31 Weeks! ~ Happy Halloween! ~

How Far along: 31 weeks

Baby size: 17"ish and about 3- 3 1/2 pounds

Total weight gain: 14-15 pounds, depending on the day

Maternity clothes: yep

Sleep: Yes, please. Gimme more.

Best Moment this week: Setting an actual date (in about 2 weeks) to list the house, get photos done, etc. And getting our costumes done in time for Halloween, haha. And confirming that Little Cat C is indeed head down (which I knew, but still, nice to see on ultrasound).

Movement: Yes. Lots. Still not as much as Dee, which is very nice.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs: BH contractions a lot. Fortunately (as we learned in a fun little visit to the hospital for monitoring) they aren't actually doing anything in terms of progress, which is very good. I get to drink even *more* water than I have been, and start taking that Cramp Bark Tincture again *gag* as needed but it's better than taking Procardia with the possible side effects of that...

Belly button: In. Ish.

Cravings: hot chocolate, onion rings, chocolate in general

Aversions: Nothing new.  

What I miss: Bending over, not having heartburn/acid reflux for hours every day.

Stretch Marks: No new ones but I still have (super mild) PUPPP. Fortunately, I also have prescription strength steroid ointment which seems to knock down the itching for a couple days at a time as long as I apply enough and don't mix it with coconut oil (dilutes it too much).

What is different this time around: Mostly everything.

What I am looking forward to this week: Finishing touches on the house, Halloween/Trick or Treating with the kids. Buying a winter coat for myself and J this weekend (since his is packed and we don't know which box it's in, and mine... doesn't fit at the moment). Also unpacking/repacking the kid's clothes, because we packed their winter stuff... (optimism = not so realistic, actually).

Things left to do...(Updated again)

I feel like we have *so* much left to do on the house before we can put it on the market. I've decided that putting up a list somewhere will help me feel like we're making progress. Of course, if things would stop BREAKING we could make more freaking progress! We also all need to stop getting sick...

1. Pack! (125/? done)
2. Laminate floors! (kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway) - DONE!!!
3. Carpet in bedrooms
4. Tiles in entryway and fireplace - DONE!

5. Baseboards replaced: dining room, living room, hallway, 2nd bath (maybe?), kitchen
6. Painting! Dining room walls, baseboards; Hallway walls, baseboards, doors; kitchen walls, baseboards; living room walls, baseboards; master bath walls, baseboards, new toilet bought and installed; 2nd bath walls, baseboards (replace and paint); master bedroom walls, baseboards; kids' room walls (remove wallpaper first), baseboards (reinstall and caulk/paint)
7. Redo floor in 2nd bathroom (in progress, 4 tiles left), replace 2 tiles in master bath
8. Light fixtures installed: dining room, hallway, living room, entryway
9. Test light in entryway and fireplace wall switch - DONE!

10. Replace all smoke detectors (2/4 done), purchase & install CO detector
11. "Transform" kitchen cabinets- in progress
12. Desk, and new crib in storage
13. Plants - get rid of, etc
14. Replace bad light switch in entryway
15. Because life is fun like this: replace garage door opener  broken shade in living room. 
16. Touch-ups of paint everywhere that needs it.
17. Install transition strips on floors
18. New range hood: hook it up to a regular plug and install.
19. CLEAN LIKE MAD!

10/3/14: On the upside, the dining room is virtually done, and the house is starting to not feel like our house any more.

10/6: Completed rooms: Dining Room, Master Bath

10/24: Completed rooms: Dining room, master bath, kitchen (except baseboard paint), kids' room (except baseboard paint), kids' closet and master walk-in closet (those are totally rooms, shut up)

10/30: Everything is done except the baseboards being caulked and painted and the master bedroom finished being painted. My project for the weekend. Yay!

30 Weeks

How Far along: 30 weeks...not much else to say about it!

Baby size: 16"ish and about 2 1/2-3 pounds

Total weight gain: 14-15 pounds, depending on the day

Maternity clothes: yep

Sleep: Yes, please. Gimme more.

