25 Weeks 1 Day!

I feel like I'm so close to the end yet so far away. I keep trying to remind myself to enjoy how slow this time is going because once she's here everything will change and probably fly by.

Other than my back pain I've been feeling great. Sleeping isn't too uncomfortable yet. I've been getting up about 3 times a night to use the bathroom. That's a little annoying but I usually fall right back to sleep. Someone told me my body is trying to get me used to waking up that many times a night because that's how it will be in the beginning. I'm sure it's just a myth but it makes sense. It's also getting a bit more difficult to bend over. I find myself making funny noises a lot when I do bend over, mostly to humor Justin, but also because it just seems necessary. I also thought I was going to be able to give myself pedicures up until the end. Boy was I wrong.

This week has been a little stressful as far as our personal lives go. I've realized that weddings and pregnancy can bring out the worst in people and it can also bring out the worst in you. This is supposed to be a happy time in our lives and if someone is making it miserable then that person should be treated accordingly and ignored. It was kind of a difficult decision to make, but I have to do what makes me happy. I don't want to look back on this time in my life and think man, it would have been better had I just done what ultimately made me happy. So, that's what I intend to do. I only have three months left and I intend to enjoy it as much as possible. I shouldn't be around people that stress me out, that's not good for anybody, especially the baby. It also has been making me a cranky person, and that's not me. I've been fortunate to not have any random mood swings and my hormones haven't thrown me off balance, all in all I've been a happy pregnant person, so why let one person make me unhappy? 

This weekend I'm going camping in Malibu with my dad, Shelley, Danielle, and Trish and I couldn't be more excited. I'm looking forward to a weekend away. Brian has to work this weekend so he's unable to make it and Justin is staying back to finish out his diet competition. He's doing so well and I'm so proud of him. I think it's been a long 12 weeks for him but he's made it to the end. He seriously looks better than I've ever seen him. He was going through old pictures and his old measurements last night and found out that he is smaller now than he was at 24 years old! He's going to be one hot papa :) I admire him for all the hard work he's put in. He never gave up even when things got tough. He's going to be such a good dad and role model.

How our little baby girl is growing:

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Back Pain

So far I've been fortunate enough to not have any other symptoms of pregnancy. No nausea, no swelling, no bad acne, etc. However, these last couple weeks my back has been killing me...and it's only getting worse. The odd thing is it only hurts when I'm sitting down and the pain is in the center of my back, not my lower back. I don't know what to do for the pain. The other night it was so bad I thought I was going to cry. Justin came to the rescue with an ice pack and a massage. I feel like I've tried everything I'm allowed to do from laying on the floor to using ice packs, heating pads, and having Justin rub my back (lately on a nightly basis).  I would like to try Pilate's as I've been told it's really good for pregnant woman and maybe the stretching will help. There's a Pilate's studio near my apartment (well, kind of near it) so a friend from work is going to go with me next week to try it out.

Potato Chip Rock!!

We finally got to hike to "Potato Chip Rock" (Mount Woodson). I took Friday off of work and Justin and I hiked to the top of Mount Woodson. After reading the reviews on yelp and talking to a few people I was a tiny bit nervous to do the hike while being 5 1/2 months pregnant. A lot of people claimed it was really tough, steep, etc. Some yelpers claimed it took them 3 hours to get to the top. Let me remind you that this hike is only about 7 miles round trip, if you start at Lake Poway. If you start on the Ramona side I believe it's about 5 miles. Anyway, we made it to the top in 1 hour and 42 minutes. We started the hike at 11:15am, it was about 66 degrees outside. I wouldn't have wanted it any warmer because as we got moving it got hot. Once we got to the rock there were only a few other people up there so we didn't have to wait too long to get our picture on the rock. You do have to make a little jump to get onto the rock, and some assistance getting back over is definitely handy to have. Otherwise, you would just have to slide down the side of the rock. Needless to say, we both got our picture on the rock, got to see a pretty view, and shared a sandwich before heading down. It took us about 1 hour and 10 minutes to get down.

Looking at the photo it's hard to tell how high up the rock is. The greenery on the lower left of the picture is the top of a tree. The rock drops off on the other side. It would be a long way down if you fell. I believe the summit is 2,855 ft. With all that said, it didn't feel dangerous. The rock is definitely very sturdy, even though it looks really thin.

24 Weeks!

Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's already been three years!! Justin and I had dinner at the West Steakhouse in Carlsbad (we had $200 in gift cards so it seemed like the obvious choice). We had such a great time. I felt like we had just started dating (minus the awkwardness of getting to know each other) and I was so giggly the whole night. I truly love him more and more as each year passes (yes, that might sound corny but it's true). After dinner we made a pit stop at Red Robin (Justin's favorite place near our apartment. In other words...the only place that stays open "late"). We then finished up the evening watching youtube videos on the couch at home. Quite romantic ;) Here's the 24 week update!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Baby Gill has been so active everyday! I seriously wonder if she ever sleeps, or if maybe she tosses and turns and kicks and punches while she's sleeping...? Anyway, I love feeling her move, so I'm definitely not complaining.

I'm taking the day off of work tomorrow and Justin and I are going to hike Mount Woodson. Finally! I'm very excited and looking forward to it. It's 7.5 miles round trip and the summit sits at 2,855 feet. There is a 2,300 ft. elevation gain. Hopefully it won't be too tough and it will be worth the picture on Potato Chip Rock!!

24 Weeks 3 days!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Justin and I were going to hike Mount Woodson today (Potato Chip rock), I've been dying to do this since I've heard about it. Anyway, we woke up this morning and Justin was extremely exhausted from his work out yesterday (we went to the gym twice!) so we decided to take it easy and we'll hike Mount Woodson next Sunday.
We were going to walk along the beach in Coronado but it turned into a mini photo shoot with the weekly sign. By the time we were done we were both cranky and hungy. We had lunch on Coronado Island at Which Which (sandwich shop). When we got home we took a two hour nap and are now getting ready to go to Natives (our favorite vegan restaurant) for dinner. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Quick update

I JUST SAW MY STOMACH MOVE!!! No, like literally. I was sitting at my desk working away (still am) and I noticed baby Gill was moving around quite a bit, but they were big movements. I looked down and saw these thump like movements coming from within! Really cool and really weird all at the same time. When I really take time to think about it I find it hard to fathom that there's a human being growing inside of me! Seeing the movements on the outside was a whole new experience. I wish Justin was here to see it.

23 Weeks!

Things are moving right along. I was told by a couple people that once I hit the halfway point and found out the gender the pregnancy would fly by. Let me be the first to tell you that it's not "flying" by. It doesn't help either that I don't have any patience. I mean we were engaged for 14 months before getting married and it seemed to take forever to get to the actual wedding day (when I get really excited things seem prolonged). Looking back we've been married three years next Wednesday and I can't believe how quickly the three years have gone by! Maybe in a few months I'll agree that this time has "flown" by. For now, come on baby, I'm ready to meet you! Then again, it is nice to have a few more months to save money and figure out exactly what our next steps are (living situation, car, etc.)

How your baby's growing:
Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance (this is great news! Now I can play rock band and have an "audience". Although, she may not like mama's singing) And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango) you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes (haven't seen this happen yet). Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

As for me, I'm still feeling great. I try and work out if not every day then every other day. I've recently started swimming at the gym. That's been a nice experience. Fortunately the updates I get on how "my body is changing" haven't happened, at least not yet anyway. The most recent update I got was my feet are probably starting to swell, sluggish circulation in my legs, and just overall swelling. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that these things don't happen, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they do. I can see that my face is starting to fill out...and I still have 17 weeks to go!