The Merfett

Merfbaby is 30 weeks!

Only 10ish weeks to go! Ah! It feels like the weeks are going faster now!

How I’m Feeling: Good, a little tired still but staying active seems to help. Sometimes I wish I could take afternoon naps though ;)

Belly/Weight: It’s getting harder to dress the belly since it’s getting bigger each week. Not sure about weight, I have a Dr appointment on Tuesday. I weighted myself for the first time outside the doctor’s office this week when I was at the gym and I was up 2 lbs from my last appointment a few weeks ago.

Life Changes: It was nice to be celebrated a little for my first pre-mother’s day. I spent the whole weekend in the kitchen cooking and got a few gifts from family and some text messages wishing me a happy mother’s day. Seem’s crazy to think this time next year I’ll be a mom to a full on baby.

Movement: Lot’s of rolling and pushing around going on in there. Sometimes I look down and see my tummy in a funny shape. He’s always letting me know when he doesn’t like the way I’m laying down. If I switch sides in the middle of the night he’ll kick like crazy until I switch back.

Sleep: I’ve slept a lot better this week. Kelly’s snoring is much better so I haven’t had to wear my ear plugs as much which is nice.

Cravings: Lots of fruit and frozen yogurt. I had it twice this week :)

Exercise: Walking. Prenatal Yoga. Swimming. I found some YouTube videos of a few prenatal yoga sessions I like.  Since he’s getting bigger I feel like I need to sit up more and stretch so he and I both have enough room. Especially in the morning’s I’m breathless and I need to take some deep breaths.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week:  Thinking more and more about him coming. Merfman and I have talked a few times about what we think his personality will be like. And who’s traits he’s going to get. I really hope he get’s Merfman’s social skills, he’s always able to make friends and talk with anyone. Oh, and we ALMOST thought we had to name him this week! I bought tickets for a trip to NJ (wedding time, whoo!) in November and the site kept asking for a full legal name for Merfbaby. Uh? It seems odd to have to name him for reals before he’s here. So we’ll add him to the flight later. It’s no charge since he’ll be sitting in our lap so it’s not a biggie. We also took a tour of the hospital, it’s starting to feel real now. The rooms are all very nice and they explained where I’ll labor and deliver and then what room I’ll be in for recovery. We’re planning to labor at home for as long as we feel comfortable since the hospital is less than a block and a half from our house.

On My Mind:  The nursery. We don’t really have anything ready for Merfbaby. Well, except for an awesome kitchen sink for him to splash in ;) We’re hoping to make some progress on the nursery this weekend. I have my baby shower’s coming up in a few weeks which is exciting too.

Merfbaby is 29 weeks!

About 2 1/2 pounds and a little over 15 inches long.

How I’m Feeling: Hello 3rd Trimester sleepies! Sometimes I’m so sleepy and fatigued at work, boo. I try to take an afternoon walk when it’s hitting me the hardest so that’s helping. I’m a little out of breath sometimes, I think he’s pushing around in there and taking up extra space around my lungs? I take deep breath’s often.

Belly/Weight: Still no tummy stretch marks, yay! My belly button hasn’t totally popped but it’s really flat. I wonder if it really will pop? My Mom said that it doesn’t always happen. Not sure on the weight, I’ll find out at my next Dr appointment.

Life Changes: The La Leche League meeting last week was helpful, and I’m planning to read a book about breastfeeding. I just need to get to the library to check out the one I want. On a vain note…my hair is out of control. I need a haircut so badly. I’ve had more bad hair-days than good lately :( I realized this morning when I was trying to tame my mane that I haven’t had it cut since before Christmas. Yikes. It’s full and pretty, but there’s way too much of it. I don’t want to chop it all off since I may like being able to pull it back into a bun during labor and post baby. But, it’s really tempting to go back to a shorter cut.

Movement: He wasn’t super active on Tuesday but yesterday and today he’s bouncing around in there! Last night he did the craziest flip when I laid down for bed and it made me laugh. He’s getting bigger in there so I’m sure there less room for stretching. I feel lots of pushing and pressure.

