34 Weeks

Feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment, so this'll probably be a short one.

I got some lame news about my post-baby work situation. I was hoping that my current company would agree to a part time from home position for after I have Bean. Because of some really, really, really sucky circumstances (other employees being extremely selfish and insane, basically) it looks like that's not going to happen. I would be glad to be rid of work, but when I work I get money, which helps quite a bit. So, now I'm trying to figure out what to do. Prayers for guidance and peace would be really appreciated!

In happier news, my second baby shower is this weekend, and I am so, so, SO excited!

Also, tonight is our last birthing class at the Breastfeeding Support Center. I've really enjoyed the classes and learned a few things. Mostly, I've liked watching the birthing videos and learning all the different birthing positions.

On Monday, we had to squeeze ice cubes for a full minute to get a VERY vague idea of what a contraction will be like. The first time through, the instructors tried to be distracting while the TV was on and the lights were all on. I found myself laughing and not really paying attention to the pain and cold from the ice cube. Jacob pretended to be a space shuttle in order to cope with the ice cube. The second time around, they made a relaxing atmosphere with nice music, our "birth partners" massaging our shoulders or somesuch, etc. I actually found that the relaxing one was harder for me because all I had to focus on was the ice cube! It was very interesting, although I honestly don't think it'll do very much to prepare me for labor.

How I'm Feeling

Physically, I'm doing pretty dang well. Still getting heartburn, shortness of breath and all that stuff, but my pelvic pain has let up, which is AWESOME! I'm really trying to be good about walking every day, but I suck at it...A lot. Perhaps I should make a rule that I can't have dessert until after I walk. That would certainly get me motivated.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb till now (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals that your baby is most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out.

Also, I read elsewhere that Bean is no longer floating in the aminotic fluid and is instead resting against my uterus.

33 Weeks

Spent the weekend at a campground for Jacob's family reunion. It was fun, hot and tiring! Thankfully, we had an air conditioned trailer (with toilet) to lounge in when necessary, but I did get my fair share of heat and sun. Luckily, no sunburn! It was really nice to see the few members of his family that I actually knew, plus meet many more, including a bunch of people from Switzerland.

We attended our first birthing class last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew most of the info, but I did learn a couple new things. We got to learn and practice some birthing positions, learned some stretches and exercises, breathing techniques and various other things. We also got to make collages. Still not sure what that was all about, but it was fun! At our next class, we get to see our first video of a real birth. It'll be interesting to see what everyone's reaction is...Jacob and I have both been at actual births and watched The Business of Being Born together, so I can't really imagine being too shocked.

How I'm Feeling

Right now, I'm in an awful mood, probably due to the fact that I had a terrible night of sleep. I've experienced pain in my pelvis/hips for a while now. It goes from ok to terrible to ok again, so I haven't done much about it. Last night, though, I literally couldn't move without yelping due to the pain. So, I tried sleeping sitting up, which resulted in me not sleeping and also tweaking my neck. Bean decided this was a good time to up the movement, so while not sleeping and dealing with pain in my neck, hips and pelvis, I also experienced the most painful jabs Bean could muster up. I was able to kind of enjoy Bean's movements, though, because they were SO strong and I could feel so many body parts. All in all, it was a night I do not wish to recreate any time soon.

Yesterday, though, I experienced such elation and joy and excitement that I could hardly live with myself. You can call me Mrs. Mood Swing, I suppose. Or Mrs. Grumpy If I Don't Sleep Enough.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ should weigh much more than a mere 5 lbs and measly 17 inches in height, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its thirty-third week. In terms of appearances, they’re getting cuter and pudgier every minute as they pile on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls and chubby toes. And as we’re sure you’ve already noticed they’re getting stronger with every passing day. Nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching your belly—but you already knew that didn’t you? Although they’re getting stronger, your bigger-by-the-day baby is losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick they’ve been working on. Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling their movements even during labor?

Just For Fun

I stole this from Tiffany...

