Week 33

Another week has passed in my pregnancy journey and I am getting so close to the end. The weeks are just flying by at this point, although each individual day feels long and sometimes overwhelming. This morning we woke up and it was 30 degrees here in Lexington (I finally told David he could turn on the heat in our house. With me being frugal and hormonally hot all the time I have been pretty stubborn about keeping it off until this point). Anyway, it felt so winter-y as I left the house at 8 a.m. and it made me so excited! I can't believe our little girl will be here this season :)

How far along? 33 weeks

Updates on baby: (Thanks to BabyCenter) This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Maternity clothes: The list of things that fit continues to get shorter and shorter. I think my waist and hips went through a little bit of a growth spurt this week so my pants are starting to squeeze me a little bit on top which is never comfortable or flattering. However, I am LOVING the cooler weather. Everyone around me is complaining about it, and I am just so thankful to be able to wear comfortable sweaters, leggings and scarves. I guess having a higher internal body temperature helps you to not mind the cold weather as much :)

Symptoms/Body changes: My belly button has popped out! I wore a T-shirt to the gym on Thursday and you could totally see my belly button through it... hilarious. My belly just gets bigger and bigger each day and even though I know that is good it makes me a little nervous. How much bigger will it get?!? When I walk around campus and the math department these days I get obvious looks and stares, which doesn't bother me, but is just funny. I just want to let everyone know that I am not about to give birth, I still have 7 weeks left, and that everything is good. I think that the majority of people aren't around really pregnant women very much so they don't realize how disproportional that belly really gets. I had one of my good guy friends this past week tell me I look hilarious and I know what he means! With my little legs and arms and then my huge belly I do look pretty funny.

So I guess my body just continues to look funnier. Everything else is the same: aches, pains, swelling and fatigue are a part of my day to day. This Tuesday I got a terrible migraine which is out of the ordinary, so since I don't teach or have class that day I stayed in my PJ's, rested until the headache was gone and then worked from home. Sometimes I just need to sleep... and at this point when I feel like I could fall asleep I usually just do. Sleep is a precious thing :) My nausea is also creeping back in. I feel sick after I eat most of the time which obviously has an effect on my appetite. I haven't gotten sick yet and I am really hoping it doesn't get back to that point.

Exercise: I exercised this week.. yay! On Monday I walked 3 miles and then did 40 minutes of pilates... it felt wonderful! Afterward I took a warm bath and then slept pretty well that night. On Tuesday after the migraine subsided I took a 4 mile walk with my friend Sarah and that also felt good. Thursday I made the trek to the gym with my sister and got stared at big time while I lifted weights, did some abs and walked on the treadmill. Thursday it didn't feel good to workout; it was just hard. But, I am glad that I did it. I hope to do some pilates again today or tomorrow, and that will made it 4 days this week that I legitimately exercised... yay!

Movement: I keep reading that at some point she will get too big to move so much anymore, but our little one isn't slowing down anytime soon. She is always moving and since she is so big now when she moves, she moves everywhere. I simultaneously feel rolls in my lower abdomen, a butt stick out on my right side, a kick on my left side and a punch to the ribs. I love it, but it is hard to ignore at this point. Sometimes it stops me in my tracks and I find myself with my hand on my belly all the time feeling her without even realizing it. As she continues to move it just makes me realize how big she is. There is a real baby in there!

Cravings/Aversions: Still craving everything in the world that is sweet. I try to choose healthy things, like lowfat chocolate milk over oreos, and I try everyday to get enough protein. Nuts and meat just don't sound good anymore but I know they are really important at this point. In general eating is very enjoyable because the only things that sound good aren't very healthy but I make a point to eat well each day since I still can't keep down a prenatal vitamin. I have just had to shift my perspective about eating: I see it as fueling my body and helping to grow the baby rather than something that I look forward to and enjoy. This is probably a good shift to make anyway, but I can't wait until I love to eat again :)

Getting ready for baby: We didn't do very much this week because we both continue to be so busy. Once our last baby shower is over (i.e. next Saturday) we will be ready to start organizing and washing things so that will be exciting! I have started saving diaper coupons... I guess that is something.

