33 Weeks

We had our 32 week appointment last week and everything's looking good.  I scheduled all of my appointments from now through 2 days after my due date.  Let's just hope I don't need any more than that!!

This weekend we went to the beach with my family for a couple days.  It was a long trip in the car with many rest stops, but we did a lot of fun things and I got to see the ocean this summer.  Also, Joey caught a seagull when it flew into his fishing line.  It was traumatic at first (I called wildlife rescue) until the stupid thing wriggled free of the fishing line, hook, and weight that was keeping it from flying away.  Then it was funny. 

Date: June 24, 2014

How far along? 33 Weeks 1 day, Baby is the size of a pineapple.

How is Mama doing?  Still doing well- some days are better than others. Mostly it's just being extremely tired and being sore- either in my hips or lower belly.  She's getting heavier in there! Sitting in my car has become pretty uncomfortable with the bucket seats and the long commute, so I'm going to start carpooling with Joey in his comfy truck at earlier hours (therefore shorter commute).  In other, random, exciting news, I found out that not only does my insurance cover a breast pump, but it's actually the brand I really wanted.  That saves me about $250 so I'm extremely happy/I never thought I'd get excited over something like this...

Movement:  There is a constant dance party going on in my belly.  Last night I got worried because I wasn't feeling her move so I ate some fruit snacks before bed.  Hugest mistake ever. I essentially gave my kid candy before bedtime.  Sigh... I have a lot to learn...

Maternity Clothes?  A few weeks ago I decided that I'm not buying anything else since the end is in sight. So, I'm making do with what I have. Which is getting boring and I feel like a broken record wearing the same outfits over and over but that's just how it's gonna be!

Pregnancy Fitness: Uhh well, I did a workout until the laptop froze, then I went to the beach and walked around a lot. So... that's something.

Symptoms:  Over the past few days, my heartburn has definitely been worse. I'm guessing this is just how it's going to be for the next 7 weeks. Tums work for me, although my current worry is about how many tums I can take before having kidney failure.  Because that is a normal thing.

Belly Button: It's still in, however there is a quadrant that is poking out a little bit. Not OUT but out. I don't really like belly buttons so I hope it doesn't pop out like a turkey thermometer.

Nutrition/Cravings?  Haven't done so great with the nutrition over the past couple of days, although I've been eating things like bananas and yogurt in between the Burger King and chinese food (this is what happens when you take road trips/don't go grocery shopping!).  I'm also still really interested in eating chocolatey things :)

Sleep:  Some nights are better than others.

Looking Forward To:  My VA baby shower is this weekend! We're also taking a childbirth class at the hospital. I'm only looking forward to that because it'll make me feel more prepared.

What I miss: I wouldn't say I exactly "missed" taking part in group shotguns this past weekend however I do miss being part of the action.  I was the loser with the camera instead :-/

Doc/Chloe:  Doc is still chewing his nails and now Chloe is limping.  OH and last night they played in the ivy that Joey had just sprayed Round Up on, so everyone got a bath. What a mess.

33 Week Pic:

Definitely not a burrito.

32 Weeks

Date: June 17, 2014

How far along? 32 Weeks, 1 day

How is Mama doing?  I seem to have turned a corner.  I woke up yesterday and suddenly felt huge, tired, and uncomfortable. Baby definitely had a growth spurt this weekend, and I enjoyed eating my way through that, which is probably why I don't feel so great.  I've been trying to drink tons of water and get moving to counter that a little bit. I did lose almost 1.5 lbs of bloat in one day, so I felt better this morning.  But overall, feeling pretty tired and cranky the past couple of days.

Movement:  Baby was doing the hula all weekend and all yesterday. I read something that says she is sleeping 90-95% of the day.  So she either sleep-hulas or that's not the case...

Maternity Clothes?  I actually had to retire a pair of maternity pants.  I think this must happen at some point in any pregnancy.  They are the kind that go under the bump, and they were just too tight.  I think baby is sitting semi-low, so that might have something to do with it.

Pregnancy Fitness: I did 1 workout vid this past week and it wasn't enough. I need to get moving.

Symptoms:  I haven't had any leg cramps, but I have noticed the restless leg thing a few times.  Usually stretching or walking around helps.  Taking a tum here or there for mild heartburn. 3rd tri exhaustion is slowly creeping back in and I don't like it!

Belly Button: My poor belly button! It's so stretched.

Nutrition/Cravings?  Probably could have done without the 2nd slice of cake on Sunday.  Or the dunkin donuts coffee and bagel this morning.  I know eating healthier has a direct effect on how I feel, so I need to focus better on fruits and veggies.  I did skip the cake yesterday, even though it was calling my name. (More on the cake later.)

Sleep:  Getting more difficult.  My body is now producing more relaxin (the hormone that allows my hips to widen) which is great for delivery, except I'm having a lot of hip pain.  I'm flipping over from side to side all night long, and every time I wake up, I figure I might as well go to the bathroom too.  Things are getting fun!

Looking Forward To:  32 week appointment tomorrow (already!) and hopefully hitting up the beach this weekend if the weather allows!

