29 Weeks

Our 29th week was a busy one. This little guy has been pushing and making me quite tired, but our house is looking amazing. It has been remodeled (the kitchen), power-washed, and the lawn has been mowed. We are looking forward to the end of this coming (30th) week beacuse we have friends coming in from out of town, and we have our 2nd baby shower. This is the all friends one, so this should be really fun.
I know this is bad, but I have really been looking forward to going on maternity leave sooner, rather than later. I am so tired at work, I can barely function, and I feel sore in EVERY part of me. TMI- but every part is true.
I woke up this morning (Monday of our 30th week) and my rings did not fit on my hand, my shoes were super tight and uncomfortable, and I felt like I gained a metric ton overnight. I guess the bloating was bound to catch up with me sooner or later. So, I skipped wearing my engagement ring (which I hate doing), and I went to Target to pick up some balet flats. I had to get them an entire size larger than my usual size to make sure they were comfortable.
I think the nesting stage has finally set in for me, because the last few days I have been kind of acting crazy at home, wanting to get everything done as fast as humanly possible. I have also started to fill my hospital bag. It is kind of overwhelming actually. I have this super long checklist that I printed off from babycenter.com and it is just so much stuff... I read blogs and comments saying that you will not even unpack 50% of that stuff that you bring. I am going to focus on my personal items, Jenn's items, and an outfit to take our son home in.... the rest should be provided by the hospital right??? I hope so.
I have been thinking a lot about how and when I will go into labor. I am hoping it will be at night in my own home, so my wife can drive us, and I don't have to depend on someone from work taking me to the hospital. I also hope that he stays pretty close to the due date, so my parents don't have to drive all night to get to us.
The wait continues... Lucas is the size of cabbage.

28 Weeks

Things have definitely been better this week compared to the last one. We had 3 appointments yesterday (all baby-related).

1. Was my ultrasound for my gallbladder. We won't know the results until tomorrow it seems, but I continue on my non-fat diet, and am feeling better. Last night I had some bread that apparently was not fat-free, and I felt it immediately. I had to take a pain pill, and was able to sleep after that.

2. 4-D ultrasound! We were able to see our little guy yawn, swallow, and open his eyes! We got a ton of pictures, and a video of the whole thing as well. Everyone keeps saying he looks like me/my dad. I feel so excited to meet him now! We might be a little biased, but Jenn & I think he is the most handsome child on the planet... :)

3. Lastly, we went to our regular OB appointment. Now starts the biweekly visits, so we will be seeing a lot of Dr. Seidel and the crew at Physicians for Women in Cary. They are really great there, so it makes the visits really enjoyable. On our 30 week appointment, we will see Seidel again, but after that, we will rotate into the other 2 people who might have a hand in delivering our bundle of joy. One is a Dr., the other is a nurse-practitioner.

From now until the baby is born, we have tons to do and get done, and its a little overwhelming. Sylvia and Ken (my amazing in-laws) will be coming over on Sunday to help deep-clean our house, after having to give away our pups. We miss them so much, but their lack of destruction, hair & time consumption has really made a positive impact on our daily lives now.

After that, we have people that will be coming in and out of our home... Friends from Texas, Arizona, and Maryland (not to mention my parents from FL). And, we have 2 more baby showers that we need to get through. We hope baby Lucas will stay put until at least August 19!

27 weeks

So, this week has not gone by as smoothly as it could of. A few days ago I started to feel a sharp pain in the middle of my back. I initially thought that it was gas or heartburn, but after taking my usual relief medications, nothing seemed to help. The pain would come and go, but on the 3rd day it was unbearable, and I was seriously in tears. I took the day off yesterday, and went to my OB. Dr. Seidel confirmed what I suspected, it was my gallbladder. Yay! Not!!! After a day of eating no fat at all, and resting, I feel loads better. It also helped that he gave me a pain pill :) At 27 weeks I have to completely change the way I cook and eat. Today I went grocery shopping, and spent a long time thinking about, and looking at the labels on my food. I finally wrapped my head around it, and I think that I can find creative ways to cook with no fat, and make it taste good. We shall see.
Not that I have a choice in the matter, as I have to do this to insure that I don't have to have surgery before the baby is born. Maybe this is the kick I have needed to really change my lifestyle, and get super healthy for my wife and child.

26 Weeks

The third trimester is just around the corner (28 weeks), and I already feel a lot less awesome. I am out of breath, have constant heartburn and acid at night, and my back is killing me! The joys of pregnancy, right? Other than these lovely occurences, we are doing quite well in the Dawson-Rodriguez hosuehold. We continue chipping away at the long list of items that we want to get done before Lucas graces us with his presence. Jenn is a total rockstar, with all the stuff that she gets done, with no help from me. I try and help as much as I can, but with this head of cauliflower inside of me, it makes it pretty hard.
My parents are in Spain right now, and they send us emails and post pictures on facebook. It looks like they are having a great time, but I didn't realize how I would miss talking to them every day. I normally call my parents 3-4 times a day just to chat or ask a question, and now I find that I want to talk to my mama and daddy! I am needy dammit! LOL! Alas, they come back on the 7th, so I should be able to survive until then. Belly pictures to come. :)