Dec. 6, 1999 (25 weeks, 4 days) - Well, it's just so nice to know that the little one is still getting lots of exercise. I still get some really active times, I've tried to determine if it's hiccups but it never lasts for more than a few minutes so I can't be sure. I still feel an occasional harder push or kick that makes me jump, but it's nice. Frank can still feel some of the movements and we are both looking very forward to being able to see the movements from the outside. Since my last appointment, I've really been paying attention to the scale and I am proud to say that it has remained the same. I'm still able to wear all of my rings and I am pretty good about keeping up my water intake even though it has me in the bathroom all of the time. This weekend I did notice my back hurting a little after walking the stores all day Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes if I sit for a long period of time I seem to get stiff when I try to get up an walk, so I feel pretty silly. However, I still have been enjoying this pregnancy so far and my only real dislike has been the heartburn. Still, it's well worth it just knowing that in about 3 more months we'll have this precious new life to enjoy even more!

Dec. 7, 1999 (25 weeks, 5 days) - I just had a few notes to add here. Last night I had a dream that I gave birth to a little GIRL! Yes, it was strange, I didn't dream about the birth itself, but I know that she was a few weeks early and very big for her age and I was in shock that it was a girl. Maybe the little one is trying to tell me something?

On another note, I've noticed that I've been VERY tired the past few afternoons. I keep hitting the couch and falling asleep right after I get home from work. I don't think this is a good thing because 1) it makes it harder for me to fall asleep when we do finally go to bed and 2) I end up waking up way too early and tossing and turning to get back to sleep, thus waking Frank up as well. It's funny, because Sunday morning was the first time in a long time that I've been able to sleep past 8am but it may have been because we were up until midnight the night before. Who knows, but I've heard that the real energy drain comes in the third trimester and I'm still 2 weeks away from that. It's just making me more glad that I've finished my Christmas shopping.

This morning has been another active one, but it's strange that a lot of the poking sensations I've been feeling have actually been off to my right side. One of them was so hard it actually made me jump out of my chair. It seems to have slowed down now, but it's so amazing to feel all of this movement going on inside you and have no control over it. I still haven't been able to see anything but I could swear from what I've been feeling I should be able to see it. However, as soon as I try to stare at my stomach the movement stops. Perhaps this little one is just enjoying toying with me! I don't mind at all.

Dec. 13, 1999 (26 weeks, 4 days) - This weekend my nesting instincts began to kick in and the kitchen was my victim. I rearranged and cleaned all of the kitchen cabinets and drawers as well as the counter top area. I just feel this need to have everything organized lately and in it's place as I continue to keep the rest of the downstairs in the same order. I also managed to organize the area below the bathroom sink downstairs. Who knows what will be next? It's like someone else has taken over my body, even when I want to rest I continue to look around the room for something else to organize! The baby's room has been organized for a while, and I picked up one other item this weekend - the diaper bag I've been eyeing up for a few weeks. It was purchased for me by Michele and Barry and we even managed to get it on sale! It's one less thing I'll have to buy or ask for now.

Anyway, heartburn continues to be pretty rough for me, especially last night after the wonderful italian meal that Frank cooked for us. I look forward to March or April when I can eat again without pain.

The heartburn, of course, manages to actually wake me up, which manages to wake the little one up as well and last night I swear that he/she was just bouncing off the walls inside of me. It was a little bit scary, but things seem to have settled down today. The next few weeks are supposed to be the most active, then the little one gets bigger and doesn't have as much room to move and I get to start counting movements on a daily basis. That should be fun.

This morning I get the wonderful fun of taking the one hour glucose tolerance test. I have to say that I am not looking forward to it but hope that it has improved as I've heard some people say. We shall see. My next real doctor visit is next week on Dec. 22nd.

Dec. 15, 1999 (26 weeks, 6 days) - It seems that more and more this baby really likes to go for my right side - could he/she be a righty already? Guess it depends on how he/she is positioned in there. The majority of my pokes are definitely in my right side, but I still enjoy them.

In other news, my GDT (gestational diabetes test) on Monday really wasn't as bad as I imagined. I had a lemon-lime flavored glucola, kinda tasted like Sprite and it wasn't sickeningly sweet. The worst part was just waiting there for an hour. Keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't come out too close to the borderline and I have to take the 3 hour. I think I'll just be bored to death by that one!

Other than that, just counting down as my next appointment is a week from today. At that point, I should start going every 2 weeks for the next 3 visits, then then every one week after that. Wow, time really is flying! I still can't believe as of today I only have 49 days left of work, probably less if I'm taking off for the doctor appointments. We start our first childbirth class on January 10th and they run Monday nights until February 7th. We also have a 2 part infant care class that is on February 2nd and 10th. I'm sure by that time time will really seem short.

Last note is that I noticed that I was tired very early last night, which is unusual for me. We returned from a dog obedience class where I was on my feet for about an hour and I could barely stay awake past 9pm. Does this mean I'm getting that third trimester tiredness already? Some accounts have the third trimester beginning at 27 weeks, and the end of my 27th week is tomorrow. Technically, I begin the 28th week then, so I had the third trimester after I completed the 28th week on 12/23. Who knows?! In any case, I've got about 3 months to go!

Dec. 16, 1999 (27 weeks) - The results are in, and I passed my GTT/GDT (Glucose Tolerance Test/Gestational Diabetes Test) which is a relief! It wasn't even borderline, it was 124 which is good. Only worry was that my iron count was borderline, which isn't really unusual for me as I got the same diagnosis in March before I was pregnant. She just told me if I was feeling tired to try to eat some iron rich foods, which I've actually been trying to do. The prenatal vitamins I'm taking are supposed to help increase your iron, but you aren't supposed to take calcium close to the time you are taking them as it depletes the iron. The problem is that I have had such severe heartburn, especially in the evenings that I end up taking Tums or Maalox which are high in calcium. I've been trying no to, but sometimes I just can't help it. I'll just have to try a little harder, but I'm sure if it gets too low I can always take iron supplements. I'll cross that bridge when and if I come to it.

Dec. 20, 1999 (27 weeks, 4 days) - This weekend I had some very severe abdominal pain and I'm still trying to determine if it could have been Braxton-Hicks contractions. I've read a few descriptions, but for all I know it could have just been something I ate that didn't agree with me. All I know is I woke up from a nap with strong pains across my mid-section, like a tightening and loosening of muscles that came on in waves. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was feeling very warm and though I would be sick but that never happened. Frank was very concerned, doing everything he could for me, and I finally managed to lay down on my side, with a cold cloth on my face and neck and drank some ice water. After that, things seemed to calm down and I felt much better. It was about 1/2 hour of this but it definitely made me wonder - am I ready for labor really? I have less than three months (hopefully) to prepare for this. Childbirth classes begin on January 10th for us.

Other than that, things are still going well, my weight seems to be climbing much slower this month so hopefully my checkup on Wednesday won't be too bad. Baby is still very active at times, and I'm still enjoying it as I haven't had anything too painful so far. The last few days do seem to be a little bit of growth time for my stomach, and I am feeling more stretching going on as my stomach expands further. Things are moving right along!

Dec. 28, 1999 (28 weeks, 5 days) - My 28 week doctor appointment was another quick one on Dec. 22nd and everything was fine. I think I gained another 2 or 3 pounds, baby was measuring fine, blood pressure was fine and I was in and out of there. I did actually get to see my doctor this time, as I haven't seen her the last 2 visits. She asked if I had preregistered at the hospital and if I'd registered for classes - both yes. I will now be seeing her every 2 weeks, so my next visit is January 5th. This seemed to shock Frank a little. Yes, time is ticking.

We managed to schedule another ultrasound for Dec. 27th, and were hoping the little one would be eager to reveal his or her self to us. After taking several measurements (the main reason for this ultrasound was to check the position of the placenta) and even determining the position of the baby, as she moved over to my right side to check out the legs and lower area we had no such luck in detecting the sex. This little baby is determined to keep it a surprise for us, so I guess we'll just have to wait. It was neat to know exactly how the baby is positioned, head down and arms above the head, with another arm and legs all along my right side, which explains why most of my movements are felt over there. As of Thursday, we have 11 weeks to go if I end up going full term. Well, I bought a pack of diapers today so I guess we're ready!