Week 27, 28, 29

Size of the baby: 14.75 inches long almost 3 lbs

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: Yes, I am still having trouble keeping up with the weeks. Week 27 was exciting because Tristan and I started our Childbirth, breast feeding, and infant care classes.  We did the full shabang...7 weeks for 3 hours every Tuesday (what were we thinking?!).  It's actually not that bad.  By the end of the day, though, to sit for 3 hours discussing the birth canal, and all that labor and birth are can lead to a bad case of the giggles followed by shear terror.  After the first class, labor became real for me.  I realized I had forgotten I really DO have to go through that part, and OH MY GOSH!  No need to panic, but there is no turning back.... Week 2 we learned relaxation techniques, thank goodness!  More than anything I realized I needed to prep myself a little.  I do this with most things in life, quietly prepare myself, but this is a shared moment between Charlotte, Tristan, and I.  I felt the need to vocalize to Tristan my fears, which usually I work out on my own and then communicate when ready.  Everything came out at once, "I don't like it when my body doesn't feel normal, I cry when I'm in pain, I panic if I can't breathe, I like to be able to move, being stuck in bed when I'm in pain makes me feel chlostrophobic. I don't know if I want an epideral, but can I do this without an epidural, Tristan you will be exhausted too, we need to pack goldfish crackers for you,"... yes my mind went crazy. Everything I was saying, Tristan already knew.  I felt some relief, as I know I have the best care taker...Tristan.  When I am sick he knows how to soothe me...Squeeze my head and hug me really tight, with a little shoulder or head rub.  He does it without me ever asking.  SO, I think I CAN do this whole labor thing.  I think a playlist is in need for this event...

Week 28 was so special.  Mom, Angie, Trish, Dallas, and Meaghan all flew in for my baby shower. Having all of them here in Portland felt so good.  We were able to grab morning coffee, walk Thurman Trail, and just hang out.  Saturday was the shower. Ana and Meaghan hosted the shower at Laura Takashima's home. Charlotte and I both felt very loved. I will let some of the pictures speak for themselves.  

Week 29, the biggest thing this week is the growth I've felt.  I'm feeling much larger all around.  Charlotte's movements feel tighter. I wish I could tell what direction she is facing.  I think I feel her little rump often, but who knows it could be her head.  They say her eyes are now open.  Tristan and I tested this by shining a flashlight on my belly while in bed, and sure enough she did not like the light.  She squirmed to one side of my belly away from the light and then continued to roll for the next few minutes.  It was fun to see her reaction, but then both her and I were uncomfortable, haha. 

How am I Feeling: I've begun taking extra iron as I found out I was anemic.  Wow, what a difference it has made.  All of the dizziness, tiredness, and seeing black dots whenever I attempted to work out all made sense now.  After a week of taking a little extra iron, my energy is back and no more lightheadedness.  I LOVE iron!

Cravings: Ice cream!!          

What do I Miss: Non-maternity jeans.  Maternity jeans = saggy bottom :)

Week 25 & 26

Size of the baby: 13.75 inches Stretched out, she is the size of a leek

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: A lot of excitement happened these past two weeks.  It was the week before Christmas and Christmas week!! Of course when Tristan and I travel for the holidays it is guaranteed we have a little extra adventure....

SO, it's the night before our morning flight to Oklahoma City.  Tristan was out buying one last Christmas gift and walks in the door with hands over his mouth and ghost white. My first thought was..."did you wreck your car?"  He was silent. "What is the matter?" Tristan then begins, "so, remember my work flight I had to cancel back in November to OKC? Well, I accidentally canceled both of our Christmas flight instead!" Tristan looked at me waiting for a response.  At this point I knew nothing good was going to come out of mouth....was I upset? YES! We booked back in August to "save money". All I could say was, figure it out. I finished packing and crawled into bed. It was a bit of a silent night....all flights were sold out except lovely Southwest! Two one ways through Denver available. We didn't leave until 2:00pm, so we were able to enjoy a nice breakfast out before we headed to the airport. It took all night and about half of the next day until we could both laugh at the whole situation. Luckily our plane left on time, but the adventure stuck with one we arrived in Denver.  We roamed the Denver airport for 3+ hours. Our plane was stuck in Salt Lake due to weather. Dallas, Tristan's Mom picked us up at 2:30am when we finally arrived in OKC! 

