Pookie the Pineapple!

How far along? 31 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 16.2 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Sleep has been awful lately. It started with anxiety that kept me up until 5 or 6 a.m. and I've now added back pain to the list of things making it difficult to get some shut eye. Waah. Hubby has been sweet and given me two back rubs but it feels like I may have a pinched nerve? A pregnancy related symptom I'm sure!
Best moment this week: No major moments this week but I am feeling good about getting some things checked off my to do list. James and I visited some pediatricians and we think we found someone we really like (who, at least so far, seems to accept our insurance. No one seems able to answer anything about the new exchanges with any amount of certainty). I also attended a free breastfeeding class that helped me feel more prepared for baby boy. Babies "R" Us offers this class and it is put on by a lactation consultant from Kasier. 

Miss anything? Sleep!

Movement:Yes and baby boy is getting stronger everyday! Last night as I was laying in bed, not sleeping, he was moving all over and I thought to myself "I am going to miss feeling him in my belly." It really is such a cool feeling to carry him around with me everywhere I go and feel all of his little (and big) movements. Growing a baby in your belly is pretty amazing and I have developed an entirely new appreciation for women's bodies; we are superheros! I feel so blessed that I get to be his mommy and I love reflecting on how we found out. What an incredible surprise!! <3
Food cravings: I had a major salt craving late last night but we don't really keep a lot of salty foods in the house. I was excited to find some leftover saltines from the last time I was sick in the cupboard  but was very disappointed to discover that they had NO salt on them! (Hubby agreed so I know it wasn't just me!) I ended up eating pickles AND peanut butter on crackers trying to satisfy this major salt craving...and this was after my nightly dose of chocolate chips! Woops! Thankfully these "overwhelming" cravings have been few and far between.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Showing? Yeah buddy.

Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Same as last week, very sleepy, a bit anxious, and quick to tears!

Belly button in or out? Very pokey outie!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: See symptoms....

Looking forward to: Getting my special laundry soap in the mail so I can start washing and putting away baby's clothes, our cooking class at 118 degrees that Lindsey so generously gifted us for Christmas, and our maternity photo shoot!

Baby’s size: A Pineapple!!!

The first "new" piece of clothing daddy and I have bought for baby boy! Daddy loves anything with monsters so when I saw these at Costco I couldn't resist! So excited to dress up and snuggle our baby boy!!

2014... Let The Countdown Begin!

Wow. 2014 already? 30 weeks already?!?! I know the lovely lady might not share my sentiment, but the space-time continuum seems to have slipped into some sort of weird speed vortex. Einstein should have postulated about the effects of time on husbands with pregnant wives. It seems like just yesterday she was walking in the front door, with her 'I'm bad at keeping secrets' look plastered on her face. But I digress.

The wife and I have had several conversations as of late about our disbelief about being "parents." We were just getting used to the idea of being adults! We also talked about how for some reason, at every major stage in our lives, we've just assumed that we would magically be infused with the information necessary to make the right decisions... not so! Lots of reading, lots of classes, lots of preparation. While Ashley and I love this lil' dude on a level which words can't adequately describe, that same love can create a little bit of panic because you want to ensure you know, provide and do everything that you're "supposed" to. One day at a time!

On that note, we just finished our 6 week HypnoBabies course and I learned a whole lot. I'm glad that we took it when we did as we still have several weeks to re-read and prepare using the materials we were provided. It was awkward at times, but well worth the time and investment. Ashley and I both feel much more prepared than we did going into the course. We've also scheduled a vaccine workshop, a breastfeeding class and an infant CPR class. So glad the lady finished grad school when she did (God's timing is always better than ours, right?), she is such an amazingly driven, task-oriented problem-solver. Lucky to have her as a teammate.

Our New Year's celebration was low-key. We spent the evening with Anthony, Maggie, Anabelle, Billy and Lou Ann chatting and eating candy. It's always nice spending time with them, and I can't wait for "play-dates"... wow... I sound old...

