Pregnancy, Week 30 - The he-he-hoos & the ah-ah-hee's of Pregnancy

Physical Symptoms: Sometimes I feel like I swallowed a watermelon.  Every once in a while my stomach gets completely hard and it is somewhat uncomfortable. I have been told this is Braxton Hicks.  I call it the introduction to the last weeks of pregnancy. It has arrived. Only a handful of weeks left!

Natalie is still pounding away inside of me. Sometimes I can physically see her roll around which causes a wave like pattern across my belly.  Sometimes she gets the hiccups. And sometimes she just likes to punch me like a punching bag. Its pretty cool and I love when Chris gets to see and feel her moving.

I am starting to get really exhausted by the end of the day. It takes a lot more effort to do anything. I start off in the morning really motivated to get things done and by the time I get home I just want to rest.

But my body in general, except for the occasional ache and pain that comes with a rapidly changing body, is holding up really well. I am really lucky.

Food Weirdness: Goodbye pepperoni's. You give me too much acid reflux right now.

Size of little (girl) bug: Summer Cantaloupe

Workout: Walking and fit breaks! Thankful my work provides those opportunities during the day. Looking forward to the upcoming time change so I can start walking at night.

Preparation: Chris and I completed our Birth Education Class at a local community hospital (hence the breathing references in the title).  We really enjoyed it. The instructor (who is also a nurse) was a great communicator and also kept it real. She didn't try to sugar coat anything but told us the hard truths with jest.  I appreciated that.

I really felt the class was not only educational but a great thing for Chris and I to take together.  It sparked some great discussions and allowed up to get on the same page with the birth plans. I also feel like our love and excitement for Natalie grew just by learning more about the process and watching some of the birth videos. I never expected it to be a bonding time for us but it was!

I also took a breastfeeding class and was very happy to be informed about the process and techniques. Hoping that will be an easy transition for us.

I recommend taking the classes.Very thankful we did.

Discovery: Did you know a babies stomach is only the size and capacity of a large marble at birth? So little!

Funny Moment: Last week I was in charge of coordinating a large meeting at work. During the presentation the power went out which caused the computer with the powerpoint to shut down. My boss asked if she should get another one of our co-workers to check it out and without thinking I'm like, "no, ill do it!" So here I am crawling on the floor in front of 120 people trying to boot up the power strip. When I came up from the floor the Vice Chancellor of Housing was chuckling. I then realized why my boss asked if she should get someone else to fix the issue. Having a 7+ month pregnant woman crawling on the floor in front of 120 people probably isn't the best thing. Whooops, embarrassing.

Feelings: A couple of friends had their babies over  the weekend and for some reason that made reality hit. Natalie is coming soon. I write this blog covering the prior week so I am actually already 31 weeks. So in reality I only have 9 more weeks to go! Everyday I wake up with intense nesting feelings, make all these plans to prepare the house but then come home too exhausted to execute. Hopefully weekends will be our time to really get prepared for Natalie's arrival! She will be here before we know it.

Week 31 pic

Pregnancy, Week 29 - The Best Gifts...

Physical Symptoms: Anyone remember the children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"? That is me right now. HUNGRY ALL THE TIME! Also, starting to have an achy back. My long commute to and from work does not help. Looking forward to taking some time off before Natalie is due because I think my commute will increasingly become unbearable.

Natalie is kicking and punching hard! Especially after a good meal. I had a doctor's appt last week and she is developing perfectly! Also, I have some great news. Earlier in pregnancy, I had slight placenta previa which would have prevented me from giving birth vaginally and could of caused bed rest closer to my due date. Last weeks ultrasound showed that the placenta had moved up so I am good to go!

Food Weirdness: Just need more of it!

Size of little (girl) bug: Small pineapple

Workout: Just walking a lot but feeling the need to get serious about some pre-natal yoga to help with my backaches.

Preparation: We put together the pack-n-play, stroller/carseat and I received the breast pump in the mail. Did you know that most insurance covers (or mostly covers) the cost of a breast pump? Such a blessing.

I now will start having doctors appointments every 2 weeks until the last month. Then I will have one every week.

