Week 36 Bumpdate

How Far Along? 36 weeks, 5 days (after this week, it's a shocker that I even made it to writing an update...)

Musings on the Weekly Photo: I was holding out for a nicer picture, but I honestly feel like the way I look in this pic totally captures how I'm feeling. I could not possibly feel less attractive and LARGE at this point. Everything feels puffy and swollen, I'm wearing the same outfits on repeat, and I slept all of 4 hours last night... are we there yet? 

Sex: Girl

Maternity Clothes: I've really hit that point where I hate all of my maternity clothes. I also don't care what kind of colors/accessories/variety I can mix in. Give me my yoga pants and a stretchy, comfy top and whatever shoes will fit me, and I'm all set. We have a Christmas party tonight, then family get-togethers all weekend, and I think I'm just going to be rotating the same couple of outfits because... I can.

Baby's the size of...: A papaya or a Cabbage Patch doll. Interesting. As of my last appointment (last week) she's weighing in around 6lbs and feels like she's stretched across my entire stomach for length. Technically, she's around 19 inches.

Nursery: Done! I'm picking up a couple of photos that I had printed so Brian can hang those frames, and then we are officially all set with the sweet nursery. And I love it so, so much.

Movement: Still lots of movement, which is good. It's definitely tight quarters in there - we can see pretty much every little bump and tuck that she's doing, which is equally weird and amazing.

Symptoms: Swollen feet. Occasional heartburn. If I type too long during the day at work, my fingers get really tight and sore. Hard to catch a good breath (she's sitting high, right under my ribs), and I'm winded SO easy (I make myself take the stairs when I'm out and obviously have the stairs at home, but by the time I'm at the top I'm wheezing and gasping like I've been a chain-smoker for 30 years). Getting full really quickly at meals, and feeling nauseous if we eat too heavy/too late. Super irritable. Headaches. Nasal congestion. 

Round ligament pain deserves a post all on its own. It's nagged me here and there for the last several months, but mainly during or right after I'm super active. The last few days it has been EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. I was awake last night from 1-4am crying and trying to get comfortable and there's just no position that helps. It's insane - my doctor confirmed it's definitely RLP and said I can take Tylenol and use a heating pad on low, so I've been doing that but it's just... not helping. I was on Amazon Prime at 2am this morning ordering a belly support band at my doctor's suggestion, so fingers crossed that that helps to alleviate some of this pain.

I'm so grateful for this pregnancy, and feel SO lucky that I had such an easy first and second trimester... but this third trimester reality is something I wasn't expecting!

Brian: Love him for how hard he's trying to keep the peace. There have definitely been ragey moments where I lose my mind because the kitchen sink is dripping or Christmas tree needles are on the floor and my poor sweet husband will just say "Tell me what you need me to do to make the crazy stop." and I can't help but laugh... and then tell him what to do. With all of the pain I've been in the last few days, I've really needed him to help me (I'm talking even lifting my right leg up to get into bed - that's how painful the RLP is for me) and he's been there ready and willing to do whatever. I'm lucky to have him and know he'll be amazing by my side on delivery day.

Sleep: Awful, terrible, let's move on.

Workouts: I've been hurting too much to do anything and am stopping walking Molly alone with the roads and sidewalks periodically getting icy - she's too reactive on the leash for me to manage her. I was Googling what can help with this pain though and found several suggestions for stretches and yoga poses, as well as trying to walk as much as possible. So that's my new personal assignment, as painful as it may be. In my mind, staying totally still almost just makes it worse.

Cravings: Sausage balls (which I'm making for one of our get togethers this weekend). Breakfast casserole (merry Christmas morning to me!). Can't get enough Apricot LaCroix and icy lemon water. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Mac & cheese.

Aversions/Dislikes: Dealing with raw chicken. Lingering smells after we cook - I feel like I can smell them across the entire house.

Annoyances: Oh, basically everything these days. Truly.

What I Miss: A good night's sleep. A glass of wine. All of my cute winter clothes. Not breaking a sweat putting on my pants and shoes.

Best Moment This Week: A good report at the doctor yesterday. Things are looking good, heartbeat was strong, and my doctor said everything looks right on schedule!

