HOW FAR ALONG:

28 weeks a.k.a 7 months (eeek the countdown has begun!)

SIZE/FOOD COMPARISON:

My little girl is the size of a cauliflower apparently (41cm) , and according to the WhatToExpect pregnancy app, she weighs 1.1kg.

But here's the thing.

Three weeks ago I went to the Gynae and he said she weighed about 2kg's at that point and definitely commented on how big she was and even gave me a new expected delivery date of nearly 10 days earlier than previously thought based on her weight and size. Considering she has about 3 more months of growing to do, she could be one rather big baby!

Will have to wait and see what Doc says at my next appointment (which is at the end of this week). I'll keep you updated :)

WEIGHT GAIN:

I am rather chuffed to report that I am about the same weight as my last post 3 weeks ago. I have put on about 12kg's so far, but it seems to be holding steady (for the time being at least!)

BABY BUMP:

I don't really feel any bigger than my last update. I am still carrying very neatly (I have been told girls are much kinder on the bod that boys) and haven't seemed to put on any weight in any other areas apart from my expanding belly. I am definitely not as fit or toned as I was pre-pregnancy (I'm going to also blame this on it being Winter) but for the most part my bump is where I am carrying all the extra weight.

MOVEMENT:

I feel her all bumbling around all day, and find that she is particularly active at night, just before going to sleep. Is this an indication of things to come? I hope not!

Her little butterfly kicks are also not just little taps, and I can feel her moving around, turning and generally kicking up a bit of a fuss. It's so sweet!

EXERCISE:

I have been back to Pilates for the last 3 weeks and I feel great! I really missed it while we were away and I can feel how much happier my body is from all the stretching 

SLEEP:

Sleep for me has been a bit up and down over the last 2 weeks. I have been more tired lately. It's like my body instantly changed from second to third trimester, and I now really need my afternoon naps again.

Also, I've been getting really bad sciatica (or hip pain) which may even be round-ligament pain...all of the pains associated with the pulling and stretching that is going on in my body. Because of this, I now HAVE to sleep with a pillow between my knees or else I wake up with terrible aches in my hip bones. Pilates has definitely been helping, and the pillow seems to do the trick too. 

I had fleeting moments of this same pain while in Italy, but I assumed it was because the beds were all so hard.  I think it had nothing to do with the beds and all to do with my ligaments stretching. I'm not sure if you've ever slept on the floor (i.e on the floor with no mattress) while camping etc? And you wake up and need to almost pound the life back into your hips? We often slept on the floor in South Korea (in case your new around these parts...Farmboy and I taught English and lived in South Korea for 4 years before settling on the family farm last year). And so I assumed the pain was due to my spoiled body being used to soft and cushy mattresses...it seems it's just a pregnancy thing.

CLOTHING:

I've been living in baggy tracksuit pants and long sleeve shirts layered with vests and tank tops underneath. I haven't needed to put on anything nice as I haven't been to town in a while (thank goodness I live on a farm and no one minds me looking like I just crawled out of bed).

What I have been loving is my pretty pink poncho from PicknPay clothing! It's so cosy (and not to mention...pretty!) and it's great to layer over long sleeve tops.

HOW I’M FEELING:

I'm definitely not feeling as fantastic as I did in my second trimester. The hip pain, coupled with a few moments of back pain and tiredness have left me feeling a bit down. But, I can't really complain, I've had it so easy to far so a few weeks of discomfort I can put up with.

It's my birthday next week...I'm hoping Farmboy has taken all my hinting and booked me a spa day! Although, it's not easy finding a place that caters for preggy ladies (I can't lie on my stomach and I can't really get a back massage if I'm lying on my back, can I). 

I have been REALLY getting into my crocheting too! Having so much fun making squares and my goal is a big baby blankie. I even managed to finish my first ever crochet project...a teeny tiny little beanie/turban thingy for my little girl.  It was easy to make and the best part is it only took a few hours...Click here for the full tutorial.

CRAVINGS/AVERSIONS:

Haven't had any funny cravings or aversions really. I've been drinking a little more caffeine lately (nothing nicer than a warm cup of coffee while sitting in the sun on the verandah) but I've been limiting myself to 1/2 cup a day.

I have been drinking A LOT of hot lemon tea (boiling water poured over a few slices of lemon and ginger mixed with honey) which has become my staple drink. It really leaves me feeling refreshed and acts as a bit of a detox from all the carbs of Italy.

WHAT I MISS:

• Lying on my tummy. I am never going to stop missing this!
• Being able to bend over and paint my toe nails. I did this last week and my gosh it took me an age! I had to contort myself in all sorts of directions so I could remove the polish, file, cut and re-paint. I'm so glad no one was around to see me ;)

NURSERY:

Farmboy has put up our cot (we bought the Cozi Stijl cot from CoziCot in Joburg while it was on special a few months ago) and it has sat in it's box for a good while. It's finally up and I just love it!

PURCHASES:

I picked up my feeding chair a few weeks ago, and got a bit of a shock at it's size. I'm not sure whether I am just really small, or whether the chair is abnormally big!

Here's a picture so you can see just how roomy it is.

I'm definitely not complaining as it's incredible comfortable, and the cushion is real down feathers, so I'm sure I'm going to have plenty of naps in there while feeding. I bought it second hand from a lady in Hillcrest and have needed to get it recovered. I will be picking it up on Friday. I'm hoping the fabric I chose for it won't be too dark for the room (I went with a gorgeous dark grey almost velvet fabric) which will suit our home in the future too, after the chair does it's nursery duties.

I just need to get some big pillows for it, and a ottoman/pouffe thingy for my legs (and to help me launch myself into it haha). 

HUBBY:

I'm not sure what else needs to be said that hasn't been captured in this photo:

CAN’T WAIT FOR:

Like I said last time, I'm actually really trying to savour the next few days/weeks/months. I'm trying to really enjoy the quiet days of being in the house, sorting/cleaning/organising things on my own schedule, and I just know thats ALL going to change soon.

I've been trying to be intentional with a few late morning lie ins, and having the time to crochet for hours on end in front of the fire. I'm excited for our next gynae visit this week though, and to hear from him whether little one is still growing at such a rapid rate as she was at our last visit.

Until the next update!

Lots of love

x