Still Pregnant...40 weeks!

How far along? 40 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 23 lbs

Maternity clothes? All I want to wear are loose fitting dresses but I don't have very many so I prefer to stay home where I can live in my inappropriate-for-public clothes. ;) 

Stretch marks? One above my belly button.

Sleep: It's getting more and more difficult. I am so uncomfortable when I lay down and I have to pee every five seconds.
Best moment this week: Hmm...this week was pretty uneventful. I had a great day with hubby on Saturday just walking around the shops, enjoying lunch at Native Foods, and getting some grocery shopping done.

Miss anything? I am ready to be a normal-sized, non-pregnant person who can sleep, walk, and sit without being uncomfortable.

Movement:Baby is now kicking my ribs...hard! I thought he was supposed to be moving down!! Either he is very tall or he is attempting to crawl his way higher into my womb because he knows it's time to come out and he is much too comfy!
Cravings: Nope, pretty normal week as far as cravings go. Although, I used to eat oatmeal every single morning for breakfast and lately I can't eat it because it is making me feel sick.
Anything making you queasy or sick: All of these Braxton Hicks are still making me feel queasy. 

Showing?Yes...and it's in increasingly funny shapes. Every time my stomach contracts it becomes a weird, contorted shape...very funny looking.

Gender: Our lil' guy!
Labor signs: Non-stop braxton hicks, low back pain, mild cramping every once in awhile....but not much else. At our pre-natal appointment last week baby hadn't yet fully engaged in my pelvis, so who knows when he is planning on making his debut!
Symptoms: Very uncomfortable...I know, I know I sound like a broken record but I think you get a free complaining pass after you hit 39 weeks.

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: This week has been rough emotionally for various reasons but we are trying to stay positive and enjoy this incredible time in our lives.

Looking forward to: Holding and kissing baby!

Baby’s size: A Jackfruit!

Could this be the last weekly baby bump photo?

How far along? 39 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 23 lbs

Maternity clothes? Anything that fits and doesn't squeeze my belly too tight. This dress isn't maternity but it accomplishes this much better than my maternity jeans at this point! 

Stretch marks? One above my belly button.

Sleep:Not too bad, up every hour to pee though!
Best moment this week: We got to spend Saturday with Anthony, Maggie, and Anabelle! They drove up all the way from Indio and we went to the Arboretum and had lunch at Mother's Market. We miss them so much! It's crazy to think that next time we see them we will have a sweet little baby of our very own! James and I are preparing last minute things...moving the stroller to the car trunk, putting the clean bouncer cover on the frame, putting the rocking chair cover on, cleaning the house, etc. (see pics below) I think we are pretty much set....just waiting on baby!!!

Miss anything? Being a normal size person and moving around easily....it's really hard to do pretty much anything & everything these days! 

Movement: Baby boy has been pretty active the last couple days-throwin' elbows and knees!  
Cravings: I have been SO hungry this week..it's ridiculous. I haven't felt this way this entire pregnancy, but all I have wanted to do the past few days is eat....and then I get a Braxton Hick and feel sick because I am so full, lol. Everything I have read has said that you are supposed to lose your appetite and can even start losing weight at this stage in the game, but not me!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Just the Braxton Hicks after I eat.

Showing?Yes, my shirts don't completely cover my belly anymore...showing midriff....very cute.

Gender: Baby boy!
Labor signs: Consistently having Braxton Hicks night and day but other than that, nada!
Symptoms: Finally experiencing the dreaded swelling I've heard so much about. I have been super lucky during this pregnancy and really have had very few symptoms (for which I am EXTREMELY grateful), but this week my ankles started swelling a lot at night. Other than that, sporadic back and leg pains, and just a general feeling of achiness. Can you tell I am ready to have an outside baby?  

Belly button in or out? O-U-T (although it's so stretched out it's pretty flat!)

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Mixed bag! Alternating between anxiety, moodiness, excitement....impatience! 

Looking forward to: Meeting our sweet baby boy!!!!

Baby’s size: A watermelon!! (A mini-watermelon!)

Our first time at this Arboretum...despite the fact that it is located at our college (where we met during undergrad) and where I completed my Master's!

James colleague Pam gave us this rocking chair from when she had her son (20+ years ago) and Lindsey got us this cover for our baby shower to make it super comfy!

Daddy modeling bibs from Bev & Cori

Our Lil Punkin' is the Size of a Pumpkin!

How far along? 38 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 23?!? I am just packing on the lbs these last couple weeks!

Maternity clothes? Yes and even my maternity jeans are feeling very tight!!!

Stretch marks? One above my belly button.

