Bump Update: 38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks

Baby’s size: watermelon (19 to 22 inches, 6.5 pounds according to what to expect)

Total weight gain: 37 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes, even those are starting to get a little small 😛

Stretch marks? still there

Sleep: not comfortable, but at least now that I’m on maternity leave, I’m getting more of it

Best moment this week: I sewed a nursing cover and I’m really proud of how it turned out

Food cravings: chocolate chip cookies 😛

Food aversions: nothing this week

Gender: baby girl

Symptoms: shortness of breath, fatigue, pain in my hips and back; definite increase in the braxton hicks contractions, they are getting more painful too.

Belly Button in or out? still in

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: feeling pretty cranky. sort of done with being pregnant 😛

Looking forward to: having this baby

What I miss: won’t have to miss things for too much longer 🙂

Movement: she’s still moving all around, especially when the braxton hicks contractions kick in, she really doesn’t like being squeezed like that 😛

Doctor’s appointment: our tuesday appointment was canceled because dr. L was in emergency surgery. I’m amazed it was the first time that has happened to us this whole pregnancy. so we went on thursday and dr. L said baby girl looks perfect, and everything looks amazing. she had pulled a little foot right in front of her face so that can’t be comfortable. hopefully she puts it back where it belongs soon 😛

maternity leave

I am starting my second week of maternity leave today and I have to say it’s going better than I expected. I was worried about how I would fill my day every day, but it has been surprisingly easy. I have developed a schedule/routine that seems to be working for me. first, I don’t set an alarm. the whole point of dr. L wanting me to go out on maternity leave early was to get more rest, so unless I have somewhere I need to be, I’m letting my body wake up when it wants to. then I exercise. monday, wednesday, friday it’s cardio and toning; tuesday and thursday it’s prenatal yoga. then I make myself breakfast and lay down for a little bit. then I will do any chores that need to be done around the house, or run errands. I might take J lunch at work if he wants me to or I make myself something. then I’ll lay down for a little longer before starting another chore, or working on some crafting.

it’s the stopping what I’m doing and laying down before I over-exert myself that is the hardest part, as I knew it would be. I like to start a task and get it finished, but I just can’t anymore. I get too tired. also, dr. L was very clear that he wants me laying down. so I’m working on patience during those times. thank goodness for netflix. and baby books that I’m still reading through.

on the bright side, I’ve been able to keep the house tidied up, and the shopping and errands taken care of which means more quality time with J when he is home in the evenings and weekends.

Bump Update: 37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks – we are full term! baby girl, whenever you are ready to meet us, your daddy and I are more than ready to meet you!

Baby’s size: according to what to expect: watermelon (19 to 22 inches, 6.5 pounds). at the doctor’s appointment on tuesday she was 5 pounds 11 ounces

Total weight gain: 36 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes

Stretch marks? yes, boo

Sleep: well now that I am on maternity leave, I am getting more over all, however, it’s still not comfortable, or very restful. I’m pretty tired most of the time.

Best moment this week: it was a really relaxing week, but the best part was the at-home date J and I had. we made tri tip, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans, and had sparkling grape juice from trader joes (so yummy) and watched a great movie. it was perfect.

Food cravings: I had a pumpkin spice muffin from Mimi’s Cafe on monday and I’ve wanted another one ever since 😛

Food aversions: nothing

Gender: precious baby girl

Symptoms: the braxton hicks contractions have picked up and are even feeling a little bit more crampy, hip pain is getting pretty bad, I’ve had a general feeling of ickiness the last couple of days, and fatigue is still there like always 😛

Belly Button in or out? still in 🙂

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: pretty happy thinking this baby could be here any day but no more than 5 weeks from now 🙂

Looking forward to: another great doctor’s appointment on tuesday, sewing a nursing cover and some nursing pads this week

What I miss: laying on my stomach

Movement: she’s still fighting for space in there. a lot.

Doctor’s appointment: tuesday’s appointment was great. he said everything looked wonderful with baby girl, and dr. L reassured me that I should have no problem with labor and delivery as I have large hips perfect for birth 😛

baby shower

our baby shower was beautiful. I can’t thank my mother – and sister-in-law enough for all of the hard work and preparation they did to make it so amazing. this post is going to be pretty photo heavy to show you just how wonderful it was. the food was delicious, the decorations were amazing, and the games were so much fun! thank you to everyone who came to celebrate this baby and who showered us with love.

yummy food

cute little girl clothes

little girl is all set for next season thanks to Aunt Kristy

people having fun

one of the games…sculpt a baby in 90 seconds

sister-in-law. and hubby lurking in the background 😛

artwork made by my sister-in-law of one of my favorite sayings for the nursery. “no one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you are the only one who has heard my heart beat from the inside.”

my gramma, dad, and I

my mom, and J’s grandma

my amazing sister-in-law used photos of J and I to make the silhouettes for this game card – I’m not sure why this one picture keeps turning on its side

this one is a little awkward of me, but behind me you can see where there were diapers set up to write funny messages on for our late night changes, and there was a onsie for everyone to sign as the guest book – that will go in the shadow box with some other items.

