33 Weeks

Size of baby: According to Babyzone she's about the length of a cantaloupe!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  +34... I've heard that you gain more weight more quickly in the last trimester.... great. =P

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all maternity all of the time (plus my sweat pants). 

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: I think the movement is slowing down a little bit, but still definitely present... especially at night!

What I miss: Being able to exert myself in any way... and being able to get up off the couch on my own. lol

Sleep: I think I'm sleeping better this week than last.

Symptoms:  Having a hard time breathing... I think it's a combo of less lung capacity and being kinda congested all of the time.  Also, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I have been experiencing nighttime "hot flashes" from time to time.  I'll wake up once a week or so sweating from head to toe.  It's really weird.

Cravings:Sweets.... period.

Best Moment this week:The nursery is ALMOST done!  I have another baby shower this weekend and then Jacob and I will do the remaining shopping for the "necessities" and then i think we're "done"!

What I am looking forward to:  Relaxing.  When does that get to happen again? =)

Baby Shower, or.... LOTS of Onesies!

Last weekend my Mom, MIL and "sisters" (brothers' wife, fiance and gf) threw me a baby shower.  It was all very "hush, hush" and I had to leave the house for a couple of hours beforehand so that they could prepare (we were down at my mom's place last weekend for a maternity photo shoot, too... more on that to come!).

When I got back to the house, just a few minutes before the party was supposed to start, the place was all baby'd out!

The dessert table.... yum!

Belly cake!

Cupcakes

As you can see, there were a LOT of dessert options!  There were also chocolate truffles on a table in the living room.  I was in heaven! lol

As for activities, I told my mom that I'd much prefer some kind of crafty activities than silly party games (and I totally put the veto down on anything that had me eating chocolate bars out of diapers! lol).  So, my hosts set up a craft room with a bunch of fabric paints, onesies and bibs to decorate.

After painting was complete and food was eaten (sandwiches and a variety of fruits/salads.... more yummy goodness!).  We played a game... which I like to call "Guess how fat the pregnant lady is". =)  Each of the guests pulled a strand of yarn that they believed would most closely match how big around I am.  Then, I measured myself and compared to everyone else's guesses to find the "winner".

Some guests really underestimated (these people became my new best friends), and some don't have a very good spatial sense. lol  My MOTHER on the other hand, shoved in about a quarter of the skein as her "guess".  =P  It just kept coming, and coming, and coming out of the bucket (as you can see in the photo below).  She thought it was hilarious. =P

Then it was time for gifts.  Lots and lots of gift bags filled with pastel colored tissue paper... it was like a sea of girli-ness...

... with some really cute stuff inside!  (And a LOT of clothes!)

After the gifts were opened, there was one more surprise for me.  You know that bridal shower game where someone writes down everything that the bride-to-be says while opening gifts and then reads them back has what she may say on her wedding night?  Well, my hosts did the same thing for me... only this was what was "said" during conception.

It is VERY dangerous to make a pregnant lady laugh this hard!

Some examples of what was "said" include:

• "Feels so soft"
• "I don't want to tear the bag"
• "Ohhh!  This is all for momma"
• "I'm hoping to get good use out of this"
• "Oh wow!  This is a gift I need... but not one I want to show everyone!"
• "This is my favorite part!"
• "Finally, some wipes"
• "You did a good job"
• "Ok, getting up for the big guy"

Another ongoing activity that was set up was "Wishes for Baby" cards.  A bunch of fill-in-the blank sheets were left in the various "party areas" of the house for guests to fill out.  I didn't read them until I got home, but when I did, I bawled.  They were just so sweet.  I'm planning to turn them into a book for the little one.  I'll share that at a later date as well, but, for now, here's a couple samples of what my fabulous guests had to say.