The replacement part for the dresser Bevma bought us came late this week, so we were able to put it together on Saturday. It looks amazing! Such a generous gift. Loved the look on Ashley's face when the finished product was moved to the "baby closet." Daddy wasn't too happy about having to move all of his jackets, but it is a small price to pay to have a spot for all of our little man's clothes.

We also had a Pottery Barn shipment come in this week (the look on Ashley's face when a Pottery Barn shipment comes rivals the baby closet face). It was the mobile and a Boppy + cover Ashley had picked out  thanks to a generous gift card given us by my boss Jay and his wife Pam for Christmas. I love seeing Ashley so excited.

I'll throw it over to the lady now for her update.

How far along? 30 Weeks!! This feels like a big milestone!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: It's been harder to fall asleep lately.
Best moment this week: We had a fun New Years Eve with Ant, Mags, and Anabelle. I felt like I hadn't seen them in forever so it was great to just sit around for a few hours and and catch up. We barely turned on the TV for a minute before the ball dropped and had no official celebration so it really didn't feel like New Years Eve, but we still had fun! I actually prefer these easy nights in to going out...I think we are getting old! New Years Day was fun too; we went to lunch at Benihana's with Bev & Cori and it was so, so yummy! Our East Coast family always gets us gift cards to Benihana's and PF Changs for Christmas and we LOVE to use them! James and I put our dresser together this weekend (pics below) and it feels so good to be one step closer to having baby's little closet area set up. The mobile, boppy, and boppy cover that we ordered from Pottery Barn with another one of our Christmas gift cards came this week too! So exciting! As silly as it is, it's just so much fun opening those fancy little packages. The boppy cover is SO soft and adorable and the the mobile is just perfect! I refuse to take the boppy cover out of the plastic packaging until I am ready to wash it and put it on the boppy, but there is a picture of it in the package below! ;) I finally got my grades from my last semester and I got my 2nd A- of grad school in my final project course and an A in psychopharm. This left me with a cumulative GPA of 3.97, which definitely isn't bad, but I had to talk myself out of feeling upset because my 2 A-'s counted against my GPA while my 6 A+'s did nothing to boost it....flawed system I tell ya!

Miss anything? I miss falling asleep easily!

Movement:Yes, our little guy is very active in there!
Food cravings: Cereal with frozen blueberries! And (before Benihana) I was fantasizing about veggie sushi rolls! Yum, yum, yum! 
 Anything making you queasy or sick: I've had a few days of off and on nausea but nothing too bad.

Showing? Oh my goodness, I walked by a store window today and couldn't believe how giant my belly is! It feels like it gets bigger every single morning!

Gender: Sweet Baby Boy!

Labor signs: Some Braxton Hicks...at first I didn't think that's what they were but now I can tell the difference between when my stomach gets rocks hard from BH & when he is just hanging out with his butt/back forward.
Symptoms: Sleepy, emotional, slightly frantic! :) 

Belly button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Oh me oh my -- I am afraid I am an emotional wreck. Very quick to tears and easily overwhelmed. I think it's this final stretch and realizing all I still need to do to prepare for baby and parenthood.

Looking forward to: I signed us up for a free breastfeeding class, a free infant CPR class, and a vaccine workshop. Also, this coming Monday night we are attending a parent information night for a group of pediatricians. Although not all of these events sounds terribly exciting, it makes me feel good to check things off my "to do list," and I feel like I am making progress toward preparing for baby's arrival. I ordered my special baby laundry detergent so I am looking forward to washing and putting away baby's clothing (although, I am a nut and don't want to do it too soon because I am worried about them getting dusty, lol. I need to take a chill pill!)

Baby’s size: A large cabbage or a cucumber! 

Mommy & Daddy hard at work putting together baby's dresser! Came out perfectly!

Love the neutral colors and wooden arm! So fancy!