We spent Thursday-Monday in OKC and then headed out to the ranch in Higgins, TX through Friday.  I did learn my limits on the amount of food I can put in this pregnant belly....

We went out to dinner at Ted's, a delicious Mexican restaurant. They bring you tortillas, chips, salsa, and queso before you even order.  That should have been our meal right there. All my favorite things, but no, I had a bean and cheese burrito with jalapeños and a sopa pilla to top it off.  Come 12:30am that next morning, I wake to Tristan launching me out of bed and me feeling like I can't breath.  As I   come to my feet I haul you know what to the toilet and flushed Ted's....jalapeños and all... good-bye.    

 Lesson learned. Stomach is squished, and Jessi you can't eat like your gymnastics days...pregnant or not!

There was a noticeable growth these two weeks...pic below for proof.  I felt as though I woke up one day and none of my regular shirts fit anymore, unless they were a size or two bigger. Somewhat of a bummer, as I had made it a while without wearing maternity shirts.  (Maternity shirts really aren't that flattering, but either is part of your belly hanging out of your shirt b/c you refuse to wear the maternity shirt)

How am I Feeling: The worst heartburn these two weeks. Likely due to all the yummy eating I was doing and a lot richer foods.  It's the Holiday's after all! 

Cravings: Any kind of vegetable! I think I ate so much junk that my body just wanted veggies.  I did 

 have a whole grapefruit everyday for breakfast. Delicious! I got spoiled because Tristan's Dad cut 

my grapefruit each morning with a fancy little tool.  You usually have to work to earn your grapefruit :).          

What do I Miss: My hips have started to ache at night. I now sleep with a pillow between my legs, which then ends with me having a wrestling match with the pillow as it miraculously moves from between my legs to on top of me or on my head. So, I miss being able to sleep without object attacking me.

Week 23 & 24

Size of the Baby: 12 inches as long as a head of Romaine lettuce

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: Got to feel Charlotte with her first set of hiccups.  They didn't last too long, but it was fun to watch my belly bounce in a rhythmic bump.  According to all the baby apps I've been following.  Her fingers and toes have fully developed.  

How am I Feeling: These were the two weeks before Christmas break.  Busy, busy, busy which is why I am so late in updating the blog.  I'm really now on week 26, but I didn't want to skip these couple of weeks.  

Cravings: Pancakes.  I think I had a week of pancakes for dinner :)

What do I Miss: I've gotten used to fun non-alcoholic drinks so I haven't been missing a beer or wine that much. I've been able to try some great decaf teas which have been great in dealing with this cough. Don't miss too much this week....I've had some great walks in the crisp, cold weather, but do miss a good, sweat workout. Tristan's been playing racquetball and would love to join him! 

Week 22

Size of the Baby: 11 inches spaghetti squash, 1lb. 

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: Lots of movement! I tend to feel her kicks the most in the early am, around 9am, in the evenings between 6-8pm, and then again when I crawl into bed. Tristan can feel her in the evenings and bed time. I've been fighting a cough since we got back from San Antonio. I think I have a call into the Dr. tomorrow. Makes it hard to sleep, coughing all night.  I slept upright last night and it seemed to help.  I'm sure Charlotte is ready for this cough to be gone as well.  I know Tristan is :). 

How am I Feeling: Still feeling good for the most part. Heavy heartburn! I have two tums in every coat pocket ready for the burn. Lemon water even gives me heartburn.  My desire to eat has decreased a little due not wanting heartburn. Small meals are necessary. 

Cravings: Nothing crazy.  Still love sweet. Fruit has been up there on the list. I had grapefruit, 

pineapple, mango, and made two smoothies this week. One carrot and the other berry/black cherry smoothie. Delicious!

