Week 32 Bumpdate!

I honestly felt like it would be forever before I made it this far in the pregnancy and I still feel like I have a long way to go!  I'm excited that the holidays are arriving, Thanksgiving is this week and my brother is hosting for the first time in his new home.  I could not have picked a better time to be pregnant than during the holiday season.  Lots of yummy food, cookies, pies and leftovers to enjoy over the next month or two! 

• How far along? 32 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is the size of a large jicama (?!?!), about 16.5 inches long and weighing 3.75lbs.  
• Weight gain? 17 lbs as of November 13th.  I have another doctor appointment tomorrow so we will see if that changes.  
• Stretch Marks? I've got them and I believe they are here to stay, but I'm still using my cocoa butter two times a day and that seems to help with their appearance and to keep my belly from itching. 
• Sleep:  I was sleeping pretty well for the last two weeks or so and I feel like I jinxed myself.  The last two nights have been rough, I cannot get comfortable, despite taking meds I have terrible heartburn at night and even if I go to bed at 9pm (like we did last night), I still feel exhausted when my alarm goes off at 5am. 
• Cravings:  Sour candy, cheeseburgers, Chipotle, ice cream, comfort foods, soup, ice cold water and ice cold caffeine free Pepsi. 
• Food Aversions: None really, I just can't handle anything too spicy or too acidic for dinner because then I will be up all night with heartburn. 
• What do I miss: Beer, red wine and the ever elusive spicy italian footlong from Subway!
• Movement: The baby is active and is now beginning to cause internal bruising, or at least that his how she makes me feel.  She likes to push her body into my pelvic bone or kick me in the bladder at inopportune times.  I have also been able to feel the hiccups over the last week and they sometimes go on for a good 5 minutes before they stop.  I can see and feel movements from the outside and watching my stomach dance can be pretty entertaining.  
• Doctor Appointments: My next appointment is tomorrow for a belly check and hospital pre-registration.  I wonder if I will get another ultrasound soon, I would assume they would want to check the position of the baby but no one has mentioned anything just yet.  
• Labor Signs:  None yet and that is fine with me!
• Symptoms:  Shortness of breath, exhaustion, the inability to bend over, having a hard time putting on my shoes or reaching my feet, the waddle, the snizzle and I'm feeling a little more crabby these days.  I also feel like a whale but I'm pretty sure that is normal.  
• Wedding Rings:  Still on  
• Belly Button: I think it's on it's way to becoming an outtie, as much as I am totally freaked out by this!  The top half is starting to stick out more now and I can tell that the shape is changing.    
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else?  I have the nursery about 90% complete and that makes me very happy.  Nearly everything we have is assembled with the exception of the second car seat, pack n play and umbrella stroller.  I finally got all of the boxes and garbage out of the room last night and just need to find a cover for the changing table pad and put up the wall decals I purchased at Target.  I want to find some things to hang on the walls, maybe a few cute canvas pieces and a mirror for above the dresser.  Andrew and I are planning to clean the house together this weekend, it's just too much for me to do on my own anymore and I really need some help.
  
  
  
  

  

  32 week baby bump!!!!

Will I ever stop being tired?!

I've been a morning person for my entire life.  Even in college, I didn't become a night owl staying up till 2am partying or studying.  I didn't mind having 8am classes and would rather get the day over with than sleep till noon.  I work from 7-3:30 and love my hours, I don't even mind getting up at 5am nearly everyday.  Being a morning person is just a part of who I am.  My mom and dad are both morning people and I think I developed my habits from them at a very young age. 

That was until I got pregnant.  I have never struggled so much with exhaustion and sleeplessness in my life.  I knew that being pregnant was going to be really hard on my body, but I never imagined it would change me so much from being a morning person.  Getting comfortable at night is a daily chore, I'm lucky to stay awake till 9pm and waking up a few times a night to make a bathroom run is not my idea of a good nights sleep.

I've had to skip my morning coffee for most of the pregnancy because of the heartburn it causes.  My midwife said it was okay to have 200mg a day and I load my coffee with cream, but the minute that sweet nectar hits my belly I'm in a world of hurt.  It's just not worth it to me anymore.  Now I start the morning off with water and fill up my cup at work at least three times a day (it's a big cup).

