Week 33...

 

Your Size: Monthly estimate says you are the size of a Duran… though what the heck is a duran! But if the doctor is correct you may be more like the size of a coconut. We find out next Tuesday what your real size is- which is so exciting!

 

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 6 weeks left!

 

Maternity/ Baby clothes? It was the first week in a long time where we didn’t get any new clothes!

 

Nursery: And week 2 of not working on your nursery… though this weekend we will be making up for it!

 

Baby Gear: We are still getting boxes in the mail like crazy! People are still sending gifts and I’m still ordering things… this weekend will be spent trying to figure out where we are going to put all of the Baby stuff.

 

Sleep: Actually sleeping a bit better this week, but on and off the couch a lot.

 

This week’s adventure: This week’s adventure was in Lake Arrowhead- we went on our Babymoon! Neither your Dad nor I had ever been there so we thought it would be a nice getaway. And it was a fall (almost winter!) wonderland up there with lots of cold weather and pine trees. We got 3 days of relaxation, yummy food and quality time just the two of us. It was great to have such a relaxing getaway before the craziness of Labor and our new life as a family of 3 begins!

 

Our view from our hotel room!

View from Breakfast on Saturday

Apple Cider... perfect Fall weather!

Nothing but the sound of the waves in the water!

Relaxed after 3 days in Arrowhead!

Sunset View on Friday night!

More sunsets....

 

Miss anything? Being able to walk and not being in pain.
 

Movement:  I can’t tell if you still have a ton of room in there or if you are just going to be moving and poking at me until the day you are born. Yesterday you actually stuck your entire head out of my stomach and I had to gently try and get it back in!
 

Your favorite foods: Mint Chip Ice Cream… I want it all the time!
 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Just my iron pills.
 

Gender: Boy
 

Labor signs: Lots and lots of Braxton hicks!
 

Symptoms: Sadly the sciatica is still really painful. With my twice weekly therapy it’s getting better, but I don’t think it’s going to go away completely- though I’m still hoping!

 

Belly button in or out?  Still in, it’s a miracle!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on! Though I now have some lovely cankles, so I’m sure my fingers are going to soon join my feet in their swelling.
 

Happy or moody most of the time: Crying. All the time… still!
 

Looking forward to: I’ve already started the countdown till my maternity leave. Depending on how the doctor’s appointment goes next week we have only 3-4 more weeks left of work- GASP!
 

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: Sometimes in life you just need a good cry. This one is going to be hard for you as you get older. When you are little you will be great at crying and showing just how much you want or wanted something. But our society teaches boys (and men) they must remain strong and never show emotion. The truth is that sometimes you need to just be able to scream and cry it out. Don’t be afraid to do that!

 

P.S. The Notre Dame Scoreboard is now 4-0! Though sadly it was an off game for them, even with the win they slipped one in the rankings- #9 now.

 

Beachy Maternity Session!

 

2 weeks ago we had our Maternity Pictures taken... I was very close to canceling the session due to many factors, the main one being just how unhappy I have been with my body. In the last 8 1/2 months I've gained 35+ pounds, on top of the 15 pounds I gain before/after my miscarriage last year. It doesn't help that daily I'm told how large I am, how there must be twins in there and even that I look like a cartoon. Yup someone actually tells me at least once a week how cartoonish I look. I don't know what it is about pregnancy but people think they can make comments about your weight and appearance without any filter. Some days I let it roll of my back, some days I get really angry but most days I just get really sad. All the comments have made me look in a mirror and see fat & cellulite instead of amazing body growing this little human, and that makes me sad. On top of the weight issues I am no longer able to walk without pain, which of course seems to give everyone license to tell me how much I waddle and comment on how fast or slow I am today. I'm often in so much pain that I tear up just trying to walk to the bathroom, so the comments on how ridiculous I look have started to get me down. But despite my problems I decided to keep my maternity photo session even though I knew how unhappy I would be once I saw them.... instead our photographer sent me back that most beautiful images that took my breath away. Looking at them I don't see the weight or the pain. Instead I see so much love and happiness. Love that both Dan and I have for each other and for little one. Sure my belly does look quite large in the pictures- but seeing as I was 8 months pregnant at the time it should look big. Inside of it is growing our little Poppy who will be here before I know it! My favorite pictures are the ones where you can see just how much Dan makes me laugh... it's hard for us to get our pictures taken because he really does make me giggle too much! I love how our photographer was able to really show the intimate moments between just the two of us. Hopefully now when I hear these ridiculous comments I can think back to those pictures, and realize that pregnancy is amazing and beautiful... and more importantly that I am amazing and beautiful as I grow this little guy in my cartoonish belly!

   Here are a couple of my favorite moments:  

 

 

PS anyone looks for a GREAT photographer in Los Angeles check out Meesh Photography, Michelle is AMAZING: http://www.meeshphotography.com/

 

 

     

Week 32...

 

Your Size: Monthly estimate says you are the size of a squash, but the doctor thinks you are actually 2+ (gasp!) weeks bigger than that so more like a butternut squash… we have our next ultrasound in 2 weeks to measure your actual size!

 

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 7 weeks left!

