According to this 3D pregnancy website, this is the development stage our baby is at. Looks more like a baby than the first photos we saw of him. I really can’t wait to see what he looks like. I tell Andy all the time that I hope our little boy looks just like his daddy.

The last couple days have been hard on my back. It doesn’t feel like the same sciatic pain I felt before. I didn’t have to move to get a pinch in my sciatic nerve and recently I’ve been hurting when I do move. It hurts mostly when walking or going down the stairs or just being in a bad position.

I feel like the baby has been pushing up where my lungs should be. I sound like I’m panting. I even sometimes feel like I’m panting, like I’m not getting a lot of air with each breath. I have to remind myself to sit up straighter and that sometimes helps.

I think the arches fell out of my feet.

I’ve gotten some BIG zits this week. One on my belly and then one on my neck.

I received a foot rub (nice!) from my hubby last night, who agreed the arches had fallen, but also informed me that my left foot was swollen.

My hips ache if I don’t roll over enough when I’m in bed.

My belly button doesn’t hurt anymore but it still looks stressed out.

Less than three months to go!

I’m a little worried over the fate of my belly button. It has been getting more and more shallow. Which is fine. You can barely see it because it doesn’t cast much of a shadow. My concern is the hole above my navel where I used to wear jewelry. It’s actually two holes though, one where the piercing went in and one where it came out. I haven’t worn any navel jewelry for about 5 years. The skin in between the two holes has become uncomfortable. It’s red and a little sore. I’d post a picture but I wouldn’t want to gross any one out.

Last night I thought that I could use a butterfly band-aid to give it some “slack.” I tried one of those little band-aids because we have so many of them but it wouldn’t stick. So I am a little worried about what is to become of my belly button. Will my navel “pop out”? Will that relieve the tension and stop the stretching of that little piece of skin? Or will the outcome be something less undesirable(ew)? I guess, we’ll see.

Today is the last day of the second trimester. It has flown by! I have pre-registered for our maternity hospital stay and have registered for a 4 week course on childbirth education. Andy and I have also started our baby shower registration. Just over three months to go!

A week ago today, my neighbor had her second son. He’s adorable! Andy and I stopped by for a quick visit on Saturday. We dropped off a little congrats and the hat I knit for him which looks a little big (for now!). It’ll be nice to have boys so close in age for future play dates and hand-me-downs!

Andy and I spent an extra long weekend last week in Sugarcreek, Ohio in Amish country with my family. We had some really good weather on Sunday. Andy, my dad and I took a long hike along a creek. We saw a waterfall, wood peckers and 3 snakes. The landscape was similar to Old Man’s Cave. It was neat because it was so warm and sunny but there were no leaves on the trees yet so you could see pretty far. It was quite a hike for me though. I was sore for several days. Next time Andy’s carrying the little one!

I started knitting newborn hats from some blue yarn I got for Christmas. Since I’ve already gotten a couple handmade blankets for our baby, I decided that I would make our little one a knitted hat (or two or three or more). I finished one and started one while we were away. Its so great how fast these projects go. It was my first time completing a project with circular needles and the first time I’ve ever used double pointed needles. I struggled with the decreasing on my first hat. The second one (pictured) turned out perfectly and I can’t wait to give it to my neighbor’s for their newborn baby boy. I’ve since started a matching toddler size hat for the big brother. I will probably make this same one over for our baby boy.

I drove to Dayton on Monday to visit my cousin Jessica who is also pregnant. She’s due in late August. I think we’re just 5 weeks apart. We talked about baby-stuff and she tried on some maternity clothes. Jess and her husband Lance want the gender of their baby to be a surprise. I really hope they have a boy. Jessica knows why.
We had another doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. Andy has been to every appointment with me. I needed him there to support me while I got my blood drawn. The nurse always says ‘you’ll be a pro at this by the time your baby comes.’ But it was only my second time. And the first time I cried and they gave me crackers and apple juice. I was just nervous about fainting since I had vomited for the first time during the pregnancy right before we left for the doctor’s office. This time I didn’t eat much before because I was taking the glucose tolerance test. But I was fine. (Maybe I will be a pro someday.) The taste wasn’t as bad as I had heard. It just tasted like orange-pop that wasn’t sweet to me.

Andy felt the baby kick for the first time last Saturday. The kicks have been getting really strong. I can see them through my shirt if I watch long enough. They were usually really low but now they have been all over the place. Last night they were on my right side. And while I’m writing this, the baby’s kicking my left side. (He likes scrambled eggs as much as his dad.)