Hello Third Trimester ... I think you may kick my butt.

My official third trimester belly picture: 

They only time in my life I will wear horizontal strips (aka pregnant).  Even though I love them and their nautical-ness.  

And the picture after BA asked me "if she will be gaining a pound a day from now on."  Its okay he is still trying to figure out our "weird" American measurement system:

Dear God, I hope she doesn't weigh 90 lbs :) 

Week 27 means next week starts the home stretch ... 3rd trimsester here I come!

My boys <3 ... and yes BA is carrying Old Dog :)



Me with the motley crew on a hike.  How handsome are these puppies? 

Alien Hickeys.  Because my back has been bothering me lately, at my acupuncture appointment this week, Marisa did some intense cupping to relieve the pain.  In Chinese Medicine it is thought that the darker the marks the more stagnation (trapped energy, emotions, toxins, basically yucky stuff) you have.  BA thinks it is fake, but I don't care because I feel 1000x better :)



Holla at Week 26.

So this week I have some actual updates for you guys ... not just random pictures to fill space:

1.  Last week I had an OBGYN check up ... I have officially gained 13 lbs (but add about 10 or 15 more on top of that I have to lose for the Navy), my blood pressure is still good at 120/72, and my stomach measured 29 cm!  Doctors and midwives take a measurement from the bottom of your uterus to the top in order to measure the baby's growth.  What is amazing is that usually this measurement  coincides with how far along you are.  So that means that I am measuring larger than average ... by almost 3 weeks!

2.  On Saturday, I went to take my glucose tolerance test which screens for gestational diabetes.  How it works is you have to drink 50 ml of a high glucose solution (in less than 5 minutes) and then after an hour a blood sample is taken and evaluated.  I opted for the lemon lime flavor, which wasn't too bad ... like a VERY sweet, flat sprite.  Well I got the results back today and my "blood sugars were perfect!!!" Both BA and I were really relieved.  We were afraid gestational diabetes was the cause of why Helena is measuring so large.  But now we know its her daddy's giant genes.

3.  We got our cloth diapers in!  We decided to go old school and use flat diapers and covers.  In fact this  kit will take us from newborn to potty training for just $243.45.  BA is a diaper folding pro ... and to prove it we made a video: BA is a cloth diapering fool!

4. Pregnancy is gross ... why women choose to do this over and over and over again I will never understand.  Skin tags, swollen extremities, furry bellies, non-stop peeing, bleeding gums and nose, and worst of all the mutated belly button are the "common" pregnancy symptoms I have been afflicted with.  And I have been blessed with a very EASY, uncomplicated one.  Here's some pictures to make you feel sorry for me.

My new belly strap, so I can work on my fitness without my uterus falling out on the ground.

Gross swollen monster feet.  

And grossest of all is my hairy stomach and dirty belly button.  Its not dirty, its really some weird mole/left over umbilical cord piece that sticks out now.  When Frankie (the almost 3 year old monkey we let hang out around us) pulls up my shirt to talk to the baby he tries to pick at it.  Yuck!

Week 25 ... keeping on keeping on trucking.

For those who don't know, BA and I have decided to have a home birth ... yes that means Helena will be delivered at home ... preferably not outside in the garden or on the toilet.  Our midwife, Maggie, feels her role as a midwife is to be there if we need her but basically we will be running the show.  So that means BA be on the other side to catch Helena (and be the first one to hold her!!!).  So the other day we were watching a birthing video and as I watched BA's reactions I asked:

"So will you feel the same way about vaginas after this?" His answer: "No, after this I will be gay."

Ahahaha.  

BA makes me juice everyday ... luckily we are having a little girl or  else he would be force feeding me meat instead.

Helena's moby wrap came in, BA is practicing wearing her with a mini-watermelon. 

Up close and personal ... just in case you didn't believe :)

Helena's Long Lost Pictures

Finally BA has "had time" to scan and email Helena's mid-pregnancy photo shoot.  Not that these pictures ever look like anything, but for your enjoyment may I present Helena Margaret Nel:

Thats her little round head, taken from the side profile.  If you squint hard enough it kinda looks human.

From the same angle, but here her face looks all messed up.  We can't tell if 1. she is making a kissy mouth or 2. she has a terrible over bite and its going to cost an arm and a leg to fix in a few years. 

24 Week Update.

So its been a while since I posted an actual update about Helena's progress.  So at 24 weeks she weighs over a pound and is about a foot long.  Basically about the size of an ear of corn:

Our corn baby Helena ... is it gross what we had BBQ corn last night for dinner?

Even more exciting than her vegetable/fruit size comparison is that while visiting Uncle James and Aunt Ashely in Charleston I really began to feel her move and kick.  Her kicks are so hard now that BA can feel them too!  She gets really active after I drink a huge glass of ice water or some sprite.  Sprite makes her move around like a crack addict.

The other morning we were laying in bed and BA decided it was time to wake her up.  He jiggled my stomach back a forth a couple times and I shit you not she woke up and started kicking.  I think she was pissed because she kicked hard and for a long amount of time before she settled down.  Of course, being the good parents we are, BA and I laughed and laughed about it.

What is crazy to me is that at 24 weeks, she is basically done forming.  All her organs are in the right place, she can open and close her eyes, and even her finger prints are done.  In fact if she were to fall out  right now, with a lot of medical intervention, she could survive.  However, I'll let her stay a bit longer getting fatter (and making me fatter) with every day.  Just cross your fingers I am able to stay within my weight gain goal of ~30 lbs.  Which so far I am on track to accomplish.

What's in a Name?

So BA has decided on a name for our little Gypsy.  Her name will be Helena Margaret Nel.  We have been calling her Maggie for short as of now, but that is subject to change if she doesn't look like a Maggie when she pops out.

We wanted a strong name that existed both in English and Afrikaans since we will be raising her bi-lingual.  I also wanted a name that meant more than "oh I just liked it."  It just so happens that BA's grandmother's name was Helena Magrieta and my great grandmother's name was Helen Margaret.  So Helena Margaret is a perfect mix!

Meaning:

Helena (which we have decided will be pronounced like the Afrikaans way He-lee-n-a not the American version He-lain -a) - is a variant of Helen and is of Greek origin.  The meaning of Helen is "sun ray, shining light".  


Margaret -  is also of Greek origin, and the meaning of Margaret is "pearl"

Gifts Galore!

Here are a few pictures of the wonderful gifts we have received in the past few days.  Maggie is such a lucky girl!

Some Monkey Business from Jeremy, Leigh, Miss Madison and # 2 .... who is due about 8 weeks later!

Some Kansas City love and Maggie's first pair of Tom's!!!!  Sent to her from Auntie Christain.  PS - BA was super creeped out by the baby picture, which makes me love it even more. 

Homemade changing pads so "her little ass won't have to touch what other nasty ones have!"  Guess Aunt Beth knows the kind of places BA frequents :)  Love the Iowa onesie ;) 

A gift from my knob Rosita Navarro ... some lovely handmade wares from the Charleston's farmer's market.  Love the little dress.   BA has decided that his mom will make 100 of these while she is here on "vacation."

The hippiest towel of all.  A orange, organic tiger from Uncle James, Aunt Ashley and Bryce Cooper.