Twenty Nine Weeks

How far along: 29 weeks as of April 17, 2012. 
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (again, that's nearly a pound short for our big guy) and is a little over 15 inches long.  His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain.  His bones are soaking up calcium these days, so I am making sure to eat enough dairy, as well as taking a calcium supplement every other day.
Movement: He's still kicking away!  Hopefully he'll show off these skills on the soccer field one day.
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: Still fine.  I'm waking up about three times a night, but I don't have much trouble going back to sleep.
What I miss: White wine, now that the weather's getting nicer.
Cravings: Cereal, sweets (thank goodness I passed the glucose test!)
Symptoms: Back pain, some swelling in my ankles.  I've also developed a fun new pain just to the right of my belly button.  It feels like a side stitch you get from exercising too much, and it is really painful to the touch.  I had it a couple of weeks ago, and it went away after a day or so.  The nurses at the doctor's office were not helpful in suggesting what it could be.  It came back a few days ago and lasted for a longer period of time.  My google searches indicate it's either an umbilical hernia (not likely) or the uterus pressing on this area (more likely).  I'm trying not to let it worry me, since it comes and goes.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Beansprout!  I have started to get really excited thinking about bringing this precious baby home.  He needs to hang out for a couple more months, but it gets closer by the day!

Twenty Eight Weeks

How far along: 28 weeks as of April 10, 2012.  I have officially entered the third trimester!
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs 2 1/4 pounds (we all know that he's actually substantially bigger than that!) and is about 14.8 inches long.  His eyes now have eye lashes, and he is able to blink them.  His eyesight is developing, and he may be able to see the light that comes through from the outside.  He is developing billions of neurons in his brain and is adding body fat to prepare for survival outside of my body!
Movement: Beansprout's still going strong.  I love it!
Sex of baby: It's a boy!
Sleep: Fine, although I'm not getting enough of it!  I think I've reached the point of pregnancy where I need a lot of sleep again. 
What I miss: Wine, soft cheeses.
Cravings: Chocolate milk, Mexican food.
Symptoms: Fatigue, back pain, some headaches.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting everything in order for Beansprout's arrival.  It seems much more real now, so I want to be prepared.  I have a "to do" list that I love whittling down.  There's still a ton to do, but it feels good to have everything listed out so I can keep track of what still needs to happen.

Extras:

First, a huge congratulations to Emily and Todd, who welcomed baby Harper Kelly into the world on April 15.  Harper was 6 lbs, 15 oz. and 20 inches long.  She arrived a couple of weeks early, but everyone is doing well and is healthy.

Second, for those of you in the legal world, I sat next to Alexandra Clement, Paul Clement's wife, at a Supreme Court oral argument yesterday.  While we may not be on the same side of the aisle politically, she was wonderful to talk to.  The Clements have three sons, all of whom were born at the hospital where we will deliver Beansprout!  Alexandra was so sweet and was very interested in learning about my pregnancy and sharing some stories about her boys. 

Beansprout at 28 weeks

We got a surprise ultrasound of Beansprout this past Friday!  I had my 28 week doctor's appointment, and I had scheduled a check to make sure that everything looks as it should and my chances of a premature delivery are low.  We got a nice 15 minute or so peek at Beansprout! 

We found out that he's already an overachiever and is above average in weight for his gestational age.  An average almost-29-weeker weighs between 2.5-3 lbs.  Well, Beansprout is estimated to be 3 lbs, 5 oz.  I'm not sure how we produced a kid who is above average in weight, but maybe he is going through a growth spurt and will even out!  I am hoping for an under 8 lb baby, because I think my chances of following through with my goal of a natural delivery will be greater if he's a little smaller.  Of course, as long as he's healthy, it doesn't matter either way.

Everything looks great.  The technician measured his head and arm and leg bones, and she checked out his brain, heart, facial bones and kidneys.  Beansprout spent the majority of the ultrasound with his arms raised over his head, and we could see him punching me.  The technician confirmed my suspicions that he was head down, although I think he may have flipped since then because now I'm hearing his heartbeat on the doppler above my belly button, rather than below it, like I was before.  I think it's common for babies to flip several times in the next few weeks, so hopefully he'll wind up head down again by 35 weeks or so.

