30wks 3 days

Today I had my 30 wk appt. All continues to be well. No weight gain since my last appt (@28wks), blood pressure is good, baby's heartbeat is a strong 151bpm and my pregnant belly is measuring right at 30 cm. God is good!

how far along? 30wks 3 days

weight gain? none since 28wks, but total pregnancy is 12lbs so far.

maternity clothes? yes, all day every day. I've come to love elastic pants!

how big is baby? About 3lbs and 16.5-17 inches

stretch marks? yes, still very faint. My linea nigra is barely visible.

sleep? yes and no. hips have started to hurt at night, so lots of tossing and turning

best moment this week? hearing baby girl's heartbeat

movement? definitely, bigger moves these days.

labor signs? none, thank God!

cravings? fries

belly button in or out? in, but stretching a great deal horizontally

what i miss? heels. I would love to rock all my boots w/heels but I promised my feet and legs that I wouldn't do it. I've been in nothing but flats since discovering I was expecting.

what i am looking forward to? my baby showers!

weekly wisdom? Enjoy the pregnancy experience, it goes by fast.

milestones? Passing my glucose screening

More on baby: Your baby's eyelids are now open; its eyelashes and eyebrows are visible as well. It weighs about 3lbs; crown to rum length is 27cm and total length is about 17 inches (38cm) long, two-thirds its final size. The fetus's level of infection fighting antibodies now is equivalent to yours. As baby's skin smoothes out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn-her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.

More on mama-to-be: Your breasts now contain colostrum-the sweet, yellowish, nutrient and antibody rich fluid which is your baby's first food. It plays a vital role in providing your baby nourishment while your body prepares to switch into breast milk production mode. Colostrum production stops after 3-5 days after your baby is born and is replaced with breast milk. If you are beginning to feel tired or listless, it might be worth cutting back your work hours or stopping work altogether sooner rather than later.

It is not unusual to have a sudden burst of energy during the final trimester; many women start to clean up or do up baby's room. This is referred to as the 'nesting' instinct and the plus side is you feel better about your surroundings and have more time to spend with your baby once she arrives. One the downside, you end up tiring yourself. You are going to need all the energy once your labor starts so if cleaning or decorating is necessary, enlist help from others.

Passed!

I had my glucose screening test last Wednesday, Jan.13th and had not heard anything back from my practitioner. Yes, I kinda knew that that meant I'd passed but I just wanted to hear them say it. So I called yesterday afternoon and left a message for the phone nurse and she called back today informing me that I'd passed the 1-hr screening and that my iron levels were within the normal range. I PASSED!!! Not that I didn't expect I would, I suppose I just got so caught up in other pregnant women's stories about not passing and having to suffer through the 3-hr test. Honestly, I was never really concerned b/c I drink an insane amount of water daily (3-4 liters) in addition to juice and milk so I figured that alone was good. Granted, I have allowed myself certain indulgences that shall remain nameless...., but I guess I've really kept it all in moderation.

For example, I was never concerned that my iron would be too low b/c I know I eat at least one hamburger a week! That alone is a good source of iron. LOL. And since being pregnant I have not been able to stomach the idea of turkey bacon although I've eaten it for years! Now, it's the real thing or no bacon at all. There are no substitutes for the real thing these days. If I want something I want it in its full-fledged caloric, sugary, fatty, sauteed, marinated....you get the idea.

The other great thing is that the Antarctic type weather we'd been experiencing here in Atlanta has finally let up and I was able to get back outside during lunch and go for a nice, long 2 mile walk. It was both refreshing, relaxing and sooo much needed. My body needed some sort of exercise b/c I've honestly not been doing much with my prenatal DVD. It was a good idea in theory, but much like the gym, I haven't seen much of it lately. So sad. My intent is really good though...sigh. As long as I get a few miles in a week I think I'm good. My weight is being managed well so I really have no concerns, but I do want to have the strength to push my baby girl out when its time. At my 28wk appt I learned that I'd gained a whopping 4lbs since December (which I think is amazing considering Christmas fell in that window) for a total pregnancy weight gain-to-date of 12lbs! I'm amazed, really, but I'll take that b/c honestly I don't need to gain more than 20-25lbs for the entire pregnancy, so I'm on the right track.

My next appointment is scheduled for Jan. 27th and I'll be 30wks2days. I expect this to be a rather quick appointment since we did the blood work thing at the last one. Leave a urine sample, weigh in, blood pressure, listen to Olivia's heartbeat, measure my stomach, any questions? See you in 2-wks. I love it! I can't believe I'm almost 10 weeks (or so) from holding my precious daughter. I'm so excited!!! I look forward to meeting this little personality that's forming in my womb. Lord, if she's like me....she's going to be sooo much fun! A joy!

