Week 31 Bumpdate

How Far Along? 31 weeks, 5 days

Musings on the Weekly Photo: 

Holy moly, y'all. I can't lie - this is one of the first pictures that I've looked at and thought "I look REALLY pregnant." I've also started having thoughts like "How much bigger can I realistically get?" Apologies for the bathroom pic, but Brian informed me that the one I took this morning in a black dress "Didn't really show how big my bump is" (thanks, dear) so I'll share this one from yesterday!

Sex: I have our final ultrasound coming up and had a flash-panic this morning while getting ready - what if the genetic testing AND our gender ultrasound were both wrong and we're having a boy, not a girl?! Of course we'd be over the moon either way, but I started sorting through baby clothes and blankets we've been gifted and all I have to say is that if this little one isn't a girl, we're in major trouble with a pink overload situation.

Maternity Clothes: Loving my long maternity tanks, full panel ponte pants, and cardigans (a la my photo above) for work, and leggings/tunics for the weekends. I'm in my full panel yoga pants the minute I walk in the door in the evenings, and can't wait to change into my maternity Christmas pajama pants at bedtime. Most of my non-maternity shirts are too short but can work with a tank underneath, so I'm still able to wear a few of those.

Baby's the size of...: Croquembouche (YUM) or a head of romaine lettuce (GAG), clocking in at an estimated 16.1 inches and 3.31 pounds.

Nursery: We're almost finished with the major things! Brian has been amazing and hung our new blinds this weekend and the curtains last night, and our glider comes home tomorrow! Then we just get to arrange everything, and start hanging things on the wall (I might be most excited about this). Brian has to switch out the clothes rod in the closet for a smaller, baby hanger-friendly size, but once that's done, I think we'll be in a good place. I still have to buy a small table to keep next to the chair, but want to see how much space we're working with once the glider is in the room. I don't want things to feel cramped, like we took up every piece of space.

Movement: This past week, movement has really escalated from "I love these sweet little kicks" to "Holy heck, those are mama's ribs!" She seems to be fond of my right side, and if I touch my ribs in the evening, they're super sore. It also feels like she's doing flips, which is such a weird sensation. It's almost like I can feel her gearing up to make the turn, then there's a big, distinct moving sensation - so strange but I love it. 

Symptoms: Swollen feet and hands - charming. My engagement ring is officially off, so I'm wearing my lonely wedding band for the time being, but am honestly thinking I'm going to have to find a cheap-y substitute to get me through these last couple of months. Our bands have inscriptions on the inside and the last thing I'd want is for my ring to have to be cut off. Also, the feeling of not being able to get said ring off when I casually try IS CALLED CLAUSTROPHOBIA AND IT'S REAL. Terrible headaches - sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoons. And I've tried everything - drinking lots of water, having sips of juice, spacing meals out so my blood sugar doesn't drop... nothing helps except closing my eyes, and I can't exactly do that at my desk. And nausea first thing in the morning. I've had charlie horses the last couple of nights but they went away quickly once I woke up and stretched my legs. Major hip achiness in bed, so I'm constantly turning from side to side. Oh, and turning side to side? Isn't all that easy anymore. Super winded when climbing the stairs. Feeling a little more off balance if I move too quickly. Lots of aches and pains in my back. That lovely pelvic pain is still definitely making itself known - I'm anxious to ask my doctor about it at my appointment tomorrow. So far, this third trimester is a TREAT! 

Brian: Love him so much for all that he's doing (even if it's sometimes just to keep me happy and keep a hormonal outburst at bay). I know he doesn't want to come home after work and hang curtains, but he does it for me and that makes him the best. He's making dinner and doing dishes afterwards more often, which is huge for me, especially with this uncomfortable swelling in my feet. I think he realized this past week that I'm not exaggerating when I struggle to get off of the couch or bend down to pick something up, because he's been taking extra steps to help me before I ask for it (mainly because I suck at asking for help), so that's appreciated. And if I mention a craving, he immediately offers to go out and get it for me. I can't wait to see him with our girl - it makes me happy and teary and feel very overwhelmed with love for him, and she's not even here yet!