Discovery: I have gained 25pds so far. I only find out my weight gain when I go to the doctor so I don't obsess about it. I could of never imagined seeing that number on the scale! Crazy!

Funny Moment: Chris and J went out to spend some dad/son time together last Saturday and I thought I would take a "little" time to put the pack-n-play together. Two hours later I finally had that sucker together.  Luckily the hard part is over because most of the difficulty was one-time assembly but geez! Of course it took Chris about 5 minutes to put the stroller together.

Feelings: During my pack-n-play assembly I received a package at the door from Richmond, VA. When I opened it I saw a picture of my girlfriends that live in Richmond (I lived there prior to CA) and a note saying they had gathered together to have a baby shower for me. Underneath the note were gifts from them. I was in complete shock and cried (happy tears) for ummm...a while because of their gifts but mostly because of their thoughtfulness and gift of friendship.  I have truly been blessed with amazing friends throughout my life. Some of these girls I haven't even seen in years. I have spoken a lot on this blog about the fear of being lonely and changing friendships/relationships due to a new baby. This surprise gift in the mail was more than just the gift of material things it was the assurance that my growing family is supported both near and far and there will always be someone there I can count on. I am one lucky girl to have found the friends I have in my life. So grateful. So humbled. So blessed!

Natalie at 29 weeks:

Stroller:

Forever Friends:

Pregnancy, Week 28 - Babymoon

Physical Symptoms: Now that I have figured out that I can't handle too much spicy food my acid reflux has went away.  The problem now is I have a large appetite but when I eat too much my belly feels so huge and uncomfortably full. So now I am learning to eat smaller meals and more snacks. It reminds me of how I ate during early pregnancy when I was trying to ward off nausea.

Food Weirdness: Snacking and small meals.

Size of little (girl) bug: Papaya

Workout: Walking. It is getting hot here in LA (sorry east coast) and it takes me FOREVER to cool down after walking outside.

Preparation: Chris and I were able to spend some time together this past weekend on our "babymoon". We made loose plans the whole weekend because in some ways we wanted to "fly by the seat of our pants" since it may be one of the last times we are able to. We ended up spending the day in Santa Barbara shopping at the stores, driving up to a small town called Cambria (by the coast) for the night and then driving up to San Francisco as our final destination. In San Francisco, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. We stayed the night in Berkeley where we had dinner with one of Chris' HS friends and girlfriend.  It was so much fun! The next morning we met up with my step-sister and had a wonderful brunch.  We had such a great time spending it with each other and with friends/family.  We are really thankful we could get away. It reminded us to keep our marriage a priority even in the busyness of this fast changing life.

Discovery: Natalie is head down. She is practicing for her escape.

Funny Moment: Our hotel room in Berkeley was so cute and chic but there was a drifter outside playing the saxaphone for hours.  He only knew a few songs so we heard "Somewhere over the Rainbow" probably 15 times before the night was over.  Hilarious and maddening at the same time.

Feelings: Came back very refreshed from our babymoon and ready to take on the next few months which are going to be busy with weddings, showers and other friends babies being born.  What a season of celebration!

A few pics from our babymoon:

A lovely dinner with my handsome husband at Madelines in Cambria

A rainy day on the coast of Cambria

Selfie in San Francisco

This guy was was so stinking cute (literally stinky too)

You know some ice cream was consumed here!

It's a trolley!

Hotel Lobby in Berkeley. So chic!

Pregnancy, Week 27 - Acid Reflux

Physical Symptoms: One of the less glamorous symptoms of pregnancy is acid reflux.  Little babe's nest has pushed around all my organs so my stomach, intestines, etc are basically in my ribs.  As you can imagine this disrupts the digestion process.  This week I have experienced lots of acid reflux. I mostly have reactions to spicy food which is so sad because I love spicy food.  On Monday I ate chips and salsa and regretted it even 24 hours later! Luckily, dairy doesn't seem to bother me, so I can continue downing buckets of ice cream.