 

Maternity/ Baby clothes? I may have invested in a few too many stretchy Lululemon yoga pants this week… we have gone in the last 8 months from a size 6 to a size 12! But man they are sooooo comfy. This should be the last of the purchases for the rest of the pregnancy!

 

Nursery: Amazingly we had a weekend where we didn’t do any Nursery things, and it felt amazing!

 

Baby Gear: I finally ordered your Moses Basket and its little rocking stand for it…. Now we really are ready for you!

 

Sleep: Although I am sleeping better, no matter how much I sleep it’s not enough.

 

This week’s adventure: Your Dad had a big adventure this week, he ran in a 10K Trail Run… Sadly due to my sciatica we weren't able to go and cheer while he was out running. So while he was working out we had a mini-spa day including Manicure & Pedicure, Hair Appointment and Make Up Appointment so that we would be all pretty for our Maternity Photos.

 

How I found your Dad when I got home... all tired from his race!

 

Sneak Peak of our Maternity Session.

 

Our other big adventure was taking a Safety & Infant CPR class at the hospital. It was a little overwhelming for your daddy with all the scary scenarios that could happen but luckily now we are prepared for anything!

 

I picked my CPR dummy based on his cute little Dino Onsie!

 

Miss anything? Being able to walk and not being in pain.

 

Movement:  You are flipping around like crazy… I also like to think you are super smart and have found your exit! You seem to be spending a lot of time knocking and banging on my cervix lately!

 

Your favorite foods: All of a sudden we started eating like hungover frat boys this week… lots of burgers, pizza, fries… it’s shocking that I didn’t gain much weight at all this week.

 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Just my iron pills.

 

Gender: Boy

 

Labor signs: Starting to feel the pelvic pressure now- mainly because you keep trying to work your way out.

 

Symptoms: This sciatica is the worst pain I have ever been in, making it impossible to even walk most days. I’m getting worried that you will be a little emotional since the last bulk of this pregnancy has had me crying every time I try and walk anywhere.

 

I work from a couch most days now.

 

Belly button in or out?  Still in it’s a miracle!

 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on! Also a miracle…. Starting to think maybe it’s going to last the entire time!

 

Happy or moody most of the time: Crying. All the time… still!

 

Looking forward to: Lake Arrowhead this weekend!

 

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: Never be afraid to ask for help. I’m slowly learning that sometimes in life you just need to ask for help. Right now it’s impossible for me to do pretty much anything and have had to start asking for help for even simple things like picking things off the floor or getting coffee in the morning. At first I was embarrassed to ask for so much help, but now I’ve swallowed my pride and realized it’s sometimes necessary.

 

P.S. The Notre Dame Scoreboard is still 3-0! We had a bye week last week.

 

 

8 Months!!!!

32 Weeks along.

8 Weeks till our due date (technically 56 days!)

 

6 Weeks till Poppy is Full Term

 

4 Weeks (+2 days) till my maternity leave starts

 

3 Weeks until the doctor said that it is ok for me to go into labor

 

1 Weeks (+2 days) till our BabyMoon – Lake Arrowhead here we come.

 

We are getting excited… well excited and scared!

Week 31...

 

Your Size: Monthly estimate says you are the size of a pineapple, but the doctor thinks you are actually 1 week bigger than that so more like a squash.

 

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 8 weeks left!

 

Maternity/ Baby clothes? I always said I would NEVER put my kids in cheesy holiday outfits… fast forward to last Saturday when I not only bought a onesie with Turkeys all over it that said “Baby’s First Thanksgiving” but it came complete with a turkey on its bottom!

 

 

But seriously who can resist a onesie with a Turkey Bottom! Though Poppy is lucky- I really wanted to dress him as an Indian for Thanksgiving but Dan told me I can’t.

 

Nursery: Not gonna lie, I’m all shopped out. Which is good because I think Dan’s wallet is also all shopped out! We have so much done now in the nursery that I think I’m good to relax a little bit. Anything we don’t have done will be done before the baby is born- if not that’s what Amazon and Grandparents are for!

 

Baby Gear: Your Daddy put together your stroller over the weekend. It wasn’t as hard to put together as the car seat but did take a bit of effort.

 

 

And now not only is the stroller all set up but the car seat & adaptor are all set up in it and ready to go!

 

 

Sleep: Our sleep has drastically improved this week… oddly my sciatic is horrible during the day but my pain has finally disappeared when I sleep so currently on day 5 of actually being able to sleep laying down and in bed instead of on the couch!

 

This week’s adventure: We spent the weekend trying to escape the heat in Los Angeles. Hottest week of the year so far! So Saturday was spent at the beach getting some much needed sun & cool winds, and then a trip to Buy Buy Baby to stay in the air-conditioning! Sunday was spent at our birthing class, it was our 3^rd one- only 1 more to go! It was funny because 4 weeks ago we looked like normal pregnant ladies, a little tired but generally doing ok. Now this week we all looked about the same- miserable! There is one lady who can only lie down. One lady who can only stand up. One whose carpel tunnel is so bad she has to rotate her wrists at all times. And then me who is in so much pain I can’t find a comfortable position anywhere! Though of course after our class we hit yet another baby store to round out the weekend, Babies-R-Us this time….

