It's been quite a busy past couple of weeks! Among the highlights was the completion of my last major business trip (and final flight!) before the arrival of Baby M. I traveled to Germany (the little one's 2nd time there) and while I wasn't necessarily in the Bavarian region of Germany for my meetings, I did manage to get my fill of Bavarian food. I can't get enough of those pretzels! Too bad I didn't get to wash them down with the yummy beer too. Next time!
Since this may very well be my last trip there (who knows?!), here are some pictures of the town I've been traveling to frequently over the past few years, Hameln. It is the home of the infamous Pied Piper; hence, their most prevalent souvenir is anything that can be made to look like a rat. Lovely, right?! haha!
The trip was a success and compared to my last domestic trip, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the gracious souls who helped me with my bags, etc. At the airport in Munich, right before we boarded our return flight, my boss said to me that he was surprised by my energy level and attention to detail during the week and that I "should be pleased with myself". That made me feel good, but then again, perhaps he just had really low expectations. Lol!
Speaking of expectations, I had my glucose test today to check if I had developed gestational diabetes. After all of the hype about the test from things I read, I expected the worst. It turned out to be no big deal at all! And I actually kinda liked the sugary concoction that I had to drink.
I was instructed that I had 5 minutes to drink it and I downed that puppy in less than 2! I guess it's not as 'enjoyable' when it's not chilled, so I definitely recommend going to Quest Diagnostics or somewhere similar where they pull it right from their fridge.
After the test in the morning, for which results are expected back tomorrow, we had our monthly Dr's appointment this afternoon. I have to admit, the scale scared me a bit this time. There is no denying my big ol' belly and the reactions from various folks I get are pretty amusing, with some surprised that I'm not further along than I claim to be and others outright telling me that my belly is huge. Their comments were validated I suppose by the Dr. who indicated that my belly is actually measuring to that of someone who is about 3 wks further along (i.e. 30 wks vs. 27 wks)! The Dr. prescribed an ultrasound for next week and checked the reason box for "excessive fetal growth". Yikes! She said it could just be that our baby is growing slightly bigger than average. For instance, he may be trending to 8-9 lbs at delivery vs. the average of 7-8 lbs. So in next week's ultrasound, we'll learn what growth percentile he is at. Then we'll have another ultrasound later on towards the end of the 3rd trimester to check the growth again. Another possibility is that I may just have excess amniotic fluid or something. Who knows, maybe the due date was wrong all along! Guess we'll know more next week. I think we may have a big boy on our hands and I just hope he is kind to Mama on his way out and into this world!
My burgeoning belly has been the source of tired, swollen legs and an ever-present lower back pain lately. To address the back pain issue, I found some nifty items and wanted to share my finds.
To help with sleeping, I finally broke down and gave into the body pillow. I had been fighting this for a while thinking that the king size pillows that we had would suffice. For the record, I LOVE pillows and we have 7 in our bed (aka "the cloud" as my niece and nephew refer to it as)....well, make that 8 now! Lol! I picked up this 'little' number and now can't imagine sleeping without it! It's even coming with me to AC this weekend for a bachelorette party!
Another great find has been maternity Spanx (aka the "Power Mama" line). They not only help to relieve my back pressure, but they also keep stuff lifted and smooth and also help to tone down my protruding belly button. Beyond these, I've been on a hunt for other things to help with my back aches. Anthony kindly helps me out to massage away knots in my back when he can. I plan to also get my first prenatal massage next week and have been stalking Groupon daily!
There are so many baby/maternity products out there and the more magazines and newsletters I read, the more exposed I am to the latest trends and crazes, which I'm often tempted to succumb to. One example of such a product are the "belly buds" to serenade your bump. But why pay 50 bucks for these when you can just use a piece of tape? Lol!
Stay tuned to see if our munchkin turns out to be more of a mammoth!
Love,
Ulana & Anthony
 |
| On the plane and ready to go! Luckily the plane was brand new and equipped with seats that reclined fully flat. I managed to get my hands on some xtra pillows and was able to get some rest. |
 |
| My humble hotel room. Figures that when I'm the biggest I've ever been, I get the smallest room I've ever had! |
 |
| It did have a nice view though... |
The trip was a success and compared to my last domestic trip, I was pleasantly surprised by all of the gracious souls who helped me with my bags, etc. At the airport in Munich, right before we boarded our return flight, my boss said to me that he was surprised by my energy level and attention to detail during the week and that I "should be pleased with myself". That made me feel good, but then again, perhaps he just had really low expectations. Lol!
Speaking of expectations, I had my glucose test today to check if I had developed gestational diabetes. After all of the hype about the test from things I read, I expected the worst. It turned out to be no big deal at all! And I actually kinda liked the sugary concoction that I had to drink. I was instructed that I had 5 minutes to drink it and I downed that puppy in less than 2! I guess it's not as 'enjoyable' when it's not chilled, so I definitely recommend going to Quest Diagnostics or somewhere similar where they pull it right from their fridge.
After the test in the morning, for which results are expected back tomorrow, we had our monthly Dr's appointment this afternoon. I have to admit, the scale scared me a bit this time. There is no denying my big ol' belly and the reactions from various folks I get are pretty amusing, with some surprised that I'm not further along than I claim to be and others outright telling me that my belly is huge. Their comments were validated I suppose by the Dr. who indicated that my belly is actually measuring to that of someone who is about 3 wks further along (i.e. 30 wks vs. 27 wks)! The Dr. prescribed an ultrasound for next week and checked the reason box for "excessive fetal growth". Yikes! She said it could just be that our baby is growing slightly bigger than average. For instance, he may be trending to 8-9 lbs at delivery vs. the average of 7-8 lbs. So in next week's ultrasound, we'll learn what growth percentile he is at. Then we'll have another ultrasound later on towards the end of the 3rd trimester to check the growth again. Another possibility is that I may just have excess amniotic fluid or something. Who knows, maybe the due date was wrong all along! Guess we'll know more next week. I think we may have a big boy on our hands and I just hope he is kind to Mama on his way out and into this world!
 |
| Profile shot @ ~27 wks (or is it?) |
My burgeoning belly has been the source of tired, swollen legs and an ever-present lower back pain lately. To address the back pain issue, I found some nifty items and wanted to share my finds.
To help with sleeping, I finally broke down and gave into the body pillow. I had been fighting this for a while thinking that the king size pillows that we had would suffice. For the record, I LOVE pillows and we have 7 in our bed (aka "the cloud" as my niece and nephew refer to it as)....well, make that 8 now! Lol! I picked up this 'little' number and now can't imagine sleeping without it! It's even coming with me to AC this weekend for a bachelorette party!
 |
| The Boppy Body Pillow - my new nighttime must-have |
There are so many baby/maternity products out there and the more magazines and newsletters I read, the more exposed I am to the latest trends and crazes, which I'm often tempted to succumb to. One example of such a product are the "belly buds" to serenade your bump. But why pay 50 bucks for these when you can just use a piece of tape? Lol!
Stay tuned to see if our munchkin turns out to be more of a mammoth!
Love,
Ulana & Anthony
