Hello third trimester! Just about 12 weeks to go which feels like a short amount of time when I think of all we need to do to get ready or when I look at the calendar. But 12 weeks also feels like a long time when I consider I have 12 more weeks of gaining weight and getting progressively less comfortable. But either way I'm happy to be in the final stretch and getting closer to meeting our girl.

I love going back to read past pregnancy posts and am so glad I wrote several during my first pregnancy. When I went to read my 28 week post for Dashiell I saw I was wearing a favorite maternity top that I gave away after Cedric but that came back to me for this pregnancy. Obviously I had to wear it for this 28 week post!

Baby bump status: I don't feel "big" yet and am enjoying being mostly comfortable. Bending over and turning over in bed is getting somewhat uncomfortable however. I've outgrown a few maternity shirts but still have plenty of clothes to wear. My very favorite outfit right now is a tunic t-shirt + jeans or leggings + cardigan.

We recently had an ultrasound and were able to peek at our girl's face! She wasn't being super cooperative and mostly wanted to hold her hand in front of her face but it was still surreal to see that little person in there. I feel her kick throughout the day – and night – and love that she is so active.

How I'm feeling: Excited and savoring these last weeks. I bet they'll go by fast. Now that we're passed the holidays our main objective is getting ready for baby. What could be more fun? I'm also so happy that my ankles continue to be their normal size. This was one of my least favorite things from previous pregnancies. There's just something about swollen ankles that makes me feel so much bigger and more uncomfortable. By this time during my pregnancy with Cedric I was experiencing ankle swelling. I'm not sure when it started with Dashiell although I definitely had it at the end. My thinking is that the longer is stays away the less time I have to deal with it even if it does happen.

Eating and exercise: I get heartburn and acid reflux somewhat frequently but I've found that eating my usual healthy diet really helps mitigate it. I was having a lot of acid reflux over the Christmas holidays when I was eating more indulgently (I think coffee and chocolate are triggers), but it's much better now that I'm back to my normal diet. I also try to eat dinner pretty early, around 4:30 or 5 p.m., so that I'm not uncomfortable at night. I don't usually have to avoid foods or put so much thought into when I eat so that's a tiny bit annoying but not too much. I am kind of missing eating big meals and have found myself daydreaming about eating a lot of pizza, ha!

In exercise I feel myself slowing down more but I'm still jogging at Orange Theory which I'm happy about. I'm proud that I'm still being as active as I am although I'm missing the feeling of going all out during a workout. Also, the foot and leg pain I was experiencing for the past few weeks seems to have gone away. I got new running shoes, have been foam rolling my IT bands, plus took a week off around Christmas. Maybe it all helped! However, I am experiencing some mild to moderate pain around my pubic bone, especially after Orange Theory. I don't remember this from previous pregnancies but I also wasn't jogging and lifting weights so much. My midwife said it shouldn't be a problem unless I feel the pain all the time (I don't) and that I should definitely keep being active. Hooray!

Sleep: Disrupted. One frustrating thing that sometimes happens is that to avoid acid reflux at night I eat a small dinner early in the evening. But then around 2 a.m. I wake up hungry! So I get up and eat something small like a few handfuls or dry cereal only to then lay down and get heartburn. Grrrr. Plus the baby seems to think that nighttime is party time. So if it's not heartburn waking me up it's a kicking baby or a kicking baby will wake me up which then seems to wake up my stomach and suddenly I'm hungry. Mostly I'm trying to go to bed early to get as much sleep as I can. I started wearing a Fitbit and it's been interesting to track my sleep.

Preparing for another baby: Still have it all to do but at least now we have the time to do it. The next two months are all about getting ready for baby. We'll be moving the boys' room, setting up the nursery, and acquiring the stuff. I want to be done with all preparations including having our birth center bag packed by early March (my due date is late March).

I'm also starting to visualize the birth, often while I zone out while running at Orange Theory. I would always visualize birth during spin classes with the boys. I find begin physically active the perfect time to imagine that big physical feat. Something different about this birth is that I'm planning to birth at a birth center instead of at a hospital. Two of the midwives I saw for pregnancy and birth with the boys have since started their own birth center and women's center and I've been going there for my well-women visits for several years. I'm excited for a birth center experience especially not having to endure contractions while checking in through emergency services like I've had to at a hospital. At the birth center we'll walk right in and go to a birthing room. There is also the option of birthing in a tub and the option of using nitrous oxide which could help me to manage anxiety and pain. I know I want to birth without an epidural again but I have some mild anxiety about going through it all again. It's really hard! And my births have been relatively fast: eight hours for Dash, just four for Cedric. We also need to go to a required birth center orientation soon.

Looking forward to: Getting to 30 weeks and beyond when I will feel less worried about the baby arriving early (no indications that this could happen though), one last trip to Austin during this pregnancy, one-on-one time with Cedric during the trip, more time with my nephew Avery, savoring this last trimester.