Looking Forward To: Spending our last Christmas with Brian and Molly as our little family of three and seeing Brian's extended family for the holidays this weekend. I can't wait for my parents to get here next month, and obviously we can't wait to meet our girl!

Week 35 Bumpdate

How Far Along? 35 weeks

Musings on the Weekly Photo: My main thought is frequently "How can I possibly continue to get bigger over the next month?"

Sex: Girl!

Maternity Clothes: All day, every day. I have no idea how I'm going to re-enter the world of waistbands, buttons and zippers after swimming in the world of full panel stretchy goodness for the last several months.

Baby's the size of...: A bunch of carrots, a kid's backpack (?!), and a pineapple. Girlfriend is estimated to be around 18 inches long, and after our ultrasound on Thursday, my doctor is saying she weighs around 6 pounds. If she gains a 1/2 pound per week and I make it to my due date, I could birth an 8 pound baby. My head isn't ready to go there yet!

Nursery: We're hanging a few things on the wall this weekend and then we are DONE! I'm so excited and can't wait to share pictures! It's become my favorite room in the house, by far. I usually go in and rock for a few minutes in the mornings, just to take it all in. Brian has asked a few times "Can you believe a tiny person is going to be in this room soon?" Um, nope husband, no I cannot. 

Movement: Still my little wiggle worm! While the ultrasound tech was moving the wand around my stomach at our appointment, CFK would give super firm, swift kicks in response. I can't wait to see if her personality matches this feisty little life that I've been feeling all this time.

Symptoms: Swollen feet. Headaches. Super achey in my pelvic area - the doctor says it's still round ligament pain which is just about the most painful thing I've ever felt, like it hurts to put one foot in front of the other, and rolling over in bed is... a sight to be seen. By the time 5pm rolls around I am D-O-N-E and can't wait to get home and relax. Also definitely feeling a combination of crazy excited, slightly terrified, and anxious as the due date gets closer.

Brian: Is as cool as a cucumber, which I'm grateful for. When I freak out and have my panicky moments, he reminds me that we're not the first people to have babies, that we'll have lots of people helping us through the entire process, that it will happen when it happens and there's no reason to stress or worry otherwise because that's literally the main thing we have zero control over, and that we'll figure it out together. He's definitely aware that I've been in more pain recently, because he's quick to tell me to sit down and put my feet up, and when I mention that I'm hurting or feel something strange, he immediately asks a ton of questions about where the pain is, what kind of pain, have I felt it before. I love that man.

Sleep: Laughable. I've been waking up at least twice a night to pee, and am awake for a solid hour every morning between 3:30 and 4:30am. It's times like these when Etsy is my best friend/worst enemy and I pray that Brian's not home when my middle of the night purchases show up on our porch. I'm exhausted and fall asleep quickly and easily, but I'm so uncomfortable and it hurts to toss and turn, so I kind of just... roll back and forth and pray for morning.

Workouts: Good ol' Molly walks, and trying to keep up stretching. Also starting to up my squats when I can.

Cravings: Mango smoothies. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Clementines. Chex Mix with M&Ms. Buffalo chicken pizza. 

Aversions/Dislikes: Anything too terribly sweet.

Annoyances: Everything is on my nerves right now. Christmas tree needles on the floor. The freezing wind whipping my hair around. The fact that my hands are so, so dry despite constantly putting on hand cream. A messy house.

What I Miss: Being able to move around easily and without... winding up. A good night's sleep (I know, laughable). Putting on my socks and shoes without working up a sweat.

Best Moment This Week: Celebrating my birthday on Saturday with my sweet husband, and seeing our girl at the ultrasound on Thursday! She's come a looong way since the last ultrasound at 18 weeks in August.

Looking Forward To: Enjoying this next week as we get ready for our last Christmas as our little family of two (plus Molly). And meeting our baby girl!

Week 34 Bumpdate

How Far Along? My impulse-reply to this was "752" but the actual answer is 34 weeks, 5 days.

Musings on the Weekly Photo: 

Thank God for maternity tanks. I'm feeling quite large this week.

Sex: Judging by the insane amount of hairbands and bows that have accumulated in her nursery, Baby King is a GIRL!