How far along? 33 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Around 30 pounds, I think.
Stretch marks? I am a walking stretch mark.
Sleep: Goes from glorious to awful. Last night was awful.
Best moment this week: Listening to music with Bean last night. S/he likes Lisa Hannigan and Damien Rice.
Food cravings: Shrimp, anything lemon, baby carrots.
Gender: Only God knows!
Labor Signs: Some Braxton-Hicks, which I don't think really count as labor signs.
Belly Button in or out? It fluctuates from sticking WAY out to sticking out only a bit. Depends on where Bean's laying.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, being free of pelvic pain.
What I am looking forward to: Crossing the last item off my baby to-do list and, of course, meeting the baby!
Weekly Wisdom: Water is wonderful. Also, seriously put your feet up any time you can.
Milestones: Bean is the weight of a pineapple!

32 Weeks

8 months along. 56 days until my due date. 29 work days until my maternity leave. 0 days until I start to FREAK OUT! I'm going to have a freaking BABY! Is that not the coolest thing you've ever heard of? I know it's the coolest thing I've ever heard of.

Last Saturday was my first baby shower, and it was AMAZING! I felt so blessed and loved by all the people who came to celebrate Bean. Thank you to Joanna for putting together such a wonderful shower, and thank you to everyone who came and showered us!

How I'm Feeling

Excited, nervous, anxious, stressed, elated...The list goes on. The stress comes only from work, where I have 29 days to keep up with my daily tasks, update all the content SOP docs, train the new copywriter, and write ahead for our blog so our other blog writer(s) don't get overloaded. That is a LOT of stuff to accomplish in a month, I'll tell you what. Physically, I am feeling about the same - very tired, pretty sore, battling heartburn most of the time. However, I am glad to have gone a week without getting an illness of some sort, and I am sleeping better, which is obviously wonderful.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there-- yes, baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor. Time to celebrate (no, no, wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne!) We’re talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch!

31 Weeks

I am completely scatterbrained today. I also feel exceptionally anxious and full of nerves. I don' know what my problem is. My brain is very much, "YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO DO! DO IT ALL NOW! ALL AT ONCE!" and then I just end up sitting here with like 7 projects open, accomplishing nothing. Bleh.

This Saturday is the first of TWO baby showers that some of my favorite people are throwing me. I am so blessed! I am really, really excited about the whole experience. Plus cake.

The time is drawing near for the beginning of my maternity leave. (Actually, that's one of the things I'm juggling today - choosing a start date and all that.) The date I am looking at is just over six weeks away. SIX WEEKS?! Is this some sort of joke?! Soon we will be starting our birthing classes, then a breastfeeding class, and then it'll be time to cross the really surreal things off our baby to-do list, like installing the car seats and washing all the baby clothes. It is so exciting, so unbelievable, and tends to cause ridiculous amounts of butterflies to flit around in my stomach while Bean dances away.

How I'm Feeling

Well, aside from all that up there, I am feeling (physically) both great and not-so-great. I can still do my makeup while sitting on the floor and can stand up all by myself, but for some reason rolling over in bed is basically the equivalent of climbing Everest with a panda bear riding on my torso. My aches and pains seem pretty balanced for now, so I'm praying that the balance lasts.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from baby-gaga.com)

Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around!

Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

Cravings

• Caramel frap from Starbucks
• Chocolate covered strawberries (which my mom somehow KNEW and brought me some!!!)
• Lemon bars
• Round Table pizza
• Twizzlers
• a dessert I used to order from Macaroni Grill. It's called like "Zamboni" or something. Or is that the giant truck that smoothes the ice at a skating rink?

30 Weeks

10 weeks to go! (Or 7 until I am considered full term.) This is really it...It truly seemed like this time would never come, but here it is!

This past Sunday we attended Jacob's parent's church's grand opening of their new building. The building is GORGEOUS, and the service was fantastic. It was so neat to see the finished product of something that had been going on for so long.

I am getting prego pics taken by the glorious Betsey this Friday. I can't wait! I am trying to find inspiration through other maternity photos, plus decide what I'm going to wear. I'll post some of the pictures here when I can.

