28 week pregnancy update. . . eggplant baby

A lot has happened over the last four weeks and since the last pregnancy update! We were blessed to have another ultrasound preformed (during week 25)  just to make sure Clara's growth was on target and thankfully she is looking perfect and growing well. I also passed my glucose tolerance test so there is no concern for gestational diabetes. I am not at the point where I will be seeing my Dr. every two weeks. We are very thankful! 

Week 28

Size and development of baby:

Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit. 

(Source)

Our little girl is currently the size of an eggplant. Crazy, right? I can definitely tell that she is growing as I can feel her move a lot more often and the movements feel harder and stronger. I love feeling her move! Makes it all SO real. I feel her the most at night, after dinner, and really early in the morning. Brandon can also feel her if he puts his hands on my stomach and we can both see my tummy move around from time to time, which is equally amazing.

A few pictures from our ultrasound, three weeks ago:

How I am feeling and how I am changing:

For the most part I am feeling great. The biggest issue I am dealing with (probably since week 26) is swelling in my feet and ankles. The bruising around my ankles, and up my legs, is also spreading and at times seems to be darkening. If I sit or stand for too long of a time period my legs start to feel really tight and the swelling gets worse. I have taken several pictures of my feet/ankles mainly because I cannot believe how BIG they get but I will spare you most of them. I will post one (mainly b/c I want to remember at what point it got bad) but if pictures of swollen extremities freak you out just scroll down really quick to avoid any nausea.  

Puffy/swollen ankle... pic taken during week 27

The picture doesn't really do the bruising justice. I frequently look down and laugh thinking "Are these really my ankles???" Praise God for flip flops. Ha! Anyways, my blood pressure is fantastic and I have no protein in my urine so my Dr. is not at all concerned with the swelling at this point (no concerns of preeclampsia). I am basically just one of the lucky women who experience extreme swelling during pregnancy. Yay for me. My Dr. mentioned that the swelling and bruising will subside after delivery. Until then... just grin and bear it while upping my water intake, limiting my sodium intake, and elevating my feet when at all possible and especially at night. Really, it could be a lot worse. Despite tight legs and puffy/bruised ankles I am SO thankful that this is the only "negative symptom" I have encountered thus far. Even more so, I am just thankful to be pregnant. I am truly blessed.

My tummy has also grown quite a bit since my last picture. I have gained a total of 17 pounds, which my Dr. is very happy with, as am I. 

Here is the latest. . . 

28 week belly shot  

What I am eating and what I am thinking:

What am I not eating? Ha. That is the real question. 

Anything and everything sounds good these days. 

Here are some of my current favorite eats:

cold cereal, hummus, this Chickfila Southwest Salad (of which I must admit I eat at least 2x a week...notice I said at least), chickfila nuggets, red meat, chips & salsa, basically any peanut butter from this company,  kiwis, clementines, apples, cashews, trail mix, dark chocolate anything, homemade pizza and homemade stir fry bowls. I will stop there but I could probably go on and on and on. 

Foods that sound disgusting:

Salmon and various other seafood (Notice this list is not very long) 

I think a lot about what Clara will look like. Will she have dark hair at birth or will she be bald? Will she look like me, Brandon or will it be hard to tell? I also wonder about her demeanor and personality, both as an infant and older child. 

I bought the paint for the nursery but have yet to start actually painting. That's next on the agenda. I am excited to start working on the nursery. 

I am also PUMPED about my last acupuncture appointment. I haven't been since week 12-14 of pregnancy (I believe) and I go again during week 32. I don't remember why but my practitioner does not practice on pregnant women during this timeframe. I could research it for the blog but I am feeling a tad lazy. Anyways, is it weird that I highly enjoy laying on a table being stuck with a million needles? Seriously... it the most relaxing thing ever. If money was not a factor I would go weekly... for the rest of my life. 

That's all for week 28! 

Have a fabulous weekend!

PSALM 139:14

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well.

PSALM 13:6

"I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me." 

Previous pregnancy updates:

And baby makes 3

14 week pregnancy update (really includes week 12 also)

16 week pregnancy update

20-21 week pregnancy update 

24 week pregnancy update