29, 30, & 31 weeks! *Updated pic*

29 weeks! Hopefully this works...

 30 Weeks (above)

 31 Weeks (above)

 30 Weeks (above)

 31 Weeks (above)

 30 Weeks (above)

 31 Weeks (above)

I made it to 31 weeks, 7 months! The pic from 29 weeks while in Utah hiking at Zion & Arches National Parks and Bryce Canyon was causing problems for this website - so I am unable to add it! *UPDATE, ADDED PIC* I did about 14 miles total, but went slow, took lots of water/bathroom breaks (when I could find a large rock near the trail to hide behind...), and thankfully usually had one or more slow people to walk with me. Ariel enjoyed the hikes, well I assume she mostly slept and enjoyed the rocking to sleep. Same symptoms as usual, although I somehow had more energy than normal last week to do all of the hiking. Now I am feeling exhausted with the new quarter starting. The biggest issue was having to sit on my tender bottom for hours upon hours during the van rides. We stopped every couple of hours, but it was very temporary relief. I slept well maybe 2 out of the 8 nights...However I do think it was helpful to get on a good sleep/wake cycle. 

Ariel is 16.5 inches and 3.3 pounds this week (according to a website not actual measurement). She will be gaining 1/2 pound per week from now on... crazy! I somehow gained about 5 pounds in 3 weeks... eek I'm already close to my 25 pound goal. 151 - I have never weighed this much in my life and my butt is feeling it every time I sit for a long time! She is getting so huge, but my stomach is not stretching fast enough so she is smashed against my ribs and organs. I can barely bend over enough to put my shoes on now. I am most comfortable when I extend my torso to make more room for her - it would be so helpful if I were even just a few inches taller... Also very sad is my top hole for my belly ring is getting stretched too much, it's pink and looking like an odd-shaped stretch mark. Ariel moves around a lot when I am sitting/laying down. It is crazy to see my whole stomach move/twitch. I also have sporadic Braxton-Hicks contractions, sometimes the only way I can tell is that it feels like she is stabbing my bladder or cervix and then I realize my stomach is very firm.

I had my baby shower a couple weekends ago, thank you sisters/friends who helped with everything! We had a lot of fun playing games, eating, designing baby book pages, and ooooh-ing and aaaah-ing over the baby gifts. Ariel went to the zoo for the first time too! Well in the womb, but still counts kind of. It was great to see my mom, older sister, and dad and have the whole family together. Hieu's parents also came and got to meet my whole family. His mom also enjoyed the baby shower and thankfully had Vy to translate the whole time! We are all very excited to meet Ariel in a couple months... Our next appointment with the midwife will be this Wednesday... I still haven't found a doula and need to ask around for a good pediatrician... so much to do. My brother did help me put together the crib that arrived (thanks mom & dad), it took us a couple hours - I say us but Brian did most of the work and Vivian helped too!

28 Weeks

28 weeks... 12 to go! Ahh.. 146 pounds (18 gained), baby is ~2.5 lbs & 15 inches long head to toe. I woke up this morning noticing a faint dark line starting to show from my belly button down --> although you may not be able to tell in the pics. I added the extra pic at the bottom to show you my skinned elbow from falling down the stairs this past week. Luckily I landed on my butt, elbows, and left foot instead of my stomach. I'm not quite as agile as I used to be on these treacherous steps up to my room...

Anyway, my lab results came back from my appt last Wed: My blood sugar was normal (yay I don't have gestational diabetes!), my iron/Hct was low - so now I have to take 2 extra iron pills/day at separate times than my prenatal & calcium, my Vit D has increased since the first trimester (have been taking about 2500-3500mg/day) but it is still at the lowest end of normal so I will be taking 4000+mg/day to boost it even further until summer begins. I am also going to be taking 1000mg Vit C with each iron pill to help absorption and to maximize my blood clotting (I bled a lot after the blood draw on Wed). Fun stuff...

Ariel has been getting hiccups periodically, this morning it lasted almost 10 min and they were so fast that it worried me. I changed positions several times, got up to walk around, use the bathroom, and back in bed, and finally they stopped after being on hands and knees for a couple minutes. I think it is pretty normal for her to get hiccups, but maybe not to last a really long time. I will mention to the midwife when I talk to her next.

I will be taking a trip to Utah this weekend for 8 days, but am kind of nervous how the car rides are going to go if I have to pee every couple hours - or more. Also I need to pack lots of snacks for the trip, all my supplements & oils/lotions & toiletries... it should be worth it though. I will get to know many of the girls from the club much better and spend a week focused on God instead of school/baby (but she doesn't leave my mind for long usually lol). When I return, I will be greeted by my older sister and mom who will be already at my house to visit/prepare for the baby shower the following day.