What do I Miss: I've gotten used to fun non-alcoholic drinks so I haven't been missing a beer or wine that much. I've been able to try some great decaf teas which have been great in dealing with this cough. Don't miss too much this week....I've had some great walks in the crisp, cold weather, but do miss a good, sweat workout. Tristan's been playing racquetball and would love to join him! 

Week 20 & 21

Heartbeat: 155 bpm

Size of the Baby: 10.5 inches long  12.7oz size of a banana

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: Man oh man time is flying! Now I'm playing catch-up with my posts. Last week we headed to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. We had a nice long break. My Grandma and Grandpa came down for the Holiday which was a treat! We did lots of cooking and eating. My excellent cooking skills really shined through as Angie, Caydence, and I made 5 pans of cinnamon rolls. The time it took me to make one batch, Angie and Caydence made two batches. I missed putting cream in the dough (a much needed ingredient), so I added it after I made my dough...can you picture the soggy mess?! Needless to say my dough did not rise. We decided to make dinner rolls out of it instead, crescent dinners rolls mind you! They looked and kind of tasted more like dog biscuits. Nothing a slab of butter can't fix, right Grandpa? I decided to move onto the cranberry sauce which I then forgot about and boiled over. Angie had my back the whole way, ready to pull her hair out ;). She caught the sauce and pulled 5 of the 6 randomly floating cloves out of the sauce I so sloppily prepared. Tristan later found the 6 clove at dinner, whoever had the lucky 6 clove had dish duties. Sorry Tris! I think I should have just observed the cooking. 

We celebrated Christmas and Trish Graduating with her Business degree.  A special time for sure! Couldn't be more proud of her! The kids made her giant cards for her celebration dinner. We topped off the celebration with a Baskin Robbins cookies in cream ice cream cake. I think we all had seconds! We were not shy of desserts. Peppermint holiday drinks, hot chocolate, Tim Tam slams, cookies, banana bread pudding and more...Charlotte was on a sugar high!! 

She has been more active or at least I feel her a lot more.  She was rockin and rolling the whole plane ride home. Love feeling her!

 How am I feeling? Still get dizzy spells.  It's pretty amazing.  I can just be sitting and the walls/room start to move, it lasts just a couple of seconds and then I'm good. Can't get my heart rate too high still or I see black dots.  Walking is my workout friend and that's about it. Energy is better. Not SO exhausted at the end of the day, which has been nice.

Cravings: Pineapple, carrots, and fish.

What I miss: Not having a stuffy nose. I guess it can be a symptom of increased estrogen. Since I found out I was pregnant I have sneezed aggressively in the mornings. I had a few 
allergies in San Antonio and now I'm a sneezing coughing mess...so I guess I miss my immune system too! :)

Blazers game!

Weeks 18 & 19

Heartbeat: 155 bpm

Size of the Baby: 10 inches long  11oz

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: We had the most exciting past couple of weeks.  Meaghan came to visit.  We hadn't seen each other in over a year.  We shopped, did nails, ate well, and had all around quality time to catch up face to face. I was able to take the week off from work which was loaded with Dr. appointments. We had the second trimester appointment with Dr. Suzuki. She listened to the heart beat and was able to feel movement from the little Pepper which I had beg unit o feel more and more.  I did a blood test for my protein levels and all was good. Next stop was the dentist.  They did a special cleaning due to being pregnant.  It was a quick in and out. My dentist asked if I wanted to know his gender prediction as he has an 80% accuracy rate.  I said sure because in two days we would get to find out! He said based on the gums he can usually tell.  If the gums are loose and bleed easily it's usually a girl due to the increase in estrogen that comes with carrying a girl, and if the gums are tight it is usually a boy.  His guess....a boy!  I was surprised as I had felt it was a girl, as did many others, but now I was convinced he was right.  We had a girl's name picked out and everyone seemed to guess girl so it kind of made since for it to be a boy.  The anticipation sank in after that appointment.

