25 weeks & 4 days (Braxton Hicks are kicking my butt!)

It's been a ridiculously busy weekend. We got the keys to my new office on Friday, so a large part of Saturday was spent moving into the new office. OK, so Rory moved, I pointed and said 'that goes here' - THANK YOU Rory!

We also found a great new couch. We decided our large section was no longer going to cut it - it's really much too large for our living room and since I've decided I NEED a rocker/recliner before the baby comes, a new couch was required to fit it in the space. Luckily, we sold our sectional in under 2 hours on Craigslist. Note - that's what happens when Rory says 'sure honey, if you can sell the sectional I'll be OK going out to get a new couch.' :)

But I guess this post is really supposed to be about Owen, right? Well, all I have to say to sum up this past week is BRAXTON HICKS! They have been hitting me non-stop for the past week. On Saturday, they were 'rolling' contractions - meaning one ended right when the next one picked up. While it's normal to have them this early in pregnancy, dehydration can make them occur more frequently. I've been drinking water like it's going out of style and they have slowed a lot today. For those of you that have never been pregnant, braxton hicks contractions do not hurt. My belly tightens up VERY tight - it feels like a little basketball. It really frustrates Owen - every time one starts he gives me a swift kick. Poor little guy probably doesn't like his living quarters being cut in size so frequently.

Note - again, if you've never been pregnant the best way I can describe braxton hicks contractions to you is to tell you to squeeze your butt muscles together as tight as you can. Now hold it. Now imagine that you didn't want to squeeze those muscles, and you have no way to let those muscles relax. That is braxton hicks at its finest. Oh, except when it's your belly it pushes down on your bladder. Fun, right?

OK, on to this week's survey:
How far along: 25 weeks, 4 days!
Sleep: Still bad. I'm hoping with one more week of chiropractor visits my sciatica will be calmed down enough that I can work out at a higher frequency (which will probably help me sleep better).
Best Moment This Week: Hearing Owen's heartbeat! I had a midwife appointment on Wednesday and his heartbeat was at a steady 140 beats per minute!
Movement: Still very active, but starting to slow a little. My midwife told me to expect some slowing because Owen is getting bigger and bigger...and my belly isn't giving him as much room to move around.
Food Cravings: None.
What I miss most: Right now I miss working out. Prenatal yoga is great, but I really crave going on a long run. Helps destress and helps me sleep.
What I'm looking forward to: I ordered all of the wall decorations for Owen's nursery over the holiday break. The first piece arrived this week - once the other two arrive I get to put them up! (Yes, I'll post pictures once it's done!) Oh, and putting Owen in these. :)
This Week (from the BabyCenter):Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

See what your baby looks like this week.