28 weeks later...

Yay!!!!! I have crossed into LAP 3! In Mario Kart racing, there are 3 laps you have to circle before the race is officially over and winners are placed.

When it’s a nose-to-nose race, you feel this surge of intensity and adrenaline rushing through your veins the very moment you cross into Lap 3/3. The music speeds up, the racers use whatever items they’ve been saving, it’s a vulturous dash for the speed coins…

Hitting my third trimester at 28 weeks pregnant, I feel like I’ve steered my favorite - Princess Peach into that final, exhilarating round. I need a star. I need a red shell. Scratch that. I need a blue shell. I need a quick zip to the finish line!

I’m trailing in the back with the bullies, Donkey Kong and Bowser who keep knocking into me and robbing me of my coins. But you know what? Screw ‘em. I’ll get there! I am on lap 3/3, the third trimester, and the finish line is in sight at last!
Except instead of a trophy and an animated victory dance, I get a baby!

Take that, Bowser!

Some Good News for the 28 Weeks Pregnant Mark:
• Baby appointments will now be every 2 weeks instead of once a month! You know you’re getting close when your doctor want to see more of you.
• My glucose blood test came back… I passed! No gestational diabetes! YAY!
• Nest has officially begun. My house has never looked better.

Some Not-So-Good News for the 28 Weeks Pregnant Mark:
• I am absolutely exhausted. I just want to take a 3-month nap and be woken up when it’s time to give birth.
• I have had a lot of round ligament pain. It hurts most when I need to turn over to the other side. The pain has been so bad that I have just settled sleeping in one position all night long, which for pregnant women is NOT fun!
• I'm pretty certain I have a torn abdomen muscle. It's a sharp tearing/stabbing pain in the center of my stomach. I have trouble sitting up and turning over without feeling the pain. My baby thinks it's funny to kick me in that spot, repeatedly. I usually have a pretty high pain tolerance level but this hurts something evil.
Facts about the 28th weeks of pregnancy

• At 28 weeks pregnant, baby is about 2.5 lbs!
• Baby is starting to position himself for birth… although he may keep repositioning in the upcoming months.
• Baby’s eyes are starting to show some color, although it won’t be the permanent hue she has for life.

• Baby looks something like this: