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

7 Weeks To Go!

 How far along? 33 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 17 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: Same as last week, it's harder to fall asleep and get comfy than it used to be.
Best moment this week: Hmm..this week was pretty uneventful. We had our prenatal appointment on Wednesday and everything is looking good! I asked the midwife if she could feel if he was head down or not and she helped us to feel around using different techniques. She guessed that he was probably head down, but it didn't seem like a sure thing. She was able to find his heart beat immediately based on his position and it sounds great! I also have been feeling super giant lately so I wondered if she could guess his size, but she said any guesses would be pretty unreliable. Based off of my size at birth and my frame now, she thinks he will probably be around 7.5 lbs...we shall see! I visited Tammy and Noel after our appointment and scored another bag of super adorable baby clothes. His closet is FULL!!!!! Poor hubby got very sick on Thursday so we had a low key week/weekend. Today we were supposed to go to Matthew's third birthday party, but he woke up with an even worse sounding cough this morning.  I was supposed to be having a couple girlfriends from school over for dinner while James played basketball but we're thinking he may just have to stay in bed. He never gets sick so it's really bumming him out that he has been down for the count the last four days. I am still trying to avoid my third round of this thing and only have mild symptoms of congestion so far. 

Miss anything? Being able to move around with ease. It's getting harder to get up from sitting on the floor and I feel like I am running out of room! Baby is very low and very heavy on my bladder and pelvic bone!  

Movement:Yes, although they are less rapid lately. I think he is just running out of room. Some of his movements are very, very strong and it's becoming more obvious on the outside when he moves. It used to be that my belly would only poke out during some of his movements but it seems like every little move he makes these days makes my tummy move too! It's constantly going back and forth, side to side. It's very funny to see your stomach do this on its own...sort of bizarre!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No...well when I eat too much, which happens often because I forget how little room I have in there (or I ignore it)!

Showing? Yes!

Gender: Sweet little guy!
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: Some back pain, pelvic pains, LOTS of pee breaks, and difficulty sleeping, but still can't complain too much--it's going pretty well! 

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

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

Looking forward to: Getting our maternity photos back from Sandy, not sure when we will get them but I can't wait to see! Also, getting really excited for the baby shower coming up on the 9th!

Baby’s size:A durian!? Look it up! These fruits are becoming more and more obscure!

Lately I find myself wondering what our baby boy will look like. As he grows, we can really feel him in my belly, and it's weird feeling the outline of what feels like a head, shoulders, feet, etc. Also, when I bend over or sit in certain positions he gets squished and has to move around, so suddenly my belly will become all deformed and I will have a big lump in the middle or the side of my bump. It makes him feel so much more "real" and it's hard to imagine that he can get any bigger in there!! I can't wait to meet him!! 7 weeks alternately feels like an eternity and the blink of an eye. Time always goes by too fast, and part of me is scared for it to come too quickly because I don't want him to grow up so quickly. I know, not even born yet and I am worried about him getting older! When I was hanging his little clothes up this week I was picturing him in his tiny little outfits and getting so excited; I hope he can wear some of his newborn sized onesies--they are so adorable!

Sleeping Baby Ashley

I gathered some photos of James and I as itty bitties so we can compare them to baby when he arrives. It's funny because James looks just the same to me as he does in his baby photos but I struggle to see myself in mine.

Sleeping Baby James

32 Weeks!!

How far along? 32 Weeks!

Total weight gain:  ≈ 16.2 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? No 

Sleep: A little better this week but not great.  
Best moment this week: Getting the news about the job!! We also had a fun date night on Friday with another couple. We went to Native Foods and saw the new Hunger Games movie, which was fabulous and made me want to squeeze in reading the books before baby boy comes! On Saturday we watched baby Anabelle so that Ant & Mags could go see a movie. She is such a sweetie-pa-teetie and we had a lot of fun watching her. I never got the laundry soap I've been waiting on in the mail, but I washed and put away some of baby's clothes and blankets. It's nice to make a dent in these things!  This morning we attended a live raw foods cooking class in the park and then rushed over to get our maternity photos taken by our friend Sandy. The above pic was snapped on hubby's cell phone after our photo shoot since we had our chalkboard with us! :) 

Miss anything? Sleeping well and not having a crazy panicky, ruminating mind! 

Movement: Baby is movin' and a groovin'. He is so strong and sometimes his movements are downright startling! It's so funny when he pokes out a foot (or elbow, or hand-I really have no idea) and keeps it there for a moment and I have this big lump sticking out the side of my belly! 
Food cravings: No big cravings this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Showing? Oh yeah. And apparently from here on out, our little guy will gain half a pound a week!! I can only imagine how much bigger this already giant bump is going to get! 

Gender: Baby boy!
Labor signs: No
Symptoms: A bit of back pain and the trouble sleeping but nothing else really. 

Belly button in or out? O-U-T

Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Less moody this week, but feeling stressy so probably a bit more irritable than usual (sorry bubs!)

