35 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 35 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 34 pounds (one more pound until I hit the high end of recommended weight gain - yikes!) 

Sleep: Not enough - but only because it has been so busy this week!

Best moment(s) this week: Seeing the baby on Monday: ) The ultrasound pics aren't very good - especially on here because I took pictures of the pictures - but we could see him really well during the exam. The technician estimated that he was 5 pounds, 2 ounces. She looked at the placenta first, and it has moved up (which is good! That is why we had one more ultrasound!). She showed us many different angles and parts which was reassuring! We could see his profile and little lips, and we could see him swallowing. We saw his four-chamber heart, his two kidneys, his little feet and hands, his spine (which is now too big to be seen in one shot!), his brain, and...his hair! Yep, that's right, he has hair! It looks like he may have a mullet because he has long hair in the back and not much on top - ha! 

This is supposed to be his profile,

but you can't really tell: (

Movement: I can feel his feet up against the right side of my ribs most of the day. He seems to stretch and move a little bit, but I'm pretty sure he ran out of room to do the crazy twists and turns I once felt! I also feel him hiccup every other day or so, and my sisters have both felt that, too!

Symptoms: HUGE and tired!

Maternity clothes?: A MUST. The drying rack is always filled with maternity clothes as I move them through the rotation. Thank goodness for scarves and other accessories!

Stretch marks?: I don't think so.

Food cravings: Nope.

Food aversions: Nope.

Healthy eating?: Nope: ( As I anticipated, this was a rough week. I ate WAY too much and had WAY too many sweets. I'm a little scared to step on the scale later in the week when it all catches up to me!

Exercise: I was about 20 minutes short of my usual work outs - not bad for a holiday week. I got in both BodyPump sessions, so that was good. I can pretty much only walk for cardio now (because I HATE the way my belly sits on my legs when I ride the bike - ha!), so that is getting a little old. I didn't really run this week. I probably could have, but I did a couple of prenatal DVDs for a change of pace.

Gender: Still a boy: ) 

I can't tell you what any of it means, but supposedly this pic proves it! 

Labor signs: No - but I'm getting nervous. People have started asking me less about what the baby's name will be and more about whether or not I've had any contractions.

Belly button in or out?: Flat or out!

What I miss: Being able to sit comfortably for long periods of time! I'm not much of a sitter anyway, but I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to sit in one place. I end up hunching over, and I think it squishes the baby!

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing up our to-do lists!

Weekly wisdom: The holidays make pregnancy FLY by! I can't believe we have about a month to go!!!

Milestones: I'm now far enough along that I can deliver at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. If babies in Lawrence want to come too early, the mom is sent to a hospital with a NICU. As long as things go well, we'll be at LMH.

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 21

- I had dinner with Mom and the sisters on Tuesday, and then we sorted baby clothes at my house. It was fun to visit and to show them all of his cute stuff: )

- I took the day off on Friday to hang out with Mom and the sisters! We went ALL OVER Kansas City. We spent some time on the Plaza and then we went to the One Nineteen shopping center. It was a little chilly, but we had a good time: )

Mom and Me

The Sisters

Ha!

Worn out!

- Nick and I spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house. We had some yummy lasagna, homemade caesar salad, eggplant parmesan, bread, and pumpkin pie - YUMMY!

L and L

Mom and Grandpa looking up his favorite book from childhood - 
Peter and Anneli's Journey to the Moon

Parents-to-be!

- I wanted to give Dad his gift from Baby A on Christmas Eve, and Dad said he had a gift for Baby A, too. He went to get it...and the package looked similar to the package I had for him. We opened them up, and they were the same - copies of Mr. Pine's Mixed-Up Signs! A few weeks ago, Dad told me about his favorite book (this one!), and apparently we had the same thought. I wanted to surprise him so that he'd have a copy at his house to read to the baby. Well...he wanted the baby to have his own copy! Now there will be a copy at each house - perfect! - and a great story: ) Thanks, Dad!

34 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: + 33 pounds

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well! I wake up a lot to go to the restroom, but I'm still falling asleep without too much trouble. I think I've been pretty lucky in the sleep department!

Best moment(s) this week: We had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. The doctor said I'm measuring just right and that the baby's heartbeat sounds good, too! Also, Lisa is home for the holidays - woooooo woooooo!

Movement: Yes! The movement now is almost jarring - no more little kicks and wiggles! The movements I feel are more like he is squished in there without much room to move around. Sometimes there will be a hard spot where I think there must be a little hand or foot. When I press on it a little bit, the hand/foot moves away! He also moves a lot when I slouch. I think I'm squishing him, and he's trying to let me know!!! 