Sleep: For the birds. Between tossing and turning and the need to pee every hour or so, it feels pointless. I may have had a fit last night, trying to get comfortable, where I freaked out and yelled "I JUST CANNOT GET COMFORTABLE." I mean, I couldn't. And it was kind of a panicky feeling realizing I literally could not position myself in any possible way that felt good enough for me to relax and sleep. So yea, Snoogle or not, I'm struggling with sleep.

Workouts: Long walks over the weekend, and evening walks with Molly. 

Cravings: The cravings have come out of nowhere this month. Vanilla ice cream with pomegranate seeds. Cold clementines. Polar seltzer first thing every morning, lots of ice, in my Yeti. Mashed potatoes. Popeye's (I honestly am not even sure if I've had Popeye's before, but spicy fried chicken needs to be in my life). Peppermint chocolate. A warm brownie with vanilla ice cream. Soft sugar cookies with frosting. My Mawmaw's cornbread dressing (hurry up, Thanksgiving!). Bean burritos and pizza always sound good but I'm limiting those, promise.

Aversions/Dislikes: Brian roasted vegetables for dinner one night and the smell lingered throughout the house. I woke up at 3:30am, nauseated from the smell, and proceeded to douse the house with one of my Mrs. Meyer's room sprays and crack the windows. We've had fish a couple of times and the smell of that turns my stomach. I loved Goldfish last week and this week I threw a baggie of them away. Also made a huge kale/chicken/quinoa/Caesar salad on Sunday to bring for lunches this week, and after loving it when I made it, I can't stomach it at. all.

Annoyances: I've slowly limited my wardrobe to lots of black with pops of color from scarves and jewelry. One of the Old Navy tunics that I bought and really liked (in my photo from last week) has a random hole in the back after ONE wear and ONE wash (on the gentle cycle, laid flat to dry). My house feeling like it's constantly messy, and the fact that our bi-weekly cleaning ladies (who I'm so grateful to have and have helped me keep my sanity this pregnancy) bumped our cleaning from this week to next Wednesday. Con: I tend to let the house go a little bit when I know they're coming, so it's currently a wreck. Pro: The house will be nice and clean for Thanksgiving next week. #firstworldproblem, I'm very aware.

What I Miss: Wine, especially with the holidays coming. Let's be honest - it's fun for the social aspect and necessary for the family tolerance. My riding boots. 

Best Moment This Week: Having our "just us" weekend to relax and get things done at home. Finishing the bigger projects in the nursery.

Looking Forward To: Thanksgiving! Seeing my sweet friend, Shivani, this weekend while she's in town. Starting to Christmas shop and get ready for my favorite time of year!

Week 30 Bumpdate

How Far Along? 30 weeks, 5 days

Musings on the Weekly Photo: 

Good hair day, new top, a healthy bump, Brian's getting better about not getting the light switch in the photo... I can't really complain! I feel like the bump really grew this past week, like have had a few moments of "Whoops, don't mind my stomach!" I tried to walk sideways past a sign at our favorite bagel spot and nearly knocked it over. And any spills/drips get caught immediately by the bump, too (very attractive). 

Sex: Our girl, CFK!

Maternity Clothes: We've officially crossed over into "Don't come near me with anything that doesn't have an elastic waist," so yes, lots of maternity clothes over here. My Old Navy order was waiting for me yesterday after work, and I'm happy to say that everything fits, so I think I'll be good through the end of this pregnancy! The loot included the top above, a cranberry-colored sweater, a striped long sleeve tee, Christmas pajama pants (#necessity), a coat, and a scarf. A few of my non-maternity tops are still in the rotation if I'm wearing a long maternity tank, but for the most part they're getting pretty darn short in the front.

Baby's the size of...: Brie en brioche! Can't argue with that perfection. Also comparable to a large cabbage - 16 inches long and around 3 pounds!

Nursery: We have progress! After what felt like 72 hours, I finished putting the dresser together on Saturday evening, and by Sunday I was READY to start moving things in. It's all very hodge-podge right now, and the dresser is empty because I'm airing the weird wood smell out of the drawers with cups of baking soda (thanks for that idea, Mal!), but excluding the glider (which should be here early next week), the big pieces are in!