I am sad that we didn’t pay attention to what photos were being taken though. I didn’t get any with my mom, or with my mother-in-law, and there isn’t a good one of J and I. so that is a bummer. oh, and my dress? I made it. it was my first sewn garment and I’m pretty pleased with myself. there are of course, a couple of things I don’t like about it, but overall, it was a successful first attempt at sewing clothing. and there were people who complimented me on the dress before knowing I had made it myself, so I would consider that a win 🙂

Bump Update: 33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks

Baby’s size: honeydew (19 inches, 4.5 pounds)

Total weight gain: 28 pounds

Maternity clothes: tops, yes; I’m still rocking my pre-pregnancy pants and skirts with the beband. and my yoga pants for lounging around the house

Stretch marks? still the two that appeared a few weeks ago. of course they are upfront and center on my belly, so that’s annoying.

Sleep: not comfortable

Best moment this week: seeing little one on the ultrasound, and the shopping we did this weekend to finish preparing ourselves for her arrival. I think we are finally ready. well, our house is ready at least 😛

Food cravings: frozen yogurt and soft serve ice cream

Food aversions: nothing

Gender: precious baby girl

Symptoms: my hips hurt so bad, back ache, fatigue, heartburn was a huge one this week, and bending down to pick things up from the floor has become very difficult this week.

Belly Button in or out? the top is completely flat, and the bottom half is still in

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy happy happy

Looking forward to: sewing the crib skirt this week, and organizing some of the remaining things that need to be organized

What I miss: sleeping comfortably

Movement: she sure is feisty. I’m pretty sure she took her heel and jammed it into my upper belly and then dragged it down to my belly button. it hurt. and last night, J was pressing on her and she kicked me so hard in the rib cage in response.

Doctor’s appointment: this week’s appointment was a good one. everything looks perfect and normal.

Bump Update: 30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks

Baby’s size: butternut squash (17 in., 3.1 pounds)

Total weight gain: 23 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes, but not today. the only thing I’m wearing that is maternity today is my belly band

Stretch marks? one started to form this week 😦 I’ve been putting extra lotion on that area twice a day

Sleep: still not getting adequate rest and the dreams are crazy

Best moment this week: I got some more sewing done. 16 more burp cloths and another aiden and anais style swaddle blanket. the extra car seat base arrived on friday. and our breastfeeding class was awesome. non pregnancy related: we went to Apple Hill yesterday. it was my first visit and so much fun.

Food cravings: the later half of this week I was really craving giant salads.

Food aversions: nothing

Gender: girl!

Symptoms: fatigue, backache, tightness in my joints (especially the hips), heartburn, clumsiness

Belly Button in or out? still in

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy

Looking forward to: our baby shower is in two weeks! I am so excited for that

What I miss: sleeping on my stomach and back

Movement: I can tell she’s getting more cramped in there, but she is still super active

Doctor’s appointment: on tuesday. can’t wait to see her on the ultrasound again 🙂

burp cloths

 

swaddle blanket

 

Bump Update: 29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks

Baby’s size: small cabbage (17 in., 2.9 pounds)

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes and no. pants are a problem right now as the maternity ones are too big, but the belly band over my pre-pregnancy pants isn’t the most comfortable either.

Stretch marks? nope 🙂

Sleep: well, I am sleeping, which is nice, but the crazy preggo dreams make sure I don’t get adequate rest. I am so tired.

Best moment this week: we worked more on the nursery and it looks like a room 🙂 we celebrated our second wedding anniversary at the melting pot. yummy.

Food cravings: caffeine free diet pepsi. mmmm.

Food aversions: nothing

Gender: baby girl

Symptoms: fatigue, shortness of breath, a couple of moments of dizziness/light headedness (according to the books this is because there is too much blood, and the heart isn’t able to keep up with it all), backache, more leg cramps (while awake now too), and I have definitely slowed down (it takes me way longer to get places than it used to :P)

Belly Button in or out? still in

Wedding rings on or off? off, but I did wear them to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. I think the cooler weather is helping with the swelling, but they are still tighter than they once were, so they are staying off.

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy happy

Looking forward to: our breastfeeding class is this tuesday, getting some more things put away in baby girl’s room, and picking out fabric to make a crib skirt.

What I miss: sushi.