Finally, my mom set up a 50/50 raffle for birth date guesses.  Again, she was mean and guessed that I'd be about a week late. =P  Many of the other guests also guessed late.  The ones that guessed right on time or a few days early, I hope, will win this one! lol  My personal guests are either April 13th or the 20th... we'll see how it plays out. =)

All in all, it was a very entertaining afternoon!  And we ended up carting home a car load of baby things.  A friend of mine is throwing me another shower in Portland next weekend for some of my Portland-based friends, and then it will be shopping time for Jacob and I to pick up the rest of the "necessities".  We are registered at Target and, if I remember correctly, the give us a discount within 6 weeks before the due date... which is coming up QUICKLY!  There's also a big consignment sale at the convention center here in Portland the last weekend of March, so I hope to get some good deals on the bigger things there.

Who would have thought that such a little person would need so much STUFF?

No Sushi, No Alcohol, No... Sugar?? Please NO!

I was TERRIFIED to take my glucose test to test for gestational diabetes a few weeks back.. for a couple of reasons.  1) I HATE having my blood drawn.  I knew that the original test was a blood draw, and I was prepping myself to deal with that, but I had also heard about the FOUR draws that need to happen for the re-test if I don't pass the first one.  I was NOT happy about that prospect!  And, 2) I love me some sugar!  Chocolate is really my only true vice, and the thought of having to give up something else that I love so much at such a hard time in my pregnancy (chocolate is a comfort food for me) did not sound like something I wanted to do.

At my regular OB appointment before the test date, I was given a bottle of orange liquid to drink an hour before the test, and given instructions on what (not) to eat that morning:  no carbs or sugar, and eat high levels of protein.  My friends told me that they hadn't changed their diet and didn't think it was a big deal, but, for me and my fears, this was  HUGE deal, so i followed the doctor's orders to a tee. 

After the blood was drawn I was told that if I failed the test I'd get a call asap to schedule a re-test, but if I passed, I'd get a letter in the mail. 

I didn't hear ANYTHING.  So I took this as a good sign. ;)  A couple of weeks later at my next OB appointment, my doctor told me that my levels were good and there was nothing to worry about.  Thank goodness!

Bring on the chocolate! And throw away the needles! lol

What I Thought I Knew

I've always been a fan of school.  Even after I graduated with my BA I kind of missed it... so I went back.   I'm a bit of a nerd like that. =)  So, when we found out that we were having a baby, I wasted no time is checking out the classes offered at the hospital where I'll be delivering (and where I get a discount on said classes with my health insurance!).  I signed up for a 4-week child birth prep course, and two single-day classes in newborn care and breast feeding.

When I pictured a child birth prep class I had images in my head that I must of picked up from TV and the movies.  Mom's on the floor sitting on a pillow leaning up against Dad who is coaching her through breathing techniques. (You know what I'm talking about!) I wasn't really sure how this could possibly last for four weeks.  Thankfully, that stereotypical images was FAR from what we experienced!

While the class did cover some relaxation and breathing techniques, we also learned all about stages of labor, when to go to the hospital, what to be looking for/thinking about when your water breaks, all about different pain medications and birthing positions, as well as other items/procedures that may come in to play in the delivery room.  It was VERY informative and I was VERY happy that we took the class.  (Our last class was last Thursday, and we also got to take a tour of the maternity ward so we knew where to go when the time comes and I could see where I'd be spending a couple of days).

The problem with the class (and watching a movie that SOO many of my friends recommended:  The Business of Being Born), is that it started to make me rethink everything that I thought I knew and wanted.  I am NOT a fan of being in pain.  I always thought that I'd go in, get an epidural, pop out a kid and everything would be a-okay.  I also kind of thought that if the baby didn't come within a couple days of her due date, that I'd just make an appointment for an induction.  Now, however,  I am seriously considering trying to do this thing naturally.  I am NOT closing off the option to get an epidural, but I have down in my birth plan, that I'd like to try other things first and see how long I can go without needing one.  And, as far as induction goes, I know that it could become "medically necessary" but the idea of using pitocin scares the beejeezus out of me!