Maternity Clothes: Despising them all, but it's all I'm wearing. They were all grand and exciting and COMFORTABLE when I first started wearing them, but the novelty has worn off and I'm over them. The sweater above isn't maternity but the pants and tank are. I'm rotating the same handful of outfits at work but still get irritated getting dressed in the mornings when I see all of my cute winter things that I can't wear.

Baby's the size of...: A baguette batard (ooh la la), a savoy cabbage, a basketball hoop (another one Brian couldn't wrap his head around), or a butternut squash. Girlfriend's estimated stats are 18 inches long, and somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 pounds. And let's be honest - Mama is feeling it!

Nursery: I am so happy to say that we're thisclose to being done! I went on a major nesting spree last week/weekend and washed, folded and put away everything that she'll wear or use in the first few months. Best (and cutest) loads of laundry I've ever seen! I tend to stress out over little details in general, and pregnancy has basically made me completely indecisive, so I've been debating for weeks over things like a mirror, a hamper, what should be hung over her crib... silly things. I bought a mirror and hamper today, ordered prints and a special something from Etsy and Minted, and decided on a little table to go next to the rocker. We're in the home stretch! The next final project is swapping the clothing rod in the closet - it's too wide to fit baby hangers, so Brian's going to replace it this weekend. I can't wait to share pictures of this sweet room, by far my favorite in the house :)

Movement: I think it's safe to say that my girl is running out of space in there because I feel EVERYTHING, all day long.

Symptoms: Lots of restless legs in the evenings, swelling in my feet and occasionally my hands (wedding rings are officially off), stuffiness/congestion really bad first thing in the morning and continuing throughout the day, pain around my ribs, headaches, pressure in my pelvis when I walk, shortness of breath... basically, the 3rd trimester is a real treat these days.

Brian: Has been great at keeping me calm when I have my anxious freak outs about All That Is To Come.

Sleep: Eh. It depends on the day. My hips are sore, so it hurts laying on my side, but obviously stomach or back positions aren't an option. It also absolutely KILLS to roll from side to side without supporting my stomach, so I basically have to hold myself, rotate to my side, and rock a bit to stand up. Witnessing this scene is very special, believe me.

Workouts: Ha, aside from a few walks with Molly, none. I'm still doing my squats and stretching my hips, but aside from that, it honestly hurts to be too active, which is depressing.

Cravings: Pomegranates - cannot get enough. Lemonade. Freshly baked cookies. Jalapeno-stuffed olives from Trader Joe's. Cheddar and Triscuits. Frozen lemonade.

Aversions/Dislikes: Raw chicken, Goldfish (had to have them a couple weeks ago, can't look at them now).

Annoyances: People with bad attitudes - they immediately make me feel ragey.  

What I Miss: Wine. It's been 33ish loooong weeks since I had a glass, and as off and moody as I've been feeling, I'd love nothing more than to relax with a glass by my Christmas tree while watching a movie.

Best Moment This Week: Getting everything decorated for Christmas and a good report at the doctor.

Looking Forward To: Celebrating my last birthday weekend with Brian, just the two of us!

Five on Friday!

Joining up for Five on Friday today - I'm really trying to motivate myself to start blogging again before baby girl arrives, so I'm in the swing of things and can use the blog as a way to track our daily life once she's here! So, with that, I present a December/Christmas-themed Five for you!

1. Deck Them Halls 
I wanted to wait until we were at least in early December before we started decorating for Christmas - Thanksgiving wore me out, prepping the nursery and baby laundry has been on my mind, and I admittedly wanted it to feel more like Christmas outside (it was warm-ish and rainy a few days this week!). Now that I've had Christmas music playing as my soundtrack all week and am sipping a hot chocolate at my desk, I am officially READY to decorate! We're going to get our tree tomorrow morning, and we'll work on decorating everything throughout the day. There's something about this being our last Christmas just the two of us (three, counting Molly) that makes me really want to just enjoy every second of the month of December that I possibly can. Goodness knows this time next year things will be different with an 11 month old baby girl!

2. Baby Girl Clothes
It has taken everything in me to not buy all of the sweet holiday outfits for CFK to wear next Christmas! Our bank account is going to be in serious trouble if Baby Gap and Janie and Jack are anything like this year (and let's face it, they always nail the holiday apparel for littles!). Not to mention holiday jammies - what's cuter than a little one in Santa jams? Nothing, I tell you! 

