30 Weeks

How far along? 

30 weeks. 30! How did that happen? That means we are about to drop into single digits for the remaining weeks and that is anxiety-producing.

How big is baby? 

About the size of a large cabbage and around 3 pounds.

Total weight gain?
I'm sorry, what's that you say? I can't be bothered to check because I just sat down with a brownie sundae to write this post...

Maternity clothes?

 Rockin' em!

Sleep?

I'm pretty sure I've just reached the point in pregnancy where sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to. It's hard to get comfortable, I wake up every time I have to change positions, and things are aching - back, hips, pelvis, etc. I wake up every few hours, but really isn't that nature's way of easing you into the sleeplessness that having a newborn brings?

Best moment of the week?

Sweets spent the night at GaGa and PaPa's last Friday, and Hubs met a friend for drinks after work - after the week we had, those several hours of alone time were GOLDEN :)

Food cravings?

 I realized this week that I have been eating fried egg sandwiches at every possible opportunity. 

Food aversions?

 None. Eventually I'm going to change this question to "Labor signs?"

Symptoms?

Pesky Braxton Hicks! And the dreaded pregnancy waddle...I've suspected it for a little bit now, but when students started pointing it out over the last week or so I knew it was really here ;) Thanks kids, for drawing attention to it.

Movement?

 Holy cow, yes. This baby is opposed to things resting on my belly - magazines, ice cream bowls, Sweets toys - he or she tries to boot them all off!

Gender?

 "Do you know what you're having?" is absolutely the most common question I get asked these days. And the answer of course, is no.

What I’m looking forward to?

I'd like to say the holidays, but I'm afraid to, because once they arrive I know the end of this pregnancy is going to get away from me and I am far from prepared.

What I miss?

I'm missing summer this week, isn't that weird? Sweets and I were playing out in the yard on a beautiful, cool fall day and he started talking about our summer trip to the Adirondacks and I got all nostalgic. I'm not ready for winter!

Weekly Wisdom?

10 weeks left. Your child IS going to need a name at some point.

Milestones?

According to my midwife, I'm measuring a couple of weeks small. But she said the baby feels just fine in terms of size, she thinks I'm just super long-waisted with lots of room for he or she to spread out. If I'm still measuring small at my next appointment, I'll get an ultrasound to double check.

A Rookie Mom's Tips for Surviving the Flu

Disclaimer: The vast majority of these tips were passed on to me from veteran mamas, without whom I may not have survived the last two weeks.

The leaves are not yet off the trees here in our little corner of the planet, and flu season was not at the forefront of my mind. Notice I said was. Now I'm totally preoccupied with it, being that it dealt us a good blow this month. It was absolutely no fun at all, but I learned a lot and it's worth sharing! It all started with a simple text from my mom on a Friday morning: "Jake is sick. Call me when you can." It turned out he had been up half the night at their house (he usually sleeps over on Thursday nights, since my mom watches him on Fridays) with a fever, and did not really get out of bed all morning. He was lethargic, with low appetite and energy, and complaining that things hurt. By the time I picked him up that afternoon, he had that glassy-eyed "I reallyreallyreally don't feel good" look on his face, and when I lifted him up, he puked all over me. Whoa, that was a mommy first. Breathe through your mouth. Stay calm. Staying calm proved easier said than done as the night went on, his fever rose to 104 and he wouldn't drink anything. We suspect it was a nasty flu bug of some sort, and as he recovered from it over the following week, another whammy hit him: the dreaded tummy virus. Add to that the fact that Hubs and my mom were down for the count with that same flu bug and I seriously felt like I was living some kind of zombie outbreak. But, in a blur of rehydration drinks and thermometers, vaporizers and chicken soup, here's what I learned:

DO stock up in advance of cold and flu season on some essentials. Seriously, make your life when your family is sick as easy as possible. No one wants to make a pharmacy run at midnight, so pick up things like saline nasal spray, Tylenol (children and adult versions), rehydration beverages, vapor rub, cough remedies and single-serve portions of applesauce and Jello. A few new things I learned in this department: when your child is running an impressive fever but won't or can't take anything by mouth, Tylenol suppositories are a lifesaver. I won't be without a box for cold and flu season ever again. And also - I understand that children's rehydration beverages are sometimes neccessary, but I hate that Pedialyte is loaded with artificial colors and flavors. A colleague recommended Gerber's natural version, Replenish, which has the added bonus of coming in a convenient two-pack, so if you open one bottle and don't finish it, at least you didn't waste the entire quantity like I always find with the big bottle of Pedialyte.

