Goodbye, second trimester

Here are 27 week belly photos:




Today marks the last day of my second trimester. Tomorrow, I start the last leg of this journey. Let me tell you how glad I am. If I could see my feet, I would bend down and touch them and do a back flip. Many times. 2nd trimester as not good to me. Till last couple weeks, I was miserable every day. Every meal I ate was followed by extreme pain and acid reflux. The last 2 weeks, nothing! *knocks on some more wood* So, I am looking forward to the third trimester, since the transition into it seems to promise easier times.

Highlights of this past week:

• Did my gestational diabetes test on Wednesday. I called the doctor's office on Friday and my doc wasn't in so they couldn't give me my results. However, they did say if it had been abnormal, they would have called me. I have my appointment tomorrow, so I'll find out for sure.
• Gained more weight.
  
• Measured my belly and waist and I have officially lost my waist; put on 4-5 inches each since the beginning of the pregnancy in those areas.
• When I stand, I cannot see my feet.
• When I drop something, I cannot bend over or down gracefully to retrieve it.
• I have to get up to use the bathroom every hour at night.

According to the Baby Center website,

the baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, the baby's brain is very active now.

Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

I haven't felt any hiccups yet, but then again, I think because of the hernia mesh in my belly, I feel less of the movements than I would have in its absence.

GTT Yippe kai ey

Mmmm looks like Fanta, smells like Fanta, even tastes like Fanta, but unlike Fanta, this has 50 gms of glucose in it. This is what I had to drink this morning for my Glucose Tolerance Test. Every pregnant woman gets this done between 25 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, I believe, to test for Gestational Diabetes. Which, according to that side, could result in "fat baby." I am already afraid of birthing a 12 pounder, I didn't need to read that. But, I guess I'll get the results by Friday afternoon. They'll call if I failed the test. Then, I have to repeat it over 3 hours. Really hope I pass it this time.

Since I have had gastric bypass, I am technically not a good candidate for this test, since my body doesn't metabolize sugars in a normal way anyways. The other option would have been to do the stick test 4 times a day for 5 days straight. You know? I would have preferred that. I don't mind needles, I don't mind sticking myself. I had heard so many horror stories about the GTT that 20 sticks in my fingers sounded like heaven. Which, if I fail this round, I might ask my doc to just do the sticks.

I don't think I had a goal behind this post, I am just rambling. Blame it on the glucose ;-)

Weight loss motivation

If you know me at all, you know I am a sucker for sales and good deals. This week is tax free shopping in MD. And, Macy's sent me some very nice coupons last week ($20 off $50, $10 off $30 and some 20% off). So, I thought I'd go see if they had anything good. Their prices were good, but nothing I put on felt or looked quite right. Of course, the pregnant belly doesn't help. I put everything back BUT this just caught my eye.



I paid $17 for it; I can get into it now but I sort of look like a stuffed sausage. What I am going to do is hang it in my bedroom to convince me to get on the treadmill after Oli's birth. This has worked before, hopefully it'll work again.

99 bottles of beer on the wall

or in my case 99 days of pregnancy to go ... that;s right folks, I am in the double digits as of today.

Let's see what a 6.5 month (26 weeks) belly looks like, shall we?



That's mah belly! And, that's what my hair would look like if I had the time and patience every morning.

A few things from this past week:

• Had possibly the worst GERD attack at work, in the middle of a very important meeting. Which led me to regurgitate my lunch in a bathroom on the top floor of our building (it's a very important floor)
• BUT, that was the last attack I had! *knocking on every piece of wood I can find as I type this*
• For the second week in a row, I have a 2 lb weight gain. This is better than not gaining or even losing weight, but now I think I should stop with the bags of Rolos and start back with some form of exercise
• Been feeling Oliver kick a little, maybe move a little, off and on. And we might have heard the heartbeat with the dinky little doppler I got off of Amazon
• Been a little sickly the past 3-4 days and the more it lingers, the more it feels like bad allergies. Hopefully, the shot I got on Thursday kicks in soon

Looking forward to next week:

• Got my gestational diabetes test on Saturday. Had planned to do it last Saturday and I got to the lab 15 minutes before they opened (at 6:45 a.m. folks on a Saturday, don't tell me I didn't make an effort). And, there were about 20 people already there. Without an appointment, I would have waited hours. So, I made an appointment for next Saturday.

Beyond that, nothing much planned for this week. Just working and getting the house ready for my parents and sis to get here on the 18th.

Here's what I am pregnant website states is happening at 26 weeks pregnancy:

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue.

I did not know this!

Finger and toe nails continue to grow.

Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus.

Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

According to Baby Center, the network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other.

Uhoh, we need to start being careful of what we are saying.

Oh, cool, this website does week by week comparisons still, so at week 26, your baby is as tall as an English hothouse cucumber and weighs about 1 2/3 pounds. (Length: 14 inches, head to heel.)

Hormonal roller coaster

Argh, so sick and tired of my feeling going up and down. I have never been too affected by hormones, I mean usually my PMSing means I lose my temper a little easily (though my sis and Jeff would say that's normal for any time haha). But lately, it feels like my moods surprise even me. Monday was a blue day, yesterday was ok, mostly because I spent a lot of it in heartburn hell. But, I have no idea what was wrong Monday, I just could not see anything positive for after the baby's born. Our life will change, will our friends still want to hang out with us, will I lose my identity as Sylvie and as Jeff's wife and only become a "mom" to everyone?

And today, I keep wanting to cry thinking about how I can't wait to hold Oliver in my arms. I am wondering if he'll be clingy, will he be his mommy's boy? How long will he let me hug him and kiss him before he's embarrassed of his old mom? Or, will he follow his daddy everywhere, wanting to be like him and do everything he does?

Will he look like his dad (and his granddaddy since Jeff looks a lot like his dad)? What will he inherit from the Khajurias?

Will he have an interest in academia and go in for the long haul like both his grandfathers and his Aunt Jenny and get a PhD? Or, like his grandma Pooja, get a number of degrees (I lose count at 4, I think :-P) Or, will he be like his Grandma Chris or Aunt Suheir and want to heal people? Will he inherit his creativity from his aunt Kelly? Or, will he be a pioneer and do something nobody's done in the family?

Or will he inherit all the geekiness and nerdiness from his own parents and build his own computer before reaching his teens? *gasp* will he inherit the stubbornness and recklessness of youth from his parents? This is where I get the idea that I'll inject him with the same chip Smokey has so we can track him. Y'all who frown right now have no clue what Jeff and I got up to in our younger days. Scares the living crap out of me. And, the world we are living in now is in no way safer than the world we grew up in.

One moment, I feel like I am dreaming about this pregnancy and this could not be real. Next moment, I feel a slight kick under my belly button, sometimes right to the bladder, as if he's punishing me for doubting he's in there. Sometimes, I dread November and the birth and the changes it'll bring. Other times, I can't wait for the next 3 months to pass and for us and our family and friends to meet him.

I really hope this roller coaster eases up or the next 3 months are going to be so much fun for Jeff.

25 weeks down

and time for a new food item comparison. The Bump states that for the next 4 weeks, the baby will be an:

For the men out there, Tarzan's Guide states it's more like a:

What to expect this week? I am pregnant tells me:

As your baby becomes more dexterous, he will be able to touch and hold his feet. Babies also begin to prefer their left hand or right hand at this time.

I hope he's ambidextrous. Come on baby, you can do it :-)

Because babies settle into routines of sleep and activity, you might begin to notice these patterns as well. Some women experience the most fetal movementswhile they are trying to rest.

Oliver really hasn't been keeping me up or from resting. I feel movement throughou the day, here and there. A kick sometimes, a swoosh other times.

I took an impromptu vacation last weekend, I visited my sister and parents in Wilmington, NC from Friday through Sunday morning. And I did NOTHING! I lazed around while my sister worked, then we'd go shopping or watch a movie. We went to Ruby Tuesday for lunch and Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner to celebrate her. Overall, very relaxing weekend (except for when I checked my email and found out I had to be at work way before I was going to be on Monday and that changed Sunday plans for me and Jeff). But, I came back with 2 new pairs of shoes, so it was a VERY successful vacation.

Now, the countdown is to their visiting me on August 18th :) My sis will be here for a week before heading out to Switzerland and my parents will stick around for another week. At the tail end of their visit, we leave for a weekend in Niagara Falls. I have never been, so I am really excited to cross off another place from my list.

6 months down, 4ish to go

I decided this might be a good time to take a photo of the belly because it seems like it's bulged out.





According to I am pregnant, at 24 weeks:

This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Because your uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on your abdomen, you might get stretch marks. Your weight gain may also be taking a toll on your body at this point. Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. You might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds.

I can attest to the fatigue. I just said to Jeff this afternoon that I was so exhausted even though I don't seem to do anything. I gained 2 lbs this past week, could be the bags of Milanos and Rolos, maybe, I think.

The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born!

Hah, I hope the ears are where they're supposed to be!

Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

Really? Because I swear he's doing exactly that in there sometimes, along with some light kicking and some swimming around.