Objects in picture...

...are much smaller than they appear in real life. Or at least they feel like it.

Baby Reeder at 28w5d

Happenings.

No big events in the Reeder household lately, so I thought I'd just catch y'all up on some of the latest in Baby Reeder happenings:

- We have a pediatrician! As of last Friday, we are "in the books" at Montgomery Pediatrics. Yes, this was my doctor's office when I was a child...go figure. Since I'm so familiar with the office, procedures, and even our doctor (though different from my own as a child), we get to forego the awkward meet n' greet as well!

- We've finally revisited the nursery this week, after a several-weeks-long decorating hiatus. A lovely ceiling light was installed over the weekend (that I'm quite thrilled about!!) Window valances are underway, thanks to Grandma. Also, I'm finally giving serious thought to what we will put on all those blank blue walls. Baby Reeder needs to be visually stimulated by something, right?

- I'm pretty sure Baby Reeder has hooked his foot around my ribs and is now hanging monkey-bar style. He's positioned so high that I swear he'll never "drop". I rarely feel movement below my belly button anymore, except for hiccups (no longer adorable, btw) and the occasion jabs to my bladder. And, I must admit, I've started pushing back when he gets so high that I can't breathe.

- I've started doing kick counts every so often, mostly when I haven't felt him bustin' a move in a while. They say to give him 1 hour to move 10 times. My child knocks this out in 10 minutes or less. Already an overachiever like both his parents :)

- I am so delighted that it's October because we're that much closer to meeting this little one. I cannot wait, honestly. It's seriously all I ever think about. I'm especially excited to see his sweet little face and figure out his personality. Despite all of the aches and pains, this pregnancy has been the greatest gift I've ever been given. I'm going to (try to) cherish it while it lasts, but I can't help but be excited for Christmas!

28 weeks.

I'm exhausted. Had my RhoGAM shot this morning - didn't go so well. I got up at 6 to make it to the hospital at 7, in hopes that I'd have enough time to get it done before my 7:50 OB appt next door. Wrong. I wasn't feeling good to begin with - I could feel the nerves working themselves up, but hoped it was more because I just can't breathe well anymore. Go up to L&D, they check my temp and BP, all the while I'm doing fine. She gives me the injection (which was in the hip, by the way - awkward...) Then she tells me she wants to wait 10 minutes and check my temp/BP again to make sure I didn't react to the shot.

About 9 min and 30 sec later, I start to feel it coming. "It" being my classic hyperventilation symptoms I've grown to know so well - clamminess, trouble breathing, sweating profusely, muffled hearing, blurry vision, immediately very pale. The nurse came in right as it was starting and could tell I wasn't doing well (perhaps because I was sweating through my shirt and colorless). My BP had dropped, but luckily picked back up after a few minutes. I'm fine, but it completely drained me of energy (of which I had little to begin with due to a restless night). I'm not sure what brings this on, but I attribute it to nerves and low blood sugar (apparently a bowl of Cheerios wasn't enough today.)

I ended up being 20 minutes late to my appt (probably also a contributing factor to my nerves,) but they were sympathetic! The appt was great, as usual. Baby Reeder's heartbeat is still at 140 bpm and everything "feels" good to the doc. They had me up 6 lbs for the month, versus my 4 lb at-home assessment (I weigh myself at the same time every day wearing exactly the same thing), so I attribute the extra 2 to heavier winter clothing :) She's not worried that my resting heart rate is now around 100 bpm - it was sure worrying the crap out of me! I go back in 4 weeks, at which time I'll start bi-weekly appts (hooray!)

How far along?: 28 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 this week, +11 overall.
How big is baby?: Approximately 2 1/4 lbs. and 14.8 inches long.
Maternity clothes?: Officially have to retire all summer things (why hello, autumn!) so I need to go get a few more comfy wintery maternity shirts.
Sleep: Ditto last week. Still touch and go, the back is improving overall but not when it comes time for bed. Gravity causes my heavy belly to ache when I lay down, but positions that provide relief (far on my side so it actually rests on a pillow) end up hurting the back and irritating the baby.
Movement: Dance party in my tummy these days. I feel EVERY little movement this kid makes. I believe we are now transverse, but the OB says the baby switches positions up to 20 times a day, so I'm sure he won't stay this way.
Labor signs: Pretty confident these are Braxton Hicks contractions I'm feeling every so often.
Food cravings: Sugar.
Gender: Getting really excited to find out!
Belly button in or out?: Definitely surfacing, though it has a ways to go.
What I miss: My heels. I bought supportive old lady shoes yesterday. Sacrificing fashion for my child for the first of what I'm sure will be many times.
What I am looking forward to: December 23rd :)
Best moment this week: Love this - So I bought a supportive bra this weekend to help alleviate some back pain (very tight and slightly painful is apparently a good thing.) After a long day wearing the new bra, I couldn't take the pressure anymore, so off it came when I got home. When the husband got home, there it sat right next to me on the floor. The look of confusion on his face was priceless. :)
Weekly Wisdom: "Supportive" does indeed mean ugly 99% of the time.
Milestones: I'm starting to be able to distinguish body parts when the baby presses against my belly. Weird!

Ribs.

