27 Weeks: Welcome to the Third Trimester!

Monday at around 12:02am I was checking my WTE app and announced to Ben that I was now in the third trimester. His response was "what does that mean?" - excellent question. I'm not totally sure. But I'm there. Here's what it means for me (and L) so far:

1. How far along?: 27 weeks 3 days
2. How big is baby?: According to What to Expect, she is now the size of a head of cauliflower - which for some reason is hilarious to me. She is approximately 16 inches long (head to feet) and weighs about 2.5 lbs. A friend from college had her baby this past week at 30 weeks and she weighed 3 lbs 4 oz. Not that I think (or hope!) our little girl comes that early, but it's nice to know that if she does, she'd probably be ok. In the mean time, I'm sure Nicole would love your prayers for baby McKenzie!
3. Weight gain?: I'm not going to weigh myself at home, so I'll continue to naively assume it's the same from my last doctor's appt which is ... *gasp* 14 lbs. I honestly can't believe it. And then I look at my giant belly and can't deny it either. It makes me so so depressed that I try not to think about it. But don't worry, it hasn't kept me from eating everything.
4. Stretch marks?: I think my belly button is getting a stretch mark. Or at least some weird red lines. But hopefully that's it!
5. Maternity clothes?: I bought two pairs of shorts and two tops from a great consignment place, 9 in Style, last weekend. If you're in Raleigh, this gal and her sister started a little business out of her house and they have adorable, nice maternity gear for much less than what you'd pay in stores. I also had a sweet friend loan me two pairs of shorts that are SO comfortable.
6. Sleep?: Still awful. But now I think it's more baby's fault than the sickness. I am finally feeling mostly better, still coughing occasionally at night but nothing too bad. However, I find myself waking up at around 5am most mornings to pee. Thanks a lot, kid. And to all of you who have said "get used to it" - I know, I know. But I'd much rather listen to all the women who have said "sleep while you can!". Because I do looooove sleep.
7. Best moment last week?: Non-baby related: date night with Ben. We hadn't had an intentional date night in so long, and the weather was so nice, so we left work a little early (5:00, haha), went shopping and then tried out a new place by our house, which we really enjoyed. Baby related: getting the crib put together!!! So excited. And my sweet mother-in-law bought us a crib mattress, and waterproof sheet. I bought some Dreft baby laundry detergent (Ben's response: Baby's need their own detergent?) so I can wash her sheets this weekend and have one thing checked off my list. One thing out of 100.
8. Food cravings?: No real changes here. Even though nothing jumps out at me, it doesn't stop me from eating all. the. time.
9. Symptoms?: It's hard / painful to bend over now. And the iron pills (oh yes, despite not having gestational diabetes, I do have low iron) are making me slightly constipated, so that's not awesome. I've been having bouts of light-headedness in the mornings this week which makes me think my sugar may be a little low as well.
10. Exercise?: Our yoga session ends next week, and I am really hoping to be able to sign up for a few more classes. Our co-ed soccer team started up this week and I am really sad to not be playing.
11. Gender?: Can I just take this one out?
12. Movement?: Sporadic during the day, active at night and becoming more active in the early mornings. The other night, we had a horrible thunderstorm and it woke me up at 5 (that, and the little one dancing on my bladder). She was going NUTS. I kept saying "surely she can't hear this thunder" but maybe she could feel the vibrations? Or someone else suggested that perhaps my heart rate was increased and she was responding to that? Also, I noticed last night that it's no longer a situation of "she's on this side" or "she's up here" - that girl is all over the place! She's getting so big, I'll feel a tap on my left and then feel a tap on my right moments later. And I felt a foot (in my ribs, nonetheless) for the first time! It was so weird.
13. Belly button?: As I mentioned, getting some weird stretch-mark / vein type things, but still in. Do all belly buttons pop out? I'm really hoping I'm one of the lucky ones whose stays in, if that even exists.
14. What I miss?: This nice weather is making me miss drinking bad. I just want to sit on a porch and have a beer! I did have a tiny glass of champagne yesterday at Pub Thursday, and felt my face get flushed. It's not OK to feel tipsy while you're pregnant, right?
15. Labor signs?: No, thank goodness! Here's hoping those stay away for awhile. I had a conversation with a coworker this week about her labor / delivery experience, and she verbalized some fears I had been internalizing - what if I don't know I'm in labor? It's weird to think about, but I do!
16. What I'm looking forward to?: Non-baby related: NC State plays Kansas in the Sweet 16 tonight! It's so late, so hopefully I'll be able to power through and not fall asleep at the sports bar. Something about 100 drunk fans makes me think that won't be a problem. Baby related: looking for a dresser this weekend. My mom ordered us a dresser from Target.com and it showed up cracked. Word to the wise, don't buy furniture from them. We're having the worst time trying to return it!

I made Ben take this one at a slightly different angle
I was tired of feeling like I was looking down
But the belly's still big, so not much changed