How I'm Feeling

Tired and clumsy! I lose my balance when I stand up - it's ridiculous. Also, I drop EVERYTHING, which has made me extremely scared of our super sharp kitchen knives. (I almost dropped the huge butcher knife on my foot earlier this week.) My body is still fighting the pesky cold Jacob and I both came down with last week, so I think that is contributing to the tiredness and all that. I am getting super excited, though, and have big, productive plans for this weekend.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from parentsconnect.com)

Big news for baby's brain this week: It's starting to wrinkle and fold and looks like something that grew in the back of your fridge. This is due to the rapid growth of your little genius's brain cells. Other highlights this week:

Fingernails and toenails are finally finished—causing his or her parents great fear and anguish the first time they try to cut those little daggers (it gets easier, we promise)! Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. Trust us, this is a good thing.

Baby is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he's chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7.

"I spy an umbilical cord and the inside of my mom's uterus!" When your baby is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he's whittling away the hours looking around, checking out his rather dark, limited environs.

Your baby hasn't gained much weight or height this week, as most of his energy's been channeled to the brain. He weighs about 3 pounds and is approximately 15.5 inches long, about the size of London, not the city, Britney Spears' Yorkie terrier. Of course your baby is less hairy and way cuter!

Cravings

• Lemon bars
• Chicken and dumplings
• Crepes

29 Weeks

WOW. Next week will begin the countdown. At the beginning it totally seemed like I'd never get to this point. Now, I look back, and it has truly flown by. Time is so weird.

Our friends Tim and Elaine welcomed their new daughter Daphne yesterday...Or the night before yesterday, I'm not sure. I am DYING to see pictures. Congratulations, Tim and Elaine, and welcome baby Daphne Grace!

Jacob's first father's day was fun. We cooked corned beef, cabbage and carrots, and my mom cooked some yummy potatoes. I also baked a ridiculous amount of chocolate chip cookies. Jacob's dad came over, as did Beth, Seth and the boys. We ate lots of food and then, after everyone left, I crashed. I think I went to bed at like 8:30. It was a great day, though!

How I'm Feeling

For the most part I feel pretty great. My short time of having energy is coming to a close, though. I'm still able to stay up later (10:30ish) but mornings are KILLING me. The aches and pains are becoming more frequent as well, which has been fairly annoying. I don't really like making pained noises every time I move, but that's just the way it is, I guess.

What Bean's Doing

(taken from babycenter.com)

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

(I also read that, in the correct light, Bean is able to see shadows/silhouettes. Crazy!)

Cravings

• Popcorn
• Quesadillas
• Pina Colada Icees

28 Weeks

Thought this was weird - according to my buddy group ticker:

2 months 22 days until Bean is due!

2 years 2 months and 2 days since Leanna and Jacob tied the knot!

No matter who you ask, I am officially in my third trimester. THAT IS WEIRD. It really hit me last night. 12 weeks until my due date. Very, very soon, we will have a little baby in our house. A little baby that is OURS. I can hardly even put it into words. Needless to say I am pretty emotional today. It's just so huge and amazing.

We got to see my brother and sister in law yesterday. It was awesome! Larissa is about a month behind me pregnancy-wise, which has been really cool. We took some cute pictures - I'll try to get them posted here soon.

How I'm Feeling

My energy levels are definitely declining, but my desire to be productive is on the rise! I find myself compelled to tidy up and to exercise - two things I did NOT enjoy until a couple days ago. Sadly, my body is not as good at being active as it once was, and I find myself pushing too hard and ending up in pain. So, I'm trying to take it slowly and remind myself that even though it feels like I'm not working hard enough, I am!

I finally had a truly uncomfortable morning with intense abdominal pain. (Nothing to worry about! Nora said it was probably just trapped gas. Attractive, no?) I've sailed through so easily until this point in time that I have a hard time being annoyed that this morning sucked so much, though.

Oh, also (TMI warning, boys look away), I am producing colostrum! It is bizarre. That is all I'll say about that.

What Bean's Doing

I got some majorly different info from a few different sites, so I'm just going to throw up the highlights this week.

• Bean has eyelashes
• The folds and creases of the brain are forming
• Hair is growing longer and thicker
• Fat is piling up and smoothing the baby's skin out
• Bean measures anywhere between 14.5 to 16 inches long
• Bean weighs anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds
• The baby is in the process of flipping into a good, head down birthing position (hopefully)

Cravings

• Tacos (I have decided that tacos are my favorite food)
• Cotton candy (this happened after EVERYTHING smelled like cotton candy to me for about a day)
• Coffee/espresso drinks