I had a big event at work on Wednesday and had to be up at 4am in order to be at work a little before 6.  The event ran from 7am till 4pm and I was pretty much running the show by myself.  By the time I got to my car I wondered if I could drive home without falling asleep, I made Andrew talk to me till I turned onto our street to make sure I didn't pass out.  I had to take my shoes off to drive because my feet and ankles were so swollen.  After feeding the dog, I decided to lay down on the couch.  I immediately fell asleep.  I've never been a nap person either, until I got pregnant.  At 6:15 the front door opened and there was Andrew standing over me wondering how long I had been laying there, it had been a good hour or more.  He made dinner that night, bless his heart, and let me rest.  I was in bed by 10 and didn't wake up till 6.  I figured there was no rush to get to the office since I had worked so long the day before.

I know everyone keeps telling me how awful my sleep will become once the baby is born and I'm not trying to argue with any of them.  I do plan on getting the baby on a feeding and sleep schedule, I've done a lot of research on this topic and it makes so much sense.  Having the baby get into a routine at a young age makes them more adaptable to routines as they get older and being a creature of habit I want this for our daughter as well.  While I plan to breastfeed, I don't plan to attachment parent because that often messes with a child's sleep and really messes with the parents when you introduce co-sleeping.  I will keep the baby in our room for the first few weeks in the bassinet section of her pack in play, but then she's going to the crib.  I'm standing firm on this because I know I can do it and I know it makes sense for our family.  I know people who have kids in elementary school and they still co-sleep and they look like (and tell me) they never get a good nights rest.  I can't even handle having the cat in our bed let alone another human!

I pray that one day I will go back to being a morning person, that our child will also be a morning person and that she will be kind enough to let us sleep through most of the night before I am done with maternity leave. 

Week 31 Bumpdate

Here we are at 31 weeks which means I have about 9 weeks left, I don't even feel like that is possible!  My shower on Saturday was awesome and we got so many great gifts.  I spent most of the day on Sunday washing and folding tiny baby clothes, organizing the nursery and making a run to Target to return and purchase the items that we didn't receive.  There are still a few more items that we need to get, but I was burned out and not in the mood for a trip to babies-r-us on Sunday, maybe next weekend. 

• How far along? 31 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby?  According to my Baby Bump app, the baby is as big as 4 navel oranges, so about 16.25" long and weighing in at 3.3lbs! 
• Weight gain? 17 lbs as of November 13th and I'm pretty happy.  If I continue to gain a pound a week till the end I will end up gaining less than 30lbs which is wonderful!!!!! 
• Stretch Marks? I am learning to accept that the stretch marks have appeared and they are here to stay, I'm just glad they are only about 1 inch long and some shorter than that.  I'm still coating my belly in cocoa butter two times a day. 
• Sleep:  I've been sleeping really well for the last 4 days and I'm super happy about it.  I still have to get up about once a night to go to the bathroom but I'm usually able to fall right back asleep.  I am normally very restless at night and move around a lot but lately I stay in the same position most of the night.
• Cravings:  Ice cream (yet again), cheese (also, nothing new), french fries, apples, ice cold water or Pepsi and plain foods.  I haven't been much in the mood for anything spicy.
• Food Aversions: Pork chops, I haven't eaten any the entire time I've been pregnant and the thought of them makes me feel ill.
• What do I miss: My normal body, having a glass of wine on the weekend, being able to easily get comfortable and stay comfortable.
• Movement: The baby is active as always and seems to be more active during the day now.  She enjoys kicking me in the bladder during meetings at work so I have to get up and run to the bathroom.  I swear sometimes I can tell where her head is because of the way that she puts pressure on my stomach and the way it bulges out.  
• Doctor Appointments: My next appointment is November 26th for a tummy check and hospital pre-registration!
  
