28 Weeks

It has been a long slow week. Chris has been in the field since Saturday and was gone until Wednesday night. 

So it was just mostly me and Ava. And the crazy animals.

I have felt semi-depressed during his absence. I felt this way when he was away in Boston several weeks back. I'm pretty sure that the pregnancy hormones are responsible for that feeling! I normally do just fine while he is away. I just felt ultra lonely and I missed him a lot. 

It helped that I had some things to do, though.

I did some yoga from a prenatal yoga DVD. I was sad to realize my range of motion and flexibility has greatly decreased, but some of those poses felt so good on my back! Afterward I felt relaxed and less stiff and restricted and more like a well-oiled machine. I could see a difference in how much less effort it took to go up and down stairs! The video was a little outdated and sorta cheesy, but the yoga itself was good. Not a bad workout for buying it used at $4!

Ava participated by occasionally kicking and having a round of hiccups.

I was instantly hungry afterward. :)

I often think of the foods that are off-limits for now and how much I want to eat them.

Sushi.

Caesar salad.
(Some restaurants make the dressing from scratch.)

Cold-cut sandwiches.

A juicy steak with a medium-pink center.

And of course...

A beer.

Or some wine.

I've heard that it is "okay" to have one glass of red wine (I think it was red...) occasionally in the third trimester.

I think I would be okay with just a sip. Just for a taste. :)

I am beginning to prep for a day of making my freezer meal stash. I've already gotten the recipes together and compiled my grocery list and figured out what ingredients I already have. It's gonna be a busy day! Pinterest has been a great resource for my freezer meal selections. I made a small batch of freezer meals when I shut down our kitchen in anticipation for the PCS here. It was a lifesaver! I was able to pack everything in the kitchen; I just made sure to leave an oven mitt (or a towel) out and we used plastic utensils and paper plates. A disposable, square aluminum pan was the perfect size for the two of us to have dinner one night and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

I have had a bit of acid reflux in the past few days. I had to google it to be sure that's what it was - I've never had it before! Fortunately it's nothing severe, just that annoying feeling in my throat that makes me need a drink of water or want to chew a piece of gum. The sensation I feel is almost like food is coming up my throat and gets stuck there, and sometimes it makes me think I might need to throw up to get it out, but then I just cough instead and that usually makes the sensation dissipate.  The other day it made me stop what I was doing and run for some water! It is a yucky, sour/burning feeling.

I feel like Ava has really grown a lot in the past few weeks! I'm not quite sure how my doctor measures my fundal height since I have a bicornute uterus, but I think the uterus may finally be high enough to start pressing on my stomach, which is probably the reason for the reflux. No wonder babies with reflux are so fussy - I get it now! Not fun.

I had my glucose test on Wednesday.

It was really boring.

I had eggs for breakfast and I was ready to get it over with so I could eat some more. (By the way...have you tried Taco Bell's new breakfast menu? It's pretty good! I highly recommend trying the crunch wrap and cinnabon delights!)

It was really boring.

Oh, I already said that...well, it was.

I quickly drank the "glucola" and tried to occupy my mind during the hour wait by making a grocery list and a to-do list for the day. Then I read a little of my book I brought. There is no cell phone reception in most areas of the hospital that I have been in - it is a definite dead zone (which now I'm realizing could be a real downer when it's delivery time!) so I did not have that tool to keep me occupied. The drink didn't set 100% well with me; it did make me feel a little weird, for a lack of a better term. Tons of sugar on a semi empty stomach tends to do that to me.

But...

I passed! All my blood work came back normal! Yay me!

I had my 28 week appointment earlier today, and just as I suspected, she is growing like a little weed. The enlarged kidney is still present, but it is a very mild case and could very well be resolved by my 32 week ultrasound. Yay Ava!

I start my fetal movement counts from here on out. I have a feeling this is an area Ava will "excel" in; she is quite the active baby!

I am mentally preparing myself for the infamous third trimester agonies of overall uncomfortableness. Hey, as long as Ava keeps growing, that's all I will care about!

I was looking back through the images we got of Ava at our 4D ultrasound earlier in the second trimester. I really want to go back to see my little froggie again! Here are some images of her that make me smile (at almost 19 weeks...she is MUCH bigger now!):

Hanging out with her umbilical cord.

 

Maybe in the process of yawning?

 Her go-to position.


And my personal fave:

...and this one makes me laugh, too:

She appears to be quite comfortable in there!

We got a small recliner for her room and Chris plans to finish up her dresser this weekend. We are getting down to it in her room! I'm sure I will start her laundry soon and start to find places for all her essentials. Last week we got her mamaRoo swing!

For $8 out of pocket!!

(I had a 20% off coupon and we finally cashed in on our Babies R Us gift card stash.)

 We are getting so excited for your arrival, miss Ava! Mommy and Daddy are feeling more and more prepared!

(I don't know why these posts are getting so long...they are including much more info than I had originally thought they would! Oh well; to me this is taking the place of talking in person or on the phone with each of you. I do miss being able to drive across town to spend time with friends and family!)