I'm going to be a MAMA!!!! **church scoot**

28 weeks!

how far along? 28 weeks
weight gain? maybe 12lbs...not sure, will find out at Wednesdays appt.
maternity clothes? yes and I love them!
how big is baby? about 15" and 2-3lbs
stretch marks? yes, but they're light
sleep? yes but waking early in the a.m
best moment this week? the arrival of the crib and dresser
movement? all the time. This is how she wakes me in the mornings
labor signs? none. Thank God
cravings? nothing in particular. Still kinda finicky w/food
belly button in or out? in
what i miss? nothing. I love being pregnant!
what i am looking forward to? completing the nursery...finally
weekly wisdom? people will rarely do things like/when you want them done, so do it yourself, hire someone to do it, or accept their attempt.
milestones? I have my glucose screening (test for gestational diabetes) on Weds (1/13) and I begin bi-weekly doctor appts until 36 weeks and then its weekly appts w/the doctor.

More on baby:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8" from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

More on mama-to-be:
At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had a follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth)

Around this time, some women fee an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

Early Mornings, Early Nights

The realization is finally setting in that my mornings will probably be running concurrent with my nights. My sweet darling has started to wake me up around the 5am hour with her lovely little kicks. When I open my eyes, I catch a view of my clock which normally has a number starting with 3,4 or 5 before the colon....sigh. It is what it is. So I lay there for a few minutes and rub my belly and converse with my darling daughter and then I hear it. The rumbling of a hungry belly. Could I really be hungry at the 3,4 or 5am hour? Apparently so and Olivia makes sure that I'm aware of it. So I do what any attentive and nurturing mama-to-be would do, I roll out of bed and head downstairs towards the kitchen to satisfy my child's desire. At this early hour, it's usually only a piece of fruit and/or a bowl of cereal b/c more than likely I will attempt to get back to sleep for at least another hour.

For instance, this morning my dear heart starting kickboxing around 5am and so I had a b0wl of cereal and grabbed a bottled water and headed back upstairs to the warm comforts of my bed. She seemed mildly appeased with that. She's definitely not asleep (and obviously neither am I) but she is still tumbling around in there. I love this! I really do. It's not a complaint, but an observation. I always wondered what it would feel like to have someone moving around side your body quite randomly. It's the most amazing experience ever. A true God act!

So it's Sunday and I normally go to 7:30am services but since the roads are still kinda icy and it would be dark with me leaving home, I'm going to 9:30am services instead so that I can actually see the road. After a good Word, I'm going to Babies R' Us to pick up the mattress so that when the crib is delivered I can dress the crib w/her beautiful bedding. The dresser was delivered last night from Ikea and it's beautiful. I'm so ready to finally be completely finished with the nursery so that I can begin washing her clothes and putting them away. I'm officially in my 3rd trimester now and I anticipate getting back to feeling tired and sluggish as she will reach her full maturity during this stage. I don't want to have major things undone. I've planned things out so that the only major things I'll have are my baby shower(s), which I'm definitely been looking forward to. Maybe I can stop spending $. Yeah, right. LOL. Maybe I'll also hit the outlets after church. I have coupons for Carter's and OshKosh. I can't help it. The deals are so unbelievably good you just can't pass them up. Every single thing in her (walk-in) closet is from clearance and/or is a sale item. I'm proud of myself. I'm a smart and efficient shopper. So I don't feel bad at all when my friends say, "you're not going to leave anything for us to buy!" Quite the contrary, there will be plenty of things to purchase, a full registry of things, but clothes, she will never have too many of those, right? (Now that was one long run-on sentence...LOL)

BCS National Champions: The Crimson Tide of Alabama!!!!

Unless you live in a cave, you know that the BCS National Championship match-up between #1 Alabama and #2 Texas was played last night. It was a great game.....around the second quarter. Alabama definitely didn't have a strong start but they quickly turned it around. At half-time the score was 24-6, Alabama. That felt good, real good! We held that lead for a while and the the Texas rooky QB started to find a rhythm and they made a TD which lessened our lead. Not so comfortable for me. I won't go into a play-by-play, but it was a good ball game. Alabama, again, proved to be the best college team in the SEC and the Nation last night and I'm sooo proud of my school! Mark Ingram, our Heisman winner, stellar performance.

I was screaming like a wild banshee from start to finish. It was an intense, passion that we won. We'd gone so far during the season, undefeated, won the SEC title against then #1 Florida, so it was only right that we took the National Title. I am one proud Alumnae! Roll Tide!! I bet my baby thought I was under attack. I hope her hearing isn't all that keen just yet b/c I was cursing and yelling and doing all sorts of unseemly football things. LOL. SEC football is the best college football there is. The best football period in my opinion. I don't care for NFL at all. It just doesn't seem to resonate with me. But college football is fun and I enjoy it immensely....ok, maybe too much. Did I mention that I'm now also online looking for me and baby girl some National Championship gear? Yeah, it's that serious!