• Labor Signs:  None yet and that is fine with me!
• Symptoms:  Shortness of breath, headaches, frequent trips to the bathroom, the snizzle (you know, sneezing/coughing and having a little leakage haha), feeling full quickly, hip pain and the occasional burst of heartburn.  
• Wedding Rings:  Still on  
• Belly Button: Still an innie, I'm curious if that will change.  
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else?  Things are starting to feel a lot more real as I continue to work on the nursery for our baby girl.  For those who want to know, we have picked out 5 names but we are waiting until she is born to decide which one we think suits her best.  Three of the names are family names and the other two are just ones that we like, I love old names so don't expect something typical from me!  As I've been working on the nursery each night, I'm really starting to feel like I am connecting to the baby and feel like she's a person now and not an alien in my body (I hope that doesn't sound awful for me to say).  I still have to gather up some items from my mom and dad's house tonight that are still there from my first baby shower.  Now I finally have a place to put them!  For now the stroller, car seat and pack n play are still boxed up in the basement.  Hopefully we can figure out where to store them soon.  Maybe in our living room closet since it's pretty deep, I just need to get it cleaned out! 

A little comparison for you, here is my bump at 19 weeks (I'm wearing almost the same outfit today):

And now at 31 weeks:

Baby Shower #2

Baby Shower #2

My second baby shower was so much more than I ever could have asked for.  My mom and my good friend Laura really outdid themselves and it was a great afternoon with my closest friends and family.

We had lovely weather, though it was cloudy most of the afternoon, it was warm and it didn't rain (like it has been on and off all day today).  I was so happy to see so many people come out to support Andrew and I and our new baby girl.

My grandma made her famous sugar cookies and also brought the cake, made by the same baker that made my first birthday cake.  It was also really tasty with fluffy icing, just how I like it! 

Even the guest book was adorable and I plan to hang it up in the babies room.  Everyone wrote a little message or piece of advice to the baby and it was so sweet to read them when we were cleaning up after the party.

I was blown away with everyone's generosity!  We received so many wonderful gifts and could not say thank you enough!

Adorable clothes, diapers, baby must have's, books, bath items, lots of toys, handmade gifts from my cousins, aunts and great aunts and so many more amazing things. 

The funniest game that we played was "Daddy Knows Best" where Laura had asked Andrew questions about being a dad and the baby and I had to guess his answers.  Some of them were really funny.  One of the questions was What item on the registry do you have no idea what it's for and Andrews answer was, "I've never looked at the registry, is it too late now?!" He's something else!

I was happy to share the day with some of my closest childhood friends, my friend Amanda (to my right) is also pregnant and due at the end of March.  We have all known one another for many years and it was great to spend time with them. 

My good friend Sarah from college is also pregnant and it's been amazing sharing this journey together.  We saw this photo on Pinterest when we both found out we were pregnant and knew that we needed to re-create it at the baby shower.  I'm so happy to have several friends who are pregnant right now and to be able to share this special time, to lament together when we have bad days and to celebrate the little victories that have come with pregnancy. 

As I've spent most of the afternoon washing tiny clothes, burp clothes and blankets I've been thinking a lot about how lucky we are to have so many people who love us and our daughter.  I'm happy to say the nursery is really coming along and I am going to meet my deadline of having it all done by Thanksgiving. 

Week 30 bumpdate & Maternity Pics

Week 30, that means there are only about 10 more weeks to go!  When I looked at my Baby Bump app on Monday morning I could hardly believe that I was at 30 weeks already.  Time has been going so fast, the season has changed again and had our first accumulating snow last night.  We have about 3/4 of the furniture moved into the nursery and I've been spending a good deal of time getting things organized.  Tonight I'm going to get all of the clothes put in the dresser and Andrew can get the crib put together.  My next shower is this Saturday and I'm so excited to celebrate our daughter with more of my family and close friends. 