Symptoms: I.AM.HUGE. I feel like my belly is multiplying in size. I'm still pretty comfortable, but I'm finding it harder and harder to do normal things like get off the couch, get out of bed, reach the bottom shelf of the fridge, etc. I guess I just can't bend at the waist (what waist!?!) anymore. It is kind of a amazing to be WAY over the most I have ever weighed...and know that I could grow for another 6+ weeks with baby growing 1/2 a pound or so a week!?! Mix in the holidays, and HUGE may have a new definition!

Maternity clothes?: Normal clothes are not really an option! As you can see in my photo from this week, I have been rocking my Old Navy top a lot! Nick told me he really likes the color on me, so that makes me feel good at least: ) 

Stretch marks?: Not that I can see - ha! I wouldn't be surprised if there are some on my belly already or if I get some on my sides in the next few weeks!

Food cravings: Not really...

Food aversions: Not at all...

Healthy eating?: Healthy eating is definitely getting harder and harder with the holidays! It seems like there are more and more treats at work, and I have a hard time resisting! Before I getting pregnant, I could easily skip the treats, but I think my willpower is lower now because I already weigh so much. That's bad, isn't it!?! This week will be rough as well: Monday - work holiday party, Tuesday - lunch meeting (I might bring my own food!), Thursday - reading team lunch at Free State; Lisa's wedding shower for dinner; Saturday - Christmas Eve; Sunday - Christmas!! I'll have to make sure I pack a lot of healthy snacks to much on throughout the day and try to make good choices at all the gatherings!

Exercise: I got in all of my normal workouts, and I'm still feeling good! This week I had many comments from people at the gym. People have been so supportive, and it has been so motivating to have people tell me that I inspire them or that I look like I must be feeling well: ) 

Gender: BOY - I hope he is still a boy because we sure do have a lot of "boy" clothes and toys these days!

Labor signs: No: )

Belly button in or out?: Flat and stretched - SO weird.

What I miss: Having energy! I do feel pretty well, but I'm EXHAUSTED at night again. I'm hoping the baby will wait at least a couple of weeks after Christmas before making his appearance so that I have some time to  get some non-holiday-related things done after the work day!

What I'm looking forward to: We have an ultrasound on Monday morning!! I hope the little guy is doing okay in there!! 

Weekly wisdom: Exercise! I'm confident that exercising during my pregnancy has helped me feel so good. I'm worried about these busy days around the holidays because I know that sleep is more important than making sure I get all of my workouts in. We'll see...

Milestones: I think I have felt him hiccuping a few times this week! I've always heard that pregnant women can feel their babies hicupping, but I didn't know what to expect. Such a weird feeling!

What I'm Smiling About This Week V. 20

- Natalie and I got in 2 runs this week! We met Sunday and Thursday for an hour on the treadmill. I still ran a little bit both days, but I'm only running at 5.8 for a few minutes at a time. I spend most of the time walking at 3.8. SO good to chat with a good friend: )


- After missing my visit to Brandon Woods last week, I was happy to make it this week! Mom joined me, and we had a nice visit with G and G!


- I'm managing to keep my head above water - barely - at work. I'm trying to make progress without stressing out too much. I'm determined to get some big tasks done before the end of the year and to have my maternity plans in much better shape. They have been done for months, but they lack specificity. Since I'm getting closer to my due date, I think I need to be a little more specific!


- Krista had a scary day at work - involving a fireball a few feet away from her - and I'm VERY thankful that she is okay!!! "Ozzy" needs his Auntie Krista!


- Nick = amazing; )


- We are stocking the fridge with some frozen entrees again. We have taco chicken chili, pizza casserole, pulled pork, and pot roast right now. They're not the healthiest meals ever, but it is nice to have some delicious meals ready to go!


- I finished the thank you notes for one of my showers!

32 and 33 Weeks

Weekly Survey

How far along?: 33 weeks - but this post will talk about weeks 32 and 33 because I'm so far behind!

32 weeks, 1 day - Sunday 12/4

33 Weeks - Saturday 12/10

Total weight gain/loss: + 31 pounds

Sleep: I've actually been sleeping pretty well! I'm trying to drink more water during the day and less right before bed. I think it is working pretty well so far. I did have some weird dreams - including one where I was babysitting John and Kate's eight kids! Let's just say it was more of a nightmare than a dream; )

Best moment(s) this week (and last week): I have several...1) Nick has been able to feel the baby move A LOT! Now that the baby seems to move on more of a regular schedule, it is easier for Nick to feel him. 2) Nick finished the touchups in the nursery! Getting closer... 3) We got a new car!

