27 Weeks Pregnant!

How far along: 27 weeks pregnant...Due September 3rd!

Gender: Baby BOY!!

Total weight gain: Up 12.5 lb.

Exercise: My placenta is moving and isn't covering my cervix anymore, but it still isn't far enough away to clear me for all exercise. That said, I have been able to run some and lift weights. I've been meeting a friend in the mornings for a 4 mile run/walk before the kiddos wake up. We run the first mile, walk the second, run the third, walk the fourth. We run miles between a 9:00 and 9:30 and walk the miles around a 16:00-17:00 min/mile pace. It feels great!! I have then been going to the gym and walking another couple miles, and lifting weights on a couple muscle groups each day.

Maternity clothes: Still no maternity clothes. I live in workout clothes, dresses, and the pair of normal shorts I bought a couple sizes up.

Miss anything: Being able to run without feeling like I have to pee the whole time. I go before I leave, so I know I don't actually have to go, it's just the pressure of baby boy bouncing on my bladder.


Movement: This week baby boy's movements feel even bigger, and I am starting to be able to identify body parts. He also seems to like to use the front of my belly as a hammock. Maybe he will be a snuggler!


Have you started to show: Oh yeah! My belly has really taken off. Although yesterday I took Neylin for a chest X-ray (just precautionary to rule out causes of her wheeze... all is well!). To see if I could be in the room during the X-ray the tech said, "and mom, there's no chance you're pregnant, right?" ....uhhhh why yes, 6 months. I'm sure she wondered how that math worked out...as she held my 6 month old in her hands.


Stretch marks: This is a tricky one. I never got stretch marks on my belly with Mckenna. But ever since puberty I've had stretch marks on my thighs, tush, and hips. They are very fine and you only really see them when the light hits them right. So there's a good chance that I got more with Mckenna, I just have no idea. My guess is I may be getting more as we speak, I just can't see them in comparison to what is already there!


Belly button in or out: It's in...but it's not going to hold on much longer.


Wedding rings on or off: On, when I actually wear them! I take them off for exercise, showers, and sleeping...and with my baby brain and pregnancy brain, I often forget to put them back on!


Sleep: I sleep like any other mom with a 3.5 year old and a 5.5 month old! 


Labor signs: No labor signs, but my Braxton Hicks contractions are legit. I get them when my bladder is full, during exercise, when he's really active, and for no reason at all...so really, I just get them all the time.


Best moment of this week: We had a great week. One of my favorite parts was taking Mckenna to her first movie!! Harkins does a summer movie pass where you buy 10 movies for $7 (yes, $7) and each week at the same time you go and watch the movie of the week. Mckenna isn't a kid that sits still and quiet for long periods, so we weren't sure how it would go, but she did great! We saw The Lorax. It was entertaining for all. 

The First Week Home

It has been amazing to have Ronnie back at home. We are all transitioning well into our new norm, but I have to say, Ronnie has done way better this week than I think any of us thought!

 In the hospital he was on around the clock oxygen and really was only up to go to the bathroom. He came home just on oxygen at night (that's what he's been on for the last 6 years), and has been getting up and around the house. He got home Monday and didn't do much around the house, but by today, he's been up around the house a lot, walking normally (verses kind of slow and hunched over like last week).

He's not quite as tired, though he does take naps here and there. He has also been getting out of the house at least once a day for something...whether it's swim lessons for Mckenna, church, or trips to the grocery store...we even went to a movie as a family on Friday morning. These little adventures usually wipe him out a bit, but you'd never know it, except for his sign of relief and relaxation when he plops himself back down on the couch when we get home...you know the one an "ahhh" said as his body melts into the cushions...it's the same ones I let out when I sit on the couch for the first time after bedtime.

He hasn't started actively "exercising" per say, as playing with the girls and an adventure or two is enough "exercise" for a day for the time being. He did order a new pair of running shoes, however, so I see short walks starting in our future. The only trouble is, with it starting to feel like the surface of the sun here in a Arizona, anything outside needs to be done early, and a trip to the gym is a bit much for 10 minute walk. So I'm thinking it will be a first thing in the morning type of walk.

As for his nausea, it's gotta way better, only surfacing on a rare occasion now. This is meant that he's been able to eat more normally, which has helped his energy level and healing. Right now comfort foods are what are sounding best, but getting plenty of calories and nutrition, making all the difference in the world.

Being less tired, less nauseous, in less pain, and not on pain meds has made a major difference in his personality. For a time there, he was just too tired, sick and uncomfortable to crack the jokes he usually cracks and be his usual goofy and sarcastic self, but now that he has the energy, he's right back to keeping us all on our toes with his whit. I have to say, I missed his humor and sarcasm for a few weeks there, so it has been amazing to have my hubby back in that regard. Like I said to Ronnie, I don't care if he doesn't get back to 100% physically, as long as we get him back to 100% himself!

All in all it was an encouraging week, and he's been a rockstar!!