What I miss: Hanging out with friends on the weekends.  Joey was sweet and invited some friends over to our place on Sunday to watch the Nascar race because he knows how much I miss getting to see people.  I think the exhaustion side of pregnancy is hard to understand, because it's not a symptom that you can easily see, like morning sickness for example.  But I would much rather stay at home on a Friday night than go to a bar with loud music, where I can't drink, where the seats are super uncomfortable and there might be people smoking cigarettes everywhere.  Ugh I sound like a grandmother.  At least  I'm not prohibiting Joey from doing those things. He only has a couple more months of freedom ;)

Doc/Chloe:  I just feel bad for them.  Doc has developed a new habit where he chews off his dew claws.  I'm worried he is stressed about everything that is changing. He has no idea... :(

32 Week Pic: Brace yourselves for this!

31 Weeks

Well... we are officially in the "single digits" club when it comes to weeks.  We have 9 weeks left! (or less!) (or more...)

This weekend was very productive.  I managed to clean out every cabinet in our kitchen and continued to de-clutter and organize various places around the house.  Joey and I spent all day Sunday in the nursery and it's coming along swimmingly.  Still much to do, but I'm feeling better.  One of the things that had started to stress me out was how to organize everything.  I'm not done yet but I've gotten some drawer dividers and closet organizers that have calmed me down a little.

Teaser photo. I promise to do an entire nursery post when it's finally done!

Friday we had our 30 week appointment and I asked the Dr. if she could tell me what body part was stabbing me in the ribcage.  She felt around and told me baby is head down already and will probably stay that way (body part in the ribs? Knees and legs. Awesome.).

Date: June 9, 2014

How far along? 31 Weeks! Baby is the size of a pineapple.

How is Mama doing?  Just truckin' along.

Movement:  Lots of movement- very strong and sometimes it even hurts a little bit.  On days where I'm very busy and all over the place, I feel like she moves less. But I think that is just because I'm moving around and I don't feel it (or she's sleeping).  I have not been counting kicks regularly, however I have been paying attention to the movement in general. If at any time I am worried, I'll start counting, and I always get to 10 pretty quickly!

Maternity Clothes?  My office has a really strict dress code and shoe policy that's going to get interesting in the next couple of months.  I would hope they'd cut me a little slack but the no capris and no sandals thing is rather annoying :(

Pregnancy Fitness: We took a walk with the dogs last Monday and I ended up with some pretty bad round ligament pain so I need to either slow down a bit or get a belly support band. I also did the strength training workout once, and was on my feet all weekend long around the house doing various nesting activities.

Symptoms:  Nothing new.  My hips are definitely more sore lately and my bladder seems to be getting smaller (or baby is getting bigger).  But it is what it is! 

Belly Button: Still in.  Also I'm thinking the skin on my stomach is getting pretty stretched. I'm guessing I will see stretch marks in the area around my belly button. Still lathering with oil but I recognize it may have no effect.

Nutrition/Cravings?   I'm still really into chocolate and/or ice cream.  And I really like cherry flavored Icees or Water Ice.  No crazy cravings though!  I'm still trying to eat healthy options, force down extra veggies, and drink milk with dinner. My appetite has not been very big, so another challenge has been making sure I've eaten enough/not forgetting to eat a big enough meal.  We got to Lowe's on Sunday and I realized I didn't feel well because all I'd eaten so far that day was a banana.  I'm expecting another growth spurt soon, so my appetite should be picking up again shortly.

Sleep:  Sleeping has become a little more uncomfortable.  I've been waking up every few hours.  Still managing, but the Min Pins are getting frustrated with me.  At least one of them has learned to go sleep somewhere else.  I'm working on the pillow-hog.

Looking Forward To:  Going to the beach (one last hurrah!) and my baby shower this month!

What I miss: Wawa turkey subbbbbs.  At this point it is more of a game than anything. I realize I could probably eat a turkey sandwich. I could also probably drink a glass of wine. But now it's been so long that it's like a test of will.  Joey said he'd bring me a wawa hoagie in the hospital.  He's such a good husband.

Doc/Chloe:  They have been very confused about the little clothes and toys that they are not allowed to play with.  They know how "Christmas" works and they wanted to help me open things when I took them out of their packaging, or when I pulled out the tiny onesies they wanted to sniff.  Also, Chloe really thinks the whole point of the glider in the nursery is so she can sit on my lap and look out the window.  I can't sit in that thing without her jumping on my lap.  It's going to be a difficult adjustment period :(

31 Week Pic:
Not very cute this week, sorry. Feeling a little case of the Mondays ;)

30 Weeks!

Date: June 3, 2014

How far along? 30w1d, Baby is the size of a butternut squash (17 in, 3.1 pounds)

How is Mama doing?  Still kicking a$$ and taking names, just doing it a little slower.  After the shower on Saturday I was completely spent.  Also I'm starting to have that anxiety again about whether it's REALLY a girl. 3 ultrasounds and a radiologist writing it down on my report (which apparently isn't done unless they are really sure) and I'm still worrying.  I guess I have been very fortunate because I'm worrying about stupid things.

Movement:  Tons of movement, and it's definitely starting to feel like arms and legs.  Also felt some hiccups the other day which was amusing.