What I miss: Having energy after school. I know that I should feel good about an 8-5 day at school, that I should see it as an accomplishment to have worked for that amount of time. But I miss the days when I would be more productive during that amount of time and then I would come home and still have energy left; to clean, cook, exercise, and hang out with people. But now I get home and all I can do for the first 30-45 minutes is lay down with my heating pad on the couch. My husband is absolutely wonderful.. I really don't know what I would do without him. He is understanding, and most days after he also has a long day he comes home, walks the dog and gets dinner started while I rest. After dinner if I am lucky I will have a spurt of energy when I can finish up some homework or do a load of laundry. But then by 9 p.m. I can barely hold my eyes open. I just feel like each day is so much shorter, and I am way less efficient than I used to be. It makes for some more stress... but I just try to take a day at a time.

What I am looking forward to: Next weekend: we have a doctor's appt. on Friday, then I am getting a pedicure with my sister-in-law, then we have our last baby shower on Saturday with David's dad's side of the family!! This weekend is going to be awesome too though. Today we are going to a wedding and then tomorrow my parents are coming down to Lexington to visit. We will hang out and have fun, but they are also going to help David and I out with a few things around the house. My dad is going to help David caulk our bath tub and my mom is going to mop my kitchen and bathroom with bleach for me. Have I ever mentioned how blessed we are to have such a supportive family? They are amazing.

Have a fantastic Saturday and a good weekend :)

32 weeks

Yet again I am a little late posting this update, but late is better than never! This past week was crazy... I proctored for Calculus and then graded 300-ish exams, worked on my Master's Talk as well as my research paper and did two homework assignments. Oh yes, and most importantly grew a baby! But this week coming up shouldn't be as busy and I have had a good weekend with some rest sprinkled in. It is super exciting to count down to our baby in and of itself, but it is also exciting because as I count down to my due date I also count down until the end of the semester! David and I are looking forward to those 4 weeks at home with no school and no work and a beautiful new baby girl more than you know.

(Sporting my Steelers garb today. They won... yay!)

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: An even 20 pounds

Updates on baby:  (Thanks to BabyCenter) By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and a few shirts are too small on my belly now! I have been told many times this week that my belly has gone through a growth spurt and I definitely think it is the truth. With it sticking out more and more a few maternity shirts that were really cute 4-6 weeks ago now stick out a little bit on the bottom. What do you do when you grow out of maternity clothes?

One of the hardest things to find while pregnant has been a comfortable pair of shoes. Since I have to look decent to teach I can't just wear gym shoes every day, but flip flops, heels and even some flats haven't been an option for quite a while. When I don't wear shoes with enough support in them I get cramps in my calves and pains in my shins. Put all of this with the rainy, cold weather this past week and am in definite need of some nice, comfortable, waterproof, warm and decent looking shoes. I think I found some boots that fit the bill this past Friday at DSW, and I really hope they work out.

Symptoms/Body Changes: Pretty much more of the same. Aches, pains, some nausea, little appetite, no sleep, fatigue. I got a few bad headaches this past week which are always so hard to deal with since my old remedy of an extra cup of coffee and 3 Ibuprofen is no longer an option. I don't want to sound like a complainer... I have kind of gotten used to the symptoms actually. I obviously know it could be a lot worse and I am just happy that my pregnancy continues to be a healthy one!

I have noticed some dark spots on the side of my face, caused by hormones, and in general my skin is just kind of crazy. Some days I have lots of break outs and other days my skin is really smooth and clear. Having dealt with bad acne for a lot of years the skin thing doesn't bother me too much. Speaking of skin, the skin on my belly has started to itch a little bit so I make sure to lotion up each day. No stretch marks or linea negra yet on the belly though, which is great.

Exercise: Hm... this week a little non existent. I didn't meet any of my goals really. I walked for 2 miles most days and that was about as far as I got. Between being busy and exhausted it was hard to find the motivation. In the last few weeks of my pregnancy though I really do want to get back into some pilates so that my body will be prepared for delivery. Now is definitely not the time to lose my strength! With this week's workload being lighter I really, really hope to get back into a rhythm.


