Progress pics and pregnancy update...

I finally managed to put together a collage of all the pictures I have to date. Its nice to be able to see my progress especially since for the first few weeks, I felt like I wasn't showing much progress.

Now, its VERY obvious.

How Far Along? 27-weeks. 10-weeks to "full term" and 13-weeks to "full 40-week pregnancy". 

Size of Baby? About 15 inches long. Go ahead and pull out your ruler! For comparison, baby is now about the size of a large eggplant and weighs about 2-pounds!

Maternity Clothes? Yup. Comfortable and lovingly embracing them now :-). I am wearing a pre-pregnancy dress right now but that's only cause it isn't a clingy dress.

Stretch Marks? 5 new ones that I've noticed! My stomach has been itching so Palmer's Cocoa butter with vitamin E is my new best friend. I have some at work and at home. But from what I have read, stretch marks are determined by my genes and since I already have them, I figured there's not avoiding them.

Sleep? Some good days and other not so good days. I prefer sleeping on my right side but recently, I am able to fall asleep and stay asleep on my left side.

Food Cravings? Still not craving sweets. I can tolerate it better now though. I was into watermelons a few weeks ago but now, I am looking for another fruit of choice.

I am also still on my Frozen yogurt kick and with the scorching temperatures, anything cold right now will suffice :-).

What I Miss: Being able to walk and talk and breath at the same time. Now, I can either walk and breath or talk and breath but can't do all 3 altogether. I run out of breath and have to take deeeeeeepppppp breaths! Still thrilled to be back at the gym. I have had to make some modifications to my workouts but it definitely beats walking outside. It is HOT HOT HOT out there!

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Anniversary trip a.k.a "babymoon" to Italy in 2.5 weeks! Also, we start purchasing baby stuff this weekend.

Symptoms? Starting to feel a little "off-center". My face has changed! I stare at myself in the mirror and can actually see that I look different. Feet are swollen and my wedding and engagement rings went in the safe a month ago :-(. I did get a new wedding band but it sometimes gets tight when I am swollen from water retention.

Movement? YES! LOTS AND LOTS of movements. This little gal LOVES to move especially when I sit down to relax at night. She has decided that's her favorite time of "day". I hope its not a sign of things to come as far as her trying to stay up late.  

Belly Button In or Out? Still in but I noticed its depth is reducing with each passing week! A week ago, I felt her pushing up against my belly button! I think she is trying to force it out! I pushed back gently and she yanked on something in there which of course was uncomfortable for ME! So I guess for now, she has control in there. 

Labor Signs? Nope. Not expected for another 6-8 weeks.

Best Moment of the Week? Preparing for baby's arrival. Its sometimes daunting but we are both THRILLED and are very much looking forward to meeting her come late October/early November . We plan on getting a number of tasks done in the month of August. Wish us luck!

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy each day and every moment. Our pastor always says "no one is promised the next breathe" and he is right. Let your loved ones know just how much they mean to you. A few people I know have lost loved ones in recent weeks and it really makes me sad when I hear "I wish I told them..." or I wish they knew..."

I hope I am like my parents with our baby. I ALWAYS want our little princess to know how much she is loved and I will ALWAYS tell her each and every day that she is loved. 

Thoughts/Random Questions:

Is there such a thing as a "perfect number of kids"? I often wonder about that. 

For moms, how many kids do you have and is this it for you or do you plan on having more?

For non-moms, how many do you think you'll have and why?