January 15, 2023

How Far Along: 27 weeks

Size: A bunch of bananas or a fennec fox.

Name: Fully picked out since before we were even positive it was a boy. I tell friends and family and even acquaintances who ask in person, but we won’t share publicly until he’s born :)

Movement: Baby boy is ACTIVE. And feels gigantic. Like, how is he supposed to grow for nearly 3 more months?! There are so many times when I say “Ah!” or “Oh my GOSH!” because I just felt him move so strongly.

Fun Fact: I used to claim fennec fox as my favorite animal, which is why I included it as one of his size comparisons this week 😊

Sleep: Has gotten even worse 😩 My hip pain has amped up this last month. It only really affects me while sleeping, but it is just awful. Whether I sleep with a pillow between my legs or not, the results are basically the same. I typically wake 2-4x/night due to pain, rolling over, or needing to pee. And honestly, it’s usually the pain and then I just get up to give my hips a break for a minute.

Weight Gain: I keep thinking I’m going to step on the scale and the weight won’t jump much from one month to the next . . . I’m never right 🙃 Up a total of 30 pounds. I usually gain 40-43 by the end of pregnancy, so hopefully I don’t pass that this time! 😅

Symptoms: Hair is holding on even tighter now! I love this symptom! Tired. Hip pain, like I mentioned. Ridiculously out of breath. I had my iron levels tested a few days ago at my doc appointment and they were low, so he put me on an iron supplement. So far, it doesn’t seem to be making a difference in my level of daily huffing and puffing. I’ve only had one or two charley horses, which I usually get a lot of! So maybe they’re still coming, or maybe I’m not having as many because I’m doing better about staying hydrated, who knows!

Diabetes: Ugh. No change. Still stuck in the 7.3-7.6 range.

Cravings/Aversions: None really, but I’ve been eating a lot of apples lately. The ones I’ve been buying are so tasty 😋 I also had a yogurt and fruit parfait yesterday that really hit the spot. So I guess maybe fruit?

Diet/Exercise: I made some New Year habit goals, and I kept them small enough to maintain them long-term. I’ve been walking for at least 15 minutes most days for exercise, which isn’t a ton, but it’s much better than nothing! As far as food goes, my plan is to only eat one treat on Sundays, and once slice of cake on C&C days. Plus, if I don’t have a treat on a Sunday, that’s fine, too. So in the two weeks of this new year, I’ve only had one slice of pie! — doing good! And I’m super surprised to find that it’s actually been easy. Idk what this voodoo magic is because typically I’m like GIMME THE TREATS multiple times per day, but I know this change will be good for baby boy.

Missing Most: Sleep and energy. I don’t typically love the stairs when I’m not pregnant, but especially while pregnant they’ve been my nemesis. Makes it hard to parent sometimes when I have to carry a kid upstairs or something 😅😅

Nursery: Still no plans. I did a Pinterest search or two, but it’s definitely not a high priority right now.

Daddy: Has finally felt some bigger movements. For the longest time, baby boy would stop moving anytime I tried to get anyone to feel his movements. But now he’s too big to hide for too long!

Ada & Holly: Still being so cute about baby brother. Holly hugs and kisses my bump nearly every day, and even says things like “I love snuggling with baby” and “I want to play with baby!” — she fed him some play food the other day 🤣 She also said recently that she’s “going to be a sister, like Ada!” 🤣 Ada is quick to remember baby in her prayers, and give him snuggles, too. She felt him kick for the first time recently, and she got so excited.

Highlights & Memories:

We celebrated Christmas in the last month, and I kept thinking about how we’ll have another kid around next Christmas! I also thought about how that means I need to make a stocking and find a baby ornament at some point in the next year 🤣

Can’t Wait For: Maternity photos! My cousin has been wanting to get back into photography so she agreed to take them, and I’m so excited to have someone I know and love take the pictures. Plus, since it’s my third time around, and since I’ve been following @merricksart for a couple years, I feel like i finally know a little better how to pick the right outfits for photoshoots.