Here are a couple of photos.  The first one is his nose and mouth.  It's taken as if you were looking up his nose, and his mouth is slightly open.  The second doesn't really need an explanation, but isn't he adorable?!

In the Clear!

I got a call today from a nurse at my doctor's office, letting me know that my glucose test (to test for gestational diabetes) came back within the normal range!  No gestational diabetes for me!  Thank goodness, because the test was not exactly a pleasant experience.  If I had failed the initial one-hour test, I would have had to go back for a three-hour test, which involves multiple blood draws.  So that was a nice way to kick off the third trimester.

Twenty Seven Weeks

How far along: 27 weeks as of Tuesday, April 3.  This post is ridiculously late.  My excuse is that I didn't have a photographer to take the weekly photo until yesterday.  Mark worked late (or I had something to do after work) each night last week, and then he was out of town this weekend.  Better late than never!
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs almost two pounds (the weight of a head of cauliflower), and he is about 14.5 inches long.  He is now waking and sleeping at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and maybe even sucking his fingers!  His brain is also very active now.  His lungs are immature, but they could function if he were born at this time.  Let's hope he decides to stay put for at least another 10 weeks!
Movement: He's still kicking and squirming away.  I notice it more after I eat, and when I'm sitting down.  For some reason, he seems less active at night when I am sleeping.  I have heard that sometimes babies reach their peak activity at this time, so I am thankful that he is following my schedule and resting when I am! 
Sex of baby: Boy!
Sleep: While I'm not getting woken up by Beansprout kicking, I am getting woken up at least twice a night by my bladder and also because of back or hip pain.  Luckily, I have been able to fall back asleep fairly easily.
What I miss: I can't think of anything this week.
Cravings: Cereal, Mexican food.
Symptoms: Back pain and hip pain at night.  I have also experienced a "side stitch" type pain about an inch to the right of my belly button.  It has gotten better, fortunately.
What I'm looking forward to: Entering the third, and final, trimester, and having my 28 week doctor appointment.  It will have been nearly 5 weeks since my last appointment, so I have lots of questions and am anxious to see how Beansprout is doing!  I am very excited that I will get to see Dr. Crowther this time.  She is the best!

Twenty Six Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks as of March 27, 2012.
Size of baby: Beansprout weighs about 1 pound, 10 ounces and is about 14 inches long (length of an English cucumber)!  The nerves in his ears are better developed and more sensitive than they were before, so he may be able to hear Mark and me when we talk.  Uh, oh--better watch our language!  He is inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help his lungs develop and is good practice for breathing. 
Movement: His movements are getting stronger and more frequent!  I love it!  Yesterday, I used the heart monitor for the first time in awhile, and he appears to be head down.  Hopefully he will stay that way, so we won't have to schedule a c-section.
Sex of baby: Boy!!
Sleep: I wake up a few times a night, but the bigger problem is that my back and left hip start hurting after several hours.  I am supposed to sleep on my left side to maximize blood flow to the baby, so my options for shifting when I'm uncomfortable are limited.  I usually can readjust pillows and get back to sleep that way.
What I miss: Not having to worry about whether everything I eat is safe.  It will be so nice to eat whatever I want once Beansprout is here!
Cravings: Cereal and milk this week.
Symptoms: Back pain, back pain, and more back pain!  It varies in intensity.  Some days are awful, while others aren't too bad.  I got a new chair at work with more padding, which is helping.  I also put a small box under my desk to put my feet on, since that alleviates the pressure on my back. 
What I'm looking forward to: Not to get ahead of ourselves, because Beansprout has at least 12 more weeks of "cooking" to do before I'd like him to arrive (so don't get any crazy ideas, Beansprout), but Beansprout's newborn photo shoot!  I booked it today with a photographer who went to Wake Forest!  She will come to our home and take photos in the baby's room, in the backyard, etc.  She brings all of her own props, although I did buy a crocheted hat with an anchor on it, and a matching diaper cover, to coordinate with the nautical nursery theme.  I am very excited!  But again, the shoot will not be until late June/early July, so keep looking forward to it, Beansprout.

P.S.--Happy Birthday, Mark!!  You'll be a great dad, I am sure of it.