Twenty-Eight Weeks

Seven months, and still trying to wear non-maternity shirts at times:


Nate informed me that my shirt looked weird as he took this picture. I informed him it is a 'normal' shirt and I am trying to save my maternity shirts for our trip back to Missouri this week, since we just did about 6 loads of laundry. So the poor blue shirt with a flare at the bottom, repelling itself from my pregnant tummy will just have to do for now. I just can't lift my arms above my head or else it becomes a midriff.

But there she is....my belly, growing rapidly by the day despite the illusion of 'normal' shirts:



Baby Boy happenings:
Baby's weight has doubled in the past month and is up to 2.5 pounds. No wonder I've seen a major growth spurt in my belly! He may be up to 16 inches long (I'm guessing he's at the top of the height charts:) ) and has begun to blink. Is that not the cutest thing ever? He can cough, suck, hiccup, practice taking breaths and he's even getting some REM sleep in there.

My body, the baby-growing machine:
Right now my uterus should measure 11 inches up from my pubic bone and in another month it will be a full FOOT long. I am truly mesmerized by my ever growing ute and I can definitely tell it's all up under my ribs now. I have no idea how it will get even bigger in the next 11 weeks....frightening thought indeed.

My belly button has gotten rather tight, for the lack of better wording. I have an innie but it's gotten really shallow and taut this week so of course I'm trying to picture it as an outie, since I'm sure it will happen before long.

Still no stretch marks but my stomach skin can be so incredibly itchy sometimes, it totally freaks me out. Today I was running on the treadmill and the only discomfort I felt was my burning tummy skin....I just had to scratch it, which I'm sure was an attractive sight. Pregnant chick running on a hamster wheel itching her gut as she bounces along...

Speaking of running: I am still tallying up 3 mile runs, 3 days per week. I've noticed that if I run on a day I do not work, and therefore am not on my feet all day long pushing/pulling/lifting people to make a living, then I totally kick treadmill butt and can run the entire 3 miles without walking. But on those work nights? I have to mix in some brisk walking after about a mile or my uterus begins to hate me. I'm 99% sure I'm starting to feel some Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout the day but especially when I run. It's like my entire stomach just tightens up as if to say, 'Okay, we are holding down the fort here as you jostle us around'. I plan to ask my OB if this is a warning sign of some sorts, proof that I should take it easy while exercising, but for now I just slow down when that happens. Lord knows I don't want to drop the babe from my innards while on the treadmill....that could be a little problematic, no? Braxton-Hicks are totally normal at this stage in the game but it's definitely a weird feeling, so we shall see what the doc says tomorrow at my 28 week appointment.

I've also been sick all week with some kind of mutant cold that attacked my vocal cords and successfully turned me into a hoarse, man-like creature. It was pretty awful at work on Saturday when my voice either cracked or squeaked every time I talked to a patient. I got some pitiful looks and just tried to smile it off, but it totally sucked. Being sick when you're pregnant is like an extended, more intense version of sickness when not pregnant. It takes me 5 times as long to kick the bug and I get exponentially more irritable of course. Fun times!

Other biggies?:
I interviewed a pediatrician/family practice doctor last Tuesday and fell madly in love with the man. Seriously. He is our pick for sure. The guy is
1. A Wisconsin transplant from further south, as his wife is from MKE and so he came along for the ride,
2. An avid athlete and outdoorsy SOB who does triathalons. His wife runs marathons and even ran a half 6 weeks after she delivered their child. I think I love her already:) We discussed running strollers for a large part of my visit.
3. A really big fan of breastfeeding, and has lots of ideas and tips for moms who have to work full time while breastfeeding,
4. Has an interest in Sports Medicine, besides newborn-care, which makes Nate and I love him automatically for his support of Physical Therapy.
5. Has much experience in post-partum depression, as his own sister suffered from it along with many other patients. I know I've mentioned this before, but it does run in my family so of course I want to be extra careful with this one. He told me right away that a genetic link might raise my chances slightly but it's not a guarantee I'll get PPD, and if I do he feels confident we can work through it just fine.

Of course I grilled him on the basics, like what he thinks of vaccines (he's pretty conservative with this, and as of right now I am, too---my child will definitely be vaccinated, end of story), what the newborn schedule is for office visits (dang, they go in a lot!), and if he would have privileges at my hospital to visit me and the baby after the birth (he does!). I really like him and feel good about having this guy as my baby's doctor but also as Nate and my doctor, too. Big fat check mark on the books.

And finally, I've been a photoshopping machine this week. One of the last to-dos on my nursery list is to make the artwork for the multi-colored frames to hang above our shelves. I cannot show you all of my masterpieces because some of them have baby boy's name sprawled across them like a badge of honor. But some of the non-name ones deserve some time in the spotlight, no?













I got some of my inspiration from Etsy, some from baby blogs, and I used a ton of free digital scrapbooking supplies to seal the deal. I love finding new ways to use Photoshop and of course, I totally dig saving money by DIY for some highly personalized artwork. More to come of course...

So there you have it, 7 months pregnant, nesting and decorating up a storm while growing a big ol' boy in there. I cannot believe I'm 28 weeks pregnant....so close and yet so far away!