Mom and Richard came the next day. I moved our anatomy sonogram up to Friday morning so they could be there. A special moment for sure. What a cool sonogram. The technician spends more time measuring all of the body parts, organs, and bones. The hardest part of this is having a full bladder. It allows them to get a better view of the baby. I was about to pop, but the images were incredible. We could see the heart valves, brain, lungs, kidneys, and the flow of the blood. The body is truly amazing. As all four of us are mouth open taking in what she is showing us, she reveals... "And this is a little GIRL!" Instant tears came to my eyes and I poked Tristan in the cheek as he was sitting right next to me grinning from ear to ear. It put an identity to this little being we've been calling Pepper. She was so active. The tech captured some great images for us. Some of her putting the umbilical cord over her shoulder, giving us the number 1 with a tiny pointer finger, yawning, drinking, pulling her legs over her head, and more. The 3D scan created a skin like image where we could see her bone structures even more and see her characteristics. Those fingers and toes looked an awfully lot like her Dad's! Pretty fun! After the appointment we had to go shopping for her first outfit. Grammy and Papa have already spoiled her! I was going to wait and tell the rest of the family and friends at Thanksgiving when I would see them face to face, but I was way too excited, and Trish was able to get me to slip in revealing the gender.  We spent the second half of the day Face Timing the exciting news. A special weekend I won't forget! 

How am I feeling? Feel good! I do get dizzy and lightheaded easily, especially if I'm climbing a hill or stairs.  The Dr. said I have low blood pressure and this may occur more frequently. She was right! Slow and steady wins the race right now. Still get pretty sleepy in the evenings. Tristan has been amazing! He' s been getting pretty good at dishes and laundry. About the time I sit for dinner, I really just want to sprawl on the table.

Cravings: Pineapple and old fashioned Spaghetti. I still haven't quite found the right spaghetti. I guess I could try making my own :0). 

What I miss: Having the energy to workout.

Week 17

Heartbeat: 150 bpm

Size of the Baby: Onion 5.1 inches long  5.9 oz

Most Exciting Things The Past Week: I've gained a little energy back.  Mainly in the morning.  With this new found energy I figured it was time to start working out again.  That has been on pause the past month (yikes!).  I drug Tristan to a lifting class out at Nike. Well actually he drug me to the gym and I thought we should do the class (Group Power).  I did the 10 minute warm-up and began to see black dots..."I'm either going to throw up or pass out".  I ran to the bathroom, heart pounding. Yep, it hit me...the realization that there really are some limits right now. I had a few tears in the bathroom and returned deciding the stair machine would have to do.  A lovely young lady was running late to the class and I was able to offer her my already set-up spot.  I just showed her next to the grunting gentlemen in the grey (Tristan :)).  Tristan has been sore for the last three days.  At least someone got their booty kicked.  I enjoyed watching. 

Heartburn has kicked in full effect.  Thank goodness for Tums is all I have to say...AND for sisters who supply you with a big bottle in prep of this moment.  Speaking of sisters, I do have to say I've been very grateful for my conversations with them. Two OLDER sisters who have been through this each twice!  They just giggle, but I love to share, compare, and hear their memories of when they were pregnant.  So in the spirit of November, the month of being Thankful.  I am so very Thankful for the two of them.

My belly has popped a bit.  I received my first, "oh  my gosh, Jessi are you pregnant?!" at work.  Everyone else just looks down while they are talking to me.  The awkward, "I'm talking and listening to you, but I think I see a bump." 

My MOST exciting moment this week was the emergency shopping trip for a new bra!  I needed to run an errand for work and luckily there was a Maternity store near by.  I was about to throw the bra I was wearing out the window.  It hasn't fit for the last month! Two wonderful ladies measured me and helped me find TWO new bras and let me wear one out of the store.  Pure bliss!

How am I feeling? I feel pretty good.  After dinner I feel very sleepy and stomach has been a little off.  I did throw up last night which caught me off guard.  Poor Tristan was near by and heard me in all my glory.  I came out of the bathroom to find Tristan with his phone to his ear and music as loud as it could go. The finer moments...

Cravings: No real cravings.  Just when something tastes good, it tastes REAL good! I had a veggie sandwich from Jimmy Johns and oh.my.gosh.delicious!

What I miss: Still miss a cold beer, sleeping through the night without having to wake twice to empty the bladder, and walking up stairs without feeling like someone needs to put more oxygen in the air.