28 Weeks

28 Weeks and counting!  Yay! 

Although, I have totally come to the realization that pregnancy is a 10 month process.  Because when I say that I’m 7 months along, logically, I should have 2 months left to go, right?  9 month total – 7 month progress= 2 month remainder.  Howeverrrrrrrrrrrrr, 40 week total – 28 week progress= 12 week remainder, which can be put another way as 3 more months.  Womp womp. 

I’m so anxious to hold little Michael and start being his Mommy outside of the womb, but I have to remind myself again that “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait.”

This week, I decided that we should put the car seat base in our backseat and start putting the car seat in the car whenever we head to visit family.  That way, our dog Akuna will start to recognize that he doesn’t get to lounge across the whole back seat anymore! :)  He’s very good when it comes to the car seat and the “baby” (stuffed animal Auburn bunny) strapped inside of it.

We tried out this technique for the first time yesterday.  Akuna did very well in giving the “baby” space.  He settled down in his seat area and we really think he will do just fine on future family trips. 

As I was carrying the car seat back into the house last night, Aaron smiled and said “You look ready.”  It made me really think “This is how our lives will be for a long time, (carrying car seats in and out of the house) and I think I’m as ready as I can be.”   To know that he sees a “Mom” figure in me is wonderful. :)

Here is my belly picture this week:  My tummy measures 18 inches (up a half-inch from last week!)

After Aaron snaps the belly picture, he keeps snapping and snapping and snapping, so I goof off and make faces to make the extra photos worth his while. :)  This one shows how excited I am to be Michael's mom:

 

Michael has become quite the busy bee.  On Tuesday, I felt him move and I looked down at my tummy.  It was lopsided toward the right side.  I moved my hand to the lopsided area and could feel his head.  I sat there and rubbed his head for about 10 minutes, and he just stayed still and let me rub him!  He totally takes after his dad, because Aaron loves for his head to be rubbed too.  Yesterday, my tummy looked lopsided again, so I reached my hand down to the lopsided area and could feel the curve of his little back.  He stayed still (minus a few random kicks) and let me rub his back for several minutes.  This is also another characteristic of his dad—Aaron loves for his back to be rubbed too.  It’s fun to note the characteristics that Michael is already exhibiting.  It will be so much fun to see the multitude of characteristics develop as he gets older.

He seems to be most active at night when I am relaxing on the couch.  Last night I thought he was going to burst through my belly button!  He was kicking, or flipping, or dancing, up a storm in there!  It’s fun to feel him move and to see it, but it’s most fun when Aaron catches the movements and gets to feel the kicks.  Michael is still a little squirt and knows when others are watching.  Fortunately, he has been so super active lately that Aaron has gotten to see and feel the kicks many times over the last few nights.

The pregnancy olfactory has opened up for business again!  Smells are becoming increasingly noticeable.  Some lotions that I have are too strong now for me to use.  This is an area that makes me sad, because I lotion my tummy nearly every day (and did I mention that I don’t have a stretch mark yet?!?!)  So now I’m having to “lather up” with lightly scented lotions. Aaron and I got our first Costco membership this past weekend (I feel like such a grown up!).  While shopping at Costco, we decided to get our little Akuna boy some dog treats.  We picked Bison Jerky for dogs.  Akuna goes nuts for this stuff!  The unfortunate side effect?  His breath.  He can be sitting on the floor by my feet with his head facing away from me, and I can still smell his breath.  Thanks, pregnancy and bison jerky.  The other night, Aaron was making Indian curry for dinner.  As I sat on the loveseat, I suddenly smelled sesame oil.  I asked him if he had put anything in the curry and he’s like “No, why?” So I told him I smelled something funky and he said that he put just a drop of sesame oil into the boiling rice.  Although he tried to convince me that it shouldn’t smell, I reminded him that my nose is winning in the “Strongest Sense” race going on in my body right now.  Fortunately, as we ate, the spice from the curry kept me from smelling anything for a few hours!

I think that I am beginning to enter the “Nesting” stage… or maybe the “Pre-Nesting” stage of pregnancy.  My mind goes 100 miles a minute thinking of all the things that can be done (ie, wiping down the washer, vacuuming the dryer vents, cleaning out Michael’s closet, etc).  While I ponder the many cleaning things I could be doing, I bake.  No longer are boxed desserts my go-to baking aid.  I am testing my skills as Suzy Homemaker—or at least Suzy HomeBaker.  With baking comes a sense of ingenious and creativity to figure out how to store my creations.  Although I’m working with chocolate and not fabric, I hear Tim Gunn say “Make it Work” and I do.  I’m thinking that pregnancy might be making me a little more creative in my “fix-it” ability.  Hopefully this Mommy trait will stick around after Michael is born. :)

 As part of my baking obsession, I made a "One-Bowl Chocolate Cake" the other day. Of course, my lack of cake-storage accessories has hindered me slightly-- which is why the cake is on a plate).

Being pregnant makes me improvise not only in how I sleep, but in how I will tackle projects that I do not have the equipment for.  Such as, storing a cake underneath a big bowl since I don't have a cake storage container.  I think this quick thinking is a necessary "Mommy" trait. 

This Week:

-Michael’s eyes are partially opened and he can blink!

-He has begun having REM (rapid eye movement)

-His eyes have color now, but it might not be the true color that they will stay.  Eyes don’t get their final hue until 9 months after birth.  I think this is pretty cool.

-Michael is about 15 inches long, which is roughly the size of a churro!



(Photo credit: disneyfoodblog.com)

My Craves:

-Sweet tea

-Chocolate (Have I mentioned that one yet???) No candy, or ice cream, but a piece of homemade chocolate cake (while it lasts).

-Costco chocolate frozen yogurt.  I knew I should have gotten one on Sunday afternoon, but I didn’t and I regret it.  Next month, I will totally have to get one of these when we make our next Costco run.

Until next week, enjoy some frozen yogurt for me and stay air conditioned!  Love, Reba