{Baby Davis} Week 28 & Nursery Addition

Date:: April 2, 2013

How far along:: 28 weeks // 7 months // 3rd trimester

Gender:: Girl

Movement::
As recommended by "What to Expect When You're Expecting" (great tool by the way for anyone who is a planner/control freak like I am), I've started "kick counting." The concept is simple; basically I make sure I feel our little girl moving throughout the day. There are a number of ways you can keep count, but my go-to pattern has been to intentionally "listen" for her moves at least 30 minutes after each meal, 30 minutes after exercise, and 30 minutes after I wake up in the morning. (She's usually moving around when the alarm goes off in the morning; I told her I didn't like the beeping either.) I also count her kicks in the evening, when she is usually most active, and make sure she moves 10 times within 1 hour. So far she hasn't failed to let me know she's there! 

Symptoms::
~ My clothes are getting smaller don't fit.
~ My belly is very firm.
~ My back pain has continued to improve thanks to prenatal yoga and Pilates.
~ Shortness of breath after doing simple activities (chalking it up to all that extra blood flowing through my body)
~ I tend to lose my balance more often. I find myself tipping slightly forward, especially when putting on socks or shaving my legs in the shower. I wonder why?

~ Alternating nights of insomnia and deep sleep. The nights that I can't sleep very much I spend thinking about this little girl. On the nights I sleep well I dream about her. Welcome to motherhood.
~ No ankle or finger swelling, protruding belly button, or stretch marks yet.

Craving::
I've decided to list the things I eat frequently; that is, every day or at least three times a week. Since I've had no "burning desire" to eat a certain food, I'll just say these diet staples are what my taste buds want.
~ Apple juice
~ Frozen yogurt (classic tart with strawberries & pecans)
~ Dill Any kind of pickles
~ Wheat crackers with cheese and mustard
~ Oatmeal with cinnamon, raisins, and honey
~ Gala apples (every day for recess snack)
~ Popcorn (the old fashioned way- kernels popped in a skillet with organic butter)
~ Whole, organic milk

~ Cuties (those tiny, delicious oranges)

~ Homemade trail mix with pecans, peanuts, raisins, and dried plums

~ New this week:: shredded wheat cereal with bananas and cinnamon
I do not like fish of any kind, or unfortunately, salads, which I absolutely loved before I got pregnant. Now I eat a bite or two and push it away. Not even appetizing.

Looking Forward To::
~ We start childbirth classes tomorrow! And, lucky us, we're able to carpool and "enjoy" the classes together with our friends Kyle and Judith. :)

~ I guess the "nesting" syndrome has set in, because I am suddenly anxious to get the nursery finished, the house clean, and the slight remodel of the guest room complete (we're finally going to paint away the horrid wood paneling in the guest room).

~ And, is this bad? I'm really looking forward to not having a basketball-sized stomach. Also, I'd really like to be able to wear my cute clothes that are now no longer long enough to meet my pants. And, I'm only going to get bigger in the next 11 weeks. Oh joy.

Fun Baby Fact::
~ Little Miss is (supposedly) as long as a small cabbage.
~ My uterus is the size of a basketball.
~ Maylin's weight is likely to triple between now and delivery.

Weekly Development::
~ Permanent tooth buds have started developing this week.

~ Maylin is starting to "fatten up" as her body adds the good fat that she'll need as warmth and an energy source after she's born.

Emotions::
~ Smitten by our little girl. We can't wait to meet her!
~ I am having more frequent dreams about this baby. Some mornings I wake up almost in tears because she's not here yet! The dreams seem very real. Only a little longer to wait.

~ I'm beginning to think, "Will I ever look like I did before I got pregnant??" It seems like everything is puffier these days...

Best Moment of the Week::
~ I'm pretty sure I felt her hiccuping this morning while I was doing my Bible study before church. Most people probably know this, but I just found out that she is actually upside-down inside my belly. So when I see and feel her moving around my belly button, that means she's kicking with her feet. When I feel her moving in my lower abdomen, she's punching with her hands. Interesting, isn't it? Anyway, all that to say, this morning as I was quietly reading I kept noticing a teeny, tiny "throb" in my lower right abdomen. I shifted a bit, because usually she'll stop moving, or touch somewhere else, if I change position. But this faint throb didn't stop. The more I thought about it and placed my finger on the spot where I felt it, the more I became convinced that she was actually hiccuping. It was very rhythmic, but slower than a heart beat. I called Michael over, and he could just barely feel with his pinkie finger the spot that was moving. It was so neat!

Also, remember this darling ruffle lamp I posted awhile back as inspiration for the nursery? I finally got around to duplicating it! Thanks Pinterest!

 I'd link back to the original post from Pinterest, but there wasn't a tutorial given, just pictures of her finished result. It looked pretty simple to me, though. I used only a glue gun, old lamp shade, and bought ruffle trim from Hobby Lobby. I glued the trim to the lamp shade, starting from the bottom and working my way to the top. 15 minutes later, I was done!

I love the way it looks when the light is off and the lamp is glowing. We've gotten to where we leave the lamp on in her room in the evening. It makes her arrival seem more real when we pass and glimpse the bit of light from her room that has previously been dark.

I also intend to add three little flowers similar to the one in the picture above. I bought a yard of yellow gingham that matches the cushions on the glider, and I plan to use this tutorial (again, from Pinterest). I can't wait to see how it turns out!