29 weeks... How did THAT happen?!

How far along? 29 weeks today. Whoa.

 

Total weight gain: 15-20 pounds, but as usual, I'm not sure.

Maternity clothes? Yes, and I may never go back to normal clothes again. Give me all stretchy, all the time. Only downfall is no pockets.

Stretch marks? No, but I am developing some really  serious bright blue veins pretty much all over everywhere, including my stomach. It looks crazy. And I have one particularly nasty vein on the left side of my belly that I'm afraid is there to stay. Apparently I accidentally did one of my nightly Lovenox shots right smack in the middle of that vein, and it bled forever. Then, the next day that same vein was very dark and prominent, with a red circle in the middle where the shot went in. And it's only gotten uglier since then. I am not amused. 

But seriously, it's all worth it.
 

Sleep? I think I cursed myself a couple weeks back when I told someone I didn't have the usual pregnancy night issues of having to pee multiple times and not being able to sleep. Literally within a week of that conversation the night peeing started, and with it the inability to fall back asleep. I now sleep like crap, but I'm ok with it. Again, worth it.

Best moment this week? Feeling/seeing him shift around in there. He must be getting BIG because the movements feel different... just heavier and more noticeable than before. Other good moments have been in talking to my students about the baby when they ask. I didn't expect them to be so interested, but they are, and it's cute.
 

Miss Anything? Lately, I do miss having a nice beer out with my husband, or a glass of wine in my pj's at home. And running. But I don't really miss them as much as I just look forward to partaking in them again in December. And I don't miss what they meant to me before (I kind of got to where I viewed them as consolation prizes for failed cycles), which was pretty much every other 2 weeks as I waited to ovulate. I know I'll reach that point again, and I already dread it. For now though, I'm trying to just enjoy being pregnant as much as is possible with my anxiety, and honestly, I don't REALLY miss any of the stuff I can't have.

Movement? Yes, finally a bit more regularly throughout the day, though he still follows no patterns that I can discern. I love his twists and shifts though, and am dreading his next "quiet spell", which he is bound to have. Usually after an active 5 days or so, he'll slow way down and probably just grow and sleep for a few days. I hate it though, as it's always when I panic that something is wrong. For now though, he's being nice and active for me, and I love every second of it. Lots of hiccups too, which are the cutest thing ever (and getting stronger!).

Food cravings? I'm back on the sweet stuff: ice cream and candy...though I try to have them sparingly! I had a scare there when I failed my glucose test and had to return for the 3 hour test last Saturday, and thought I might have to swear off sugar for the remainder of the pregnancy. But luckily I passed the 2nd test and am now free and clear to indulge at will.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I still loathe toothpaste.

Labor Signs? No braxton hicks yet, or anything of the sort, thankfully.

Symptoms? Tired, night trips to the bathroom, somewhat sore lower back at times, round ligament pain in my lower abdomen when I take walks, a million and one veins showing up on my body...

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but I don't think it'll be long now. Honestly, it just looks creepy at this point.

Wedding rings on or off?  On. Still no swelling.

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happier than I've been for most of the pregnancy, probably due to many factors: more movement; being back to school and liking the kids/my job; NOT having to see my OB for a while now as I've had appointments with other (nicer) doctors instead; passing the 28 week point where I now know he has really good chance of being just fine if he were to come early; loving the fall weather; feeling like December is no longer a lifetime away; and various other good things going on (my brother is getting his kidney transplant in one month!). Of course that is today, and I know full well tomorrow I might be a mess (especially if the little guy enters one of his quiet phases).

Looking forward to? My next appointment this Thursday with the nurse-midwife at my office, who I've heard is incredibly wonderful and nice. I'm also looking forward to my 2 baby showers coming up (I think I'm ok with it, which is huge). One is October 13th here in town, and the other will be the 27th downstate where we lived before. I'm really looking forward to both, though I know I'll struggle with them at the same time. More on that later.

Ureter update: At the 27 week ultrasound his ureter issue was cleared as no longer being an issue. Hooray! I am so happy about that. All looked good, and if I hadn't freaked out about the clenched fists thing a day later, there would have been no reason to ever worry. I'm over that now, as I already wrote about. I drive myself crazy sometimes.

 I haven't posted pictures in a while, so I want to do that (this is mostly for myself to have the progress documented):

28 weeks

28 weeks from front

28 weeks and a few days

29 weeks

29 weeks, up close and personal with the little man

This guy had a birthday recently :)