The cover is polka dots on one side and cream and white stripes on the other. So cozy!

Butternut Baby

How far along? 29 weeks!! Only 11 weeks to go!?!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Meh...off and on.
Best moment this week: Christmas Eve & Christmas! We had so much fun with family! On Christmas Eve James' mom and sis came over (and brought dinner with them so I didn't have to cook!!) and we all ate together and opened our Christmas gifts. They were, as always, insanely generous and we all got spoiled rotten. When they left James and I cleaned up and then opened our gifts to one another. James is SUPER picky and difficult to shop for so I was excited that my watch case was such a hit and he is keeping it! The watch on the other hand is a different story...but I'll take what I can get. On Christmas Eve I didn't get any sleep because of this darn illness so I was utterly exhausted on Christmas day but we had a great time anyway. The four of us drove up to Riverside to eat dinner with family and had a ton of fun catching up with everyone. Baby got lots of love and belly rubs and even showed off some of his moves for the girls (see pics below!). When James and I got home we passed out for a few hours and then woke up and had a relaxing night in. I was sad to not be with my Colorado family (and am missing them terribly), but hopefully we will see them all when baby is born. Baby got insanely spoiled by both of our families and James' coworkers and he isn't even out of the womb yet! Check out his loot below!

Miss anything? Same--> My super-vegan-immune system that prevented me from getting all these colds in my pre-prego days!

Movement: Oh my, yes! And he feels like he grew overnight and is taking up SO much space in my belly. His movements feel so crazy! My entire belly moves and flutters and I can feel the weight of him so much more now. Sometimes it actually makes me feel a little nauseous because the movements are so overpowering (it's still very cool though)!
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary, still loving my nightly dose of chocolate chips! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Some of these movements....and being sick of course! 

Showing? Yes, my tummy is sticking out so far these days it's hard for me to imagine how I can get any bigger (but I know it's comin'!)

Gender: Lil' guy!

Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Tummy feels very tight, full, and distended and I am more tired than usual. 

Belly button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Somewhat irritable lately, but I think it's mostly due to the sickness and lack of sleep.

Looking forward to: My prenatal appointment on Monday and visiting Maggie, Anthony, and little Anabelle for a rockin' New Years Eve playing board games! :)

Baby’s size: A butternut squash! 

Here are some of our photos from Christmas: 

 

Some of baby's Christmas loot!

28 Weeks!

Well, technically 28.5 weeks..... We didn't take these pictures until Christmas Eve, but I'll try to keep the update about last week! Have you ever tried pic monkey? So much fun-I couldn't PICK which pic I wanted to use!

How far along? 28 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yup, along with some regular clothes!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Not great...I am sick again so it's been pretty bad lately.
Best moment this week: I had my last final exam of graduate school this week and turned in my final project....I officially have a masters degree, yahoo! I still can't believe that chapter of my life is over....it's definitely bittersweet. Although at times it felt like it was dragging and I was completely overwhelmed, these past 2.5 years have really flown by and I am going to really miss my program. We have been busily preparing for Christmas and attended a Christmas party on Friday night where I think I picked up this nasty bug. My immune system has really taken a beating during this pregnancy! :( Also, we got another big box in the mail this week-Grandma Bev bought us our dresser! So excited to put it together and organize all of baby's clothes!! James hung a few shelves on our "nursery" wall and we put our mattress in the crib (see pics below!) Seeing his little space come together is making me more and more excited to meet him!!! Can't wait to get some wall decals up over the crib!

Miss anything? My super-vegan-immune system!

Movement:Yes, busy boy!!
Food cravings: The usual
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Baby boy
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Getting harder and harder to get up off the couch and out of bed, I sometimes need an extra boost!

Belly button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty darn emotional lately...but also, happy! 

Looking forward to: Christmas!!

Baby’s size: An eggplant!!  

Hello Third Trimester!!

