29 Weeks

I don't really have anything exciting to talk about this week, so I'm going to revert back to the standard 15-question blog post format and answer all of them for you this week!

1. How far along? 29 weeks today.

2. How big is baby? This week she's a butternut squash, weighing in at 2.5 lbs and measuring 15 inches.

3. Weight gain? Somewhere around 11 lbs so far. I've been gaining a little quicker than I'd like these past two weeks, so I'm hoping to curb that a little by watching what I'm eating a bit more and upping my exercise.

4. Stretch marks? Oy vey. I noticed the beginnings of a pair of stretch marks on the left side of my belly several weeks ago and it's only getting worse. I'm still using Burt's Bees belly butter but I don't think it's doing any good. I'm trying not to stress out about it because let's face it, it's not like I was the bikini-wearing or stomach-baring type before I got pregnant, but they're still ugly and disappointing.

5. Maternity clothes? All maternity, all of the time. I bought two dresses at Target this weekend, so hopefully I'm set for most or all of the events I have coming up.

6. Sleep? Still ok, which I'm thankful for. Getting up at least once, if not more, to go to the bathroom but I'm usually able to fall back asleep pretty quickly. I got a new, comfy pillow case for my snoogle so that's been nice (the snoogle has been a godsend). Last week was the first time though that the baby kicked so hard it woke me up in the middle of the night. Calm down in there, little lady! Don't you know it's sleeping time?

7. Best moment last week? Mom's retirement party on Saturday, which turned out great. I'll post about that soon.

8. Cravings? I don't think I've really had any specific cravings. I just crave food, all of the time.

9. Symptoms? This is the first week I've really noticed that everything is getting just a little bit harder. Getting out of bed, getting off the couch, bending over, walking up a flight of stairs -- it all requires a little bit more effort (and usually a grunt or two). And yesterday for the first time my feet were really swollen by the end of the day, which kind of freaked me out. I know it's totally normal, but I've still got a ways to go (in this long hot summer) so it feels too early to be swelling already. I went for a walk though and my feet were much better afterwards. I'm trying to be more conscious about exercising, not sitting at my desk for long stretches without getting up and walking around, and drinking plenty of water.

10. Exercise? Lee and I had gotten into a really good routine of walking every night, but slipped back a little last week. Trying to be even more consistent now that I'm freaked out about swelling. And I went to water aerobics at the Y tonight, so I'm hoping to start doing that once a week or so.

11. Gender? Girl. Duh.

12. Movement? Definitely consistent and all throughout the day. Every once in a while she'll give me a wallop that startles me it's so strong (and you can see my belly move from the outside).

13. Belly button? Getting shallower by the day.

14. What I miss? Deli meat. What I wouldn't give for a nice, cold Jersey Mike's sub!

15. What I'm looking forward to? Our 30 week appointment next week where we'll get to peek at her again.