Best Moment this week: My boss knew I was having a rough week and gave my family two butterbraids, and also we got in touch with the realtor and are going to have her come by on Monday or Tuesday to do pics and list the house!

Movement: Yes. Lots. Still not as much as Dee, which is very nice. She seems much more like J, temperament wise.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs: BH contractions a lot. But they go away when I lay down, take a bath, drink a little wine, drink some water, go pee... I know what preterm labor is like, so I'm being cautious and aware.

Belly button: In. Ish. Kinda star shaped with an umbrella-y thing over it...  

Cravings: hot chocolate... breakfast sausage. That sounds lovely. And smoothies (mainly because I have a cold again. Whee!)

Aversions: Nothing new.  

What I miss: Bending over, not having heartburn/acid reflux for hours every day. Sleeping all night long, but that's as much Dee as anything else.

Stretch Marks:  No new ones but I'm starting to get a bit of a rash on my belly. Again. Hello PUPPP, I missed you. NOT. And apparently it doesn't require visible/new stretch marks to arrive, nor does it adhere to the "first pregnancy only" thing or the "usually happens with boys" (since I have now gotten it with all 3. 7% of multiparous women with PUPPP report having had it with prior pregnancies. Lucky me). I really, really hope it does not get worse. The itching may drive me insane. Ugh.

What is different this time around: Mostly everything.

What I am looking forward to this week: Family birthday party on Saturday, actually finishing the house since we're on the mend from our colds, and listing the house! Come on, house seekers and give us lots of money!

29 Weeks!

How Far along: 29 weeks. What the what?!

Baby size: 15"-17" and about 2 1/2 pounds

Total weight gain: 13-14 pounds, depending on the day

Maternity clothes: yep (although the shirt I'm wearing today is not maternity, it is actually longer than some of my maternity tops. Hmm.)

Sleep: Yes, please. Gimme more.

Best Moment this week: Baby wiggles, hearing her heartbeat on the doppler at my appointment today, and finishing the cabinets (do I know how to party or do I know how to party?).

Movement: Yes. Lots. Still not as much/crazy as Dee, which is very nice.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs: N/A, BH contractions a couple times an hour, sometimes more. Nothing worrying, just the same as with Dee. 

Belly button: In. Ish. Kinda star shaped with an umbrella-y thing over it...  

Cravings: hot chocolate... breakfast sausage. That sounds lovely.

Aversions: Nothing new.  

What I miss: Bending over, not having heartburn/acid reflux for hours every day. Sleeping all night long, but that's as much Dee as anything else (especially the last couple nights).

Stretch Marks: No new ones :-)

What is different this time around: Mostly everything. I did have sugar in my urine sample at my appointment this morning, so I guess I need to cut back on the carbs and eat some protein. Breakfast burritos here I come :-p. We'll re-evaluate if that's working at my next appointment.

What I am looking forward to this week: Getting the house listed on Tuesday (GOING TO HAPPEN. Which reminds me, I need to email the realtor...) and hopefully start house hunting for real instead of just online. I really hope this process goes fast and smoothly, because I just have no energy for anything fun any more, or even energy to think about doing fun things. All my brain power is going to house stuff. 

Musings

Last night I was in our basement, painting cabinets (for the kitchen, final coat of paint before the protective top coat...The end is in sight). J and Dee came down to "hang out" and it turned into J sitting on a ball, using two plastic arrows to tap out a song on one of the metal support poles (to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the clay-soil our house is on). Dee was playing a "video game" that involved killing vampires so they wouldn't eat her baby that she brought down. J saw a giant (like 1") cricket and thought it was a spider, and nearly freaked out, but we caught the cricket in a jar (female, massively long ovipositor clearly visible) and Dee proudly marched the jar upstairs to show C, and ask him to please release the girl cricket outside. J visibly relaxed once the monster bug was out of his realm. I resumed painting.

