30 Weeks! The Final Chapter...

Yikes.  Things have happened that can't be undone.  I am huge. HUGE. YUGE, I tell you. 30 weeks should forever be remembered as a massive growth spurt week for the old belly.

Feeling: All of a sudden, I am stretched to the MAX.  I haven't felt like this yet and I do not love it.  Le bebe is suddenly everywhere, stretching and bulging out of me.  For the first time, I am feeling her under my right rib, making it really uncomfortable to bend forward.  

All day at work, I had these painful little cramps around my rib cage and then under my belly button and I just knew...I was growing! Aaaah, such a strange feeling. On the bright side, the larger le bebe becomes, the less crazy I feel for talking to her so much and petting her butt and feet when they come lunging out at me.  She's practically a full grown person now!

10 more weeks, huh? YIKES.

Symptoms:
-Acne is officially getting better!  9 months ago, I would tell you that this acne is AWFUL, but now...it's an improvement.  Small victories.
-Stitch in my right side during the commute to/from work.
-major leg cramps.
-Belly button is leaving this universe.
-Stomach is fuzzy and veiny.
-Constant dancing in my belly from le bebe. She is ACTIVE with a capital A.  None of it bothers me because it's all pretty smooth movements, but the bigger she gets, I imagine this will get a lot more interesting. 

Weight: up 1 =18 total lbs.

What I Miss: My bad-for-baby facewash.

Doctor Appointment: 31 weeks.

Looking Forward To:  Getting our glider for the nursery tonight! And a calm week at work since I only have to go into the city 3 days...Which gives me time to visit my Grandma on Wednesday...yay!
 
xoxo
L 

Aaaah- Bee sting!

I got stung by a bee on my walk to the train this morning!!!! Through my pants!!!

How?

Why?

I haven't been stung by anything since I was 16 and a wasp attacked me in the shower, but I have to say...it still totally sucks. Like wow... is it painful. 

Hopefully le bebe is okay! All online sources seem to think we'll both be fine as long as I'm not allergic. Which I'm not. Phew.

Xoxo

L

29 Weeks.

Allllllmost into the 30's...or my last semester, as I like to think of it.  In the 30's, I feel like it's game on.  Most don't make it out...without a baby. YAY!

Feeling: I feel great. Sorta tired this past week, but mostly I feel good.  I can see the end approaching and I'm trying to enjoy each day as they come.  

The hubs and I have entered a phase of dining out constantly and enjoying the things that might be made more difficult when she has exited thine womb.  It's awesome.  Plus, I have to say that my friends have really made me feel special AGAIN this week.  A cozy blanket came in the mail from California and while at a bridal shower this weekend, the bride actually got ME some special presents for the wee one.  It was so insanely thoughtful.  I'M NOT WORTHY!  


Symptoms:
-Good news...my acne is remaining awful. Hormones are a beautiful thing.  If beauty means pimples and nasty skin.
-Weird cramp on my lower right side whenever I walk around.
-lower back pain in my sacrum.  Started seeing a chiropractor about this.
-Belly button is still an innie, but I doubt for very long.
-Enjoying way too many sweets. Mainly italian ices and fro yo.
-Punches. It feels like she punches me in rapid succession sometimes. Has my placenta become a punching bag?  You've got me.


OH, and I feel that I should mention...my eyebrows sweat now.  Totally new thing.  I now have to literally wipe my brow after a 3 second walk in the heat. 

Weight: 0...17 total

What I Miss: Nothing.  Maybe thinner thighs.

Doctor Appointment: Friday!

Looking Forward To:  Swimming...or floating...in the ocean next weekend!!!
 
xoxo
L 

28 Weeks - 4D U/S

Oh boy.  I am 28 weeks today and this morning was my LAST ultrasound at the hospital.  Walking through the double doors, I actually felt all buzzy and excited like I was there to have the baby or something.  Alas...no...but I was about to see her!

First of all, I am totally not into getting 3D/4D ultrasounds.  I think they're cool, but I just never thought to have one because even a born baby looks crazy to me half the time.  Secondly, they did it anyway (not against my wishes or anything...they just kinda did it).  Thirdly, IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!!!!! 

And I have officially cried.  The unemotional, guarded mom-me went out the window and I literally just flooded with tears at the sight of our little girls' face.  It was surreal.

Here is our little peanut:

 28 Weeks at my Bbq:

Feeling: Very excited about her arrival for the first time.  I've always wanted to meet her, but now I'm just...so...excited.  What's she going to be like?! Who's she going to look like?!  What color will her eyes be?! When will she learn to roll them at me?!  

I can't wait.

Also, I had a little gathering (a Baby-Q, if you will) at my house this weekend in lieu of the traditional baby shower and I am definitely feeling the love.  So many amazing gifts (a gift certificate for our first fam photo shoot! mini cowgirl boots from Nashville! le bebe's first bikini and onesie from halfway around the world! her first little chair/rocker thing!)  It was SUCH a great day. Just close family, best friends, and food. So much food.  I swear that I was thrice the size of myself by the end of the day.

Symptoms:
-Acne is still terrible everywhere except my face. Awesome.
-Belly is big, hard, full of baby and uncomfortable.
-Belly button is still an innie...but looking like it will change.
-Weird cramping...had my cervical length checked though and should be good.  I don't mind cramping, but I def don't want any surprises. 
-Sleep hasn't been great this week again.  Hopefully, it's just a blip.
 
Weight: up THREE!  Total of 17lbs.