Movement: She is CRAZY! I am pretty sure she is head down because she kicks toward the top of my belly most of the time. I notice when she is sleeping now because when she isn't sleeping I think I feel every movement. I love how my belly moves when she does. Just this evening David and I spotted a foot or a fist that kept moving across my belly. It was SO cool, weird, and made it feel so real. She is right there! I love it.

Cravings/Aversions: No meat please. Instead, I will have some chocolate chip cookies, milk, brownies, muffins and a latte.


Getting ready for baby: This past weekend we got maternity pictures and it was SO fun! One of my great friends took them for us and even though I haven't seen them yet I am sure they are wonderful. I felt awkward of course, because getting pictures of yourself is always a little uncomfortable, but with Melissa's creativity and talent I know that they are going to turn out great.

We also made a big to-do list together and put some deadlines on things like packing a hospital bag, touring the hospital and washing baby clothes. In so many ways I feel like it is way too early to start doing these things because I don't want to get too excited and prepared just to wait. At the same time I don't want to make the last few weeks of my pregnancy too crazy, especially since I don't really know when the last few weeks will even be.


What I miss: Sleep; wearing some of my favorite old fall clothes; drinking caffeine whenever I want.

What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to having time to work out this week and hopefully spend some time with friends while doing it!

Boyd's Orchards

This past Friday David and I took the afternoon off of studying and went to Boyd's Orchards with some friends. One of the things that I just LOVE about Lexington is how you can drive 20 minutes and be in the beautiful countryside. Growing up in suburbia has definitely made me appreciate the outdoorsy-ness of Central Kentucky; it is one of the biggest things that I will miss if we ever leave Lexington. It was a beautiful day and so much fun!

 

We looked around the shop first and found lots of fun gourds, fall decorations, apple cider doughnuts (YUM!), and of course some fresh picked apples. As we were walking in David pointed out this butternut squash which looks like a Boppy pillow! Ha, I love my husband. You can tell we are about to have a baby :)

After looking around the store we walked in the orchards for a while looking at all of the apples, and maybe sneaking a few bits of ones that had fallen off the trees.

After that we headed over to the kids play area, which is always so much fun to be a part of even when you are adults! There was a small petting zoo, which I always love.

That goat had just gotten too tired to hold his head up all on his own!

It was a fantastic double date!

 

We left with a few fun gourds to decorate for fall, 8 yummy apples (which I have been dipping in caramel dip this week), and like a mentioned before a half dozen of some of the best doughnuts I have ever had. I love all things fall!

The trip wouldn't have been complete without a picture in the famous Boyd's chair!

It was so wonderful to spend a day outside in the beautiful weather after a week of school. I am so glad that fall is here because it is my favorite season, but also because with the seasons changing it is becoming more and more real that our little girl will be here soon. Hopefully once she is with us we can continue fun traditions like this as a family :)

31 weeks

I have so much to update you on. I just a had a crazy busy week followed by a busy but wonderful weekend. On Friday David and I had a real date day! We went to an orchard with some friends to celebrate fall and then went out to dinner just the two of us. On Saturday we did homework... all day. Midterms week is this week coming up. And today I had a wonderful baby shower. I will hopefully be able to update you on our date day and the shower soon. But first things first: I am late on my weekly update! (sorry about the red eye in the pics...)

 

How far along? 31 weeks

Updates on baby: (Thanks to WhatToExpect)

Weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 18 inches long, your baby is quickly approaching her birth length — though she's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. Also developing at an impressive clip: your baby's brain connections (she's got to make trillions of them!). She's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. She's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness (and movement) and rest (when she’s pretty still).

Maternity Clothes: Of course. Actually the shirt that I am wearing in the pictures is a maternity blouse and I almost feel like it is too small for my belly. It's short! What do you do when you start outgrowing maternity clothes? This past week I picked up a hand me down maternity jacket and coat which I think I'll be very thankful for soon. None of my current jackets come close to zipping or buttoning. Sometimes I wonder how I was ever so small!