Sleep: I get up several times to pee, but overall I am sleeping pretty well.
Best moment this week: Finding out that my new job doesn't start until July! The one thing that was making me incredibly anxious was the thought of leaving my baby at 6 weeks. Even though it will only be a couple nights a week I was really stressed out about leaving him at all when he was so itty bitty, and I was questioning whether or not I had made the right decision. This week I got an email from my job and they want me to come in to start training on July 7th (rather than early May)! I literally cried I was so happy! That gives me a lot more time to get to know him and for us to establish a routine. I feel much more at peace about starting now that he will be a little bit older-such a blessing!!! James and I had a date day on Saturday; we got our usual fancy $20 massages at life reflexology before going to dinner at Au Lac (we couldn't resist having their egg rolls again and this time the service was MUCH better!) The massage was pretty uncomfortable because the woman working on me wasn't sure how to accommodate a giant pregnant lady, but the dinner was awesome and I am glad we are getting in some date nights while we can! 

Miss anything? Being a normal size person!!

Movement: Yes baby boy is still a squirmy wormy!
Cravings: I was craving pho so I just made it for lunch... and for dessert I made raw chocolate go-go balls! Yum!
Anything making you queasy or sick: I tend to feel a bit queasy after breakfast.

Showing? Understatement, when I saw this week's photo I had to do a double take-who is that giant lady?!?!

Gender: Baby boy!
Labor signs: Less than last week, but occasional braxton hicks and pelvic pressure. Also, some shooting pains that are apparently from our little bubs being right on a nerve.
Symptoms: Feeling pretty uncomfortable lately....sore back, difficulty getting up/moving around, and then, of course, the above "labor signs."

Belly button in or out? O-U-T (although it's so stretched out it's pretty flat!)

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Emotional! :)

Looking forward to: Holding and kissing my sweet baby boy! We are ready!!

Baby’s size: Our little Punkin' is the size of a Pumpkin! It certainly looks like I swallowed a pumpkin too!

37 weeks!!

How far along? 37 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 20

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Pretty sure I have a small one above my belly button.

Sleep: So-so!
Best moment this week: This week was exhausting! I had training all day Monday through Thursday and had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to make it to LA on time. I am really impressed by mamas who work full-time during their entire pregnancies; I was counting down the minutes until the end of the week!! On Friday we had our 36 week prenatal appointment with a new midwife and went over our birth plan...it's feeling a lot more real now that we are talking about baby coming at any moment! I finally was able to wash and put away most of the baby stuff this weekend, as well as re-install the car seat, so I am feeling more at ease than I was earlier in the week (see below for pics of baby's nursery-wall!) I have a few more loads of laundry and a whole lot of cleaning and food prep to do before baby comes, but it's all coming together. James and I squeezed in another date night on Friday and tried a vegan restaurant called Seabirds....pretty darn tasty! 

Miss anything? Lately I've been anticipating how I will feel when baby is an outside baby and I know I am going to miss feeling his little movements and hiccups inside of me...so for now I am just enjoying our time left with him in my belly!

Movement: Little feet and elbows poke out every now and then! :)
Cravings: Not really
Anything making you queasy or sick: Baby is definitely pushing at my ribs and stomach so sometimes that pressure makes me feel sick.

Showing? Of course!

Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: Some cramping,  lots of pelvic pressure, and some braxton hicks (at least I think they are....my stomach will get really hard at times but I don't feel anything).
Symptoms: Continuing with the constant need to pee, back pain (especially after sitting for 9 hrs a day!), and feeling sleepy really easily. 

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

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

Looking forward to: Baby's arrival <3 <3 <3

Baby’s size: A bunch of Swiss Chard apparently! Babies at this stage are usually around 6 1/3 lbs and over 19 inches!

Baby's "nursery-wall" decorated with Nana's custom made quilt & banner! I love, love, love it!!

36 Week Update

How far along? 36 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 20! My weight had fluctuated down to about a 17.6 lb gain a couple days ago and then Saturday I woke up 2.4 lbs heavier! Almost 3 lbs in 2 days?!? 

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Pretty sure I have a small one above my belly button.

Sleep: So-so!
Best moment this week: After the shower I ordered the remaining items on our registries and they started showing up sporadically throughout the week. Every morning I excitedly peeked out our window to see if we had any packages! I haven't gotten most of it still but I have been able to get more things washed and put away and it feels good to know I am crossing things off of my to do list-especially as I begin my new job on Monday! On Friday we tried a new-to-us vegan restaurant called Au Lac to celebrate Valentine's Day. The service was so awful that it became comical, but the food was awesome! I'm really glad we tried it!! On Saturday we attended a vaccine workshop at this adorable shop called Granola Babies. We learned so much and feel a lot more confident about the decisions we want to make regarding vaccinating our sweet boy! The shop is located in this really "hip" new shopping center, so afterward we checked out the uber-expensive, hipster shops and the farmer's market in the parking lot...so fun! 

