26 weeks down, 14 to go

One of the best things about this week was the 1.5 hours I spent yesterday evening at the pregnancy yoga class I've been attending for the past few weeks. Things have been so hectic at work and at home recently that I've felt as if I haven't had a lot of time to focus on the baby, or on myself. So the class was a welcome change of pace and opportunity to take time out for that.

The moves and postures in the class are designed to help the baby have room to grow and move, to get her to end up in a good position for being born, to strengthen my body (read: pelvic floor) for labour, and to relieve pregnancy aches and pains. Since I experienced my first pregnancy leg cramps this week in my left calf, coinciding with pelvic pain in my right hip, which meant difficulty walking for three days, it was good to stretch it out and get some tips for relief. I'm not sure how much of the advice and postures I'll actually remember during labour! But I plan to keep going over the summer so that I can have time out and hopefully learn something.

In other news this week, I played Beethoven's Eroica Symphony very loudly this evening, which set the baby well and truly dancing around in there. She's got good musical taste already! We also finally chose our pram, which will be put on order in the near future.

I've also started to be a lot more weepy this week. Even just looking at a picture of a newborn baby brings on the tears. I can't wait to meet my little girl and see what she looks like and hold her in my arms, and see Nick holding her. Only three months to go.

25 weeks down, 15 to go

I've now entered the third trimester. Scary stuff.

Weight this week: 57 kilos. That's 3 more than before I was pregnant, and 8 more than my lowest weight at the end of the first trimester. According to the pregnancy book I've been reading, I am now 'heavily pregnant'. It doesn't really feel that way though.

Weird pregnancy experience of the week: eating coleslaw from the tub at 4 am.

Baby news of the week: baby girl is kicking harder than ever and actually caused me some mild pain today. The shape of things to come... At our doctor's appointment this week, my fundal height was measuring a bit below the norm (22cm instead of the expected 25cm), but I reckon she was just being shy and hiding from the tape measure!

24 weeks down, 16 to go

Waist measurement this week: 28 inches/70 cm. Not too shabby.

Nick was away for a few days this week so I had a chance to get a few things in order around the house. My nesting instinct has definitely kicked in. I feel even more of an urge than usual to clean and tidy. I also feel my awareness of myself and my environment is much sharper than usual. I'm super conscious of what's going on around me, of my own 'space', and what I'm doing at any given moment. It's quite a bizarre feeling.

Baby girl is getting more active by the day. I'm sure I felt some hiccups this week!

23 weeks down, 17 to go

This week: stretch marks. They have appeared on my thighs, bum, and hips (though not, so far, my tummy). It's a bit distressing and resulted in a few tears last night. I've been really careful to put on all the right lotions and potions but, I suppose, it was inevitable that they'd get me in the end.

On a happier note, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday with a wonderful day together. We had a lovely brunch with our dear friends Ben and Bryony, a walk into town to buy shoes (for me) and a maths book (for Nick, naturally), an afternoon spent together doing a few little bits and bobs around the house, and a delicious and posh dinner at Gee's. My gorgeous husband gave me earrings to match the beautiful necklace he gave me for my 21st birthday. Now he's gone to Madrid for a few days for a conference. I miss him already. He'll be back on Thursday. I can't wait.

22 weeks down, 18 to go

The last few weeks have been really exciting for us. We found out at our 20-week scan that we are having a girl! She is growing well and looks healthy. We can now feel and see her kicking and movements. She's very active! My tummy is growing rapidly and I now have a well-defined bump that's actually pretty cute, for now.

We're now gearing up towards making our major baby purchases: pram, car seat, cot, and nappies. With a busy summer ahead of us, we're going to have to be organised! The baby's room is nearly empty of its previous contents so we can now think about decorating it and kitting it out as a nursery - which is probably among the favourite part of pregnancy for most mums! I'm excited about painting it and making it a little haven for our little one. I'm really looking forward to meeting her in a few short weeks, although I do have moments of panic occasionally about what to actually do with the baby, parenthood, and the changes that will happen to our lifestyle. However, one thing's certain and that's that we can rely on God for his plans and timings and everything - which is a weight off our shoulders!

Here are some pictures of my growing bump:

Before...

17 weeks...

18 weeks...

19 weeks...

20 weeks...

21 weeks...

22 weeks and counting...