How far along? 27 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Definitely, I'm so glad I bought those extra shirts & jeans from Old Navy!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Not so great this week. Finding it harder to fall asleep & get/stay comfortable
Best moment this week: This week was pretty hectic! We had our prenatal appt on Wednesday and everything looked good. We got to hear baby's heartbeat but I am still waiting to hear back on my glucose test results. I finished my final project (woo hoo) and attended the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference from Wednesday to Sunday. Baby found this conference very enlightening and showed his approval by kicking and moving around like crazy during most of the presentations. We got to see some of the biggest names in the field including Judy & Aaron Beck, Dan Siegel, The Gottmans, Jack Kornfield, Irvin Yalom, Sue Johnson, Violet Oaklander, and a few others. I hardly got any sleep this week so I am eager to get back on track! Now that I am officially done with my grad program I am feeling a bit sad and out of sorts, but I just need to find a routine to keep my busy until baby arrives! We also received an awesome early Christmas gift from Nana Barbie...baby's crib mattress (see pic below)!

Miss anything? Going off of 4 hours of sleep every night this week definitely had me missing my coffee...I substituted with hot lemon water instead-yummy, but not quite the same effect!

Movement: We started doing our kick counts last week and baby boy is very cooperative! He gives us 10 kicks in about 3-4 minutes and then stops, lol. So cute! His movements are becoming more frequent and are very strong. James and I love watching my stomach poke out at crazy angles when he does his little somersaults!
Food cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Oh yeah!

Gender: Our little man!
Labor signs: A lot of discomfort in my lower abdominals and lots of pressure, but my midwife says this is normal so no "labor signs." Stay in there baby boy!
Symptoms: Getting a bit harder to move around these days!

Belly button in or out? Very much out.

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Same....mostly happy, very emotional! 

Looking forward to: Christmas parties, Christmas light viewing, present wrapping, and finding productive ways to fill my now empty days. 

Baby’s size: A rutabaga?!? Sometimes these weekly comparisons do not make any sense!!

Opening Our Crib Mattress From Nana Barbie!! <3

Lettuce Update You...

How far along? 26 weeks!!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 14.4 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes! I'm wearing my new jeans & top from Old Navy in this pic!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Same as last week
Best moment this week: Visiting Grandma Lind, Grandpa Sam, & Auntie Lindsey! We went to their house for dinner on Wednesday night and were spoiled with a delcious dinner, dessert, and adorable baby gifts (pic below)! It's always wonderful to spend time with them and I always feel "at home" in their house. This visit was especially cozy with all of the Christmas decor & the crackling fire place! Lind had her hand on my belly for probably an hour and barely got one kick out of stubborn baby boy.... I did my first kick count tonight and he moved 10 times in 5 minutes, lol.

Miss anything? Not too much, still coffee...

Movement: I had two days this week when he was super quiet and hardly moved at all...it had me worried sick, but on Saturday he moved ALL day non-stop! He has been quiet again today except for a few little movements so I guess he just has lazy days like the rest of us! :)
Food cravings: Eating way too many chocolate chips...I need an intervention.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Our little man! AND according to my baby center update his boy parts are "dropping" this week. Oh my!
Labor signs: I think I also experienced my first Braxton Hicks the other night, two random and sharp cramps that went away immediately after??
Symptoms: For the past couple days it feels like my pubic bone is bruised, it's very painful and I have no idea what is causing it.

Belly button in or out? James laughed at me and said he could see it through my shirt today....last week's post was short lived!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy, pretty emotional! 

Looking forward to: Same as last week --> "Our next prenatal visit....sort of. It's the dreaded glucose screening" BUT I was able to get an alternative to the awful glucola drink and will now be drinking 100% orange juice and eating one slice of bread. MUCH better! 

Baby’s size: A head of lettuce!! 

Prezzies from G-ma Lind!

Surprise diaper cake from my girlfriend at school!

Baby Bump & Holiday Fun!

