How far along? 24 weeks
Due date: July 22, 2013
Baby size: 9 - 12 inches, eggplant or ear of corn I guess
Total weight gain: about 17 lbs or 8 kg, since I live outside the States - about 5 pounds more. Pretty sure German rolls and daily tea and cake is to blame for this giant jump.
Maternity clothes: I thought maybe I'd be able to keep wearing my things and not have to buy anything, but if our baby girl and I keep growing like we did this past couple of weeks, I don't think I'll make it!
Sleep: I've slept great. Probably because we've been traveling and about so much and it's exhausting!
Best moment this week: I got to spend lots of time with some pregnant friends: Alisa, Mary, and Angelina, as well as a new mom friend, Elyse. They are also going to be or are missionary moms and are due this summer. I loved hearing their experiences and talking about where we are at in our pregnancies. I don't get that at all where I live, and I soaked it up this week.
Movement: Lots of it and getting stronger. She did a lot of moving on the flights...wondering how the changing air pressure might affect her.
Food cravings: German food was awesome, especially breakfasts, but I missed my cereal each morning. Loved the chances to eat McDonalds and Chinese food while we were outside our delightful, but less developed country.
Symptoms: I can't go a day without a nap, a couple hours without a bathroom break, or sit still long without my back and tailbone aching. A six hour train ride gave me my first introduction to water retention and leg swelling. And pregnancy + a cold has given me the blessed experience of weak bladder control. Scared to sneeze!
Gender: We are having a girl. :)
Labor Signs: No.
Goals for the Week: I just want to get back into my routine of solid eating and a good walk each day.
Feeling toward Pregnancy: Most of the time the end feels so far away, but I'll actually be leaving for the States in exactly two months. I have lots of things I'd like to finish and do before that happens and my days of time to myself are a thing of the past. So general feelings toward pregnancy are great, full of excitement and expectation, but also I am not at all anxious or ready for our daughter to arrive yet.
What I miss: We used to be pretty flexible travelers, but it seems those days might be gone forever. It seemed like I was always behind...seriously slow, up parading the aisles of our planes and trains to avoid swelling, and always had my eyes open for the nearest available restroom. Not the normal chilled out running around we are used to.
What I am looking forward to: We did some serious child traveler observing while running around Europe the last week and even though there will be major adjusting, I think it's going to be good. Our friends, Ryan and Elyse are our baby travel inspirations - they seemed so relaxed and their little Oliver was as chill about it as they were. I am excited to see our little girl grow up familiar with travel and airports and hoping she is better at getting her ears to pop than her father is. Maybe a little less excited to be the stressed mom whose crying baby is bugging the passengers around her, but it's part of the job and it'll be alright. I know there will be learning as we figure out how to care for her needs and how travel will interrupt her routine, but I still look forward to it. Even if we won't be able to be quite as flexible, I am really excited about traveling with our daughter.
Fears or uncertainties to surrender: Apparently doctors don't let you just show up with records in hand when you are 33 weeks pregnant and accept you as their patient. They want to see records and test results before you arrive so they can approve you before 28 weeks along. So says the receptionist that doesn't seem to see us as different from any other "transfer patient" and won't let us talk to anyone else to explain the complications of that. So now we are in the communication jungle of getting our Albanian hospital (which is four hours away from us) to email us EVERYTHING so we can send it to the doctors office in Illinois so we can explain to them our situation. It's going alright (decided not to worry about translation of medical terms unless they ask for it) but I can't say it's been the most fun I've had as a pregnant expatriate. Praying it all works out!
Milestones: Other than swelling and loss of bladder control, I now weigh more than I ever have before...what a momentous couple of weeks!
Albanian Culture and Pregnancy Tidbit: Girls names in Albania almost always end with an -a or an -uh sound. Common names are Angela, Lindita, Elda, Kristina, Sara. People don't really know what to do with a name like Heather. So that's definitely something we considered in our naming. The name we chose isn't Albanian, but we don't think they'll get confused by it...they could easily add an a to the end. Excited to share our little girl's name!
2 comments:
Been waiting for the update... :) Gramps
Loved reading your blog...go ahead...share that name!
Love her already, Granna
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