• How far along? 30 weeks and 3 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is as big as a large head of cabbage, around 15.7 inches long and weighing 3lbs
• Weight gain? 15 lbs - I will find out at the doctor today if that has increased which I'm sure it has
• Stretch Marks? I am learning to accept that the stretch marks have appeared and they are here to stay, I'm just glad they are only about 1 inch long and some shorter than that.
• Sleep: It comes and goes.  Over the weekend I had one good night of sleep.  Saturday night both Andrew and I could not get comfortable all night and didn't sleep well at all.  I also had to get up to go to the bathroom at least three times and I had that strange "my belly is full of air" feeling.  Last night I was up with a stomach ache followed by violent kicks from the baby.  I sat on the bathroom floor for 20 minutes waiting for the pain to pass thinking I might become ill but I ate some tums and managed to fall asleep for a few more hours.    
• Cravings: Comfort food, pancakes, ice cold water, peanut butter straight out of the jar, cold milk and my caffeine free Pepsi with lots of ice!
• Food Aversions: Again, I wouldn't call them aversions, but I can't really eat anything spicy anymore and I can't eat much in one sitting without feeling super full. 
• What do I miss: Sleeping straight through the night, being able to go up and down the stairs of our split level house without getting winded, my old body and red wine.  All I have been thinking about is a good glass of wine with some cheese and crackers....yummmm
• Movement: The baby is still very active and she has started to go crazy in the middle of the night too.  She still seems to be the most active around 8 at night and after I eat in the morning though I feel her move throughout the day.  
• Doctor Appointments: Have one later this afternoon
  
• Labor Signs: Nope.  I have a feeling she won't be born on January 20th and I keep thinking it will be more like January 25th or something.
• Symptoms: Back pain, hip pain, feeling winded after walking too far or up and down the stairs, bending over is becoming more difficult, heartburn (though it's not nearly as bad as it has been) and general discomfort which I know is here to stay.
• Wedding Rings: Still on and sometimes tight but I'm not ready to take them off just yet.  
• Belly Button: Still an innie, I'm curious if that will change.  
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else? I'm excited for my second baby shower this weekend and finishing up the nursery which I know I will have done by Thanksgiving.  I've been doing a lot more reading as well and I'm currently reading the books Baby Wise, The Bradley Method for Natural Childbirth and the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.  All of them are full of a lot of good tips and I've been taking lots of notes.  We also took some maternity pictures over the weekend thanks to my sister-in-law and I will post them as soon as she sends them to me, hopefully by the end of the week.  It was a super chilly and windy day on Sunday for photos but Andrew's parents farm is so pretty that the pics still turned out great.  Everyone also keeps telling me they think the baby will be huge, I really hope they are wrong.    

Love that we took our pics where we had our
wedding reception

Probably my favorite photo

Another favorite

  

 

Inside the barn

 

So What Wednesday

I'm linking up today for So What Wednesday and here's what I'm saying "So What" to this week!

• If I am still totally freaked out by watching my stomach move around when the baby moves, it's such a strange feeling.
• My house is a hot mess, I have been working like crazy and when I get home I feel like garbage.  Taking 5 mins to unload the dishwasher this morning made me feel a little better.
• That no matter how much I sleep I am still tired, I'm blaming it on the baby and the fact that I feel like I'm as big as a house.  If only I could sleep on my stomach then I would feel so much better!
• Progress on the nursery is slow and I'm trying so hard not to panic.  I know it will get done because it has to get done!
• Everyday my to-do list for work gets longer and longer, there is so much that needs to be done before I go on maternity leave.
• There are a few things going on in my life right now that I can't talk about on here let alone talk to hardly anyone about in general.  It's so hard keeping a secret so to speak but hopefully soon things will work themselves out and I'll know our next steps.
• If I don't think I could be a stay at home mom.  It's not that I don't love this baby growing inside me but I also LOVE working and I know I will LOVE being a mom too, I just want the best of both worlds and I'm hopeful that it won't affect my sanity!
•  I've been in a crabby mood all week and I can't wait to have a long weekend since our office is closed on Monday.  Everything has been getting on my nerves this week and I wish I had an office with a door so I could have some peace and quiet.  I don't miss my old job but I sure miss my old office, even if it didn't have a window.
• I still have to look away when we watch birth videos while working on our online childbirth class.  I have decided I don't really want to see the baby come out, but I'm totally willing to hold them before they get cleaned off.....does that make me weird?!?!

What are YOU saying so what to this week?!