This new change in my thought process is super scary for me.  I'm one who likes to be in control of things and be able to ask questions/understand answers.  I know that when I'm in labor I'm going to have to totally give myself over to the experience and trust others to ask questions and help me make decisions.  Enter our doula.  Yes.  We decided to go with one.  Jacob really liked the idea of having someone with training by our side the whole way, and someone who could explain things/advocate for us when we're otherwise occupied. =)

Our due date is only a few short weeks away... I'm getting more and more scared/nervous/panicky/fill-in-the-blank as the days go on.  Of course I'm excited/curious/anxious, too, but I feel like the less-positive emotions are taking the bigger toll on me right now.

And now I feel like I've been rambling and totally gotten off track from my original point... I loved my child birth class.  I suggest taking one.

Who Wants Free Stuff??

I have recently partnered up with PrintRunner, an online printing company, and they have offered to let me host a giveaway!  I LOVE hosting these, especially for postcard printing services online.  That's right, this giveaway is for:

Postcards!!

I ALWAYS loved these giveaways when I was wedding planning.  And now that there's a baby coming, I'm thinking of all of the baby related things that I could do with the postcards that I get for hosting the giveaway (baby shower thank yous?  Birth announcements?)

Here's what you get if you win:

                       Giveaway prize:       Postcards
                       Postcard Size    :       Postcards 5x7
                       Quantity            :       100
                       Colors               :       4/0 Front Only Printing
                       Paper                 :       14 PT. UV Coating on Front,
                       Rounded Corners:       Yes
                       Proof                   :       None
                       Ready to Ship In :       4 Business Days

*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.

So, how do you win?  Simple.  Post a comment on this post telling me that you want it! =)  

The winner will be randomly selected (via random.org) and announced on March 6th.  If you don't leave me your e-mail address in the entry comment, then you MUST respond to the winner announcement post within 24 hours to claim your prize... or I move on to someone else!

32 Weeks

Size of baby: According to Babyzone she's about the length of a zucchini!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I forgot to weigh myself this morning, so I'm just going to take a break and skip it this week. =)

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all maternity all of the time (plus my sweat pants). 

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: Still punching/kicking me a ton, but also a lot of "fluttering".

What I miss: Being able to walk three blocks without huffing and puffing.

Sleep:Once she stops kicking me I'm doing ok.  I need the fan on though (I think it's the white noise), and sometimes I need a leg massage before I can get comfortable (thank goodness for Homemedic!)

Symptoms:  Really short of breath today... even just sitting there!  I had to take several really deep breaths.  I also got a slight bloody nose the other day.  I can count, one one hand, how many times I've gotten a bloody nose in my life.  It was kinda weird.

Cravings:Piggy-backing off of last week, I think I can officially say chocolate milkshakes.  I have four in the last week! lol

Best Moment this week:I had my baby shower and first round of maternity photos this weekend!  I'm blog about both later!  We got a LOT of cute stuff (baby's dresser drawers are almost full!), and I ate a lot of chocolate (another reason that I'm not jumping at the chance to weigh myself this week!)   I've also done a lot of work on the nursery over the last couple of days.  It's getting pretty close to "done". =)

What I am looking forward to:  Finishing up the nursery, and my second baby shower in a couple of weeks!

31 Weeks

Size of baby: According to Babyzone she's about the size of a green cabbage!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I am currently +28... no gain from last week!  In all actuality, I LOST .2 lbs from last week. ;)

Maternity Clothes: All about the maternity these days.  Even had to go buy a new layering tank because my others are getting too short to cover my belly.

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: Lots of movement when I lie down and/or roll over.  She kicked so hard the other day when Jacob had his hand on my belly that she scared both of us! lol

What I miss: Not having to focus on controlling my bladder every time I sneeze. =)

Sleep: I think I may be sleeping a bit better with the new bed, but I'm still getting up multiple times during the night to use the bathroom.

Symptoms:  Back aching today.  I feel like I need to use the bathroom all of the time, but I don't always actually NEED to when I do go. lol  I was trying to explain it to Jacob, but the only thing I could think of was comparing it to UTI, but he hasn't experienced that either. =P

Cravings:Creamy stuff I think... I'm eating a lot more cereal now than I ever did in the past, and I think it's because of the milk.