Movement: I'm pretty sure I'm to the point in my pregnancy where I can tell that little feet are pushing on me! I laugh at night when he seems to move around to find a comfortable spot, and I laugh during the day when my belly shifts from left to right while I'm at work. If I were to imagine what it feels like to have a baby inside, the feelings I have now are EXACTLY what I would imagine!

Symptoms: My tummy (a.k.a. uterus!) is growing higher and higher! I have trouble breathing when I leave over, and I frequently lift my belly up or push my belly down if the baby is in a strange position.

Maternity clothes?: All the time - except for at the gym! I look pretty HUGE at the gym. I try to make myself feel better by reminding myself that I am at the gym, so that is good: ) I only have one pair of capris that really fit, so I wear them when I lift weights. The rest of the time I just look silly in shorts and Nick's big t-shirts!

Stretch marks?: Nope.

Food cravings: Hmmm. Not really!

Food aversions: Apples: ( I wouldn't say it is truly an aversion to apples, but I keep buying them and not eating them because they never sound good. Nick just received a holiday fruit basket from work. The apples look pretty good, so I may make some pumpkin pie dip and eat some of them!

Healthy eating?: Yes! I was WAY TOO BUSY to track my food this week, but I did track it last week. I do think that keeping busy at work keeps me from snacking too much!

Exercise: I'm still sticking with it! My original plan was to try to exercise until at least 34 weeks, and it looks like I should have no problem doing that as long as things continue as they have been. I really feel so much better on the days that I do exercise, and I'm convinced that I don't have a lot of the usual aches and pains of pregnancy because I've continued to move, lift, and run. This week I lowered my back and shoulder weights a little bit at BodyPump, but I've been able to continue everything else at my normal weight so far. If I'm still at it at 36 weeks, I'll probably drop down on some of the other weights as well.

Gender: Dude!

Labor Signs: Nope. 

Belly Button in or out?: I don't even want to talk about it anymore...

What I miss: Staying up late on the weekend! The last few years I haven't been much of a party animal, but Nick and I used to watch movies or play video games past midnight on the weekends. Now I fight to keep my eyes open past 10, so I don't feel like we have as much time to hang out: ( Nick is AWESOME, though. He'll watch a movie with me in bed, and then after I fall asleep he'll hang out with Callie and play video games by himself for a while before going to sleep himself!

What I'm looking forward to: We go to the doctor on Wednesday, and we will set up our ultrasound. It will be WILD to see the little guy again! We haven't seen him since 17 weeks, 6 days!

Weekly Wisdom: Go to baby class! We've really enjoyed our classes at the hospital - Nick even said that he enjoys learning at them! We both think they're a little too long (2.5 hours/night!), but I'm not sure there is much of a way around that. We took: Baby Care, Newborn Safety, Childbirth, and Breastfeeding (just me!).

Milestones: We *might* have some baby names picked out! We're not sharing them, so don't get your hopes up; ) I think we'll probably go the hospital with 2 or 3 names in mind, and then we'll pick one once we meet him!

What I'm Smiling About This Week (and Last Week!) V. 19

- We got a new car! I'll feel much better about it all once we officially have all the paperwork (e.g., registration, etc.) done, but it seems like it has all worked out okay. We were hoping to get a new car in the spring, but the accident in October forced us to get a new car now. We received a nice check from the other person's insurance, and were able to get a 2010 Nissan Altima. She looks like this...

Now I just need to have Nick install the car seat; )...

and I need to give her a name!

- Cleaning out Nancy the Nissan was quite sentimental for me! It was like taking a trip through the last 10 years of my life! I found: an ET figurine that Mom sent to me my freshman year of college as a reminder to "phone home," CDs from my college friends, parking permits for Meramec Springs, a very nice sticky-note note from Jane, a mini-copy of the Chi Omega Symphony, my LFS faculty parking pass, miscellaneous St. Pat's flair, a manatee figurine from the summer after high school, a piece of paper with Krista's mailing address on it so I'd always have it handy, driving directions to Sarah and Steve's so that I wouldn't get lost...again, one of my H20 Project wristbands... I also found a few random clothespins, pens, playing cards, and bobby pins, but it was interesting to me that so much of what was in the car made me smile: ) Nancy and I really have been through a lot together! RIP, Nance!

- We've made so more progress around the house, and I'm starting to feel a little more ready for Baby to get here! I have a TON of paperwork to go through - especially since I'm a receipt hoarder - but I think I can tackle it over the next few weeks.

- I'm making progress at work! I should be able to finish a couple of the MAJOR tasks that I need to complete before our big deadline (and my maternity leave!), and I think I will feel so relieved when I can cross those tasks off my list!

- I found out that one of my college friends is pregnant! YAY! YAY! YAY!

- Cute Callie: )

- Krista and I had a Skype date, and it was glorious...and greasy: )