In other less important news, it snowed last night in Atlanta. I nearly missed it all together b/c I was so enthralled w/the game. My neighbor sent me a text telling me that she couldn't make it up her driveway so she had to park nearly in front of my house. That caused me to look out the window and sure enough everything was glazed over in white precipitation. It was a beautiful sight. It was in that very moment that I knew that I was NOT going into the office today. Yep, today I blog from the comforts of home. There was no way I was going to risk slipping and sliding out on the roads trying to get to work to do a function that I'm perfectly and effectively able to do from home. The news reported a 29 car pile-up not too far from my house. Confirmation. So today I'm taking it easy and getting things done from home. It's nice. I should do this more often.

Good Morning!

This is what a good morning looks like at my desk. Yes, it starts w/an arsenal of food. First up is my blueberry oatmeal, loves it! Next, my prenatal vitamin and DHA supplement. Then we have the fruit quartet, two apples, a nectarine and orange. Not to mention a small cup of Mango Peach Mott's applesauce. Can you tell I have a thing for apples? LOL. Also, a nice cup of milk. Oatmeal is sooo yummy w/cold milk to drink.

Now, I won't actually eat all of this for breakfast but it will all mostly be gone before lunch, save for a couple pieces of fruit for this afternoon. Hey, this is the breakfast of champions and I am growing a thriving little girl and she has to have the best!!!

Today is going to be a great day! Amen!

(not pictured is the liter of water that I'll drink before 10am)

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The Mommy-2-be glow!

This picture was taken on 12/30/09 by my coworker. I'm 26wks and 2days here. It's my only "official" pregnant photo. I think it turned out pretty good. What do you think?

2010: Vision

Although I rang in 2010 at home with a terrible stomach ache (no more hot dogs during pregnancy), I was determined to make better of the first day of 2010. I attended my first ever Vision Board Brunch hosted by the oh so fabulous Ms. Nina Brown, Super Producer at V-103. Even that nearly didn't happen b/c I woke up late (9:15am) and the brunch started at 10am. I need to shower, dress and get downtown in 45 mins, and that seemed impossible and unreasonable for a nearly 7 month pregnant lady. So I contemplated my day and sulked for about 2 mins , disappointed that I hadn't thought to set my alarm so that I could be on time for the VBB. I hate being late, I hate it! I took one minute to think my wardrobe through and then I got into action. I was dressed and out the door by 9:45 headed to Justin's in Buckhead.

Breaking all speed barriers, and by the favor of God, I made it there at a decent time, considering, and was able to still get a good seat thanks to a former co-worker spotting me out of the crowd. The energy was so strong and so positive that I was immediately glad that I'd pressed my way to be in the mix. The attendees were mostly women, age 20-45 (I'm guessing) but there were some gents in the place as well. Everyone there to take part in creating a pictorial vision of their 2010 and futures. Unfortunately, in my haste to get to the venue, I forgot to grab my camera, so I only have this one picture of Nina and I that was taken using the Blackberry.



The VBB was my first time actually meeting Nina, although I follow her on Twitter and am familiar with her from V-103's Frank & Wanda Morning Show. I can truly say that it was a pleasure meeting her. She shared her own testimony about how God has seen her through many things and how things from her vision board have manifested. Everything about the VBB was based on the scripture, Habakkuk 2:2 which states, "²And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. Elsewhere in the bible, God also states that without vision the people perish. So vision is paramount to living out our best lives. I have been putting off doing a vision board for a while now. A dear friend shared her vision board with me about 2-3 years ago before the book and subsequent movie: The Secret and other media made it popular. I liked the idea of it, but kinda shrugged it off b/c I didn't think it was for me. Well, life has a way helping you to put things into perspective. Being pregnant and soon becoming a mother has made me reevaluate a lot of things. Mainly, the type of example I want to be for my daughter, the life and opportunities I want her to be afforded and the legacy I'll leave behind. The VBB was the perfect outlet for me to use images and words to convey these ideals.

There was so much sharing, many testimonies and exchanges at the actual brunch that I decided that I would put much more time and effort into my board than was allotted at the brunch. So my vision board became an at-home project for. Here are some pictures of everything starting to come together.

The images and words I clipped out of numerous magazines

The images and words organized into motherhood, career, Who I am, friends/travel, relationships categories

I started the board w/the most important and central role of my life, and that's becoming a mother. So the center of my life is dedicated to motherhood/family and raising a happy, healthy, thriving little girl.

My completed vision board for 2010 is the sole expression of my future as I envision it. Motherhood and Who I am is first! Career, friendships, relationships and travel surround my core of motherhood and family.

I am so proud of my first vision board. I have it placed in my bedroom where I can see it several times a day as a constant reminder of where to place my faith and to continue to pray that God increases my vision and territory. This year I plan to host my own Vision Board party or brunch. It will either be on NYE (vision board party) or on NYD (vision board brunch). I think there is a lot of power in this exercise and I am so anxious and excited to see the manifestations of the vision God has given me for my family.