28 Weeks

   Little Kicker,

     We are now a week into our third trimester! It's amazing how time is going by so quickly! You are still moving and kicking like crazy and I love every bit of it (even when it wakes me).

      We also had a checkup with Dr. Rao on Wednesday and everything came back great, as usual. He said you're where you should be and growing very well and strong. I can never get enough of listening to that sweet beating heart of yours.

      I also decided to stay for the third trimester 1-hour glucose test while I was there, and everything came back normal. The normal range is 70-129, and my level was 71, so we're definitely good in that department. Whew! As for everything else, it was discovered I have anemia.  Luckily it's mild and nothing serious, but I still need to keep an eye on it. Guess it's time to look into those iron-rich foods!

    As for the headaches, they have dramatically decreased. Thank goodness! I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I used to drink a glass of milk with my breakfast every morning and the migraine would kick in about half an hour to an hour later. I decided to not drink milk one morning and no migraine! So I kept this up and have been feeling better. Really strange, don't you think? But mommy still takes her vitamins daily!

   The other night, I placed my phone on my bare belly and turned on some piano music. Suddenly, my phone was moving about and being kicked. Your dad did a double take and asked if it was really you! Haha. You like it when I practice piano and play piano music on Pandora since you seem to move a lot to it. Your dad is also practicing his guitar skills everyday so he'll get to play to you one day!

     As for your nursery, it's coming along! I've been working on hanging up your name with some blocks I painted and a cute little board for them. They're not attached to the board just yet, we're going to figure that out. I figured I'd leave the "construction" part up to your dad, and getting the right tools to attach the letters and hang the frame on the wall since it has no hanging options (crafting store). So it still needs some work!

   A friend in our new ward also found this adorable foot stool at a collections store down the street who happens to be closing out and showed me a picture at church. So, I drove over there yesterday and bought it! It's so cute. I have to clean it well though since I'm sure at one point those blocks will be in your mouth :) .

  We are having so much fun preparing for you!  Love you, little guy!!

26 Weeks

Alex,

The third trimester is almost here! Just a few more days! I can't believe how fast this second one has flown by. I've gained about 25 lbs so far, and my doctor told me I only have about 10-15 more to gain to stay in the healthy range. I'm a bit nervous about that though because I haven't been counting my calories lately or exercising as much. I have to get on the ball!

You've been much more active these days. You've even managed to get my ribs these past couple of days, which surprised me because I was expecting that to happen a bit later. I've had to stand up and stretch to get comfortable. Sleeping has been a little more difficult too. See, I'm a back sleeper. It's been really hard to stay on my side the entire night because my leg eventually starts to ache and so does the rest of my body, including my back. Often times I'll wake up in the night and find myself on my back, so I force myself to roll over to my side.

I've also been waking up every single morning these past couple of weeks with a bad headache that can last for hours. I e-mailed the doctor who said it's normal and to take Tylenol when needed. Sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it kind of works. I'm starting to wonder if it has anything to do with the way I'm sleeping at night? Oh, well.

Your dad's alarm clock wakes you up every morning as well. As soon as it buzzes, you start kicking and punching up a storm until things calm down a bit. Your dad rolled over and apologized to you this morning because he heard me say, "It's okay, Alex, it's just his alarm."

Speaking of your dad, you kick every time you hear his voice now, whether he's talking to you or not. It's so adorable how you're beginning to recognize him. He's also been able to feel you now AND he's been able to hear your heartbeat simply by resting his head on my belly. So neat! We are so, extremely excited to meet you!

Your nursery is coming along! Still some work to do, but we received our new chair! I also made you a superhero blanket, and your dad started hanging some of your action figures last night. We still have the wall stickers to put up, as well as your name. We bought you a few more books, too. 

So far so good!

Daddy setting up our chair!

And the result! Soo comfy! There's a glimpse of your blanket.

Gary's co-worker was kind enough to  pass this on to us!

  His co-worker was even kind enough to give us a Graco Pack N Play too! Yay for stuff!

 Oh, and we totally couldn't help ourselves...

Isn't this seriously the cutest thing ever??! Your first official outfit.

And here we are! 

 Anyway, we love you so stinkin' much! Just a few more months to go!

24 Weeks

Baby Boy,

You are so cute!! You definitely have developed a sleep-and-wake pattern, so I typically know when to expect to feel those kicks and punches. I can actually see my stomach move this time, which is so cool. You finally started kicking for your dad last night, but he didn't really feel too much. Of course they weren't the big kicks you like to do, but you tried! Next time, for sure.

This week we bought your new crib, received your bassinet which has been in the family for years and years, and moved into your first home! Whew! We also bought you your first glider/rocker, and new toys. Your dad and I are looking forward to decorating this place!

Still needs some decorating!

It was definitely a stressful week for us, especially over last weekend. We lost our perfectly sweet, almost 6-year old cat named Dexter to unexpected heart disease. We were crushed. I was in tears while he was being euthanized and you made sure to give me comfort by kicking and punching me as much as possible while it was happening. It was a reminder that life still goes on and now I have bigger responsibilities coming up. Despite the grief I've been going through, you have been a big comfort and blessing. We had always planned for you and Dexter to grow up together as we were sure he had more years, but things definitely change. I know Lila's mothering instincts will be there and you two will be great friends! Thank you for being so sweet!

Your dad also loves to talk to you every night now. He chats with you and you just have the time of your life in there listening to him. It's really cute, it is. He is just so excited! He told me he loves walking by the nursery and seeing your crib, and every now and then I find him just standing in there and observing everything. You became the center of our universe the moment we knew you existed.

Anyway, we love you, Alex! Can't wait to meet you!