Movement: oh yeah, especially at church this morning. she was loving the music and all the voices singing. I might start calling her boots because when she kicks me really hard, J says she is booting me 😛 she has booted me hard enough to make me jump multiple times this week.

Doctor’s appointment: not this tuesday, but the next one.

Bump Update: 28 Weeks

How far along? 28 weeks

Baby’s size: head of cauliflower (16 in, 2.5 pounds)

Total weight gain: 18 pounds

Maternity clothes: yes, although I did go back to wearing some pre-pregnancy jeans with my belly band this week as we FINALLY got some cooler weather 🙂

Stretch marks? no 🙂

Sleep: not getting a ton of rest, its been pretty uncomfortable

Best moment this week:we worked some more on baby girl’s room, we received our stroller and carseat from Dad (now we can bring her home from the hospital!), and I took a serger class with my friend T. it was fun, and I now have some fun thanksgiving cloth napkins, as well as some knowledge of how to use my serger. loving it.

Food cravings: milk, pop tarts, and peanut butter m&ms this week 😛

Food aversions: nothing

Gender: pretty in pink

Symptoms: round ligament pain, acid reflux, back pain, increased leg cramping, and getting tired more quickly

Belly Button in or out? still hanging in there although it is really flat 😛

Wedding rings on or off? off

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, with some pretty drastic mood swings. I get flustered pretty quickly 😛

Looking forward to: getting some more burp cloths sewn (see the fabric hanging behind me. nicely ironed and waiting to be sewn :)). also our second wedding anniversary is on wednesday 🙂

What I miss: sleeping comfortably

Movement: she’s a wiggle worm alright. I love feeling her move. we were even able to see her kick from the outside this week. it was funny seeing my belly jump with her kick.

Doctor’s appointment: 3 more weeks. I think. maybe it’s 2. 😛

Bump Update: 24 Weeks – V-Day!

How far along? 24 weeks. V-Day stands for Viability Day. basically if baby girl was born now, she would have a reasonable chance of survival. this doesn’t mean she is guaranteed to survive, or that she wouldn’t have problems, however; the chances of survival increase with every day after 24 weeks, and the risks of complications decrease. this is so exciting! but keep growing baby girl. you stay in there for at least 13 more weeks when you are full term.

Baby’s size: ear of corn (8.5 in, 1.5 lbs)

Total weight gain: 12 pounds

Maternity clothes: same as before.

Stretch marks? no 🙂

Sleep: been a little better except for the leg cramps. still trying to find a comfortable position to keep me off my back 😛

Best moment this week: registering was fun. and another stranger noticed I was pregnant! we were buying cookie dough at Nugget, and the check out girl totally knew I was pregnant 😛

Food cravings: chocolate chip cookies 😛

Food aversions: nothing this week

Gender: ribbons and pearls

Symptoms: this week I was introduced to two new ones. the pregnancy clumsiness and leg cramps. my hips have also started to really bother me, especially after work. they are very tight, and standing up from chairs is uncomfortable and awkward looking. that backache and fatigue is still there. I could have slept all day most days this week.

Belly Button in or out? still hanging in there

Wedding rings on or off? they are now off. we had a scare on Friday evening where I could not get them off myself. J had to yank them off of me which was painful. there is a possibility I was just more swollen than normal that evening, but I don’t want to take any chances and end up having to have my rings cut off 😛

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy

Looking forward to: I’m sewing a maternity dress right now. I’m hoping it comes together soon so that I can wear it. also, J still hasn’t been able to feel her kick. she is a stubborn one. as soon as he gets his hand there, she stops 😛

What I miss: cold turkey sandwhiches from the Bel Air deli. Mmmm 😛

Movement: oh yeah. loving this.

Doctor’s appointment: three weeks away

nesting

today we are registering for baby girl. I’m so excited. but there have been some other things we have been doing to prepare for her arrival.

I have the rocking chair my mother rocked me to sleep in. it’s beautiful. see:

the only problem is that it isn’t very comfortable to sit in. it’s too hard. while shopping for curtains one day we saw these:

cushions. for a rocking chair. yes! end result:

it is way more comfortable, but it sits me forward too far. I’m hoping if I got a little foot stool or something my knees would be at the proper angle, making it even better. but I am still going to register for a glider. I think I’ll need something even a little more comfortable for those late night feeding sessions.

I also did a little more sewing for baby girl. I made an aden and anais style swaddle blanket:

a receiving blanket:

and matching burp cloths:

I absolutley love all of these little projects. and that I will be able to cuddle my baby girl while using things that I made myself.

and one more thing. I’ve done amazingly well not buying any clothes for little girl. I know I will probably get more than I know what to do with from friends and family at baby girl’s shower. but I saw these. and I could not resist. I mean. owls. pink hearts. and tiffany blue stripes. 🙂 how could I resist?