Pregnancy Update #7

My belly is continuing to grow, and it's getting harder, especially on the sides, which is exciting. Here's my latest bump picture of our baby avocado:

I'm not sharing these broadly or on FB, so you are part of a select few to see this picture. :)

We're in a sixteen day countdown until our next maternal-fetal medicine visit and ultrasound. Our last visit with the obgyn was a few days ago. Pudge's heartbeat was around 138-140, which is lower than before, but I've been reassured it's still great and in the normal range. I know the heartbeat lowers as the baby grows bigger. Today, on the home doppler, her heartbeat was so strong! yay! And seemed to hover in the 140s and occasionally jump into the 150s or dip into 130s. It's such an amazing feeling when it's beating along so strong and steady. I said to RC, "That's our little baby!" 💓

I'm still feeling good overall. Boobs continue to be quite sore and to grow. I will definitely need new bras soon. My neck is stiff from sleeping in the Snoogle pillow, but it totally helps my hips and body comfort, so I'm sticking with it. Did anyone else use a Snoogle and have advice for me to make my neck more comfy? I'm thinking about getting a soft, thin pillow to put over the head section. I'm able to eat a wider variety of food but still mainly getting my veggies from salads and veggies in soups or sauces.

The foods that have been my friends all along include:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Chicken noodle soup
• Chicken pot pies for quite a while, but now I'm off of them
• Pasta, especially with creamy/white sauce, with ground beef or shellfish
• Potatoes: french fries, tater tots, baked or mashed.
• THINLY-sliced turkey sandwiches with tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, cranberry if they have it
• Mexican food: tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas
• Cheese/dairy in many forms, which is strange because I've been lactose tolerant, yet seem to tolerate it better (and crave it) in pregnancy. I still cough a bit at times but no headaches
• Salads, especially with apples and cheese in them
• Spicy chips; both corn chips and potato chips
• Sheep's milk yogurt - plain to dip my chips in and blackberry for breakfast
• Spicy nuts: mixed nuts, honey mustard nuts/pretzel mix, almonds
• Fresh fruit: melon, berries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, bananas
• Lately, cereal, honey-nut cheerios
• ICE CREAM in many forms but mainly Blizzards and milkshakes
• Breakfast breads and pastries, such as waffles, donuts, bear claws, muffins, etc.
• Almond milk

Aversions (which I normally eat) have included:

• Salmon, most cooked meat on its own, most of the time
• Bacon
• Eggs
• Cooked vegetables
• Squash, sweet potato, etc.
• Many fried foods (excluding potatoes and desserts) 
• Pizza doesn't sound great

 I'm still a little picky but I guess the aversions have lessened in number and intensity. Now, I'm really wanting a Blizzard! lol

My emotions flair up at times, still, but definitely less. It seems like I'm more apt to feel a wave of sadness and cry once in a while than to become irritated/angry and snap at RC unexpectedly, so that's better for RC. :) I still get super tired and take afternoon naps. I was hoping that would pass, so I could have that 1-2 hours back in the afternoon, but not yet. I'm lucky I don't have a set schedule in the late afternoon right now.

On the work front, my interview with the university went well, and they asked me to be available for a second interview next Friday, this one on Zoom/video. Those can be awkward, in my experience, but I will do my best! If I get this job, it makes me nervous (already!) about being separated from Pudge after maternity leave, down the road. It's also an exciting opportunity, however, and would open doors for us to buy into a cohousing community here, which would fulfill another long-held dream of mine and be great for our family. We have recently met some folks in the community and become associate members ($50/month). Construction starts in the fall on this great property on the river that flows through Eugene. Please send good thoughts!

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to heading out of town to Bend, OR and playing outdoors in the sun for a couple of days, as well as checking out the town, which has grown up a lot since I was last there. But first, GOT tonight! Woo hoo! 😆