Symptoms/Body Changes: In short, this is how I feel:

Pregnant, big, immobile. Although, I really know I am not that big. Things just take more effort these days: things like standing up, rolling over in bed, putting my shoes on. This week my appetite has been fluctuating like CRAZY! Some days I have no appetite for dinner, so I eat as much as I can, which is usually half the amount I used to eat. Then the next day my cheese and crackers that I pack for lunch just aren't cutting it. My stomach is growing by 3:00 and I want a meal. These changes are difficult to plan for, but I have just learned that I need to go along with the flow and listen to my body in these moments. Our little girl needs different things as she continues growing so I can't continue to be the extremely routine person that I was before. A first trimester symptom that is creeping back up is my heightened sense of smell. Today in church I smelled about 5 terrible things within an hour. It was probably just someone's deodorant and another's coffee breath or something, but the smells just stopped me in my tracks and bothered me. Also, I have been noticing that I am really picky about the way water tastes again. Welcome back, extremely high maintenance Ashley.

Exercise: The weather has been awesome!! I try to walk 2 miles each day with the pup and hubby and this happened most days this week. I lifted weights only once, and I really need to get better about this! My goal this week is to lift weights twice and do pilates twice. I really hope to meet it because once it gets cold I want to have some kind of routine of going to the gym so that I won't completely stop working out before the marathon of labor.


Movement: Her movements have gotten so big, but they aren't quite as consistent. Like the weekly update said, I notice her resting for longer periods of time lately, but then when she moves... she moves. She rocks my whole belly around. She stretches and rolls, kicks and flips. There was one night when her head was all the way over on the right side of my stomach and she was kicking me on the left. Then another evening as David and I were watching my belly move (We are easily entertained these days), we saw an arm or a leg move all the way across my stomach. It was so awesome. She is becoming less shy for David and this week a few friends got to feel her move too!

 

Cravings/Aversions: Mostly feeling blah about food. However, I have noticed that I choose lots of dairy foods when it comes to picking out what I eat. The top things on my list are consistently milk and cereal, yogurt, and cheese. I am definitely starting to crave some sweets though, however this could just be that fall is here and all things baked and warm sound yummy!

Getting ready for baby: This evening David and I organized our shower gifts in the second bedroom which felt really good. Soon enough we will have a dresser and then we will be able to put all of the adorable clothes that we have gotten away. There is a basket in our bathroom now which is quickly being filled up with Johnson's Baby was and cute washcloths :) Mostly we are just trying to keep things organized until shower season is over and then we can really start finding permanent places for things. 

What I miss: Studying for and taking exams these past two weeks have made me miss my old brain. I know I have mentioned this before, but I really feel like the hormones affecting my brain along with general fatigue affecting my productivity understandably makes being a good student more difficult. I have trouble focusing for long periods of time lately, making studying for math exams difficult, and during both midterms that I have taken recently I have run out of time which has never, ever happened to me in the past. I never realized how natural school was for me until now! But I am keeping up just fine and have been encouraged lately that I have found a good balance that should work for the rest of the semester.

What I am looking forward to: Well... I am looking forward to Thursday. I have a doctor's appointment that day! But more than that I am looking forward to Tuesday and Wednesday being over. It is exam week for my students which means proctoring and grading week for me. Between Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 8 p.m. I will be doing nothing but proctoring and grading (other than sleeping and eating). It took quite the toll on my body last time and I hope that this time around I can get all my work done without exhausting myself too badly.

Well friends, it is 9:30 which means it is time for me to get ready for bed. Sleeping is still quite the struggle, so I am always exhausted by this time of night.

Buenas noches!

Cat Fight

Let me introduce you to my evil cat, Jasmine. We are currently in a fight. On Monday night as I was innocently sitting on the couch she was eying me from the coffee table while her tail flicked around like crazy. I, being the bigger person, and I guess the only person out of the two of us, ignored her. Then she proceeded to step onto the couch and just walked up and bit my arm. Bit it hard... as in it drew a little blood. I was SO mad at her, and so were David and Rooney. I haven't touched her since and I refused to give her food (don't worry, David has sympathy). But she has to learn you can't bite the hand that feeds you.