Miss anything?Being a normal size person!

Movement: Still getting little movements, feels like he is running out of room.
Cravings: I have had onion bagels with vegan cream cheese, avocado, tomato and salt and pepper three times this week. I want to eat it everyday, nom nom nom! 
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Showing? Yes that extra (almost) 3 lbs is showing and my belly is ginormous!

Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: CONSTANT peeing! 

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happier this week!

Looking forward to: Our 36 week prenatal appointment on Wednesday and getting the rest of baby's stuff in the mail! I can't believe we only have 4 weeks to go!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to meet our sweet baby!!!!!

Baby’s size: Head of Romaine Lettuce

Baby Shower & 35 Week Update!

 How far along? 35 Weeks! 
 ***Ultimate pregnancy brain moment, I wrote 33 weeks on my chalkboard this week and didn't notice until my drive home from the baby shower...hence the strange edit! Haha, woops!***

Total weight gain:  ≈ 18.6

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: So-so!
Best moment this week: The baby shower!!!!!! It was so amazing! I feel so blessed to have the friends and family that I do! Everything turned out perfectly and I had a wonderful time. The decorations and set up were so adorable (see photos below) and baby and I got spoiled rotten!! I am so grateful to my hostesses! They always know how to make my big life events feel extremely special and this event was no exception! I never had a bachelorette party or bridal shower and I generally keep birthdays pretty low key, so this was my first experience with something like this. It was overwhelming to receive so much love and attention all at once...especially the gift opening! You want to be fast so people aren't forced to sit there forever, and yet you want to be able to show your enormous gratitude for the incredible generosity of friends and family....hard balance! Anyway, I loved it and it was truly special and memorable! I also got a bunch of handmade presents from my mama this week that I absolutely LOVE. I can't wait to set up baby's room (pictures to come!)

Miss anything? In the morning and early day I hardly feel pregnant and can just go about my day but then around 5 p.m. I am exhausted, my back is killing me, and it's hard to move around! So strange! So I guess I miss NOT feeling like that after 5 p.m.! :)

Movement: No more crazy somersaults but I still get some pretty big kicks every now and then. Mostly just little movements throughout the day, which I still love every minute of. Even the little ones make my whole belly move!
Cravings: Ice chips! I have been chewing ice like crazy, and Maggie said she experienced the same thing during pregnancy!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really, strong perfumes and other smells get to me a bit though.

Showing? Oh yeah, final stretch! Baby boy is a-growin'!

Gender: Boy!
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Still peeing every 5 minutes, and then the same things I mentioned above, back pain etc..

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: I cried yesterday and today....hard. I'd say I am pretty emotional!! Thank you pregnancy hormones!!!

Looking forward to: Baby's arrival! Okay, okay, I guess I'll say our next prenatal appointment!

Baby’s size:A honeydew melon!

Diaper cake, blue nail polish party favors, & cupcakes!

Mimosas, coffee, and tea table!

Yogurt bar, quiche, muffins, scones, & bagels!

Our handmade hot air balloons and my mamas handmade banner; cheese and cracker platter!

My cohort girls!! <3

The whole crew (minus Heather the picture taker!)

 

Fun shower games!

Have to add this side shot....look at that giant belly!!!

Present time!

I hosted hubby's very own baby shower later that night!

<3

Stealing baby's adorable homemade quilt from Aunt Lori!

He was very excited!

Baby's Loot!

34 Weeks!

 How far along? 34 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 17.6 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Not too bad.
Best moment this week: We got our maternity photos back from Sandy and she did an incredible job! We love them! (See pics below) On Saturday we attended an infant CPR class (and Grandma Bev came too!) and then we attempted to install our carseat and put together our stroller. I want to go to a local carseat safety inspection because I feel like our base is moving around and I am not sure if we did it correctly. Also, James wants to put a towel underneath the base and I am not sure if it is safe or not. So many questions! This morning I had to attend an actual CPR certification course for my new job so I am double prepared! 

Miss anything?Not really, starting to feel more tired lately so I guess energy?

Movement:Still movin' around...feeling his little hiccups every day!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Showing? Yes, bigger everyday! 

Gender: Baby Boy!
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Baby is sitting LOW right on my bladder and a nerve I think so I've had a bit of pain and  a whole lot of peeing! 

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Half and half still.

Looking forward to: The baby shower next weekend!!!

Baby’s size:A Cantaloupe! 

Here are a few of our maternity photos! <3