Looking forward to: My next prenatal appointment on Wednesday, hanging out with cousin Tammy, and getting some more things checked off our to do list! 

Baby’s size: A Jicama. Which I had never heard of and when I asked James what it was I pronounced it like a 'j' instead of an 'h' and he proceeded to make fun of me for the rest of the night.

Mommy's big news & baby's nursery...

**Scroll to end to see sneak peek pics of baby's nursery decor!**

So here's something I never thought I'd say entering my 8th month of pregnancy...I got a job!! When people have asked me what my plans are now that I've graduated, I have joked that I will have nothing to do with myself because no one is going to hire a pregnant woman who can only work for a month or two--but that is exactly what happened!!

Congratulations Prezzies From Sweet Hubby!

We are ecstatic and I feel so incredibly blessed (and still a bit shocked). There are many reasons why this particular job is so perfect, despite the fact that we have a little guy on the way. First off, this is the job I have been drooling over for the past year. When my former colleague got hired to run weight loss counseling groups for a major health provider I told her 'oh my goodness that is like the perfect job for me!' I've kept in contact with her through email, and in early December I ran into her at the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference. We were both attending Judy Beck's workshop on "The Beck Diet Solution" and it turns out we are both pregnant! I told her that I was about to graduate and she told me that I should send her my resume so she could pass it along to her boss. Wondering if perhaps I should wait until I was ready to go back to work so that my resume didn't get lost or buried, I ultimately decided to go ahead and send it over. She sent my resume to her boss with the note that I was pregnant and due in March, so my hope was that she might hold on to it and contact me in the future if any positions opened up.

Well, two days later I got a voicemail asking me to come in for an interview. I was completely shocked and confused and I called them back to make sure they knew I was pregnant. As it was, it seemed as if that bit of information had gotten lost in translation along the way, but she told me to go ahead and come in anyway.

So after trying on many interview outfits that DIDN'T fit (I realized that I seem to be somewhat in denial about my size after attempting to button a pair of pants that barely reached my sides), I finally found a suitable outfit. I wore a stretchy-waisted knee length skirt with a black top and black cotton blazer and prayed that the button wouldn't pop open before the interview was over. It turns out that my friend recently transferred to a location much further from my house so I had to drive about 50 minutes to get to my interview. I was interviewed by three people and was a bit thrown by some of the questions they asked me (i.e. are you familiar with Adult Learning Theory?-cue panic!) When it came to the part about my availability, I laughed and patted my giant belly while trying my best to explain that I would need to take maternity leave in mid March if they were to hire me now, and would need at least 6 weeks of uninterrupted bonding time with baby. I really was just happy to be making a connection and meeting them, so I told them  I totally understood if I wasn't the right fit because of my situation and hoped that they would keep my resume on file for the future.

As I left, I was feeling less than confident about my interview performance, but I was also sort of ambivalent about what I wanted. Although this is a job I really wanted, the thought of leaving baby even part time after just 6 weeks made me want to curl up into a ball and cry. The next day I was called by a recruitment officer and did a second phone interview. When he got to the part about my availability and I awkwardly giggled my way through another "by the way I'm pregnant and due in March" speech, he seemed a bit concerned. He told me he would call me back, and later that night he did. He said wanted to discuss a few things with me and as I was listening to him and expecting a "ta ta for now" spiel, he suddenly said "so, do you accept?" I was jolted awake and stuttered out a "yes." From that moment on it's been a whirlwind of trying to fill out the necessary paperwork within 24 hours, scheduling CPR classes and drug screenings, and trying to wrap my head around the fact that I HAVE A JOB!

So...back to the reasons why this job is so perfect. It's a per diem position and I am only contracted for about 10 hours a month. They could need me more than this of course (and I will have to figure that out at the time), but when he told me this bit of information I was ECSTATIC! You mean to tell me that not only can I spend ample time with my precious baby boy but I can get experience in a job that I have desperately wanted with an awesome company?!? Yes please!!!

I am currently waiting on everything to "clear" but if all goes well I start my new employee orientation on February 3rd!!! I will probably train until I give birth and then I won't actually start working until 6 weeks after baby is born. Yes the drive is less than ideal, but with so few hours I can definitely swing it! I will be working evenings so I am hoping it'll be in a time frame where I can avoid rush hour traffic. Anyway...I am thrilled and I can't believe it-I feel very, very lucky to have been given this opportunity. 

In other exciting news, my mama has been busy sewing and has made us some absolutely ADORABLE baby gear! She has made him a blankie that is ridiculously cute, cuddly, and perfect and she used some of the leftover fabric to start making him a matching banner for his wall. I am SOOOOO in love! He is going to have the cutest little "nursery wall"!! I'm so grateful that she is taking the time to make all of these homemade gifts for baby. It makes the items so meaningful and I love that they are one of a kind. Here are some sneak peeks....aren't they precious?!?

Custom made blanket by Nana Barbie!

Banner by Nana Barbie!

**Update, she just sent this picture over too! Ah, so in love! It has a hot side and a cold side!!!