Now, I would LOVE input on a couple of things...

Q: The rug was originally centered, so equal amounts of hardwood showed between the two walls (the wall you see in the crib pic below, and the wall the dresser is against). I thought it might make sense to have the crib solely on the rug, so we scooted the rug so it's flush against the crib wall... but now I think it might look dumb. Thoughts?

WHY DOES PBK NOT INFORM YOU THAT THE CRIB SKIRT IN THEIR PHOTOS LOOKS AWESOME BECAUSE THEIR CRIBS ARE DROPPED TO THE LOWEST SETTING?! I was not expecting the floating-in-air phenomenon seen here when, after half an hour of ironing the pleats on Sunday night, we finally got it in the crib #rookiemommistake.

 

It still bugs me that the rug is darker than I expected, but it is what it is. And the random furry white rug is Molly's "place" in the nursery. She loves it!

A slightly better shot of the crib bedding and CFK's quilt from my mom.

Q: I'm struggling with the placement of the dresser. The wall that it's on is a) long, b) has an oddly placed window, and 3) is the wall that you face when you walk into the room. There are basically two options for the dresser - lined up in front of the window (above) or scooted further down the wall (below) so that the window isn't covered and more of the space in the room is occupied. These aren't great pictures for the POV that would probably be helpful, but they're what I snapped on Sunday night.

This is also the cow humidifier that shall also be called "The battle I chose not to fight." Brian's been awesome throughout this entire pregnancy, and when it came time to register, I'd done my research and knew the majority of the items we'd go for. When he came across the Crane animal humidifiers, he decided that CFK had to have one... and he chose the cow. I suppose it is kind of cute...

So, on our to-do list this weekend is to install the blinds for the windows, hang the curtains, finish the final adjustments on the closet, and start hanging things on the walls! Very exciting. 

Movement: She's a mover and a shaker, that's for sure. After lunchtime in the afternoons, she gets REALLY active, and I like to take a few minutes and sit back at my desk and watch the show. Aside from that, sugar makes her dance, and she still likes to get out a big burst of energy before we settle down for the night. I've also noticed that her movements seem to have more... purpose. Like instead of sweet little flutters, she throws a right hook every now and then. And I'm fairly certain that she was around my ribs last night - about as pleasant of a feeling as you'd imagine!

Symptoms: I've felt pretty great this week, all things considered. My right foot is swelling (not my left, which looks really cute) and I feel like I'm living that scene in The Nutty Professor when Eddie Murphy's feet start rapidly inflating. I've been a little more tired than usual but trying to rest when I can and elevate my feet. The pain in the lower right side of my pelvis still flares up, especially if I sit in certain positions or am up and walking  for too long, I still have that overall heavy feeling but I don't think that's going away anytime soon. Considering I'm almost 31 weeks, I don't think that's too much to complain about!

Brian: Love him. We celebrated our two year anniversary on Tuesday the 8th, and it's crazy to think of all that we've done in the past two years - we got married, bought a house, adopted Molly, I was laid off, he got a new job, I found a great job, he was promoted, and now we're expecting our first baby, mixed in with all of the other highs and lows that life brings. I feel pretty darn lucky to do life with him. 

We went out to celebrate last Saturday and ordered Indian takeout on Tuesday night to watch the election results (which we shall not talk about in case I start crying again). I've also started a tradition of ordering a tiny red velvet cake on our anniversary, since that was the top layer of our wedding cake, and using our cake knife/server to serve it, and our stamped forks that we used on our wedding day to eat with, and toasting to the year ahead with our wedding champagne flutes (this might be my favorite part of 11/8 every year, and I can't wait for our kids to grow up and see us keep the tradition over the years). Last year I had our bakery recreate the actual top of our cake... but ain't nobody got time for that this year. 

Sleep: I don't know if I'm just more tired, but I think I finally figured out good positions to get comfortable in bed, so sleep is looking good! My Snoogle helps if I face the pillow and shove another body pillow against my back - I really can't complain, since it's helping me get rest. Still waking up at least twice a night to pee, and I've started having INSANE dreams. Also a few bouts of insomnia, like... waking up at 12:30am and laying there for an hour wide awake.