In general I may not be the biggest cat person. I mean, I LOVE kittens. Who doesn't?? They are soooo cute.

They are tiny and easy and do hilarious things, like climb Christmas trees.

And they are cuddly... like pets should be!

But then one day you wake up and your kitten is a cat. And if it is like most cats there isn't much more playing or cuddling. There are high moments here and there when they are still funny or when they show affection and make the adorable purring noise. But it really is crazy how different cats are from kittens.

I am mostly not a cat person because I think I am just terrible with cats. David has talked to me about it, because Jasmine and I have had problems in the past. I tend to be a bit clingy, which really bothers her. But she is so cute! And I just want to hold her and pet her. But I really have been trying to be better lately about giving her space and letting her come to me on her own terms. With a baby coming the last thing I want is a cat around who has a problem with me.

Even in the midst of all of my effort she was definitely mean on Monday. It was unusually of character and if it happens many more times we know we will have to discuss whether having a randomly aggressive cat around is okay. But for now, David loves her and she is mostly harmless. I just think she hates me... or maybe she is jealous because David loves me more :)

Hormones

I am usually not a very emotional person. Sure I cry every now and then... when a family member or pet dies, when I am really stressed out about school or a situation, or when something hurts. But I am not usually the girl who cries over movies, books, stories, or the way I look in a pair of jeans.

Well, I guess I wasn't usually that girl. Now I have been pregnant for about 7 1/2 months and while hormones have done things to me that I never thought possible they have also brought on the predictable, yet totally random stream of emotions. I am moody now... sometimes I get mad, anxious (I remember sitting in a bathroom in the campus library this summer convinced someone was going to rob me when I opened the door to leave), or frustrated (when I am doing math). But most of the time I just get weepy; over movies, books, stories and the way I look in a pair of jeans.

Case in point: I am currently sitting at my desk in my office enjoying some cheese and almonds for lunch catching up on the blogs that I read. You see, if I don't give myself some kind of break to eat my moodiness causes me to get more stressed out and food doesn't sit well on an anxious stomach. So I make myself refrain from math for at least 30 minutes while I have my lunch each day and today I read this blog post. And here, at my desk, in my office in the math department of UK's campus I teared up.

Just a little confession, because now I want someone to laugh with me at myself. So ridiculous. But, this is what hormones have done to me. Made me a weepy woman that cries over a blog post.

Now I will go finish my almonds and prepare for the calculus class that I teach later this afternoon. And go make sure my mascara isn't running.

Happy Monday!

30 weeks!

Whoo hoo! I am in the 30's now. That means I am over 3/4 of the way through the pregnancy. And as the days go on I am not only getting more anxious to meet our little girl, but also to not be pregnant anymore. For a while I really was loving everything about being pregnant, and I am still enjoying many parts of it (like feeling her move!!), however I am generally uncomfortable and exhausted and it is getting old. I know I have a long time still, but it is now under 10 weeks (you know, plus or minus a bit). So exciting!

 

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 17 pounds. I ate lots of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies this week... I did but I don't think that is the (only) reason I gained the weight :)

Updates on baby: (Thanks so BabyCenter): Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, most of the time. Although the cute top I am wearing in these pics isn't. Now that it is fall and mostly cool I can wear some of my old hoodies and sweaters which is really nice. Also, I can wear leggings! I wear them every day that I don't have to teach. 

 Symptoms/Body Changes: As I alluded to above, things aren't going so great physically. My nausea has come back again. Since I am still on my medication it isn't debilitating and I am not getting sick but I have waves of nausea multiple times a day which make me stop whatever I am doing for a few minutes. I am also uncomfortable: it hurts my feet and legs to stand for too long, it hurts my tailbone to sit for too long, it hurts my back to lay down for too long (including when I try to sleep at night) and my ribs get pretty sore by the end of the day. Baby girl is just so big!! I mean, big to be carrying around in my stomach all day everyday.