What I Miss: Oh I don't know...Maybe a strawberry mimosa on a rooftop. Or a white sangria on the beach:)

Doctor Appointment: Every 2 weeks now! 29 weeks/4 day checkup.

Looking Forward To:  My friends bridal shower next weekend and going down the shore the following Saturday. Yay Summer!
 
xoxo
L 

Groooooowing...almost 28 weeks.

Last night was different.

I went to bed...exhausted. Not stressed about work or anything at all.  But just as my head hit the pillow, my brain flipped a switch and I felt awake.  Well, my brain still felt tired, but my body felt awake which was the weirdest combo ever.  It was SO strange.  The baby wasn't kicking or moving around any more than usual, so I didn't get what the deal was.

Finally I did fall asleep, but only to wake up a few hours later.  This time I felt instantly and FULLY awake instead of my normal middle-of-the-night zombie self.  I laid around for a couple hours, went to go to the bathroom and I swear that my stomach was heavier.  It was uncomfortably bigger than it was when I went to sleep. I swearrrrr! 

So yeah, I'm pretty convinced that I had a little growth spurt last night.  This morning I weighed myself while my stomach was grumbling for breakfast and the scale read that I was up 3 pounds from last week! Holler!

Nowadays, this is what constitutes as a crazy Friday night for me.
xoxo
L

A dream is but a dream...

Dreamt that I had the baby last night.

But it ended up being a dog.

I kept thinking, "Nooooo! I've been pregnant with a DOG this whole time?!"

Talk about a dissapoinment.  And then, it kept running away from me which was even more obnoxious.

It did turn into a little 4 year old by the end of the dream. But geez, a FOUR year old.

The whole thing was pretty strange...even for a pregnancy dream.

Happy Friday!
Laura

Nursery Day, Part 2!

We love our little nursery!  And the more we do for it, the more I think..."We ARE having a girl, right?"  Because really, how hilarious would that be!

xoxo
L

27 weeks!

Le bebe is the head of a cauliflower! And almost 2lbs and 14.5 inches long!  AND according to almost every online source, I'm in the 3rd trimester.  (I wish they could all just get on the same page with that.)  I use this chart:
http://www.baby2see.com/pregnancylength.html 

Feeling: More pregnant.  As in...more symptoms and more things bothering me.  Before, I could race around the city and then every so often not fit into a small space or need to take the escalator rather than stairs and think, "Gee whiz, I'm pregnant!"  But now, things are MUCH more frequent.  The bigger belly has yielded more cramping while I walk, even if it's just for a couple blocks and my hip has started to bother me during the night.

If I lay on my back for 5 minutes, it eases up, but I'm not allowed to really do that either, so I think I'll be heading to the chiropractor soon.

Other than that, work is good, friends are good, the nursery is AWESOME and life is great!
 
Symptoms:

-Insane kicking - My baby is a ninja.  I literally can't believe how often and how hard she kicks me!  I'm like, "You okay in there? Mad at me? Need to talk?" The plus side is that I feel like I know her already and she's crazy:)
-Acne is the littlest better this week.  Started using Black African soap and I used a clay face mask (that I put everywhere) that really seemed to work well.  It is actually the ONLY thing that has made even the smallest difference.

Try it: Exfoliating Volcanic face mask
 
-Still getting harder to move around.
-Some weird cramping in my belly.  Stomach ache? Braxton hicks?
-Achy legs and hip at night.
 
Weight: I've definitely gotten bigger, but my scale still says I'm up 14.

What I Miss: Pomegranate/or equally fruity margarita

Doctor Appointment: 27 week checkup- GLUCOSE TEST!

Looking Forward To:  My glucose test...is that weird?  I just want to hear or see the baby again!!!

xoxo
L

Pregnancy Brain #8?

I packed TWO umbrellas in my work bag today. Ack!

26 weeks.

I used to love this Broadway play growing up, called Starlight Express.  It was about trains and had literally nothing to do with pregnancy, but in it, they sang a song called "there's a light at the end of the tunnel," where it really just repeated that a lot and was really upbeat and exciting (also, the whole play was done on rollerskates so that obviously made it even better).  And ANYWAY...I can't help but sing that to myself whenever I think about how far we've come!  Woo woo!

Now for a picture of me being played by me...homeless.

Feeling: like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZ4i8aWs_s 

I really am becoming quite massive.  Today I stood on the escalator, rather than racing up it.  Gave myself a stitch in the side while lifting my dog.  In the shower, I felt noticeably uncomfortable when bending over to shave a leg.  AND, I swear I felt my baby's head coming out of my (former) waist the other night.  

I guess that settles it.  I'm pregnant!  It only took 26 weeks but I'm completely and entirely convinced at this point.

I spontaneously have the day off tomorrow, making this a 3 day week for meeee.  Life is good.
 
Symptoms:
-Acne is SOOO much...the same.
-Getting harder to move around.
-Still liking chocolate. LOVING fruit and oh...pretty much all foods. 
-A couple headaches. Nothing major. 

A new one - ACHY LEGS!  I don't know if this is from my extreme commuting situation (about a mile of stressful walking with about a million staircases) or just a new thing.  Either way, I heard that bananas help, so I've been making sure to have one a day.  Last night - no aches! Hopefully it's a fleeting symptom.
 
Weight: up 1.  Total of 14lbs.

What I Miss: Nada

Doctor Appointment: 27 week checkup.

Looking Forward To:  4th of July celebrations with some very awesome friends!

xoxo
L