Workouts: Not so great this week. When this pelvic pain flares up, it literally hurts to take steps with my right leg, so I just tried to take it easy. With daylight savings time in full force, it gets dark so much earlier and I'm not about walking outside at night, so I'm going to try to start walking on my lunch break. I feel so much better when I'm moving and getting activity in (plus something needs to counter the red velvet cake I stress-ate Tuesday night... and yesterday afternoon. And evening - yikes), so I'm still trying to make this a priority. I brought my sneakers with me today, so we'll see how many steps I can do in 30 minutes. Also haven't tried the yoga DVD yet... whoops.

Cravings: Back on a Polar seltzer kick - super cold with lots of ice, first thing in the morning and all day long. Chicken pot pie. Soup (anything I can get my hands on). Cheez-its. Banana yogurt (aside from the fruit, I usually hate all things banana-flavored). Cheerios. Pineapple. Spring rolls sound divine right now. Really wanting homemade cinnamon rolls. Baked brie sounds amazing.

Aversions/Dislikes: Chicken and I are still on a case-by-case basis. Can't smell cigarette smoke or exhaust fumes. I have my fall candles out but anything that smells too sweet makes me feel sick, which is strange. 

Annoyances: With the weather changing, I'm noticing my skin is more dry than usual. My allergies are also flaring up at things that never bothered me before, like particular fabrics in my clothes. 

What I Miss: Still wanting that big glass of red wine. Also missing the majority of my fall clothes, including my favorite riding boots - nothing fits! And being able to tie my shoes and get off the couch/out of bed without grunting and getting winded would be nice...

Best Moment This Week: Making progress on the nursery! It's so nice to walk in the room in the mornings and see where our sweet CFK will sleep.

Looking Forward To: Another relaxing weekend. We have a few nursery items to get checked off of our list, and cleaning out closets that have needed to get done for awhile. It's supposed to be cold on Saturday, so a good day to get things done during the day, and snuggle up for date night at home that night. Brian's playing in a golf tournament on Sunday, so I'm hoping to take advantage of the day and really start to get things put away in the nursery.

Weeks 28 + 29 Bumpdates

How Far Along? 29 weeks

Musings on the Weekly Photo: 

28 weeks

29 weeks

Sex: Our sweet girl, CFK!!

Maternity Clothes: Always and forever. Living in my maternity tights/leggings for work, full panel yoga pants for relaxing, and full panel jeans on the weekends. Anything that cuts into my stomach feels awkward and so uncomfortable, so we're a strictly full panel crew these days. I'm still working with non-maternity dresses and skirts (elastic waist, please and thank you) and a few of my sweaters, but I need my maternity tanks to make up for the length. I just placed one last order with Old Navy for a few cold weather essentials to get me through these last two months. Anxious for that order to come in because I'm pretty over the basics that I've been rotating for the last few months.

Baby's the size of...: An acorn squash, or a pineapple! Those seem vastly different in size to me, but who knows. I feel like I'm carrying around a bowling ball, so baby girl is definitely gaining weight.

Nursery: Is looking good! The dresser, rug, and crib are all in, and Brian has to do a tiny bit of paint touch up around the windows on Saturday, but aside from that, we're ready to start loading in all of the baby things! I'm so excited to start finding places for everything - that's been my biggest stressor, since literally everything we have is currently sitting in our office. We're going tonight to order the glider, and that should be here in 2-4 weeks. A little later than I was expecting/hoping, but life happens and it is what it is.

Movement: ALL OF THE TIME. Even right now, sitting at my desk, she's doing flips and stretches constantly. She puts on a good show in the evenings too - it's totally the norm for Brian to walk into the room and find me staring at my stomach. It's crazy how just a few weeks ago we were waiting for minutes in between her movements, just waiting to see one little bump, and now if you watch, the movements go all across my stomach, high, low, pushing out... it's the best. Feeling her move is the best (and most reassuring) part of this pregnancy so far for me. And now that I'm getting closer to the end (how did that happen?!) I've started thinking about how much I'll miss feeling her move (and I'm tearing up - thanks pregnancy hormones).