Food Weirdness: Goodbye (for now) Spicy Foods :(

Size of little (girl) bug: Bunch of Bananas?!?! (umm okay...I'm starting to think comparing a baby to food is a bunch of bananas)

Workout: Walking at lunch and continuing to join in fit breaks at work. I have slacked off doing any extra workouts though.

Preparation: We received the first thing off our registry! The Pak 'n Play! Thanks Dad and Frances! Also, we have a babymoon coming up. Cant wait to report back about our adventure.  Grateful to be able to take a mini-vaca with Chris before Natalie arrives.

Discovery: Natalie's wrinkles are now starting to disappear and she will start packing on fat...as will I!

Funny Moment: Not really any funny pregnancy moments this week but Chris and I are currently watching Friends (maybe borderline obsessed) on Netflix which has provided much laughter. Whom-pow!

Feelings: Emotionally in a good spot this week and feeling more bonded to Natalie now that she is kicking me around. Maybe I'll call them "love taps."


End of Week 27 Picture:

Pregnancy, Week 26 - Bump Buddies

Physical Symptoms: Nothing really different to report this week in regards to pregnancy. Still having crazy dreams and getting off the couch is continuing to increase in difficulty. Natalie is moving around a lot. Chris has been able to feel her more frequently and sometimes you can even see her move around in my belly.

I got a cold/sinus thing this week. Ugh, I hate being sick in general but being sick while pregnant is rough. There is so many limits to what I can take to combat the illness and its hard to continue to be active (walk, stretch, etc.) when you just feel like laying around.

Food Weirdness: None! But when you are sick it is really weird. I don't have much of an appetite but Natalie does so its like I am disgusted at food/starving at the same time.  Because of this I just choose to eat small meals and snack a lot during the day to continue to nourish her.

Size of little (girl) bug: Butternut Squash

Workout: Walking! Chris and I recently did the Claremont Loop (or part of it) near our town. It is a great little trail that allowed us to get a great workout, in a quiet area away from the cars. We plan to go back often.

Preparation: Chris and I registered at Babies R Us this weekend.  Wow, now that was an adventure. I really had no clue what I was doing, so I was thankful Chris is experienced in baby gear to aid in this process. Also, thankful my stepsons mom recently had a new baby so she was able to give some advice on the newest bottles, etc. I mean really, there is SO much to choose from. Also, I am going to need to get used to the color pink. I kept picking out the blue items and things with footballs on them. Not surprising, since I was the little girl who's favorite toy was a metal replica of a Bobcat Loader. Just watch, Natalie will probably end up being super girly, lol.

Discovery: I discovered there are a millions things you can buy for a baby. Constantly reminding myself that some of these things are nice to have but not always necessary in raising a baby.

Funny Moment: Chris wanted to show me how "easy" it was to set up a pack 'n play. So he took down a already assembled one from the shelf (of a brand name that is not extremely popular) and it took him about 10 minutes to wrestle with that thing (taking it down and putting back up). We had a good laugh at how "easy" it was.  He had much better luck when he chose a popular brand name pack 'n play and was able to prove his point that they can be easy to assemble.

Feelings: I want to take a minute to talk about "bump buddies." These are the ladies who I am blessed to be pregnant with.  I feel very fortunate that many of my good friends, co-workers, even neighbors are also pregnant. For some of them it is their first child and for some others they are adding to their clan.  The wisdom, camaraderie, support and transparency about being pregnant and mommyhood is a priceless gift.  If you are feeling alone in your pregnancy, I encourage you to join a group at your church, community or hospital that may offer support during this time.  It really makes all the difference. Its nice to know you are not alone and can seek encouragement anytime.

But also, with that, it is beneficial to maintain friendships with those who are not pregnant. Remember there is still life going on beyond pregnancy and just a few short months ago you were engaged fully in that life.  With my friends and even with my husband I try to be mindful to not focus on talking about pregnancy and the baby but to remember that there is still a world out there that is important to be present in.

A few of my bump buddies:

Pregnancy, Week 25

Physical Symptoms: CrAzY Dreams! All about the baby and all about my deepest fears. A few nights ago it was my baby being born early, at a crowded hospital, no one could get there in time and my doctor was a teenage intern. The bright part of that dream was that she was born and started speaking real words. Last night it was about me not showering for days because of taking care of the baby, going out on a walk and people making comments about my disheveled look.  This one, I fear and pretty much expect to come true. Ha!