 

Miss anything? Being mobile… too much pain lately to let me do much of anything but lying on the couch being miserable covered in ice packs and icy hot patches.

 

 

Movement:  You seemed to have sadly moved yourself back into the breach position. Guess you aren’t as ready to come as we had thought (and hoped!).

 

Your favorite foods: I’ve been craving cream cheese and crackers all week! It seems to be my new staple.

 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Doing ok but not really hungry for much of anything lately.

 

Gender: Boy

 

Labor signs: Starting to feel the pelvic pressure now.

 

Symptoms: Turns out I have really bad Sciatica and will be starting physical therapy this week- YAY! Hopefully they will be able to have me up and about again. But this so far has been the worst symptom I’ve had! Though I have a flare up every couple days now of hives that look like bug bites all up and down my arms so that’s pretty fun now too!

 

Belly button in or out?  Button in, but it looks like it’s about to pop out before too long.

 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on but with the heat wave we have been having my rings are getting pretty tight lately.

 

Happy or moody most of the time: Crying. All the time!

 

Looking forward to: Our Babymoon in next weekend!

 

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: After you are done peeing always put the toilet seat back down. This is going to seem like a very little thing when you are young but will get much more important when you get older. Luckily your Daddy learned this out way before we started dating so I didn’t have to try and break him of any bad habits, but this is something your future wife will really thank you for. Also it will make your bathroom look so much cleaner if the toilet seat is already down, so it will help the frustration between you and your well meaning mom!

 

P.S. The Notre Dame Scoreboard is now 3-0! Moved up to #9 in the rankings.

 

 

Week 30...

 

Your Size: You should be the size of an Eggplant or possibly a squash- we find out on Thursday if you are still averaging 2 weeks bigger.

 

Your Due Date: November 12^th… only 9 weeks left- we are in the single digits now.

 

Maternity/ Baby clothes? We got so much amazing clothes at our shower…. We really were showered with so much love last weekend!

 

Even Ruby bought you little outfits!

  

And on top of the gifts they bought, everyone decorated onsisies for us.... Some were fun, some practical and some just out of  this world!

 

 

 

Nursery: It’s really looking good now… here is another sneak peak- your mobile!

 

Baby Gear: We finally have most of the things that we need! We just need a couple of more stuff and then we are all done- and then you will be here. Two of the best things we got at your shower were two baby blankets- one made by your Grandma Chris and one made for your Great Grandma Lavish!

 

Quilt made by your Grandma Chris!

 

Your Dad's gear since I'm putting him on diaper duty!

 

 

What your crib looked like after... filled with TONS of gear!!!

 

Sleep: I got one night of real sleep this week and it’s made a world of difference.

 

This week’s adventure: Your Shower!!! It was really really amazing. Your Grandma and Auntie Alissa really outdid themselves for it. It was a nautical theme to match your nursery- so lots of whales! I was very overwhelmed by everyone that came and all the gifts that we were given. You aren’t even born yet but you are a very loved little boy already! And I have a feeling that your Grandmas and Grandpa are all going to spoil you so much.

 

Your Dad happily helping

 

Dan and Grandpa putting together the drinks table

 

Their handy work!

 

Your Grandma decorating

 

 

Some of my girlies and I

 

Your Grandmas

 

Opening up my gifts

 

 

Grandma & I

 

Playing the games- me and my baby picture

 

 

Miss anything? My feet- I can no longer see them!

 

Movement:  I’ve been told that in these last few months I may feel you kicking and moving less since you will have less room- NOPE! You are even more active than ever. Especially when you are either dancing on my bladder or cutting off part of my stomach. You really like to do both of those things.

 

Your favorite foods: I’ve oddly lost my appetite…. But we did have some super yummy food for the shower over the weekend. Plus amazing cupcakes!

 

 

 

 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing in particular… I haven’t’ been feeling too good but that may just be how I’m going to be feeling these next 9 weeks.

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Nope… Braxton Hicks getting stronger but that’s it.

Symptoms: Pure exhaustion! Plus crazy hip and back pain now…. I’m in the really painful and uncomfortable stage in the pregnancy.

Belly button in or out?  Button in, but it looks like it’s about to pop out before too long.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on and going strong- I may make it to the end with them still on!

Happy or moody most of the time: Lots of mood swings and lots of crying.

Looking forward to: This weekend we are going to go to the beach and do a lot more relaxing than we have been lately. Can’t wait to sit on the beach and do nothing!

Advice to my soon-to-be baby: Never comment on a woman’s weight, especially if she is pregnant! One of the best female advice I can give you is to never comment on how much someone weighs… if she is very skinny, even telling her how skinny she is can be offensive. And then if she’s not skinny your comment will definitely not be appreciated. Now when you see a pregnant woman you have to make sure you do not comment on how large she looks… why people think it is necessary I do not know, but if one more person tells me that they really think I am carrying twins I may just have to throw something at them!

 

 

P.S. The Notre Dame Scoreboard is now 2-0! Trust me this is something you will become VERY aware of when you are born so it’s probably a good idea for you to start keeping count now.