Third Trimester What What!

How Far Along: 28 weeks! Welcome to my world, third trimester.

Size of baby: According to BabyCenter, she weighs around 2 1/4 lbs – maybe a little more. Lengthwise she is about 14.8 inches long, and this week she is being compared to a Chinese cabbage, which again, I’m not sure if I’ve ever eaten, because mainly it just looks like some rather tepid romaine lettuce to me. Hrrrrrm.
Total Weight Gain: I saw my dietician for the first time in a month last Friday, and she really reassured me of my weight gain this pregnancy. Obviously she didn’t tell me how much I’ve gained, (I don’t want to know!) but she did tell me I’m just gaining the “bare minimum” for healthy weight gain, and that I’m just “scraping by.” This was SHOCKING to me, as I would swear up and down to the moon and back about how unnecessarily I’m gaining weight, etc. So this was definitely an eye-opener for me, and I needed it! It’s helped me feel a bit better about my body. A bit.
Maternity Clothes: Oh yesh. Occasionally I glance longingly at my pre-pregnancy clothes and wonder if I could squeeze into them, but I withstand the temptation, because I know that doing so will only result in a tantrum because I can no longer where my designer jeans. (She says, wistfully.)
Gender: Girl! Avery Jane!
Movement: Definitely feeling my little bambina squirm around. I love it!
Sleep: Back pain is definitely hampering my sleep, now. I’m okay once I fall asleep, but I’m having a really hard time getting comfortable enough to actually fall asleep. I keep tossing and turning and kicking Brandon and stuffing my maternity pillow between my legs And I’m thinking, I already feel this terrible and A’s just barely over 2 lbs. How am I going to feel when she’s freaking 7 lbs???
What I miss: Bending over without feeling like I’m smashing poor Baby, being able to get up from a sitting position without the help of Brandon or about 2 minutes of concentrated efforts from myself, and I miss not having to take my smelly pre-natal vitamins that look like little poo pellets. (Though they really do wonders for the hair!)
Cravings: Sugar cookies, or really just ANYTHING WITH SUGAR IN IT. My word I’ve never eaten so much chocolate and sugar IN MY LIFE!
Symptoms: Lotsa peeing, and mostly back pain to complain of this week – it’s really hit me over the past few weeks how acutely PREGNANT I feel. The baby’s finally getting big enough where I can really feel the discomfort and changes in my body. And if I’m already complaining now, how bad is it going to be a month from now? Prepare yourselves for the complainage coming your way!
Best Moment of the Week: Hiking with my boys. It was Cade’s first “real” hike where he walked by himself, and I had so much fun with him. I also had A Moment yesterday when Cade was running around the house, hyper as can be, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, wheeled around to me, planted a kiss on my belly, and said “Avery needed a kiss real bad, Mom.” :)
Appointments This Week? I have an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday – I’m excited to see a big and developed and happy Avery!
What I’m looking forward to: My ultrasound, and most importantly hearing how well Lil A’s doing in my big belly. I want to hear she’s big and happy and healthy and thriving!
One Thing I've Learned This Week: I think I’m starting to grasp the concept that my body looks the way it does because a baby is transforming it to look this way, and that makes it beautiful. Sometimes I lose track of the fact I’m actually pregnant, and bemoan my growing bod without paying the due respect it deserves, and actually THANKING it, for getting bigger and changing to keep Avery healthy and strong. My body is not needlessly putting on weight – it’s doing it for a purpose. And I need to remember that, and be kinder and gentler to it.
Pictures from this week: I don’t really feel like my bump has grown too much in the last couple of weeks, but here I am at 28 weeks. Hopefully soon it’ll get bigger as Avery does too!

Hey C, I'm totally jeals of your sugar cookie.