Bumpdate: Week 27

Rather than make excuses for my appearance, I'll just promise to never again share another self portrait of myself in workout gear. (Though please note that I'm wearing padded bike shorts. If only I could say the same for my bra. Good Lord.)

Ah, week 27, the week of the ... cauliflower? Also, the last week of my second trimester! Good-bye, comfort. Good-bye, renewed sense of energy. Good-bye, cute basketball-shaped belly. (Not that we ever said hello to begin with.) But for once, parting is not such sweet sorrow. Time is flying, and I'm excited to enjoy my last trimester, and getting even more excited to meet Baby Girl!

This past week was another busy one as Sammy and I continued our jam-packed mornings filled with Baby Boot Camp, Music Together, Water Babies, and Mother Goose on the Loose. (Seriously - these are all the activities we are participating in right now. And that's only our mornings.) It's no wonder that I've been feeling a bit more tired than usual in the afternoon! And while several months ago, I would have been using Sammy's afternoon nap to be uber-productive, I am feeling no guilt at all when I use this time to sit / nap on the couch and enjoy a little time to myself. As Lord knows, in a few short months, this will no longer be an option.

Sneak peek at Baby's monogram

Instead, I save my SND (Severe Nesting Disorder) for evenings and weekends, when James gets home. And it appears to be getting worse and worse as the weeks wear on. This past week / weekend I reorganized both of our bathroom closets, I began going through Sammy's closet and sorting newborn items that Baby Sister will use, I had her coming home outfit monogrammed, I ordered some artwork for Baby's room, I ordered fabric for some buntings I'm planning to sew for both Baby and Sammy's rooms, I added laundry detergent to our Amazon Subscribe and Save program (amidst heart palpitations over the increased amount of laundry I'll soon have to do), I bought paint for Sammy's big boy room, and we picked up a new rug for his room. This was all in between keeping Sammy entertained, a couple play dates, cooking meals for my family, cleaning the house, and getting in almost daily workouts.

Had I not organized our bathroom closets this weekend, I might not have realized that we can probably skip our next delivery (or three) of toilet paper. (And please ignore the shoddy condition of the closet. It will be disappearing soon.)

(Is it weird that I'm beginning to look forward to giving birth, as besides the obvious reason, it also gives me two to three days where I'm not allowed to do anything other than sit in bed and care for a newborn?)

(And yes, I fully understand that come month 1 or 2 post Baby, I'll reread this entry and - as I lay on the couch among the squalor that has become my home, with Baby crying for food or to be changed, and Sammy crying out of neglect - I'll likely want to kick myself.)

Anyway, I'm excited to enter week 28, even though my What to Expect app warns against major feelings of discomfort, backaches, and sciatic nerve pain. Baby now weighs in at about two and a half pounds, and measures about 16 inches. She now can cough, suck harder (?), and breathe just a little better. There's still a lot more growing that will occur over the next 12 (12!) weeks, but at this point, if Baby were to be born, her prognosis would be good as her lungs have about reached maturity. (Don't listen to that, Baby! You stay put!)

Total weight gained: I keep forgetting to weigh myself first thing in the morning, so I'll use the number that appears at the end of the day - 20. No judgment. This is clearly going to be another pregnancy where I reach the higher end of my recommended weight gain.

Belly: Rather than focus on the fact that my stomach is ginormous right now, let's talk about what's going on inside it. And let me tell you - a lot is going on inside it. Movement continues to be frequent, the kicks and rolls are getting stronger, and near the end of this week, I had a few moments where I noticed a definite tightness. I can't tell if that is occurring on the outside of my belly, or it's just the fact that Baby is rolling / shifting around on the inside of it. Regardless, thank goodness Sammy is becoming a tiny bit more independent these days, as he doesn't seem to mind when I need to lay on the ground beside him and take a break for a minute while I wait for whatever I'm experiencing to calm down.

Sleep: I'm tired (both literally and figuratively) of talking about sleep. It wasn't great this past week. It likely will never be great again.

Best moment of the week: On Wednesday, I had my monthly doctor appointment, and in addition to hearing a strong beating heart, I learned that I passed my diabetes test with flying colors. I didn't even have any issues with my iron level, which, in the past, has been pretty low both pre- and during-pregnancy. And, moving forward, I now have to go to the doctor every other week. I can hardly believe we're at that point in the pregnancy already!

Movement: See Belly.

Super Bowl Day is the one time a year I cast any sort of food snobbery aside and cook dishes that contain immense amounts of mayonnaise, cream cheese, canned vegetables, etc. Sidenote: I love being pregnant on Super Bowl Day. 

Food cravings / aversions: Let me just put it out there. This year, the Super Bowl was not about the game, the half-time show (though I did look forward to Beyonce's performance), nor even the commercials. It was about the food. And did I enjoy it! And boy am I paying for it today, as I'm exhausted, feeling puffy, and am sore after a killer Baby Boot Camp workout this morning, no doubt made even more difficult due to the amount of pepperoni bread I consumed last night.

Weird symptoms: The belly tightness is a bit weird to me. Though when I mentioned it to my doctor, she didn't flinch. I never experienced Braxton Hicks contractions with Sammy (at least I don't think I did), so I wonder if that's what I could be dealing with. Who knows. Sometimes I feel like I could not possibly be more out of tune with my body. This is one of those times.

What I miss: Hmm. Getting around with ease? I don't know - I'm not missing too much this week. I'm over missing alcohol, I'm over missing clothes that fit, and at this point, I don't remember a time when I slept well, so there's not much to miss there.

What I'm looking forward to: Just looking forward to enjoying the last trimester and soaking up as much time as possible with my (always entertaining) first born. 

Workout: Finally, finally, I have a decent workout week to report! Primarily as I made it back to the pool! And not just once, but twice! It's unfortunate that I took a whole month off as my form is absolutely horrid, and my swimming fitness is severely lacking, but that's okay. For once I'm giving myself a break and am okay with easing back into things.

• Monday: Baby Boot Camp
• Tuesday: Rest Day
• Wednesday: Biked 8 miles
• Thursday: First day back at the pool! Only made it 700 dinky yards though as I had a weird cramp in my lower right abdomen that wouldn't go away, and didn't want to push it. 
• Friday: Baby Boot Camp
• Saturday: Biked 8.69 miles. (It helps to have new episodes of Barefoot Contessa to watch while riding!)
• Sunday: Swam 900 yards. (Before consuming 900 bazillion calories during the Super Bowl.)