Week 31

How far along?   31 weeks

Total weight gain:  15 lbs

Symptoms:  Heartburn and shortness of breath.  It's getting crowded in here!!  Felt baby's first episode of the hiccups this week!  It was pretty cute :)

Am feeling:  Uncomfortable.  I huff, puff and grunt when putting on shoes and socks, sitting up ... it's not fun. 

Best moment this week: Another check-up, another healthy baby!  But the BEST moment was by far my baby shower!!  So many fun things this week -- my 30th birthday, multiple meals at my favorite restaurants, and a baby shower.  I feel this HUGE sense of relief now that we have some of the essentials.  Also, my wonderful husband assembled the crib and our nursery now looks like a nursery! :)  My heart is incredibly happy and full after this week!  

Miss anything? A good sweaty workout ~ I really miss interval training on a treadmill.  Right now, I guess I'm just happy that I am still running! 

Food cravings:  Grapes, strawberries and chocolate.  

Maternity clothes:  SO incredibly sick of all my maternity clothes.  I can't wait to wear normal clothes again!

Sleep:  Still sleeping pretty well, but very hard to sit up once I'm down!

Gender: Boy

Stretch Marks: None yet - hopefully on my last bottle of Mustela stretch mark cream.  I sure hope this expensive stuff works.  I've been religious about slathering it on twice a day!

Labor signs:  None yet.  

Looking forward to: Setting up all the gifts we received and another shower in February!  We have also reached the point where we see the Dr. every 2 weeks, which definitely makes this feel very real!  YIKES!  :)  Definitely hitting the nesting and organizing stage of pregnancy... I will be planning, organizing and cleaning from here on out!

Week 29

How far along?   29 weeks

Total weight gain:  13 lbs

Symptoms:  Heartburn really sucks.  Also having major nasal congestion ... also really sucks.

Am feeling:  More pregnant.  The nasal congestion is really annoying and gets worse as the day goes on.  It's definitely interrupting my much needed sleep!!

Best moment this week: Went to visit my parents in Florida and had a few days of sunshine and warmth, which felt really good.  I'm ready for summer!

Miss anything? Shopping for normal clothes.  While in FL, we went to Neiman Marcus and I just wanted to buy all the cute clothes!  I got shoes instead ... and some adorable Sperry's for baby. 

Food cravings:  Still craving mostly desserts.  I'm starting to have a more difficult time finding things that I feel like eating that are not ice cream, chocolate or fruit :) 

Maternity clothes:  Yep  and can't wait to stop wearing them!! 

Sleep:  Having a hard time sleeping due to the congestion, but Sudafed helps some.  I ordered a humidifier for the baby's room, but I will be using that thing from here on out!

Gender: Boy

Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery ~ ordered some adorable pictures online and am excited for them to arrive!  Also, looking forward to dinner with my hubby on NYE and ringing in the new year -- 2013 will be one of the best of our lives  :)  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Week 28

How far along?   28 weeks

Total weight gain:  13 lbs

Symptoms:  Heartburn - popping TUMS every day now

Am feeling:  Good, just getting harder to bend over

Best moment this week: Going to the doctor and hearing that everything is going smoothly and baby is healthy!  Aimee and Brad are in town, so it's been great hanging out and attending Aimee's bridal shower also!

Miss anything? Being able to partake in beverage consumption around the holidays! :) 

Food cravings:  STILL chocolate.  And all desserts.  Hmm ....

Maternity clothes:  Yep - finally bought a maternity coat and am pretty much exclusively in maternity or a size up from my normal. 

Sleep:  I'm able to sleep ok, just with body pillows on each side!  Matt is loving that ;)

Gender: Boy

Looking forward to: The homestretch! Officially in the 3rd trimester!  Looking forward to our upcoming showers and getting the nursery furniture :)  Also, heading to my FIRST non-preseason Packer game!

Week 27

27 WEEKS

Merry Christmas to all! :)  We can't wait for Christmas next year with a baby boy!

Week 25

How far along?   25 weeks

Total weight gain:  I decided to stay away from the scale at the gym because it was making me depressed -- but I'm probably a few pounds more since my last appointment with the pounds of chocolate I'm consuming.  So we will just say 11 lbs +

Have you started to show?  It's obvious now, but a few very nice people still say they are cautious to ask just in case.  I mean really - what do you think - that I swallowed the ENTIRE turkey at Thanksgiving?!?