Symptoms: Awful pelvic pain if I walk for too long, or go from sitting (like on the floor) to standing too many times. The doctor said it's normal and just things stretching out but Lord have mercy - it is PAINFUL. Tightness in my back. Swollen feet. Majorly restless legs when I'm trying to settle down for bed. Feeling the urge to pee CONSTANTLY, including 2-3 times a night. Starting to waddle a bit. Randomly feeling super nauseous during the day, similar to the occasional nausea in the first trimester. My iron is low, so I'm taking a supplement every morning - I'm hoping this explains why I'm so tired ALL of the time.

Brian: I'm seriously so thankful every day for him. We spent last weekend in Chicago meeting our new niece and spending Saturday in the city to celebrate his 30th birthday, and I just wanted to focus on him as much as I could and make the day special. I know I haven't been the most pleasant gal throughout this journey, but he's definitely put up with me and my crazy. 

He's also been awesome at reassuring me when I have my panicky freakout moments (the reality of labor and actually delivering this baby has become really real, and that is so scary to me). It was just the best seeing him with baby Shirley over the weekend - he took right to her, and it made me so excited for all that's to come for us!

Oh, and on a slightly funny note... I thought that I saw the beginnings of a stretch mark on my stomach while we were in Chicago. I charged across the hotel room to show him and as I'm saying "I mean, I'm sure I'm just imaging it, it's definitely NOT a stretch mark, right?" he pipes in with "Oh wait, yes it is. I see it for sure - right there." Thanks, husband. But really, he's the best.

I'm also realizing how limited our time as "just us" is, and I admittedly feel very selfish about it. We specifically haven't made plans now through my due date, and I want to be very intentional with our time together. Even if it's just watching one of our DVR shows in bed, that us time means a lot to me and it's become very apparent to me in the last couple of weeks that once CFK is here, there's no going back. Don't get me wrong - we're elated and over the moon to meet our daughter, and are so looking forward to what our future holds as a family. But for the past 9 years it's just been the two of us and we have our own normal, and I want to savor that as much as we can.

Sleep: Not great. Like even while traveling, in comfy beds without Molly as a bedmate, I couldn't get a great night's sleep. I've been using my Snoogle but I honestly can't figure out what the praise is all about. It's kind of comfy but it's freaking huge and is like having another person in the bed. And when I have to get out of bed to pee, I have to hurl my body over the pillow, like in an obstacle course. It's... something. It feels like any way that I turn, my back aches or my stomach cramps, so that's fun.

Workouts: Tons of walking while we were in Chicago! A good 40 minute walk on Thursday, a long walk across campus on Friday, and walking all over Chicago on Saturday. I finally pieced together everything I need for my yoga DVD, so I'm aiming to give it a shot this weekend and see how I like it.

Cravings: Pizza. Pineapple. Oooh... pizza with pineapple. Cinnamon toast. Sour gummy candy from Trader Joe's. Mint Milanos. Root beer. Lemonade. Still on a kick with the cold clementines. Red meat (burgers, steak, tacos). Turkey sandwiches from a deli. Peppermint bark. Grilled cheese sandwiches.

Aversions/Dislikes: The smell of Whole Foods almost made me vomit at lunch today. Lettuce and I are on the struggle bus. Stale air - like anytime I can smell anything lingering in the air (on the airplane last weekend, in my office when someone heated their lunch today). Chicken breasts - the texture and color are just not working for me.

Annoyances: Constantly feeling winded. How heavy I feel, just walking around.

What I Miss: Really good workouts. Not feeling tired all of the time. 

Best Moment This Week: Hearing our girl's heartbeat is always a winner for me - everything checked out great at my appointment this morning, and just like that, we're at doctor's appointments every 2 weeks! The other best moment would definitely be our Chicago trip - seeing our family, meeting sweet Shirley, and having our birthday/babymoon hurrah in the city.

Looking Forward To: Making good progress on the nursery this weekend and spending lots of time just us!