26 weeks

How far along?: 26 weeks

Movement: Baby girl is pretty active a few different chunks of time a day; morning, afternoon and evening - right when I'm settling into bed. Ellie was the same way and they are times when I can really sit (or lay) and soak in the amazingness of this life inside me. It truly is a mind blowing thing and I'm very grateful for it. And Steven was able to feel her a couple weeks ago, too!

Total weight gain/loss: So far I have gained 8 pounds my total pregnancy. It still surprises me and Steven that it has been so little. I may be eating a little better and may be a little more active than last time, but still...really?! Less than 10 pounds?!? At my appointment last week I asked what I weighed this time around when I was pregnant with Ellie, and it was 10 pounds more than what I weigh now. Yessss!!!!! I do need to be careful though, because I don't want to gain a ton of weight really fast at the end and I do have a little ways to go till this girl comes. The doctor's office hasn't said anything, other than "good" when I get on the scale, too.

Maternity clothes: More and more of my shirts are needing to be retired...they tend inch their way up and pulling them down constantly is a bit annoying. Some also don't go around the belly nicely and I don't want it to be sticking out from under my shirt! Two out of my four pre-pregnancy jeans still fit and I still don't fit into my actual pregnancy jeans.

Currently craving?: Dutch Bros. coffee all the time - Hazelnut freeze to be exact, ice cream (but I don't have this too often), fruit, crackers with salami and cheese and Taco Bell.

Anything make you sick or queasy?: Sometimes waiting too long to eat in between meals/snacks can make that queasy feeling come on.

Belly button in or out?: It's sticking out pretty much 99.9% of the time and through my clothes you can see the little bump.

Stretch marks?: Maybe a few more?? I am getting more itchy off and on throughout the day and I try my hardest not to itch. Still trying to slather on the lotion (Palmers stretch mark lotion and coconut oil) several times a day and when I feel that itch come on.

Sleep: I still get pretty tired earlier than later (9:30pm) and fall asleep super fast. There are times throughout the night however when I have a harder time falling back asleep, you know, after getting up to use the bathroom several times! But overall, I'm still doing good in this department. More than not I try to get up, read and take a shower before Ellie wakes up. Later in the day though I feel the tiredness come on more than if I had just slept that extra hour. Naps could happen most days, however I don't always give into that.

Feeling: Emotional still. Mostly just crying about things faster, or I may have more attitude. Heartburn has come on the last couple weeks. It usually hits around mid/late afternoon and can last off and on till I go to bed. Sciatic nerve pain on the left side gets me every few days, but doesn't last too long. I got that when I was pregnant with Ellie and there were several times when I just had to lay down on the couch because walking hurt!

Working on/Thinking about: Even though my weight gain has been great, I have known the whole time that I should be working out and be consistent about it. Plus, it would make me feel a little less guilty for those treats I have! So, this last week I worked out a handful of times and I'm really proud of myself for that. On top of this I am thinking about my next routine OB appointment and how I will be getting the glucose test (routine for around this time) and when I was pregnant with Ellie I failed the first time. That means you need to take the three hour one as well, which also entails getting stuck with a needle more and fasting longer - none of that is fun! (Thankfully I passed that second time.) But, I'm very curious if my splurging throughout this pregnancy, or just this pregnancy in general, has caused me to develop gestational diabetes??
And then, I think about labor quite often. Ellie came on the first due date I was given (the earliest of all three dates I was given) and labor only lasted 9.5 hours, with pushing for only a couple of that. Everything was pretty much to the book and I am very curious how it will go this time. I'm also a planner, and not being able to plan/control something like this is a big thing. Labor is a BIG thing and I want to be as easy going as last time, with relaxing and not getting caught up in things.

Favorite moment from this week?: Hearing how much less I weigh this time around was really nice! And then of course hearing the babies heartbeat again! We also brought Ellie with us to my last appointment just so she could see me getting "checked out" by my doctor. It was her first time (as a toddler) going there and I want to try whatever we can to help ease her stress when she goes to her doctors office. Anyways, when the doctor put the doppler to my belly to check the babies heartbeat, Ellie said "wow, that's noisy!" haha. It was a precious moment having her there and hearing that at the same time...both my girls...one in my belly, one in our arms!