I know that I have lots more growing to do, so I try to stay as active as I can now because I know that this will help me to stay mobile and as comfortable as possible for the next 10 weeks. I don't sleep well at night even with lots of pillows and I think that the lack of sleep and the general fatigue is the hardest part to deal with since I am in school. My brain just doesn't work very well when I am tired! And exhaustion along with hormones is a bad combination when doing working on problems which can be frustrating at times. But I had my first midterm of the semester today and it actually went really well... so I guess I am doing alright! 

Hm.. other symptoms are the occasional headaches, limbs/appendages which fall asleep randomly, and different skin and hair. Also, my belly button is going to pop out any day :)

Exercise: On Monday I walked 4 miles, Tuesday 3 miles, and Wednesday and Thursday I studied non-stop for my exam. This afternoon I plan to do some pilates and lift some weights. Hopefully I can get back to the gym a couple times next week when my school isn't as crazy. I really have to listen to my body each day to know what I can do. Some days I feel pretty good and I try to get a good workout in on these days. But other days I just need a nap and put my feet up and I have found that working out on these days just makes me feel worse.

Movement: She never stops! Some of her kicks have gotten more painful lately, especially when they are quick and hit my ribs. My favorite is when she rolls around... it literally moves my whole belly! It is really cool looking. I also love that I can now feel where she is sitting in my stomach and sometimes I can tell that it is her head or bottom, or something smaller like an elbow or a knee. 

Cravings/Aversions: I am mostly feeling indifferent to food lately, although last night I had a milkshake from Chick-Fil-A and it was awesome! I drink lots of water and eat a lot of fruit, and most days I have to make myself get some protein since meat doesn't sound that appealing. Desserts do sound good to me a lot of the time, and I let myself eat them in moderation but I know they don't give our baby the nutrition she needs so I try to be good.

Things we have done to get ready for baby: This is a new one because we are getting to the point where we have to start getting a few things ready. This past weekend we set up the pack and play, which was so fun! We have completed a childbirth birth class which was amazing, and we have started looking into things like health insurance which is always a little stressful. But it is so exciting to plan and look forward to our little girl being here and it makes it so much more real.

What I miss: SLEEEEEEEEEP!!!! I will be missing it for a while... bummer.

What I am looking forward to: A baby shower this weekend, yay! I am also looking forward to all things fall. David and I are planning on getting out to an orchard soon and maybe if I feel well on a Saturday we will go hike at the Gorge! I am also looking forward to eating/baking pumpkin things. Our Kroger doesn't have canned pumpkin yet but when they get it the pumpkin bread and oatmeal consumption will begin.

I hope that you have a fantastic weekend! Thanks for continuing to follow me through this journey :)

Wow, this baby is due soon.

I know, I know... I still have 10 weeks. But I know those 10 weeks are going to fly by!  I have heard lots of mommies talk about how the last trimester seems to crawl by if you start to prepare too early, like if you start washing the clothes, setting up the car seat, etc. However, I don't really know that David and I will have this problem of doing things too early. We are so, SO busy and a part of me is nervous that we are going to wake up one day and I am going to be going into labor and we won't have any diapers yet.

This most likely won't happen, but since my pregnancy just continues to FLY by and since school is about to ramp up in intensity we decided to go ahead and put our pack-and-play together this past weekend.

It isn't in our bedroom yet (where it will be once she is born), but we have it stowed away in the extra bedroom for now because it doesn't take up too much room. Plus, most other people get to have all this fun painting a nursery, setting up a crib, etc. and since our little girl won't have a nursery for... a while... we wanted to just do something concrete to get ready for her.

Now begins the part where the baby starts taking over our house :)

 

And the part where I start getting super frustrated with our cat trying to lay claim to everything that is baby's.

It was fun to set up the pack and play. Doing something concrete for the baby made everything feel so much more real and exciting and when I walk into the second bedroom and see it sitting there I daydream about when there will be a tiny baby girl sleeping (quietly, peacefully, hopefully for hours and hours) in the bassinet.