Sleep: We’ve been going to bed around 8pm or 9pm most nights this week and I’m still not wanting to pull myself out of bed for a morning gym session. Ugh. My sleep is broken up with rolling over and potty breaks so it’s not solid sleep, but it’s deep and I’ve had some crazy dreams. I justify sleeping in a little by thinking that this will be that last few weeks of my life when I’ll be able to ;)

Cravings: Fruit. Scones are sounding really yummy too. I’ve seen a few recipes I’ve wanted to try. Might have to get some baking done :)

Exercise: More walking. I try to get some walking done in the afternoon around the neighborhood by our office. It was raining and grey earlier this week but the weather is much nicer now. I really want to get back into the pool next week and get some swimming in. That really is my favorite way to exercise but I haven’t made it to the pool gym in several weeks. We’ve been busy around the house and running errands on the weekend so I’m getting lots of time on my feet too. Don’t worry, I take breaks ;)

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week:  Not totally Pregnancy related, but Merfman and I have been able to enjoy a few dinners together in our new kitchen, at our island bar top! It’s so nice to sit at a table, eat and have a conversation about our days. Makes it feel like we’re normal people who work regular jobs!

On My Mind: More nesting projects. We’re hopefully 100% done with the kitchen after this weekend so we can start working on the nursery. I’ve been working on cleaning out closets and getting things donated. I hate how it always looks worse before it gets better. Pulling everything out and then sorting it before putting it back is always crazy. I’ll be so happy to start putting the nursery together.

Merfbaby is 28 weeks!

About the size of a random chihuahua or…and eggplant. I prefer the chihuahua :)

How I’m Feeling: Still feeling good. My doctor always asks if I’ve had any issues at my appointments and I always (thankfully) say nope. She said boring is good. I have normal aches and discomforts, but nothing I can really complain about. I’ve been very blessed to have an “easy” pregnancy. Well, those first few months were a little rough with the morning sickness. Glad to have my appetite back!

Belly/Weight: I’m up a total of 26lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. In our Bradley class we learned that babies have less chance of brain damage when the mother gains 36lbs or more. The majority of our class last week was focused on nutrition and weight gain. All the other baby books and sites tell you to stay within a healthy weight gain, but a woman can gain 25lbs eating junk food and soda when another can gain 25lbs eating lean protein and veggies. So it’s more about what you’re eating, not the amount you’re gaining. Make sense? I’ve recently started eating more protein (chicken, turkey) so my meals are keeping me more full, and I’ve been focusing on eating veggies and fewer carbs (bread, pasta) so overall my eating has been healthy. Sure, I’ll have some fries or a mini candy bar every now and then, but nothing crazy. My workout intensity has gone down since becoming pregnant, I’m not taking hour long spin classes or lifting like I was pre-preg, but I’m still moving and staying active. I don’t regularly weigh myself, I never have. So getting a weight check at the doctor once a month is all I do. Some months I gain more that others, but I feel comfortable that I’m eating right and not over-eating, so Merfbaby and I are getting what we need. Sure, there’s going to be “baby weight” but I’m not worried about that so much as being healthy during delivery and post-baby.

Life Changes: For our Bradley classes we’re asked to track our meals and protein intake. It’s interesting to see how I get more protein on some days than others. I’m attending a La Leche League meeting tonight with Momma-son, so that should be interesting. I have no idea what to expect.

Movement: My doctor told me at my appointment on Tuesday how to do Fetal Kick Counts. So you eat and drink something, then count 1o movements in 2 hours. If I don’t feel 10 in 2 hours I need to go to labor and delivery. Since Merfbaby is a pretty consistant mover I don’t need to worry so much, but she said if I find that it’s evening and I haven’t felt much movement I know how to make sure everything is ok.

Sleep: I’m sleeping ok, lots of rolling over ans switching from side to side. I feel bad that I sometimes wake Merfman with my constant flipping sides every few hours.

Cravings: I’ve started drinking a glass of milk in the morning to help with my calcium and protein intake. I only drink a small cup but sometimes it’s really refreshing!

Exercise: Walking every day this week. Since it’s lighter longer I head home after work and walk our neighborhood for a half hour before making dinner. Since Merfman works late it’s a nice way to spend my evening outside. I’ve been listening to Jullian Michael’s podcast which I’m really liking.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week:  Finishing a nesting project! Our kitchen is 90% done! Just need to do some paint touch-ups, add hardware and the island butcher block and we’re done! Ah, it’s so amazing to have a new kitchen. I love cooking in it, and having a dishwasher and a garbage disposal is life changing.

On My Mind:  Other nesting projects ;) It never ends, huh? Now that the kitchen’s done we can start focusing on the nursery. I’ve got everything packed, now I need Merfman’s help to move the heavy things around the house. I’m planning to do a big donation to the Veterans on Monday so I’ve got some closet purging to do this weekend!