No, I'm not talking about the delicious BBQ-sauce-covered, Montgomery Inn kind. I'm talking about the ones that Baby Reeder keeps round-house kicking with wild abandon. Ouch. As if it weren't hard enough to breath already...

Also lung-constricting is the fact that I'm carrying Jackie Chan pretty high, as evidenced by the fact that my belly and my Girls now touch. I told the husband last night that it felt like they were resting on my belly, to which he replied "That's because they are..." while making a scared-looking face (scared of the body changes or scared I'd slap him for commenting on it? I'm not sure.) I guess it was bound to happen at some point. And I'm pretty sure I'd rather be carrying high than having to literally carry a low-lying belly around.

I know I sound like a whiner, but it's been a very rough 7 days. On the bright side, the back is (I think) on the road to recovery plus I'm going to make it through a full day at work! Speaking of work, only about 2 months to go (and I'm having "The Talk" with my boss next week!!)

Quick OB visit.

This week has been hell. I've only made it through one full day of work (the rest were halves), have been relatively lifeless when I'm at home, and have had many emotional breakdowns this week. Due to an unbearable back and multiple symptoms resulting from said back pain, I went to see the doctor today. I have my monthly appointment scheduled for next week, but really needed the peace of mind that everything was okay. They say the baby feels what the mom feels, so the thought of my little one suffering as much as I have been was very worrisome to me. So I went for a quick check-up.

And, as expected, Baby Reeder is fine, with a heartbeat in the 140's. On paper, I'm also the picture of health. My doctor gave me some tips for relieving the back pain and told me to continue getting a lot of rest. I've had trouble breathing this week, and she assumes this is due to changing hormones rather than my back. I've been asking around about chiropractors lately thinking this may be helpful, but she's not convinced I would benefit very much from this (as I don't appear to have a slipped disk or anything.) She actually recommended I look into getting more supportive bras and shoes (sorry, flip flops, but you're done for the year).

She wanted me to keep my appt for Wednesday, so I'll have my regular check-up then and we'll see how things are going. My goals for this weekend are to try to relax, get as much sleep as possible, and do some light shopping for supportive (i.e. ugly) shoes.

Trampoline.

Baby Reeder,

Mommy's bladder is NOT a trampoline. It is just barely past noon and I have already had to pee 6, yes 6, times today. My back hurts way too much to keep getting up and down for bathroom breaks. So please simmer down. Thanks.

Love,
Your Mama

3rd trimester.

Baby Reeder at 26w4d

Ah, Florida. You were a little slice of heaven. Baby Reeder and I have returned from a lovely long weekend in FL with 2 of his aunts. Our days consisted of beach, pool, sun, repeat :) I coated my body with spf 50 to keep from burning, as my pregnant skin is super-sensitive, and managed to escape with a little bit of a tan to get me through the fall. The girls were incredibly helpful in keeping me comfortable, and I had a rather blissful few days down there.

And then we tried to come home. 12 hours of travelling, and only about 2.5 of those were actual flight time. Needless to say, I became very familiar with the various airport bathrooms. The 3 of us managed to stay happy and entertained for I'd say the first 9 hours - after that, I was done (despite the girls' every effort to make me comfortable - thanks again!) When I finally got home at 2 a.m., I burst into tears the second I sat down on my bed - a combination of utter exhaustion, a sore back, and relief to finally be home. I'm still recovering today, but hoping I can make it through a full work day (unlike yesterday.)

How far along?: 27 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +2 this week, +10.5 overall.
How big is baby?: 2 lbs. and 14 inches long? Really? Good growing, baby!
Maternity clothes?: The baby loves to punch the waistband of my pants, which isn't super comfortable. I wish I could wear drawstring pants all the time, since they lovingly sit below the belly.
Sleep: Ouch. I still haven't found a comfortable position, now that my back hates me and the belly is so heavy. The back and hip pain I wake up with every morning has me dreading getting in bed.
Movement: Getting very intense - no more nice little kicks. This little man is feisty (like his mama). Yesterday, he simultaneously elbowed me in the cervix and kicked me in the rib. At least he's still head-down, as his daily hiccups are nice and low. Hopefully he'll stay that way, because I don't want to have to play the breech/transverse baby-turning game.
Labor signs: None, though I've had a few moments where I've experienced some tightening/cramping that might be the start of Braxton Hicks (after "booking it" through the Atlanta airport, for example). I guess we'll see...
Food cravings: Baked goods. Anything made with sugar, really.
Gender: Well if Juan the waiter from the Ft. Myers Carrabba's is as accurate as he claims, it's a girl. But he was a bit of a creeper, so who knows...
Belly button in or out?: I think it's slowly surfacing.
What I miss: Thinking of my bed as an oasis.
What I am looking forward to: Next week's OB appointment.
Best moment this week: Swimming! I haven't been in a pool in years and it was heavenly.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't fly through Atlanta when you're 26+ weeks pregnant.
Milestones: Two-thirds of the way there, kids. I still wouldn't say time is "flying" by any means, but September has been as helpful as I thought it would be in keeping time moving.

Proof that I own a bathing suit! (And it's hard to see, but it says "27 weeks" in the sand)