25 Weeks

Snoogle Maternity Pillow being enjoyed by Maddie

Since my last post I invested in a Snoogle pillow which is basically an oversized body pillow with weird curves on it that are supposed to make you sleep easier in a pregnant body. I thought my side sleeping with a heavy belly is what has been causing my back and hip pain. Apparently, I was wrong. I’ve been informed that my nagging “hip” pain, that is really in my love handle area on my back is actually due to my sciatic nerve. And boy does it suck. Not only has my walk evolved into something similar to that of Lieutenant Dan, my jog is non-existent. Because the dull pain is always there, sometimes I forget about it and attempt a jog, usually going after Maddie, and immediately get a shooting pain that stops me in my tracks and forces me to grasp my lower back with such drama that I should probably be cast in an AARP commercial. Luckily, my good friend Bekah is the one who alerted me that my pain is not from sleeping in a weird position and is because of this big nerve that runs down your back to your toes. The only way to ease the pain is to do physical therapy, which in my case will be provided by Youtube videos of stretches specific to sciatica. I’m hoping I find a bit of relief soon because this is seriously disrupting my sleep and general ability to get around comfortably and not at a snail’s pace. Also, it makes my butt numb.

On the positive side of happenings, my Mom was nice enough to get me an early birthday present in the form of fall maternity clothes, yay! I was most excited to order the coveted Gap Maternity Jean. I had heard great things about them but couldn’t pull the trigger with the $70 price tag, I’m more of a $40 and below kinda girl when it comes to jean purchasing. I have tried on countless pairs of maternity jeans and 9 out of 10 leave you with a crotch that either looks ten times it’s normal size with a convenient “v” wrinkle showcasing its hugeness or an equally flattering camel toe. Couple this with your new mile long and double wide ass cheeks. Up until now I had been rocking my Old Navy skinnies which were comfortable and provided me with a normal looking tush. The only complaint I had was the full tummy panel was too tight and the demi-panel (that I have) cuts my belly in a weird spot that makes me look like I’m carrying a cone head baby. Fast forward to me receiving my Gap jeans in the mail (eek!), I ordered my pre-pregnancy size and they fit perfectly! Normal butt + normal crotch + non-pointy belly = success!

Gap Jeans + Old Navy Maternity Top

I had an ultrasound this morning (officially my last with the specialist!) and our baby has continued on with her beastly growth pattern. According to a few baby websites a fetus at 25 weeks should weigh about 1.5 pounds. Our girl weighs over 2 pounds which is the supposed normal weight (according to babycenter.com) of a fetus between 27-28 weeks. Our friends like to theorize that it’s because I eat so many eggs. Basically our baby is protein loading and pumping iron in there. Seriously though, Michael decided to stop the excessive trips to the grocery store and bought me two 18-packs of eggs recently, I only have three left.
That’s all the ultra exciting news over here! I had better get to my school work and I’ll leave you with some updated stats. I switched up the questionnaire a bit just because I liked the wording better, but its basically the same. Enjoy!

How far along? 25 weeks, 3 days
How big is baby? Just over 2 pounds, about 14 inches long. According to the fruit/veggie comparison she’s a cauliflower.
Miss Anything? I really miss sleeping through the night and not lying awake in pain.
Movement: She is moving all the time, her kicks are strong enough to startle me and get uncomfortable sometimes. Especially the rib shots.
Food cravings: Root Beer, mint chocolate chip ice cream
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, inability to hold down burps and trouble breathing because she is starting to crowd my abdomen.
Belly Button in or out? Still in
Wedding rings on or off? On, but a little tighter than normal.
Mood: Happy! Sometimes too happy; uncontrollable giggling and laughing so hard I cry.
Looking forward to:  Our baby girl’s friend (she just doesn’t know it yet) being born in the next month to six weeks!