28 Weeks

I had a sonogram on Monday morning.  Though Dave thought he might be able to meet me, he wasn't able to in the end.  So, it was the first time I've ever gone to a sonogram by myself.  In the past, the idea of going into a sonogram alone made me so nervous.  Now, though, baby is moving so much, which is a great reassurance!  Plus, Joe, the sonographer, knows our case really well.  I've lost track of how many sonograms we've had with Joe during this pregnancy, and we now feel like he's our family friend.  And, he was just about as excited as I was that he couldn't find the pocket of blood!  He looked and looked all around, and then he finally said, "I just don't see it anywhere!"  

In addition to checking out the status of the pocket of blood, I also got to see baby again!  Baby's head is still tucked under my ribs on the right side.  Joe checked baby's heart and stomach.  Baby's heartbeat was steady and strong at 161 beats per minute.   Joe measured baby's tibia bones and confirmed that baby is 2 lbs, 10 ounces.  I asked him twice if he was sure baby was that big!  (I also asked the nurse later, too.)

When I met with my doctor, she said, "Our baby is looking perfect!  I'll see you in three weeks!"  I timidly asked, "What am I supposed to do until then?" and she answered, "Whatever you want!"  I am off of bedrest!  And, I have started nesting like crazy!  (If only you could see the master to-do list I made after my sonogram.)  :) 

While I am so thankful to be up and enjoying my last trimester, I am mostly thankful for God's protection over baby.  There were so many weeks when both my doctor and the sonographer would say, "At this point we just wait…bleeds this big usually go away…but this is big...one day at a time."  I'm so grateful to our Ultimate Healer and His protection over baby, even when the pocket of blood was much, much bigger than baby.

**best moment of this week*

I woke up to feeling hiccups on Sunday morning!  It was precious.  I counted around 12 or 13 rhythmic little hiccups under my right ribs.  It's also sweet knowing exactly where baby's head is.  And, I also know where baby's feet are since baby kicks a lot now!  And, I wouldn't trade those middle-of-the-night kicks for anything.

**food cravings**

NONE!  I haven't craved anything the past few weeks.  I seem to have now have the opposite problem--nothing really sounds good, until it's in front of me.  My brother-in-law offered to bring us take-out from any restaurant we wanted the other night, and I couldn't think of one restaurant that sounded good.  He ended up bringing me my first-trimester favorite, crab wontons from Pei Wei.  Once they were here, I loved them!  :) 

 I have sorted through all our newborn boy and girl clothes.  My favorites are still in our room until I wash them.  Emma loves picking up random pieces of clothing and saying, "I give this to the baby.  The baby love this shirt."  

I knit both Isaac & Emma hats for Christmas, but the sizing on both was wrong.  I was able to fix Isaac's by adding a few more rows.  I put Emma's hat on her head to see if I could somehow modify it, but she took it off and handed it right back to me.  She said, "You can give it to the baby."  Emma always refers to the baby as a "she," while Isaac lets us know that he really needs a brother.  He even cried about it a few weeks ago and said, "But Mommy, I just need a brother, because I need another wrestler to wrestle with Daddy."  While I was sorting the newborn clothes in our room, Isaac sat beside me and said, "I really wish we were having two babies.  But, one is good too."  

Isaac and Emma wanted to give the baby stickers

23 weeks at the doctor's office (December 4, 2014)
baby weighed 1 lb, 3 ounces

24 weeks at the doctor's office (December 11, 2014)
the pocket of blood was significantly smaller at this appointment--only 5 cm long and less than 1 cm  in height

26 weeks on Christmas Eve