iPhone Photo Dump: Zoo

Our trip to the zoo in January...(Chase had pink eye and was home "sick")

Red Panda- close relative of the raccoon

 Elephants

 Panda statue- Chase sat on it for about 1/2 second

 More elephants- Chase was/is a huge fan!

 Panda

 "Panda eat tree"

 Monkey (not sure what kind- I only got a B in primates)

Of course, another highlight of the trip was our transportation "Metro choo-choo!"



29 weeks

How big is baby: 2lbs, 14oz on Monday and (according to Babycenter.com) a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.

Sleep: Waking once to pee.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: Well things have shifted- I'm treating myself to yummy sweets since my GD test is over. This happens to coincide with Girl Scout cookie time of year. Yes! 

Exercise: I ran about 10 minutes (1 mile?) on both Monday and Tuesday mornings. It felt good to get out there and run, even if it wasn't for long.

The belly: Continues to be huge. Multiple people have told me this week that I look like my belly has grown in the past few days. Sweet. 

Symptoms: Braxton-Hicks contractions. On Monday I asked the doctor what a contraction felt like and he said that your belly gets hard and that some women describe it as feeling like the baby is rolled up in fetal position and pushing out--exactly what I've been feeling. So I'm still having contractions. The good news is that at this point Braxton-Hicks contractions are normal and as long as they are not regular, painful, or associated with other symptoms, there is nothing to worry about.

Movement: He seems to be getting more active (or I feel it more often), which I love. He also likes to kick out either a foot or his head on my right side under my rib. I guess it's just the position he's in, but it's funny to me that he always seems to do it in the same spot.

What's different this time: I'm pretty sure I had BH contractions last time but now I (finally) know when I'm having them and I'm much more sensitive to them.

What I'm looking forward to: The huge baby stuff/clothing consignment sale this weekend! There are quite a few things that I'd like to get (and thereby check off the to-do list)

Best moment of the week: Seeing Baby 2.0 on the ultrasound Monday. He was moving all over the place (hyped up on sugar, no doubt). They couldn't get a good shot of his face because he was rolled up in a ball, but it's starting to look chubby and very similar to Chase's face at this point last pregnancy.

Doctor update: My 28 week doctor's appointment was on Monday. I chugged the nasty orange juice stuff for the gestational diabetes test during my walk from the Metro and headed in. The ultrasound was good- Baby 2.0's heartrate was 147 (higher than the recent readings- thanks to the sugar water) and all of his measurements looked good. My cervix looked long (3.7cm) and strong and my fluid levels were good.

The doctor's appointment also went very smoothly- weight and blood pressure were good. The only other update was that all of the baby's caregivers need to get the whooping cough vaccine- Stephen, grandparents, and anyone else who will spend a significant amount of time with Baby 2.0. (I'll get the vaccine in the hospital after I give birth.) So consider yourself on notice!

28 weeks

How big is baby: Hmmm...according to baby center, he is: two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He was over 2lbs 5oz last week, so this is off a bit. I hope we'll get an estimate of his size during Monday's ultrasound.

Weight gain/loss: +13lbs

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: If Chase sleeps through the night, then I sleep through the night.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: I'm trying to eat healthier in advance of the gestational diabetes test on Monday, although I'm (we're) still eating Easter candy after dinner.

Exercise: Err...I'm walking more on my commute since the contractions have subsided some. It's actually about 3 miles a day. I think that counts!

The belly: Huge. See (coming) pictures above and below. Please ignore my terrible hair.

Symptoms: I'm having some lower back pain and have difficulty getting comfortable at night. I've been sleeping with a pillow between my legs, which helps. But I'm only really comfortable sleeping on my left side...for a while. I don't want to ALWAYS sleep that way, but after I flip to my right I'm not comfortable.

Movement: He has very active days (like last Friday and Monday) and then normal days. My uterus is already up to my ribs and the other day I was sitting in a meeting and Baby 2.0 was stretching his foot out right next to my rib. I loved it! There's nothing like worrying that your baby isn't moving enough (like last week) to make you appreciate all of this movement.

What's different this time: I am as big as a house and I feel like it. My belly is in the way. Last night I painted my own toes--it's the last time that will happen. I already have under-belly shirt cleavage. I feel like Homer Simpson!

What I'm looking forward to: Getting our house back together this weekend! We had almost every room painted last weekend (many thanks to Veronica and Josh who graciously let us stay at their house). The painters are coming this weekend to finish Chase's new room and the bathroom, where they took down the wallpaper. I also do not like the color that we picked out for the nursery, so they are repainting that room as well. While all of that is happening, we need to get the downstairs back together- secure bookshelves to the walls and put everything back on them, hang pictures, and decorate. We love how it looks so far and I'll post pictures when everything is back together.

Pregnancy-wise, I'm looking forward to seeing Baby 2.0 on the ultrasound on Monday morning.

Best moment of the week: Work-wise, it was Wednesday's release of this: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/napa/#DraftNatlPlan . It's the result of months of hard work with a lot of colleagues. I would put the experience up there with writing a dissertation, although far more people were involved, and this will have a much greater impact. Although it still needs to be finalized, the release of the draft was a big accomplishment.

Pregnancy-wise, the best moment was Wednesday afternoon when I felt Baby 2.0's hiccups for the 1st time! They were down by my pelvic bone which means he's no longer in the breech position (although they continue turning until like 35 weeks). Chase used to have the hiccups all the time, both when he was an inside baby and right after he was born. It's such a funny sensation.