DON'T bring your sick child into your bed. Seriously, just don't. There are a number of reasons for this, but chief among them, do you really want to add to the crazy amount of vomit laundry you're already amassing? I am not saying don't comfort your sick child - far from it. Sleep on their floor or in their rocker, on the couch with them, whatever, just keep them far from your bed. You and your spouse deserve a puke-free zone, especially if you are tag-teaming the sick kiddo while the other attempts to get some rest. Plus, you do not need the germs any closer to you than they already are, nor do you need to be wakened from your 20 minute power nap by getting barfed on by an incoherent preschooler.

DO look at every item in your home as a potential source of germs, and treat it as such. Doorknobs, counter tops, toilets, linens (especially hand towels), cups, silverware, the refrigerator handle - bleach it all. This is not the time for your favorite natural cleaner, vinegar, or even Lysol. Bleach, people. Will your house smell like a custodial closet for awhile? Yes. It's a small price to pay. 

DON'T use hand towels in the bathroom or kitchen towels in the kitchen. Now is not the time to worry about the planet. Switch to paper towels. Cloth towels are like breeding grounds for germs. Same goes for your child's lovey - hot water and bleach that sucker.

DO wash your hands. Often. So often and with water so hot your skin gets dry. It's one of the best defenses against germs. I got downright obsessive about it. Every time I passed a sink, I washed my hands, even if I had just done so 25 seconds earlier. Then I dried them with my trusty paper towels.

DO repeat to yourself: "this too shall pass, this too shall pass." 

DO get a flu shot, and get one for your kiddo too. I know this can be a controversial topic, but I'm on the side of the fence that believes the benefits outweigh the risks. Particularly when you are pregnant, trying to work full-time and anticipating a winter newborn baby. After these last two weeks I couldn't get that darn (preservative free) shot fast enough.

DON'T forget to stop and appreciate how much little ones need and cherish their mommy's loving touch and comforting presence when they don't feel well. Mommies are the best medicine of all!

How can anyone resist comforting and pampering this sweet, sick little angel?

29 Weeks

How far along? 

29 weeks. And if you're thinking I looked a little peaked, you're absolutely right. This picture was taken at the end of the longest week I've had in a long time.

How big is baby? 

The size of an acorn squash and somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds.

Total weight gain?

According to the scale at my midwife's office, I'm up 14 pounds. 

Maternity clothes?

 And not much else these days!

Sleep?

Not so much with the sleep this week. Right on the heels of that flu bug, Sweets came down with a tummy bug, and Hubs came down with Sweets' flu bug, resulting in some truly heinous sleep all around.

Best moment of the week?

I'm going to go with "when my son stopped barfing." 

Food cravings?

 None...food has not been at the top of my priority list this week.

Food aversions?

 None

Symptoms?

Mostly Braxton Hicks contractions and normal aches and pains. This belly's getting big, after all!

Movement?

 You bet. When my midwife felt the baby at today's appointment, she said he or she was head down, with the back along my left side, bum under my ribs, and legs and feet curled around on the right, which corresponds to where I'm feeling the most movement.

Gender?

 My students were debating this today, and were pretty evenly split between boy and girl. I have one student who swears up and down that he's never been wrong in predicting a baby's sex, and he said boy. We'll see!

What I’m looking forward to?

Everyone getting healthy!!! 

What I miss?

Sleep. And not constantly worrying about whether I'm this virus' next victim.

Weekly Wisdom?

Wash your hands! Did you just wash them? Wash 'em again.

Milestones?

Passed my gestational diabetes test - yay! But my iron is low - boo.