Best Moment this week: I went to "Happy Hour" (it's not particularly "happy" anymore as I end up with a soda or hot chocolate instead of a cocktail or wine these days) with some old coworkers of mine from my days in Eugene.  It was nice to catch up and see what they have all be up to... and also to have "girl time".

What I am looking forward to:  My baby shower and maternity photos are this weekend!  After that, I'm looking forward to decorating the nursery and getting things organized.

Our Love Story

In all honesty, I kind of forgot that Valentine's Day was coming up.  I've never been much of a celebrate-r of this day (with the exception of a box of chocolates and/or a heart shaped Papa Murphy's pizza).  But, when I saw that Shannon at From Match to Marriage posted this questionnaire, I thought it would be a good way to honor the awesome relationship that I am so happy to be a part of.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

January marked 4 years.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

We "met" in late December of 2007.  I had just gotten out of a relationship and was anxious to get back into the dating scene.  So, I did what any independent girl of the 21st century would do... I posted a personal ad on Craigslist.  =)  Among all of the creepers that responded, was one "normal" guy.... Jacob. =)  We sent a couple of e-mails back and forth for about a week, and then go together for our first official date at the beginning of January 2008.

3. If married, how long have you been married?

  Valentine's Day will mark our 1.5 year "anniversary".  We were married in the sand on the Oregon coast on August 14, 2010.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  

We were married at Governor Patterson Memorial State Park on the Oregon coast outside of Waldport.  We had roughly 80 people celebrating with us.  I think the size was just right!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? 

Yes.... but they aren't appropriate for publication. lol  (Has anyone seen the movie "Away We Go"?  We really enjoyed the airplane scene....;) )  Though, in recent months Jacob has been calling me "Spaghetti Sauce"  (get it?  Prego?)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I don't know if I can separate it down into three things... he is just generally a great man.  He's kind and thoughtful.  He has goals and is good at making things happen for himself and our family.  He doesn't question things NEARLY has much as I do... he keeps me in check in that way. =)  He's easy going and not afraid to try a new experience (just don't feed him tomatoes).

7. Tell us how he proposed? 

In July of 2009 I was living in Vancouver, BC finishing up my coursework for my Master's program.  Jacob had returned to Oregon for the summer.  Things were rough.  I was feeling very lonely and questioning how our relationship would survive the summer months with such a great distance between us.  For the 4th of July weekend I returned to Oregon to go to the coast for the holiday with Jacob.  We stayed in his parent's beach house and headed down to the sand to watch the fireworks.  It was a little cold and misty out... not at all uncommon for Oregon, but not the most comfortable either.  After the show was over we returned to the beach house.  I was freezing so Jacob ran some hot water in the bathtub and I sat on the edge of the tub and warmed my feet in the water.  All of a sudden, Jacob was down on the ground next to me, with a ring box.  He opened the box and asked me to marry him.  At first I couldn't help but thing that he was joking.  I mean, we were in the BATHROOM after all... he was pretty much kneeling in front of the toilet. lol  But, after several minutes of my staring at the ring, asking if he was serious, he finally convinced me that he was and I said "yes". =)

On the beach prior to his proposal

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Neither... like myself, he doesn't really see the need to celebrate Valentine's Day... at least, any more than a kiss and acknowledgement. =)  As far as gifts in general, he's more of a chocolate kind of guy... which I am a-okay with!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

For a special occasion, definitely the dinner on the beach.  I LOVE the beach... and dinner. lol  But, for any random Saturday night, I am usually up for cuddling on the couch with a movie.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Travel, travel, travel.  I LOVE to travel!  We spent our honeymoon roaming around the south island of New Zealand.  It was AWESOME and I would love to be able to do some more trips like that in the future.  I think our next "big" trip will be somewhere like Ireland...

Gunn Lake on the way to Milford Sound

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

I have an OB appointment, and then Jacob and I will probably have dinner together before he works (his at-home second job) and I catch up on some computer stuff for work that I missed since I had to leave early for my Dr. appointment... we're a couple of wild ones over here. ;)

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope.  But he did give a nice necklace a couple of weeks back.  No special occasion... just 'cause. =)  And it matches my wedding/engagement rings.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Make time for the relationship.  It's important to have your own interests and activities, but make SURE that you also set aside time to spend/communicate/experience life with your partner.

