha! Better get used to it now! :-)  

Week 21-Baby is the size of a BANANA!!!!!

This week was another monumental one! Daddy Josh got to feel Ellie kicking! It was by far the most amazing moment! Seeing the look in his eye when he finally felt her was so emotional! Up until now, it's kind of just been me and Ellie...Josh, obviously, isn't the one that is going through the morning sickness, the leg pains, and the growing belly.  Now he feels more "a part" of the pregnancy and it has begun to feel very real for both of us!!! We cannot wait to meet her!

I've also started experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions.  I get one or 2 an hour at nighttime.  My stomach gets really hard in places, then relaxes again. I was reading my weekly updates and it described what BH contractions were and that I might be feeling them! I knew that's what's been happening!

Baby Ellie is now about 10.5 inches long and weighs about 12.2 ounces.  She's as long as a banana this week. I have been feeling LOTS of movement! Before, I would feel "flutters", occasionally.  Now it is definite kicks, that feel like I'm being flicked from the inside.  An indescribable feeling! She also, now, has her lifetime supply of eggs in her womb! Haha...hard to think about her being the size of a banana and having a womb with eggs! :)

I'm still feeling great.  Absolutely loving being pregnant, but also anxious for it to be over so she can be here!