Next week's post will prob be late... unless I manage to do one from my phone. :)

27 weeks!

Not the most attractive pics... lol. 27 weeks now, 145 lbs (Ariel is 2 lbs!). Just under 3 months left, finally in the 3rd trimester! I still can't believe that people I told last weekend could not tell I was pregnant... uggh disturbing that I just look obese to everyone :(. Hopefully soon there won't be any question, "Is she pregnant, or just fat?" Same symptoms as usual. Small improvement with sleep, but still wake up several times at night and back pain in upper-middle of my back. It feels like my ribs are very tight, like the muscle is being pulled and squished when I lay on my sides, even throughout the day now. Ariel seems to have found a spot in my lower pelvis that she enjoys kicking that sends sharp pains through my bladder. Also have been noticing occasional tightening of my uterus, which is supposed to be normal as long as it is not cyclic. Baby shower is coming up in a couple weeks! I already received 2 gifts, from one of my aunts and my uncle, since they will not be able to make it for the shower. Hopefully they will be able to visit this summer after she is born! I had my midwife appt this week, we are both measuring appropriately, blood pressure is good, and paperwork is filled out for the birthing center. I also got my blood drawn to test my glucose tolerance, to screen for gestational diabetes. I should have the results soon...

26 weeks

26 weeks! No changes this week although am not sick anymore. 144 lbs...

25 weeks!

Baby Ariel is getting so big! She is 1.5 pounds this week. 15 more weeks to go... I am 143 pounds now and same symptoms as last week. I have had a bad cold for a week now that has made sleeping go from horrible to impossible since I can't breathe, have sore and constantly dry throat/nasal passage, and cough repeatedly until thick yellow flem is released (enjoy the details?). Hoping to be better soon so I can make it through the last (worse) three weeks of the winter quarter without messing up my grades. My new mattress pad arrived, and despite it smelling like drying paint, it does seem to help relax my back muscles more. Hasn't been able to improve sleep, but hopefully next week I will be able to notice the difference. Going to a breastfeeding group/class in a half hour :).

24 Weeks!

We are at 24 weeks... age of viability in the US (~50% of babies born at this gestation will survive with intensive care). I am at 142 pounds, as you can see my belly is huge now. Just large enough for people to start noticing the belly, but not big enough for them to assume that it is from pregnancy not obesity... Well my sleep has not really improved although I am taking the Ca/Mg still. I ordered a memory foam mattress topper from living social on sale and it has been shipped out today! Hopefully it will help me sleep (thank you Hieu for sponsoring the purchase!). I also woke up with sore throat today... I suspect it is from somewhere in the last few days while in the midst of insatiable hunger I ate left-overs off of other peoples plates and tried others' drinks with the same straw... I can only speculate, but a reminder that I need to be more careful especially while I am pregnant. New symptoms: sore gums, very thirsty, some tummy troubles this week, and everything still remaining from the last couple weeks. I also think my vision is slightly worse than before, which I have read can happen but usually goes away after the birth. Only 16 weeks left until we get to meet baby Ariel! She says hello to everyone reading with a hard kick at the top of my tummy lol.

23 weeks!

23 weeks! That means... 17 left?? Can't believe she will be here in 4 months! My midwife appt went well. Belly is measuring 23cm from pubic bone to top of uterus (fundus) so she is right on track. She offered that I try taking Calcium-Magnesium to help me sleep at night so I am trying that. I think it is somewhat helpful, and I would probably be getting better sleep if I wasn't woken up by various roommates the last couple nights :(. Maybe tonight will be better... Midwife talked about next visit where I will have to drink a bottle of red "fruit punch" sugar drink an hour before my appt and then get my blood drawn to screen for gestational diabetes. I'm not too excited about it, but hopefully results will be normal. Hieu and I have now met all of the midwives (2 originally + 1 new one in orientation) and we could have either one of them, or two of them if the night is slow, at the delivery. I am glad they are all very nice and feel comfortable with them. Not really any new complaints... 141 pounds (ahh I don't know how it's possible to gain 2 lbs/wk but its obscene), same upper back pain while "sleeping," haven't had very much heartburn in last few weeks (has her hair stopped growing?!), gas/indigestion, and belly feels tight and enormous when my stomach or bladder are full - everything is competing for space, but I think Ariel is going to come out on top... She still kicks in bursts throughout the day, and night sometimes I will notice too if I am awake. She usually starts kicking shortly after meals and around midnight. Ariel already enjoys listening to classical guitar music, hymns, and nursery songs :).