Maternity Clothes?  Got a ton of new Lilly gear (thanks sis!) and I'm excited to rock it both pre and post partum.  Also, wore a strapless bra that I got from a maternity store for my shower.  It worked great at the beginning but by the end it was sag city.  Lesson: just don't do it.

Pregnancy Fitness:  If I recall correctly (which is a big IF), I did 2 Denise Austin workouts last week. 1 cardio and 1 strength training. 

Symptoms:  Mainly just the exhaustion starting to creep back in.  Also, on Friday, I did not drink enough water and I started having some Braxton Hicks contractions on the way to PA.  It was very uncomfortable being in the car, but some quick google research told me that I needed to drink water and when I did, they stopped.

On that note, something that I have forgotten to mention every week since the beginning is how much water I am drinking.  Friday was a crazy day and I was busy at work and had to run Chloe to the vet, so I didn't get my several bottles of water for the day.  In general though, I have been hydrating a TON. 

Belly Button: Still an innie.  Also still clear on the stretch marks, for anyone that was wondering.

Nutrition/Cravings?   Doing pretty good.  Major shout out to my Chef, who is basically the only reason I'm not eating pb&j for dinner every night.  After a long day at work and a long commute in the car, I'm usually too exhausted to cook.  Joey gets home before me most days and has been doing the main course (I'll throw in a side dish or a salad) and therefore has been making sure that the baby and I are eating good hearty dinners.  Starting family dinner time early ;)

Sleep:  Going well, felt a limb move on my belly/the mattress this morning which was kind of weird.  Like she's sticking out far enough to also be sleeping on the mattress...

Looking Forward To:  Spending the weekend playing with all our new stuff :) (I have never been more excited to do Laundry!)  Also need to get those Thank Yous out!

What I miss: It's not what I miss but what I am going to miss. I'm afraid the summer is going to fly by and then it's going to be Fall and then dreaded Winter again :( I'm trying to enjoy my spring and summer days as much as I can.

Doc/Chloe:  Chloe wasn't feeling well earlier in the week and she just wanted her mama all the time. I felt so sorry for her and when she wouldn't get out of bed on Friday I took her to the vet.  After a couple days on medicine she's feeling much better!

30 Week Pic:

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that we stopped by the Desmond to take some pictures on the gazebo where we got married in 2010.  My sister was our photographer and we had to sneak in there really quick because it was already set up for a wedding.  It was early in the morning and the sun was in our eyes, but it was our only opportunity to get some pictures there.  I think we got some nice shots and even though I don't love the way I look, I know that's not the point.  I'm excited to come back here again with baby Gish sometime in the near future :)

 

 

Let's start off with this one, just to prove that we aren't at all serious about this.

Look! A 30 week pic without an iPhone!

I've tried this cute pose before but it's difficult to see my belly over my boobs :(

I might frame this one :)

Pennsylvania Baby Shower

Happy Monday!

I'm going to do the 30 week (OMG) update tomorrow because today I want to share about my supercalifragilisticexpialidocious baby shower in PA this weekend.  (In other news, I would like to also mention that I spelled the above 14 syllable word correctly from memory.)

 

My sister, sister-in-law, and mama threw me a beautiful shower that was slightly Mary Poppins themed.  They did such a great job and every little detail was absolutely perfect (practically perfect in every way?).  I'm planning on sharing a ton of pictures on Facebook later today, but I wanted to share a few on the old blog as a sneak peek.

 

The invitations were suuuper cute.  I cut off the bottom just in case there are any weirdos out there.

It was also a book shower, so baby Gish has a new collection of really awesome books!

 

 

I may have mentioned that my sister works at Lilly Pulitzer and therefore, we repped the #summerinlilly.  Baby also recieved her first Lilly outfits ;)

 

Sisters <3

 

We played the measuring game, which was fun because my friends and family are all nerds and took it very seriously using their analytic skills.  We also played a "Guess what's in Mary Poppins' bag?" game where they had to feel items in white paper bags and guess what they were.  And of course bingo because I believe every shower should play bingo or something like it while gifts are being opened. Gives people something to do and prizes are always a good thing :)

Another set of sisters that I love <3

Corinne and Mom

Baby's new book collection!!!

Overwhelming generosity.  And a pirate treasure chest.

 

Up close view of part of the banner. Note the Chi Omega Owl and the Alpha Delta Pi Lion, Baby's two sorority choices.
(OK I'm kidding.)  (...but am I?)

The party scene!

Stone Harbor Girls

Grandmom, her daughters, and their daughters (and my daughter)

Playing outside with my Goddaughter

My HS BFF, Bridesmaid, MZ, etc, Steph. We always said we'd be pregnant together! Steph's expecting her 2nd this Fall :)

The weather this weekend was simply beautiful. Joey, my Dad, and my brother, Alex, went to lunch and had a good time at the bar while the shower was going on.  It was great to see my family, as always, and to visit my old stompin' grounds.  Joey and I are very thankful for everyone's love and support and we're very excited to meet our baby in ~10 weeks!

I hope you liked this little taste of our weekend.  More to come :)

~SG