Getting out of bed and off the couch is also interesting. Takes a lot more effort these days. Who knew so much core strength was required to simply get off the couch?

The greatest news this week is that I passed my glucose test! I was super nervous because I love sugar so much!  Everyone kept telling me I had to drink this horrible super sugary drink. Yes, it was super sugary but horrible?? I question that. I loved it. Probably too much. Tasted like a shaved ice without the ice. Though in 20 minutes time I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. Way to much sugar pumping through this body. At exactly an hour after drinking the sugary goodness they drew my blood.  By end of day I found out I passed the glucose test with flying colors.  Apparently my body processes sugar very well! I celebrated with ice cream.

Natalie is also kicking up a storm. Woo hoo!

Food Weirdness: Just realized that recently my 8-year old stepson and I can now out eat my husband. Ha! Now that is weird! We are both growing at speedy rates!

Size of little (girl) bug: Holding steady at an eggplant. An eggplant that is gaining weight.

Workout: Walking everyday and fit breaks. Chris and I also started our Fitness Blender videos again. I do what I can. I also call getting up from the couch a good core strengthening exercise.

Preparation: I ordered some books and am reading like crazy.  Currently reading, The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Vaccine Book. Both I recommend.  Happiest Baby, is about the myths of colic and how to soothe a fussy baby. So interesting! Especially since I apparently had colic as a baby. The Vaccine Book teaches you about the vaccines your baby is given. The doctor is pro-vaccine but gives alternative scheduling if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Discovery: Natalie is 2 pounds now! Moving up in weight class!

Funny Moment: Laughing with a pregnant lady at my doctor's office (who had just drank her sugar water for the glucose test) about how we were about to jump out of our skin. We had to sit still waiting for our doctor but wanted to run laps around the office instead.

Feelings: Printed out a blank calender for the next few months so Chris and I can schedule all the things we need to do before Natalie's arrival.  This makes me feel confident and prepared.  We will be talking about it more in depth this week. Excited to have a "plan".

The Sugary Nectar from the Gods...

Pregnancy, Week 24

Physical Symptoms: I have been experiencing some round ligament pain in my lower abdomen. This is due to my body physically stretching out for baby girl.  It just feels like a constant cramping. Lying down seems to help for me though some women say walking around works for them. It's scary the first time this happens but soon you learn what ligament pain feels like and you relax about something really bad happening.

One of the best things about pregnancy for me is I have the most incredible skin! I have always had problem skin/hormonal outbreaks but now my face is completely clear. Maybe its my pre-natal vitamins, or the increased production of blood running through my body, who knows! But I am enjoying while it lasts.

Speaking of blood. Did you know that a woman increases her blood volume by 50% during pregnancy.It can add almost a pound to your body weight! CRAZY!

Food Weirdness: None. Love food.

Size of little (girl) bug: Still an Eggplant

Workout: Now that break is over I am back in action.  My coworker and I walk around 2 miles a day and we do "fit breaks" together.  UCLA has this great program where for 15 min 2x a day a trainer will come to the office and do strength training, dance, stretching, etc. Chris and I hope to get back into working out at home too.

Preparation:  Just been researching some stuff online. Crib vs. Bassinet, Pacifier vs. No Pacifier, etc.,etc.

Discovery: My uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Umm what?

Funny Moment: I just realized I had left funny moments off the past few posts. Probably the funniest thing that has happened regarding pregnancy is, how big you look is totally dependent on what you wear.  On Monday, someone said "you are so tiny!" the next day "wow, you are getting so big."

Life tip: For what its worth, never tell a woman she is big. Pregnant or not pregnant.

Feelings: I am feeling much more positive this week.  After having a nice long talk with my hubby I am feeling much better. Many of my fears lie in how will he and I keep our marriage a priority in midst of baby land. I'm sure we wont be perfect but I am glad we are already talking about it and implementing practical ways to make our marriage a priority. Love my hubs!