Full disclosure, this last one might have made its way into my shopping cart. I mean, it's perfect for Valentine's Day, yes?

3. Me Want Cookies.

Call it Christmas, call it cravings... whatever you call it, this gal is wanting COOKIES. I have a million Pins saved of various holiday cookies and (much to Brian's excitement) have decided I'm going to bake a batch this weekend. My plan is to bake a few, freeze a few (for when cravings hit - thanks Mal for that idea!), and to bring a few in to work on Monday. Lord knows if they're in my house, CFK will surely be able to tell and urge her mother to indulge... and indulge again. I'm determined to sample all of these before 12/26!

3-Ingredient Buttery Shortbread Cookies

White Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Easy Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bites

4. Yankee Swap

We were invited to a Yankee Swap party with a bunch of Brian's friends and their wives/girlfriends. It's been FOREVER since I've participated in a swap that wasn't either with family or girlfriends, and I'm at a loss as to what gift I should take! The limit is $20, and I know zero guidelines on whether or not it's a joke swap or "stuff you can actually use" swap - I tend to prefer to buy for the stuff I can use swap, personally. Any ideas? I'm so bad at this stuff!

5. Kindness at Christmas

Maybe it's being a grown-up at Christmas, or maybe it's the fact that we have a baby on the way, but I've felt more and more of a pull this year to be purposeful with acts of kindness towards others. I know that we want to raise our daughter to know kindness and how good it feels to help others, especially at this time of year when so many people and families struggle. Brian and I put together a huge donation pick-up for Big Brother, Big Sister, and I'm searching for  somewhere to volunteer for a day around my birthday. I'm making an effort to do little things that I likely forget about too often - letting someone go ahead of me in traffic, holding the door for a hurried shopper when we're out and about, paying for the person behind me when I get coffee in the mornings, making myself smile when I feel like I'm getting stressed and worked up about silly things, like waiting in line or someone cutting me off in a parking lot. 

They may seem small, but it's the little things that build up to make my heart feel really full, particularly at Christmas time when I realize how blessed I am to have a roof over my head, a loving husband, a wonderful family and extended family, our sweet Molly girl, and this sweet little baby on the way.

Week 32 + 33 Bumpdates

How Far Along? 33 weeks, 5 days

Musings on the Weekly Photo: 

Week 32

Week 33

I see that I've started repeating outfits in my bumpdates. Guess how much I care? Nope, not a bit. I'm feeling large and in charge and think that I've crossed over that threshold of "Pregnancy makes me feel beautiful and amazing!" to "My feet are fat. My rings don't fit. My face is chubby. My bump is... bumpin' into everything." I'll take it all as long as this little one is healthy, but mercy - pregnancy plays tricks on your mind when it comes to your self-image. Usually a glass of wine helps with that whole "I am FABULOUS!" mood, and I have to admit - my La Croix doesn't have the same effect.

Sex: GIRL!

Maternity Clothes: All day, every day. Even my pajama pants are maternity. Non-maternity things like cardigans/ponchos that I don't have to really technically close/button are still fair game, but I mainly just don't like feeling constricted, so the full panel is (and has been for awhile) my new best friend. I did invest in a nursing sleep bra that has changed my (and the girls') life, so that's a wardrobe change the minute I walk in the door, along with my yoga pants, a comfy tee, and whichever sweatshirt I can wrestle over the bump.

Baby's the size of...: A pineapple/head of cauliflower/THREE chocolate croissants (I love that that particular app specified THREE croissants - I can get on board with that!). Baby girl is measuring in a little over 17 inches, and weighing 4.2-ish pounds.

Nursery: Almost done! I'm on the hunt for a mirror, a floor lamp, and the last few wall decor items, and then we are DONE. I started washing all of the tiny clothes and soft blankets this past weekend and I have to admit - if all laundry were that much fun to do, I wouldn't hate it. I've spent a little time in the nursery every night this week, folding and organizing the dresser drawers, and THAT makes it feel real. Diapers, wipes, creams, yummy lotions... they're all ready and waiting! I was panicking that we had zero diapers in the house, so I came home from Target last Saturday with a mini pack of Pampers Swaddlers and a travel pack of wipes (we have a big order on its way from Amazon). But something about having those tucked away in the drawer made me think "Okay, I could theoretically have a baby today and we'd have everything we need!" 