29 weeks

Whew.. what a week! Things got really crazy last week and they just haven’t stopped. Between classes, teaching, birthing class, family, friends, chores, sleeping and eating I have just not had any free time! Starting next week I have an exam or a baby shower every week until Thanksgiving, at which point I will be 37 weeks. On the positive side I will be so busy over the next 8 weeks that I won’t have time to just sit and be anxious for our little one to arrive. However I must admit that I am very nervous about keeping my stress levels under control and about staying on top of all of my responsibilities while making sure to take care of my body and baby. I have been encouraged that I am doing a good job, and at this point I just need to rely on the help from those around me to get through this time. Well, enough of the therapeutic venting of my worries and onto the update!

How far along? 29 weeks.

Total weight gain: Still hanging on right at 15 pounds. I don’t think this is a big deal since I went though quite a growth spurt during month 6. Also, my belly is definitely growing and baby is for sure getting bigger. I think that my decrease in appetite has just made me lose some weight in other places.

Updates on baby: (Thanks to What To Expect) How big is your baby this week? She weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches. Though she’s getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she’ll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight. And as she grows and the room in your womb gets tighter, you’ll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee.

Maternity Clothes:  I finally went out and bought myself a few maternity things. I have been so, so blessed to get some awesome hand me down maternity stuff thus far so I only needed to fill in a few things. I got some maternity workout leggings and 2 tank tops and they are SO much more comfy than my old shorts and T-shirts. If you are pregnant, or if you ever will be, take my advice when I say just go get maternity clothes. They are so much better than regular clothes! (of course, in these pictures I am wearing my old sweatpants… some stuff can still fit.)

Symptoms/Body Changes: The third trimester just kind of stinks. I have kept everything in perspective because at least I am not getting sick everyday, and this part of being pregnant is so fun and exciting. But I have to be careful lately to not push myself too much. Even though I am able to keep food in my stomach there are definitely other challenges that may not be quite as debilitating but may be more serious than I want to admit. I am aching… all the time. My back, sides, ribs, and legs. One time this past week my foot fell asleep while I was taking a walk with David.. weird! I am not sleeping very well, nor has my appetite returned. I think that the biggest symptom that I am bad about ignoring is fatigue. Sometimes I just feel like I need to lay down, and when I ignore that feeling I just go down hill from there. I have gotten lots of swollen ankles and headaches that I am pretty sure could have been avoided had I just rested. This is something that I really want to work on as I continue throughout my pregnancy.

Exercise: I have been pretty good about listening to my body on this front. I walked 4 miles one time early this week and I didn’t feel well afterwards. So for the rest of the week I walked at most 2.5 miles at a time. This left me feeling energized instead of exhausted, which is the point of exercising anyway. On Thursday I lifted weights but somewhere along the last few weeks I have gotten out of the habit of doing my pilates. A goal this coming week will be to add this back in to my routine!

Movement: It seems that right now our baby girl is at a prime time of moving around. She hasn’t gotten so big that she has run out of room in there, but she has gotten big enough so that I feel her all the time. I don’t know that she stops moving for more than an hour at a time during the day, and at night when I wake up (like every few hours) she is always kicking and flipping. I love it. I catch myself putting my hand on my belly all the time to feel her in there and I love that it is a moment just between her and I.

Cravings:  Water and milk. That is about it!

Aversions: I tried to eat Qdoba tonight… and I think I am back to food without strong flavors (like red onion and cilantro).

What I miss: Being able to be as productive as I used to be. Our schedule is must more difficult to keep now that I need more rest and can’t go, go, go all day every day. But we will figure it out and I will just keep doing my best, which is all I can do.

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers the next two weekends!! Yay! Also, this coming Friday I have my 30 week appt. with my doctor. David is coming and we hope to discuss our birth plan with the doctor, so I hope that goes well. Now that I am in my 3rd trimester I will start having appointments every 2 weeks instead of every 4. So exciting!

Time to go grade, or study for my midterm on Friday, or work on my Master’s exam… or maybe bake some chocolate chip cookies :)