30 Weeks Pregnant!!!

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.

Baby is now the size of a head of cabbage!















Total weight gain: 0 lbs this week. This is the first time since early 2nd trimester I haven't gained anything. That is just fine with me. 22lbs is still on the high end of what I should be anyway.
Food cravings: I think my cravings are gone for the most part although Italian food and pizza still sound good a lot of the time.
Best moment last week: The ladies from my church bible study threw me a shower today! Wow, I am overwhelmed but in a good way. We had a very yummy brunch, followed by some fun games and then we opened gifts. Half way through the gift opening I lost it. I could feel the tears coming on and I just couldn't stop them. I just can't believe this is happening. Getting to open gifts for MY baby was overwhelming. It made it more real. I'm so thankful I get to experience this. Thank you, Thank you, Lord for this amazing time in my life and for this precious baby boy growing inside.
Movement: Playing, rolling and banging away as usual. :)
Other symptoms: One of the best things about this pregnancy is that I haven't had to shave my legs nearly as often. Since forever, I've always had to shave everyday and now my hair is getting finer, softer, more blond, and grows much more slowly than every before. It is such a treat for me not have to shave every day especially since it is becoming more and more difficult to do so in the first place. Another not so fun symptom is leg cramps. I'm getting that restless leg syndrome at night, which is annoying. Just plain walking is becoming more difficult. When I get up or get out of the car, the first 20 feet or so are easy and then my quads and calves start to burn - like the same feeling if you were to do walking lunges at the gym except I'm not lunging, I'm just walking. I've been trying to go to cycle class at the gym a couple times a week to strengthen those muscles so they can support my weight without becoming fatigued as quickly.
What I am looking forward to: Same things as before: Painting the Nursery and getting it all set up. The baby's "stuff" is really starting to accumulate so I need to get it organized and ready to go.
Milestones: Well, it is not a true milestone but I do feel like it is worth mentioning. Making it to 30 weeks seems like a big deal to me. 10 weeks left. I'm in the 30s now which makes it seem more like I'm an honest to goodness pregnant lady!
30 Week Belly Picture: Taken at my shower this morning!

29 weeks pregnant!!!

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Baby is a size of a squash!!!
















Total weight gain: Up 1 lb this week. 22lbs total. Baby should double his weight in the next 10-11 weeks. Lets hope I don't.
Sleep: Can I whine for a minute? I swore I would never complain or whine about being pregnant but I'm tired of not sleeping well. :( Ok, this is just the beginning of sleepless nights, I know. At least when baby comes, I'll be awake for a good reason not just because I'm uncomfortable.
Other symptoms: Pregnancy mask has pretty much set in. I'm so blotchy on my cheeks and around my mouth. Thank goodness for High-Def concealer. This is truly what it is called. HD concealer. I suppose the idea is that it would conceal flaws so well that they wouldn't even show up on HD TV. Works pretty well. :)
Movement: As baby Beau gets bigger, I'm feeling less and less kicks and punches and more sort of rolling movements from shoulders, elbows, knees, and heinys. His little feet are starting to lodge under or in my ribs sometimes. I feel like I'm constantly trying to push those feet out of my ribcage.
Best moment last week: We did indeed order our baby furniture. We ordered a crib, dresser, and changing table. I hope to get a glider as well eventually. It is truly a happy day when you get to buy a crib for your baby! Didn't know if I would ever be able to do that.
What I am looking forward to: Allison asked me this week, what I am looking forward to most about having a baby. I said: waking up in the morning and picking up baby Beau out of his crib. For so long, there have been so many mornings where I felt like I should be doing that very thing. Soon, I will finally be able to do so.

29 Week Belly Picture:

28 weeks pregnant!!!

By this week, your baby can weigh up to two and a quarter pounds. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Baby is now the size of an Eggplant!!