Week 29 Bumpdate

Week 29 arrived just in time for the time change.  I was so thankful for the extra hour of sleep on Saturday night after a long car ride home from PA and my first baby shower.  The car was so loaded with gifts that my mom had to hold things on her lap in the backseat.  Thankfully she let me sit in the front so I could stretch out my legs!  We even went to bed at 8:30 on Sunday night because we were both exhausted from the weekend. 

• How far along? 29 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is as big as a butternut squash and weighing around 2.5lbs
• Weight gain? 15lbs total as of my appointment on October 30th.  I gained 8 in one month, which might seem like a lot but I didn't gain much at all at the beginning. 
• Stretch Marks? Small ones, like 1/2 inch or less keep popping up above my belly button. 
• Sleep: It's becoming increasingly harder for me to get comfortable at night.  I normally like sleeping on my left side, but my right side seems more comfortable these days.  I'm also really hot at night and had to get a nightgown to sleep in and can really only use a sheet to cover up with.....I've always been a cold person at night so this is really strange for me.  
• Cravings: I haven't had many lately, but there are still days when nothing at all sounds good to eat.  I know I need to eat breakfast but it's so hard when everything sounds gross. 
• Food Aversions: I wouldn't call them aversions, more like things I know I can't eat.  Spicy foods, deep fried foods seem to have a terrible effect on my stomach.  I also accidentally had some fake sugar over the weekend and it tore up my stomach, lesson learned to ask what is in the punch before I drink three glasses......
• What do I miss: Sleeping comfortably, being able to stand up without making grunting noises, eating basically whatever I want, not having heartburn all the time.  
• Movement: The baby is still very active and I feel her moving pretty much all day and night now.  I am anxious to feel her get the hiccups but it hasn't happened yet.     
• Doctor Appointments: I had my glucose and anemia screening on October 30th and passed both with flying colors.  When the tech went to do my blood draw she had a hard time finding a vein and fished in my arm (not cool) and I nearly passed out.  They took me down to a room where I could lie down and she was finally able to draw my blood.  The photo below is evidence of the lovely mark she left and yes, it's still on my arm today nearly a week later.  My next appointment is November 13, going every two weeks now.  

 

• Labor Signs: No, thankfully, she can keep on cooking.  It is nice to know however that if she was born anytime now she would have a very good chance of survival although I am so not ready for that to happen.  
• Symptoms:Where do I begin: backaches, restless legs, difficulty breathing, getting tired much more easily than I ever have before, feeling lightheaded if I bend over, general discomfort and lots of trips to the bathroom! 
• Wedding Rings: Still on and not tight!!! 
• Belly Button: Still an innie, I'm curious if that will change.  
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else? I feel so blessed and maybe slightly overwhelmed after my shower this weekend.  My mom very graciously is letting me store things at her house until I am ready to organize the nursery.  She also volunteered to wash and organize all of the baby clothes for us which will help me out a lot.  I have a very busy month at work with three big events going on in the next three weeks.  I am determined to meet my goal of having the nursery ready by Thanksgiving so that I don't feel so stressed during the holidays.    

29 weeks and finally filling out this shirt!

My first baby shower

On Saturday, my amazing cousin Becky hosted my very first baby shower at her mom's house outside of Pittsburgh, PA.  It was a very intimate shower with about 16 people including my aunts and cousins who I've been very close with my whole life.  My cousin is very into party planning and made sure that every detail was totally perfect.

Beautiful tables

Place settings and favors

Dessert and punch table

Lovely centerpieces

Beautiful cake made by the same woman who made my mom and dad's wedding cake

We ate amazing food and visited, played "Guess the flavor of the baby food" and enjoyed the amazing cake then it was time to open gifts. 

Playing guess the flavor of the baby food

None of it looked appealing

Baby will need a steelers outfit, even if this season is terrible

Blanket made by my great aunt.

Little but wild, that will be my daughter

Playmat

Easter outfit

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family and for all of the wonderful gifts they gave to our baby.  It was so great to see everyone at the same time as well since it's difficult to see everyone on every trip we make to Pennsylvania.  I'm anxious to start putting the nursery together, organizing and washing all of the baby clothes and to finally have things done!  I think I can still meet my Thanksgiving goal for a completion date!