26 weeks

Almost third trimester! March can't get here soon enough. 

(95 days until my due date!)

I've still been having a lot of contractions, but not quite as bad as before. At my last appointment, the midwife confirmed that I wasn't having Braxton Hicks contractions, but regular old labor contractions. Generally speaking, that isn't a good thing, but there was the smallest part of me that was relieved to hear that validation, because everything I have read about BH contractions is that they are "mild" and "painless"...and these hurt like hell. I was worried that if those were the "mild and painless" contractions, I was in for trouble when the real thing hit. 

But now, a week later, things seem to be going a bit better. With some seriously restricted activity (but no bed rest!) and antibiotics for a minor infection, my body seems like it is less intent on causing problems. Most important, baby girl is doing great. I still get more contractions that what is normal at this point, but they aren't as intense or frequent, so I am allowed to do more, which is awesome!

Taking advantage of my expanded freedom, Paul and I drove to San Diego last weekend. I always dread the 6 hour drive through the desert, but it is worth it every single time! Plus, we had several good reasons to visit: 

1. We aren't going to have many chances for spontaneous weekends away in the very near future
2. A good friend of both of ours was going to be in San Diego for a day
3. If I have to restrict my activity, I might as well restrict it on the beach!

We had a great time! It was in the mid 70's and beautiful. We split our time between Coronado Island and La Jolla, enjoying the beach and sunshine. 

November should always look like this.

     
 We had a great time meeting up with our friend and his girlfriend, too. Now we are back in Tucson, counting down the days until Christmas. Also counting down until March (or late February if this baby loves me). Here is the latest:

BIG belly!
 
How Far Along: 26 weeks/ 6.5 months

Size of baby:approximately 14 inches, somewhere between 1.5-2 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yep!

Movement: Still lots of movement. Can't believe how big she is getting! I can feel her up in my ribs, down at my hips, and everywhere in between.

Sleep: Elusive.

What I miss: Being able to bend over, reach my ankles, and access the lower drawers and cupboards in our house!

Cravings: Oranges (but that doesn't exactly help the heartburn)

Symptoms:Heartburn, nausea, sore back, contractions, and a little bit of a waddle.
(I tried going off Zofran for a day. BIG mistake. Very big, messy mistake). 

Best Moment this week: On Monday, I slept through the night for only the 6th time this pregnancy. It was glorious.

6 months!

The latest and greatest adventure for me is an "irritable uterus."  Which is to say, I have recently been experiencing all of the warning signs of preterm labor, except that I am not actually experiencing preterm labor. More than 4 contractions an hour? Check. Contractions that don't get better with water, rest, or changes in activity? Check. Lower back ache? Feelings of pressure? Contractions increasing in intensity? Check, check, check. But, my cervix isn't dilating, is shorter than it used to be but still at an ok length, and baby is happy and as active as ever.

So now what? I am supposed to stay off my feet, rest up, and wait it out. They did a fetal fibronectin test, which came back negative (hooray!!) which means that there is a 99% chance that I won't go into labor in the next two weeks. So the plan is to go in every two weeks for monitoring until these go away or baby reaches term, whichever happens first. I am really hoping to avoid complete bed rest (and be allowed to go home for the holidays!), but ultimately praying to keep this baby cooking for another three and a half months, no matter what it takes! 

Today is day 6 of "taking it easy" and I am already super bored. Expect lots of blog posts and facebook stalking from me. On a related note, any good book recommendations (did you know you can borrow/lend books with kindle for free)? Easy knitting projects? Other entertainment that can be done from the couch?

How Far Along: 24 weeks/6 months

Size of baby:Around one foot long and a bit more than one pound! So big already, but lots of cooking left to do!

Maternity Clothes: I am in stretchy clothes full time. Looooove my maternity leggings (especially because they were only $12 at H&M!).

Movement: Still lots of movement. She is head down now so I am feeling movement in some new places (some places being more comfortable than others).

Sleep: Back to having trouble sleeping, this time thanks to some major heart burn.

What I miss: Plenty of things, but I'm willing to give them up without complaint if this little girl stays in for a few more months.

Cravings: Water, chocolate chip cookies, fruit, and tums

Symptoms: Heartburn, occasional nausea, lots of contractions, and a quickly growing abdomen. BUT I haven't thrown up in over a week!!! Might be able to get rid of the Zofran soon!

Best Moment this week: Negative fetal fibronectin test, feeling lots of baby movement 

Please pray that my body figures things out and that this little baby stays in for a few more months!!

(And if you have a kindle and would let me borrow a book or two, that would be super awesome!) 

Autumn in Sedona

My blog has been a bit boring lately for the simple reason that we haven't done anything very exciting. Between my early bedtime/frequent vomiting and Paul's work schedule taking him away from home a lot, there hasn't been much to share. However, Paul finally had a free weekend last week, so we both took Friday off and left town.

Sedona was the last remaining excursion on our To Do/To See list for the southwest, so that is where we went. I have a hard enough time sleeping these days (I require at least four pillows), so we opted out of camping and found a hotel instead. We got there in the late afternoon, so rather than hiking we just saw some of the town and visited the rock formations that we could drive up to.

Paul has bunny ears from the rocks behind him =)

The next day we got up and hiked out to Devil's Bridge. It should have been a short hike, but some of us (ok, me) are not as quick as we once were. But that's ok, because it was beautiful! Bonus: it was about 15 degrees cooler than Tucson!

One morning hike was about all I could handle, so the rest of the our activities involved short walks, shade, and sources of water. Next stop: see some ruins.

Finally, we made our way to Oak Creek (you may be familiar with their beer). We stopped at Slide Rock State Park to enjoy the water and changing leaves. I think I could have spent all day there!

 

Sunday we slept in a little and then made our way back south. We made a quick detour to see Montezuma's castle on our way out of the area, then stopped for lunch with my grandparents in Phoenix. Now we are back in Tucson and "enjoying" temps in the low 90's.

So that's it! The last place on our Southwestern Bucket List. We've visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Moab, White Sands, Carslbad Caverns, Flagstaff, Tombstone, Lake Powell, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Taos and several places in between. What's left? Any suggestions for us?