25 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

25 Weeks
(15 weeks to go)

How big is Ellie:
The size of a bouquet of cauliflower

Maternity Clothes:
Some of my maternity dresses now look shorter in the front than in the back.  Again, I have no idea how I would have made it this far without the maternity support band.  I have a feeling that I will continue wearing it even after I'm no longer working.  It just provides so much support on my tummy and I now feel uncomfortable without it.

Weight Gain Alert!

151 lbs

Gained This Week:  3 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  28 lbs

Movement:
Brandon was able to feel Ellie kicking more over the past weekend.  Her movements are more pronounced now-which is probably because she's getting bigger!  She also enjoys kicking Mommy's bladder which is one of the strangest sensations in the world.  

Food Cravings:
Mostly healthy stuff.  I still don't think I truly crave anything because I'm such a creature of habit eating the same things each week.  At our last trip to the grocery store I did bypass the Oreos and haven't regretted that decision.  I've focused on eating more fruit when I want something sweet.

Food Aversions:
Fast Food still seems disgusting.  Also, I can't stand it when Brandon cooks sausage and stuff like that for breakfast.  The smell makes me feel awful.

My Current Eating Pattern:
Juice and Waffles for breakfast
Snack time (fruit or Gardettos) around 11
Lunch
Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper for afternoon snack
Dinner - I've actually been eating less at dinner time because my reflux is awful at night.
I am drinking at least 64 oz of water each day.  Because of the hot flashes I have to do something to keep cool.

Symptoms:

backache, numbness in feet, swollen feet, hands are swelling, swollen legs, varicose veins (I'll just leave it at that), increased appetite, thirsty, tingly feeling at the top of my stomach, fatigue, leaky bladder, moodiness, weepiness, hot flashes, hot feeling ALL of the time, breast changes (oh my!), oily hair, indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn 

Sleep:
I miss sleep so much!  I wake up every morning around 4 am from back pain.  From there I get up and move to the recliner in the living room.  I've been falling asleep earlier because of my lack of sleep during the night.

Stretch Marks:
None but you can tell that I'm swelling EVERYWHERE!

What do I miss:
A full night's sleep, but I won't have that once Elliana's here either.  I guess my back is helping me prepare for middle-of-the-night feedings.  Thankfully it's easier for me to go back to sleep now because I'm so exhausted from growing a baby.

Best moment of the week:
Ordering Ellie's bedding and getting the email that it's shipped! (It should arrive today!)  Brandon finished moving all of his office stuff out of her room and now we can begin getting everything ready for her arrival.

Worst moment of the week:
Waking up each morning out of breath from back pain.  

What am I looking forward to:
Next week Ellie reaches viability!  I'm still not ready for her to arrive yet, but this is another great milestone in our near future.

Milestones:
Every day is still a milestone for us.  Looking in the mirror at my growing belly always brings a smile to face.

"Ellie is growing by leaps and bounds and weighs near a pound and a half now.  Under her skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week's end, air sacs will develop into lungs, getting ready for Ellie's first breath.  The lungs are still developing surfactant, which will help the lungs expand after birth.  Also, Ellie's nostrils are now unplugged and starting to open, and her vocal chords are getting ready to cry."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate
My tummy is rounding out and sticking out further.  Carrying her is an amazing accomplishment for me after all of the drama that  my uterus caused me while we were TTC.  But I have to say that it often feels like I'm carrying around a heavy basketball under my shirt.