Am feeling:  A wicked case of leg cramps hit me this week in the middle of the night.  Like 5 different times.  Jump out of bed screaming bad.  I will now be chugging water and stretching on a nightly basis to avoid this. 

Best moment this week:  Seeing my cousin Aimee ~ I can't wait for her to move home so she can be a part of baby boy Burkert's life for good!! :) xoxo

Miss anything?  Having the energy to stay out and socialize with people. 

Food cravings:  When will the healthy food cravings kick back in??  Still obsessed with chocolate.  Obsessed.  : /

Maternity clothes:  Got depressed when I went to the mall to hopefully buy some non-maternity clothes.  Yah, that didn't go so well.  I ended up with a necklace.  Accessories it is!

Sleep:  See above - leg cramps are the devil!
Movement:  He moves all the time, but a few days ago we tried the flashlight on the belly thing and woah did he start kicking!!  I felt bad, but it was so funny!  I guess those books are accurate - he could definitely sense the light ... and did not like it so much! 

Gender: Boy -- and baby boy might have a name!! 

Looking forward to: Using our new treadmill!  We decided to take the plunge and get a treadmill for the basement.  I have a feeling it will be getting a lot of use after the baby is born.  Also really excited for my parents to come home for the holidays and spend time with all my family.  Brunch with Santa at Westmoor is next weekend.  Equally excited for the food and to see my nieces and nephew all dressed up for Santa! 

On a side note, two days after I stuff my face with whatever I can cram into this belly I have my O'Sullivan test for gestational diabetes.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a little afraid.  My diet lately has not been the best, so hopefully my pancreas has been cooperating and continuing to produce enough insulin to counteract my intake.  We will see !!  

Week 23/24

How far along?   23 weeks .... and 24 weeks. Sorry, trying to play catch-up because things got busy over the holiday and call weekend.

Total weight gain:  Well, the official weight gain at the doctor is 11 lbs.  I knew that damn scale was off at the gym!!!  LOL! 

Have you started to show?  Yes.

Am feeling:  Good - the back pain comes and goes.  I've been able to get back to running (at least a day or two a week if I mix it in with the elliptical), which makes me happy :)

Best moment this week: Ordering all of our nursery furniture and bedding!  I can't wait for it all to come!  We also had our first fire of the year and watched ELF (my fav!).  Now, if only this preggo could stay awake through a movie, I would enjoy it a lot more!!  Also, had our Dr. appointment this week and so blessed that all is progressing well.  His healthy heart is beating at 156 bpm. 

Miss anything? Clear winner here - alcohol.  I've been craving champagne for some strange reason.  It just sounds so good right now!  Probably because I can't have it!

Food cravings:  Sweet and salty - pretzels and chocolate are such an amazing combo!

Maternity clothes:  Living in leggings these days.  They are so comfortable!  I've had to transition to some big-belly friendly pants also for working out. 

Sleep:  Sleeping well, just difficult to move around once I'm down.

Gender: Boy

Looking forward to: The HOLIDAYS!!!  This is my favorite time of year - I've been listening to Christmas music since mid October.  At least now it's socially acceptable.  I can't wait to pick out our tree and decorate it with the new ornaments I bought this year! Bring on the movies -- Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and Elf will be on rotation from now until December 25th.  

Week 22

How far along?   22 weeks

Total weight gain:  12 lbs 

Have you started to show?  Okay, this is obvious now :)

Am feeling:  Fine -- lots of kicking going on in there.  

Best moment this week: Registering for all things baby.  It was overwhelming, but made me so excited for baby showers and the baby to come!!!

Miss anything? Not really, but was having a lot of back pain which I thought was associated with running.  So, I stopped running and BAM! No back pain.  Therefore, I miss the running but don't miss the back pain.  ;)

Food cravings:  CHOCOLATE.  Seriously can't get enough.

Belly button in or out?  Belly button is getting quite shallow!  Still an 'innie' for now :)

Maternity clothes:  I'm all leggings and maternity tops at this point.  Thank you to my wonderful sister for sharing some of your maternity clothes!

Sleep:  Sleeping pretty well, but all of a sudden I'm waking up at night again to go pee. Ugh!

Gender: One sweet, little BOY

Looking forward to: A massage this week, starting prenatal yoga and turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving which is my last call weekend of the year! :)