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

I have two that represent what love means to me.... laughter.

30 Weeks

Today is the first day of my 31st week... meaning that I have 30 weeks behind me in this pregnancy... meaning that this bun is 3/4 baked!  OMG! lol  Only 10 weeks(ish) left until there's another little one in this world. =)


Size of baby: According to Babyzone she's about the size of a red cabbage!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I am currently +28... only 1 lbs up for last week.  Yay!

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity stuff now... my regular shirts are start to be a bit short over my belly.

Gender: It's a girl!

Movement: Not feeling a whole lot of acute movement these days... except when I'm trying to fall asleep. =P  I'm mostly feeling what I think is the baby rolling over or significantly changing positions... on my bladder.

What I miss: Not being in pain.  My back, my legs... ick.

Sleep: After our babymoon Jacob decided that we needed a king sized bed... so, not only did he buy one, but he bought a tempurpedic. lol  I'm hoping this will help with my sleep a bit. =) 

Symptoms:  Really tight leg muscles, swollen ankles and yesterday had really bad pain in my shins... I think my legs are finally mad at me for the extra weight that they are having to carry around.

Cravings:I want sweets... I don't know if it's a "craving" or just my norm.  But I'm really digging that.  And milk... which is odd because I don't usually drink much milk, but now I'm eating cereal as a late night snack for the creamy goodness of the milk. lol

Best Moment this week: I had a photo gig this weekend taking maternity photos.  It was great!  I really enjoyed the new challenge (I've never done maternity shots before) and got some good ideas for my own shoot in a couple of weeks.

What I am looking forward to:  Two weeks until my baby shower and our maternity photo shoot!  Aside from being able to sleep in a bit this weekend, that's what I'm looking forward to! =)

Our Last "Babymoon"

Back in November you may remember that Jacob and I went on a "babymoon" to a snowy, lakeside cabin.  I love to travel/vacation and that one trip before the baby comes just wasn't enough.  So, this last weekend Jacob and I drove up to Long Beach, Washington for a weekend in a condo on the beach.  It was WONDERFUL!  The sun was shining.  I felt so calm and relaxed.  It was great.  We even went horseback riding!  Yes!  Pregnant lady on a horse! lol  Here's some photos from our trip.

My GIANT horse!  I'm 5'10" for comparison purposes

While on vacation I also forced Jacob into some tripod-self-timed maternity shots. =)

Is It Over Yet?

When my mom would talk about being pregnant she always said how much she enjoyed it (I guess she must have... she did it FOUR time!).  I believe it was because of these statements that made me think that pregnancy was going to be a cake walk.  I mean, I knew that SOME things were going to be unpleasant (morning sickness and labor mostly) but I don't feel that I was well prepared for what it's really like.

I don't like being pregnant... at all.  I'm so over it.  I'm sore, tired and winded all of the time.  I can't get comfortable ANYWHERE and, thus, I can't get enough sleep because I either can't fall asleep in the first place because a) I can't find a comfortable position or b) the baby is kicking... again, I roll over and can't get comfortable again, or I have to wake up in the middle of the night to pee.  I can't bend over.  I can't pet my cat when he greets me at the door.  I can't get up off of our couch/futon/bed without pushing on something, pulling on something, or getting a shove on the ass from Jacob. lol  I can't do the physical/outdoorsy stuff that I want to do because I can't exert myself that much without getting uber tired and winded.  I can't eat sushi!  I can't drink alcohol.  I'm just not overly happy.  I just want to have the baby in my arms and skip all of the in-between steps.

I feel bad for feeling this way... but I do.  I LOVE the life growing inside of me, and am thankful every day that it came so easy for us and that there have been  no complications.  But I still don't like being pregnant.

Am I alone?

(P.S.  I'm currently reading Jenny McCarthy's "Belly Laughs"... I feel like I should have read this before I got pregnant and just forgot everything my mother told me about the wonders of pregnancy! lol)