28 Weeks & 1 Day!

So much going on! I also am beginning to wonder how this same body used to go out every night of the week because basically one intense day this past week put me in bedrest mode for the rest of the weekend. But first things first... let's start with the fun stuff that really kicked off an amazing weekend.

Last Friday was our 27 week doctors appointment and Bill was able to go! He hadn't seen mango since s/he was, well, mango-sized at 15 weeks. This was also the first appointment where B was officially measured to generate an approximate weight and it was fun to see that process in action. The doctor took a measure of the head, the belly and the thigh bone to come up with an idea of what B weighs and while the head and belly were measuring right at 27 weeks, the thigh was a full week ahead! So we might have a leggy child on our hands, though with Bill being 6' I had hoped that B would inherit those tall genes (my Dad's side is also very tall, but I was blessed with none of that height). B was also weighing in at approx 2 pounds, 7 ounces. And Dr. Kecia officially confirmed that third trimester doesn't start until week 28... so whatever. I've been feeling it since 2 weeks ago so I'm going to say it's open for discussion.

Our leggy baby! 27 weeks and 3 days
5/24/2013

We also saw that B is still breech. Well, technically transverse (lying horizontal) which presents a major problem if s/he doesn't decide to turn. And since B has been breech for the past 9 weeks it's starting to feel a little frustrating. Dr. Kecia brought up the ECV once again but reiterated the risks (only 50% of babies turn or stay turned and B could also go into distress and need to be delivered right away- why they don't do the procedure until week 37 or 38). But if B stays breech and the ECV doesn't work or we decide not to do it then I'm almost definitely looking at a c-section, something I really didn't want to consider.

And this may sound incredibly selfish, but it makes me a little sad that all my preparation for birth and my total confidence in my body to naturally birth my child goes out the window if this is the path we have to go down. I know, trust me, I KNOW, how much just having a healthy baby means, delivered by any means possible and that was always the end focus, but I'm still sad all the same. But having a c-section has its positives too, including a set birth date meaning that my family can definitely be present! I'm wrapping my head around this still, and it doesn't mean I'm throwing in the towel on any of my current birth preparation exercises, just that I'm opening my mind to a new possibility. And honestly, I'm glad I'm able to fully wrap my head around this possibility now, and not after countless hours of labor when all other interventions have been exhausted, which is a very real scenario that many women face.

Chicken and waffle insanity at Pink Tea Cup

Moving on though, on Saturday my sister Teresa and our friend Megan came into town for my baby shower. We indulged in some chicken and waffles at the Pink Tea Cup (i.e. probably the only place you can get a peanut butter, banana and honey waffle with some fried chicken, aka a pregnant woman's dream). That night we continued the feast at Prune, a longtime request of my sister's after she had read the chef, Gabrielle Hamiliton's book, Blood, Bones and Butter. It was a festive evening that ended with me staying up later than I have in... oh, like 7 months but lots of fun had by all.

On shower day we left the apartment a little early to head over to the park across the street from our building to shoot a few quick maternity shots with my sadly unused as of recently Nikon D70 (which turned out beautifully). I'm hoping to also use this same camera and lens to take some newborn shots and completely skip the professional photographer step. I've never been a big fan of the newborn prop shots anyways.

Maternity photos pre touch-up
5/26/2013- 27 weeks and 5 days

I'm so blessed to have a sister well versed enough in photoshop to remove
such unsightly things like the smoke stack behind me

And the retouched ones

And the shower was wonderful! Held at Jane, a Manhattan brunch institution, and hosted by my amazing sister it was great fun. We all had delicious food, yummy drinks and it was so great to see all my East Coast friends come together to celebrate B! Everyone was so generous and Bill, myself and mango were literally showered in so many useful and fun items. It was a really special day and it's especially heartwarming to know that B has so much support through my wonderful friends and family.

At Jane. Thankful that they also take reservations for large parties

Fellow Mama, Melissa

My friends through work, Amena and Preethi

Fellow Texan and longtime friend Robin

No kidding!

And the whole group! And yes, that's 1/2 a mimosa in front of me...
a rare and delicious treat!

A sweet party favor treat my sister put together
from Baked by Melissa

My friend Megan also introduced me to a new app called A Beautiful Mess that I've obviously been having way too much fun with. Coming up this week is the Big City Mom's Biggest Baby Shower tomorrow night which I'm really excited about and this weekend Bill's work might let him out long enough for us to have a cheeseburger date. I wasn't kidding when I said this was his busy time. Besides sleep, this week and the next few I'll barely see him, but this is the industry I came from so I know the drill. Speaking of work, I also had a mid year review check-in with my boss this morning that went very well, but the true payout (literally) comes in January so we'll see. And not much the next few weeks besides some hot weather, some prenatal yoga, and now doctors appointments are every 2 weeks. And of course, many prayers and yoga poses to get this baby to TURN!