I made pumpkin cookies to bring in to work today. Of course I had to eat a couple before bed, so I paid with heartburn and reflux all night, compounded by Dee getting up 3 (only three?) times, as well as needing to pee and chomp some more papaya enzyme tablets.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. I don't know if I can claim a loss I'm not even sure was really a loss. I don't want to falsely acknowledge something that never happened, but I also feel like I should acknowledge a loss that I had, confirmed by a stupid pee stick or not. I also feel, in my core, that Little Cat C (baby 3's current and possible forever bloggy nickname) was the child that tried to come then, and came back again. The child that was meant to be and fought like hell to show up on this earth. Do I mourn the loss of a child that came back? Of a child meant to be mine from the first? Or do I accept that I never knew if I was pregnant back then and move on? I never wanted to be part of the loss "club" but I also never wanted to be in limbo.

The melancholy persists, Little Cat C rolls gently in her sleep, meant to be mine.

28 Weeks. How is this going so fast?!

How Far along: 28 weeks O.o

Baby size: 15"+ and about 2 1/2 pounds

Total weight gain: 12-13, depending on the day

Maternity clothes: yep

Sleep: Yes, please. Gimme more.

Best Moment this week: Got a Giant Microbe egg cell at the product show on Tuesday :-).

Movement: Yes. She likes to have random dance/spazz parties.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs: N/A, BH contractions a couple times an hour, sometimes more. Nothing worrying, just the same as with Dee. 

Belly button: In. Ish.  

Cravings: Pumpkin stuff, brownies, but I haven't the energy to actually make them, and also, many cravings are not worth the heartburn. :-/

Aversions: Nothing new.  

What I miss: Bending over, not having heartburn/acid reflux for hours every day.

Stretch Marks: No new ones :-)

What is different this time around: Mostly everything.Way more heartburn/reflux this time. Maybe she'll have more hair than her siblings.The contractions are the same as the other two, hopefully not going to do what they did with J but I am keeping an eye on things. I'm also borderline anemic (pretty sure I still am, I'm going to request they check again at my next appt) which hasn't been an issue during pregnancy before.

What I am looking forward to this week: Finishing the house. Getting it listed. YES. This will happen. I don't anticipate much relaxation this weekend (shocking).

27 Weeks... Why, hello 3rd trimester!

How Far along: 27 weeks, hello 3rd trimester!

Baby size: 14"-15" and about 2 pounds. According to the Bump, that's about the size of a rutabaga. Go home Bump, you're drunk.

Total weight gain: 11ish

Maternity clothes: yep

Sleep: I like sleep. Sleep is lovely. Except when heartburn happens.

Best Moment this week: Random Starbucks card in my work mail this week :-).

Movement: Yep, a lot when she's awake. When she's asleep she's like a rock.

Gender:  Girl!

Labor signs: N/A, BH contractions a couple times an hour.

Belly button: In, getting flatter. 

Cravings: Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Caramel apples. Basically fall foods. Crab legs.

Aversions: Nothing new.  

What I miss: Sleeping without waking up to pee at night, not having heartburn if I eat too close to bedtime. Being able to eat a big meal. Being able to bend over. My pelvis not being sore.

Stretch Marks: No new ones :-)

What is different this time around: Mostly everything.

What I am looking forward to this week: More house progress. No way in hell are we getting the house listed this weekend, but we're making leaps and bounds in progress. My plans for the weekend are to paint the master bathroom and do all the finishing stuff on the other bathroom, and get the kids' room painted.


Also, just for funzies:

Pregnancy #1: at the end of my second trimester, I had gained 15 pounds, and had gestational diabetes (though I didn't know it yet).

Pregnancy #2: at the end of my second trimester, I had gained 11 pounds.

Pregnancy #3: at the end of my second trimester, I have gained 11 pounds! Weird, but cool, and I have no idea why my belly is so enormous. I'm not sure how much bigger I'll get over the next 3 months, even though it's clearly ALL belly.

29 weeks pregnant with J (don't have a 27 weeks pic)

27 weeks pregnant with Dee

 

And 27 weeks pregnant with #3. Yikes. Hold me, I'm frightened.