28 Week Update / Hello 3rd Trimester!

- Failed my 1 hour glucose test last week. Shocker, so many do. Heading in to the 3 hour test on Thursday morning. Please pray. I'm nervous. If I fail this one, it means I have gestational diabetes and of course, would really rather not have that. But thankfully, we have great medical care and no matter what I know it'll be okay. Things have gone sooo well to this point that I really cannot complain.

- We had a great trip to my hometown this past weekend with my first baby shower thrown by my family with my childhood friends and church ladies, a memorial walk for my uncle who passed away last February, I had an amazing pregnancy massage, and we had sweet/wonderful family time. I can't believe this was my last chance to travel and I'm restricted now from being able to see my brother, his wife, and my nieces & nephew before baby. My mom & stepdad will make it up before then, but it's sooo hard to not share this last phase of pregnancy with the others. So very, very hard. I get all teary-eyed every time I think about it. I was able to give my sweet nieces gigantic hugs and we had a very tender moment together before we left on Sunday. Nephew Joshua is too young to understand, but it was also the first time he genuinely hugged and kissed us goodbye, and it was so very precious. Thankful for those memories. Thankful for all the ladies getting to feel baby kick at least once!

- Really having a hard time with stuff right now. Not necessarily because of pregnancy. There are just some really, really, really challenging things going on otherwise and I just want to crawl in a hole and hide until baby comes! But this too shall pass and God knows what will happen, so I'm trying not to let it get to me. I cannot afford to get super stressed right now, so I'm learning to let things go quicker than before, despite that it also means I cry and freak out initially way easier than before. Oy.

- Otherwise baby is still doing really well. Kicking up a storm and growing like a weed! So thankful for God's protection and for continued health, even while traveling!!

How far along? 28 Weeks 

Sleep: Sleeping much better here and there! Not every night, but much better than I was. I definitely contribute it in part to our new bed, in part to good chiropractic care, and in part to just being that exhausted and drained every.single.night.

Best moment this week: Being treated so royally at my first baby shower. It was all so breathtaking, overwhelming, and generous. I'm still completely in awe that I was at a big baby shower for me. Not planned by me, for me. Wow. Just wow.

Miss Anything? My feet feeling normal. The swelling started about 2 weeks ago. I must admit, that's not a fun side effect of pregnancy. I had no idea how much swelling hurts!! Especially with the Fibromyalgia, some days I'm amazed I can get up and walk at all. I'm so stiff. My ankles and feet are so incredibly tender that I just can't believe it. The doctor isn't concerned and it goes down every night, so everything's okay. Just a normal part of it that I was glad didn't hit me until later in the game! I got out and stretched as much as I could during travel this weekend in the car, and I moved my legs around as often as possible, but I still think my feet are recovering from all of that. Well... that and the fact that not one single pair of my shoes is comfortable. My crocs and sandals were for a bit, but that's over now.  

Movement: I'm still totally floored by how this feels. So surreal. So totally like an alien is gonna just bust out of my belly at any moment. Every kick, hiccup, stretch, and somersault feels so incredible. It's at a point now where if he kicks or ticks very hard, I can see my belly move slightly. So.weird. So.amazing.

Activity: He's the most active within 1-2 hours after I eat lunch or dinner, when I lay down for bed (but just for a few minutes, not like it keeps me awake), when I'm chewing gum, when I'm going to the bathroom (sorry...), when Tim & I are praying over him/reading to him/singing to him together, when I'm on the phone with my mom (but seemingly never in person...), and whenever my pastor is preaching or we're listening to him on CD. Sometimes he's active when I'm in the car on the way to work or when I'm listening to music. He used to be super active at church during worship but that seems to have calmed a bit. He used to be really still when Tim would try to feel him, but not anymore! 

Food cravings: I'm trying so hard to get better at this since the diabetes testing. If nothing else, it's made me more aware of my sugar cravings and how hard I need to try to fight them. So here's my latest big ones: Chick-fil-a sweet tea, McDonald's sausage & egg McMuffin, chocolate, Cherry Coke or Dr. Pepper, bacon, did I mention chocolate?, Chinese food, Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate, sugar, Qdoba's tortilla chips & mild salsa, Culver's chocolate shakes, and basically anything else that is not in my house. #goodgrief

Have you started to show yet: Most definitely! I still feel like I look different than other women (namely another coworker who is a few weeks behind me and looks crazy amazingly cute!!), but I know it's because of my shape, size, and being overweight already. I don't pop in the same way or get fully round, and that's made me frustrated but ultimately it's okay. I'm trying my best to just live it up, soak it all in, and enjoy it for what it is -- an amazing miracle!! So who cares how I look. I'm growing my son!! :) Whoop!

Looking forward to: Sorting all our goodies from the shower this weekend. I was so overwhelmed in the hour it took me to open all the presents that I can't really process what all we received. I can't wait to sort things and really look over what all we have now! Of course I've been super busy running around since this weekend so I still haven't had a chance. (Got home late Sunday night, unpacked and went to bed. Got home late Monday night after a college reunion. Will get home later tonight after a coworker's bridal shower and visiting a church friend's child in the hospital.... etc.)  

Utterly blown away by: God's amazing goodness to us through all of this!!! Also, by a blog reader who emailed me and asked me where we were registered so she could send us a gift (keep in mind I've never met her!). Utterly amazing. I'm so delighted with her thoughtful gifts, I don't even have the full words to express my delight!!! Ohmygosh. So wonderful! So blown away by her generosity. Thank you Heather, thank you.
(Side note in case anyone else was pondering the same... please email me by using the link in my Profile. I'd rather not announce it on here publicly. Thanks for understanding.) 

Not loving: Fibromyalgia mixed with pregnancy. It.is.such.a.treat. Blah.

Total weight gain: 13 pounds. Thankfully this has stayed pretty much on track right now!!