Total weight gain: 1 lb since week 26. 21 lbs total. Whew! Hopefully my weight gain is slowing. Still need to gain another 5-10 lbs but hopefully I won't gain too much more than that. I had my 28 week appointment 2 days ago and my OB said that if everything keeps going the way it has been, I should gain a normal healthy amount of weight and baby should be a normal 7.5 lbs or so at delivery.
Sleep: We just returned from Mexico and for once I wasn't happy to sleep in my own bed. The mattress we had at our hotel was much firmer and therefore, much more comfortable for me. I slept really well in Mexico. I use to love our soft, fluffy mattress but now, it is just a pain - literally.
Best moment last week: So many great moments over the last couples weeks. Since we were on vacation and I didn't get a chance to update my blog, I have 2 weeks worth of moments to share. Being on vacation itself, was full of great moments. We stayed at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen. The sand was soft, white and cool to your feet even in the middle of a hot day. The water was crystal clear. The weather was hot everyday. It was such a nice break for both of us. (See pictures below). We both got some color and some vitamin D. Dan had some yummy drinks and I had some delicious fruit smoothies. We went on walks, read books and just rested everyday. The best moment of all over the past few weeks is that we decided on a name for baby Siegfried. We finally had the chance to talk without being distracted by work or school. We would like to announce that our baby will be named "Beau Aaron Siegfried"!!! We are both very pleased and excited about this name. We chose "Beau" because we both just really liked it and "Aaron" after my older brother Aaron. It feels so great to finally have a name for Beau. It makes it seems more real and helps me connect with him better.
Movement: Baby Beau is very strong. I read that since he is getting bigger, there is less amniotic fluid to cushion him and consequently his movements can be so strong that it is painful at times. Boy, is this true. At times, he'll kick me and I feel like I need to make sure I don't have a bruise! I still cherish every little kick and punch though because as he continues to grow, he'll get more and more cramped and I might not be able to feel him as much.
Other symptoms: Getting off the couch is becoming quite a task. It is easier for me to get up off the floor than the couch actually. When we were on vacation, the pool had very comfortable lounge chairs which were so nice but since I have to get up every 20 minutes or so to use the restroom, it became quite a chore. I just looked at it as my daily exercise. :)
What I miss: Moving around in general with ease. Walking without sciatic nerve pain, sitting without my lungs getting smashed, and getting off the couch without a forklift.
What I am looking forward to: We are ordering our baby furniture this weekend! Hooray!!
Milestones: Big, Big Milestone: Finally, I'm officially in my 3rd trimester! Less than 3 months to go!
Vacation Pictures:




































28 Week Belly Picture:

26 Weeks Pregnant!!!

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Baby is now the length of a cucumber!!!











Total weight gain: Two more pounds this week. I'm now at the nice round number of 20. Pun intended. Crazy how I can eat healthy and excrcise for an hour 4 times a week and still be gaining all this weight.
Sleep: Bad, Bad, Bad. I wake up every morning around 2-3am in pain because my ribs are so sore. I have to sit up for about 30 minutes or so to get my uterus back down where it should be, then I can go back to sleep for another couple hours, wake up, repeat.
Food cravings: Um Lemon Meringue Pie??? I have no idea where that came from. It just has started to sound good for the past couple weeks. Well, I'm certainly not going to make a whole lemon meringue pie so I can have a few bites to satisfy this craving so I gave in and went to the grocery store and bought a slice of store made pie. That was a waste of $3. I took one bite and almost spit it out. The crust tasted like chalk and the lemon filling tasted like chemicals. Gross. I threw it away and so, alas, I'm still in search of lemon meringue pie.
Best moment last week: Being refreshed and refilled by the Holy Spirit at church and reminded of how special and wonderful this gift of pregnancy is.
Movement: He has got to be doing summersaults in there!
What I miss: I tried on a couple maternity swim suits this week in preparation for our vacation. Where did the muscle tone in my bum and thighs go?
Other thoughts: Feeling more content about being pregnant for another 3 months. I thought about how I would feel regarding no longer being pregnant after the baby is here. I think it will be bittersweet in a way, so I am enjoying every day once again...well mostly anyway.
What I am looking forward to: Babymoon!!! Sun, sand, ocean, non-alcoholic drink in my hand.
Milestones: As of yesterday, I have 99 days to go until my due date!
26 Week Belly Picture: