28 weeks.

I'm officially in the third trimester! I've made it two thirds of the way, and that kind of blows my mind. This week I discovered my new favorite treat: vanilla bean ice cream topped with little sprinkles of cinnamon and nutmeg. I had told Zac that someone should make a cinnamon flavored ice cream, and then one day I decided to make my own, and it did not disappoint. And the fact that I've been craving cinnamon helped, too.

This little baby that I've fallen completely in love with has started kicking its papa when I hug him goodbye in the mornings. I think it's the highlight of Zac's day. I can't believe they're so strong that you can feel them so well from the outside--I remember when I was the only one who could feel those little kicks. The baby is just shy of 2 1/2 pounds, and almost 15 inches long! And I read that if it was born right now, it would have an 85% chance of surviving. Dear Baby Swenson, please stay inside for 12 more weeks, thanks.

So far I've gained about 23 pounds, and sometimes I feel like a busted can of biscuits, but not always, so I'm grateful. The biggest annoyance this week has been the fact that I'm out of breath about half of the time, but especially when I lie down at night. In addition to that, I've had the baby sit on a few nerves that shoots pain down my left thigh, and the bottoms of my feet will get charlie horses sometimes. I've never heard of that one. But so far, I haven't peed my pants (!!!), although I swear I was going to a few days ago when the baby was kicking my full bladder. I was talking to some friends last night, and they were shocked to know that I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, nor do I go an unusual amount throughout the day. Counting my blessings, here.

So far I've had no swelling (I'm even still able to wear my wedding ring!), no heartburn, and no stretch marks, although my poor belly is being stretched more than I ever imagined it could be. It makes me laugh to think that it's going to get so much bigger. I'm still craving root beer and popcorn (I think my subconscious just wants to go see a movie...), as well as cinnamon, desserts, and carbs. I still can't get into produce, unless it's sweet, like strawberries. Raw onions and ranch still make me sick to my stomach. I can't wait until that goes away. I can handle any smell though, even cleaning products!

I'm starting to think of outfits the baby can wear on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'm having fun. I ordered a onesie for Thanksgiving, and I'm really tempted to buy this to go with it. I think I have to now. And I've already got some ideas up my sleeve for Christmas outfits. I'm having so much fun with this. :)

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