How far along? 25 weeks!! Only 15 weeks to go!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 12.8 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes! Hubby and I took advantage of the holiday sales on Saturday and I picked up 6 shirts and another pair of maternity jeans from Old Navy for $60! So excited to have more choices in my wardrobe!!

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: It's been okay this week, but I've been having some difficulty falling asleep lately.
Best moment this week: Lots of great moments this week!! My favorite day by far was Thanksgiving. Bev (my mother-in-law), Cori (sister-in-law), hubby, and I started the day by volunteering for our church's Thanksgiving feast. We were in charge of helping the kiddos play carnival games and it was very adorable. There were way too many volunteers, but we had a good time and it was a nice way to start the holiday. Afterward, we hung out at our house for a little bit and showed off some of the baby gear that we've been acquiring. We had an early Thanksgiving dinner at Native Foods and thoroughly enjoyed the Wellington that we have all been craving and talking about for a year now. SOOOOOO delish! I seriously wanted to eat the entire thing...somehow I restrained myself but I am still daydreaming about it! Then, to top off an already wonderful day, hubby and I put up our Christmas decorations and decorated our first Christmas tree together! We have never really been home for the holidays (we usually go to Colorado to visit my family), and last year we had just moved into our condo and didn't have time to set anything up. We drank cocoa and hot tea, ate cookies, listened to some Christmas tunes, and trimmed the tree. I was in heaven! Check out the pictures below! On Saturday we had our first hypnobabies class, which was a good experience...although I already feel a bit overwhelmed by all the "homeplay" we have to complete! On Saturday night we put together our crib....I was really excited to do this but it turned out to be a huge pain in the butt and was extremely emotionally exhausting! Every nick, scratch, dent, and mistake left me an emotional wreck and I am SHOCKED that I didn't end up in a pile of tears on the floor. But, it is done! Our room is quite cramped cozy now! Every time I walk in I smile and imagine our sweet baby boy in there; so exciting!

Miss anything? Hmm....definitely missing coffee and not feeling absolutely ginormous!

Movement: Yes! Baby boy is making my belly poke out like crazy!
Food cravings: Ummm, I want to the eat the Native Foods' Thanksgiving meal everyday for the rest of my life! ;)
Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Showing? HAH...um, yeah! Very much so.

Gender: Sweet baby boy!!
Labor signs:  No, although he is very low and I have been feeling tons of pressure in my lower abdomen...it sort of feels like my uterus is going to fall out sometimes!
Symptoms: Mmm...see above. 

Belly button in or out? Out & proud, but you can't see in through my t-shirts!

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy, but easily brought to almost-tears....still holdin' strong.

Looking forward to: Our next prenatal visit....sort of. It's the dreaded glucose screening (and I still have to talk to them about giving me a healthier alternative to that horrible glucola drink), but I always like going in and making sure everything is going smoothly!

Baby’s size: A Cauliflower!

Thanksgiving dinner! Yes, I have 3 plates.

Cookies, Tea, & a Tree!

Finally got to hang all of the cute "J &A"  ornaments we've been gifted!

Hubby got crafty and made us some DIY ornament hooks with paperclips. He was about to throw out a bunch of our ornaments because they didn't have hooks....crazy man! So, I told him that he should just use paperclips, but I didn't explain how....He put one up and said something like "I don't know it doesn't look very good," and when I went over to check it out, it was still in the shape of a paperclip...Teehee! I just about died laughing, but he got the hang of it!

Our finished product! I think it's gorgeous and every time I look at it I feel oh-so-happy and cozy inside! Seriously, it totally brightens my mood. Love it!

I finally made something I pinned on Pinterest; yay me! DIY snowglobe! You can't see it in the photo, but there is snow at the bottom and you can shake it!

Our little decorated mantel with 3 stockings! I am pretty impressed with the turnout for spending so little on our decor....yay for the dollar store!!!

Daddy reading the crib directions....sort of ;)

Hard at work!

Mommy's helping!

Finished product!