Movement: We are officially in the "That hurt!" zone of movement. I feel her tucked under my ribs all day long while sitting at my desk, and if I lay on one side or the other in bed, she's all over the place. There's also lots of back and forth/side to side flips and turns going on, and hiccups have kicked in the past week. The doctor told me she's moving so much, I don't have to worry about kick counts right now. I think we might have our hands full once this babe is here...

Symptoms: Swelling like crazy, regardless of how much I watch my sodium and drink liter after liter of water. My feet are the worst, and they ran bloodwork today to check for preeclampsia, and thankfully that came back perfectly fine and clear, but they gave me a prescription for compression stockings. I texted Brian a picture of it with the note "Pregnancy just gets sexier and sexier." Really attractive grunts and sighs when I get into the car, get out of bed, get off of the couch... basically anytime I have to exert myself. Getting winded going up and down the stairs. Round Ligament Pain is still very real and active and whatever you call it - IT'S NOT PLEASANT. This is random, but I also feel like I'm losing my arm strength - WTF? I was peeling potatoes for Thanksgiving and couldn't stop laughing because it legit felt like my arms were going to fall off. Folding clothes, my arms get tired. Overall, I've started to feel really uncomfortable a lot of the time, just can't get in a good position sitting, standing, laying down.

Brian: Still wonderful. He can tell when I'm having a bad day (or maybe I'm just overly vocal about it?) but he's really been stepping in and helping me and refusing to let me... refuse, and instead insisting that I get on the couch with Molly and relax. So that's been super appreciated. He knows I'm a little on-edge and stressed about getting a handful of things taken care of, so as much as I know he'd likely rather be doing other things, he has the best "all hands on deck" attitude to help me and make sure I'm happy. Couldn't love him any more.

Sleep: Terrible, awful, what is good sleep? I'm up 3-4 times a night to pee, and once I'm in bed, I can't get comfortable. My hips are sore, so laying on my side is painful, and I just in general haven't had a good night's sleep in a while.

Workouts: Good - two 2-mile walks outside, and a 45 minutes gym session with Brian. It felt really good but I REALLY felt it the rest of the day - it hurt to walk/stand in my pelvic bone area where I've felt all of the crazy intense RLP, so I don't know if I pushed too much or just finally got a good workout in. I mean, I walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes (while watching Miracle on 34th Street) and you would have thought I climbed Everest from the way that I looked afterwards. 

Cravings: Grilled cheese, lemonade and fruit punch, cheddar and Triscuits, ice cream (on occasion), a random Hershey's Cookies and Cream bar. I'm dying to bake cookies, but I'm afraid they'll be gone before the weekend. Cinnamon rolls sound delightful. 

Aversions/Dislikes: I'm struggling with anything remotely healthy sounding good for dinner. I'm trying to watch starchy carbs at night, but the thought of a plate consisting of just protein + veggies makes me gag a little. Strong smells make me super nauseous - I'm loving my Mrs. Meyer's room sprays (the Lemon Verbena is DELIGHTFUL) but all of my fall candles that smell sweet are DONE. 

Annoyances: My swollen feet. They hurt, none of my shoes fit, they look disgusting... yea, they majorly annoy me. And loud people - on my nerves a lot.

What I Miss: With the holidays coming, I... miss wine! It's my sidekick through prepping for Thanksgiving, surviving Thanksgiving, decorating for Christmas, watching Christmas movies with the tree sparkling next to me, surviving Christmas... a splash here and there just isn't cutting it. A dear, dear friend has agreed to bring me wine at the hospital, and Brian just restarted our monthly wine delivery to start the week I'm due. I knew I married that man for a reason...

Best Moment This Week: A healthy report at the doctor this morning! CFK's heartbeat was great and all of my bloodwork, blood pressure, etc. came back totally normal and healthy. And filling the nursery with all of her little baby things - it makes it that much more real that it's not just a room, but our daughter's room!

Looking Forward To: Our ultrasound on the 14th, one month before The Due Date - I love that it's before Christmas! And decorating for Christmas this weekend - I want to savor as much of December and this last Christmas as just the two of us as I can, so we're decorating, getting our tree, and working on little nursery things.