28 1/2 weeks

How far along? 28 weeks, 4 days
Baby is the size of:  an eggplant!  Still measuring perfectly according to the fundus measurement my OB does.  HR at 133 this week- she was mellow in there. 
Maternity clothes?  I may need to go shopping for a different pair of jeans to get me through the rest of my pregnancy b/c my thighs are getting bigger.  Boo.  I think possibly a second pair of Gap maternity leggings too because I basically live in them when not at work.  They are amazing, worth every penny & the only under-belly pants I can recommend.  And because they don't have a panel, they'll be good transition pants for post-baby!  The drape of the top DEFINITELY makes a difference.  Every time I wear this striped sweater people comment that I'm so tiny.  And anything jersey gets a different response.  I'm convinced it's because I'm carrying low and the jersey clings to the bottom of my belly. Dresses have been the BEST and I'm loving my pencil skirt but have been only wearing it once a week.  Side note, when pairing a maternity pencil skirt with maternity tights and using the bathroom, just pull the whole thing down.  Those stretchy panels compete with each other if you're pulling the skirt down over the tights and if you use the bathroom as many times as I do during a workday, this is an important aha moment to have.  :)
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: Yeah, sleep is getting more challenging.  I switched out the pillows I'm using and have a flatter one between my knees which has been better.   
Best moment this week: Passed my glucose test!  Yeah, baby!  I celebrated with pie.  :)  They were testing my iron at the same time and I'm in the clear there as well!  So grateful that there have been no complications so far. I've had a fairly easy pregnancy & keep telling Matt that I could do this 3 or 4 more times.  Also scored big time on my Ikea trip last week.  I'll post an entire nursery projects post with more details about that.  

Also had a massage on Monday which was in.credible.  There were 3 pillows and me on the massage table.  It was fantastic.  I cried, it felt so good.  The masseuse and I had a good laugh over it.  
Miss Anything? Rolling over in bed without a production.  Ending a conversation with a stranger without being asked when I'm due.  I just don't want my boss thinking I've checked out and only want to talk about the baby. 
Movement: Little girl is getting stronger & it's so fun to feel her move more every day!  I still have a hard time distinguishing her movements but this week felt her kick like 5 quick times in a row like a tiny Rockette.  :)  Or maybe it was her fist and she'll be a drummer?  Movements still feel primarily like (big) flutters, rolling, and these jerky movements that seem like a whole body startle.  But it's hard to tell for sure.
Food cravings:  fruit as always, chocolate, cheddar cheese, & spicy things like Tapatio and buffalo wings.  
Anything making you queasy or sick:  nope
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Random Braxton Hicks.  I had to be told that's what I was feeling- it's mostly just uncomfortable (tummy gets tight and it's hard to breathe normally because it feels like my organs are being compressed). Fun times!   I'm relieved it's not just the norm for the entire 3rd trimester, though- for some reason that's what I assumed the first time I felt it & got nervous that I can't really handle it 24/7 for 12 weeks.  Fortunately they've only come 2 or 3 times a week and only last about a minute or 2.  That I can handle.
Symptoms: the most dramatic symptoms seem to happen during or after, um, sex.  Like charlie horses & colostrum (!!!) which has (I'm sorry, this is TMI) beaded up a little.  It was shocking!  Not at all what I thought it would be like.  Also apparently the Braxton Hicks can be triggered by a particularly intense orgasm which is kind of a downer.  Pregnancy has been a lot of little surprises, like you know things are symptoms but actually experiencing them yourself or watching your body change is so much different.  Another TMI example: I had to buy a new bra last weekend and the wonderful lady who fitted me brought me a cream lace bra so I could feel pretty (and because she works on commission and is good at her job).  I saw my very brown aereola through the lace and though it was a tag.  And we both had a good laugh. 
Belly Button in or out? in. Unless she shifts MUCH higher, I'm not sure it'll really flatten out or pop out at all.  
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I'm not sure for how much longer.  I think this may be my last week with my ring so that I can actually take it off without a panic session.  I asked Matt if he wanted to help me pick out a cheap stand-in and he wants  to buy me a ring pop.  He said he'll keep a good supply so I can eat it during the day.   He's cute, but that's not happening.  Partly because they size those things for kids and I need something BIGGER, not smaller than my current ring. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Yeah, pretty moody.  Feeling like I need to prepare more for the actuality of having a CHILD and all that entails ASIDE from clothes I want to buy her.  Had a pity party this week thinking bout celebrating my birthday.  Continued indignance at strangers doing stupid things ("THIS is the world I'm bringing a baby into?!?!")  VERY touchy about the size of my belly or anyone I'm not related to saying I'm "big".  I need to keep track of the silly things that make me cry lately- it's a pretty amusing list.  I'm not miserable, just to clarify.  I love being pregnant & am so thankful and joyful- but there are many, many emotions that surface throughout my days. 
Looking forward to: My birthday is Wednesday (30!!) and Thanksgiving on Thursday.  We're hosting & are getting everything ready today for the bird & stuffing.  Makes me sooo glad I passed that glucose test!  :)  

Randoms: Can we talk about how ballsy people get when they see your pregnant belly?  It's ALL my customers want to talk about and men in particular have NO filter!  I opened an account for a guy 2 weeks ago and he called Friday to ask for his routing number and mentioned he'd seen me earlier in the day when he was at the ATM and that it "looked like an alien was trying to escape from you!"  Umm what?  I met you 2 weeks ago, dude.  That's not an endearment.  

If you're trying to figure out what, if anything, to say to a moody, 7 months pregnant stranger, go the route of the girl at my vet's office.  Yesterday I took Paris to get her nails trimmed (they're black and we are big babies, cut her once and now prefer to pay $12 to avoid trauma all around).  Anyway, after asking me when I'm due, she said she hoped she looks as good as me when she's pregnant.  That people, is how to talk to a pregnant lady.  I gushed my thanks and told the alien story.