30 weeks!

How far along-30 weeks today. We're 3/4 of the way through! Hard to believe that there's only 10 weeks (or so) left before we get to meet  baby girl:)

Weight Gain-Up another pound and a half this week...definitely into the weight gain part of pregnancy. That puts my total weight gain up to just under 20 lbs, I think. It sounds like a lot when I type it out, but everyone says I look good, so I'm hoping they're not lying to me:) I don't feel super huge or anything yet...let's see how big I get in the next 10 weeks though...

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a cucumber this week. That's a little confusing to me because I picture this long and thin baby, but I think they're just comparing the length. She should weigh about 3 lbs and measure out to be about 17 inches in length. That's a pretty long cucumber! She's only got a few more inches to grow and weighs about half of what she will weigh when she's born (here's hoping).

Movement-Good, good, good! I've been doing baby girl's kick counts every night. She's a mover and a shaker at this point...probably running out of room in my belly. Most of the time, she just gives me a little punch or kick, but every once in a while, it's a sharp jab! I can tell when she kicks my bladder...which she's been doing more and more of. She also does this weird thing every now and then where it's like a twittering feeling across my low abdomen, like a spasm of sorts. Feels weird, but it makes me laugh:) I'm trying to figure out when she's moving most during the day because I've read that's when baby will be most active outside of my belly...trying to get prepared. At least so far, she doesn't seem to move a lot while I'm actually sleeping:)

Sleep-Still good, still getting up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom. I notice I'm starting to get a little more uncomfortable in certain positions...like I can only lay on one side at a time without standing up in between switching sides. It's almost like baby sits into one side and then doesn't want to move to the other if I roll over. Might be time to start using a pillow between my legs again...

Feeling-We've finished our 2nd week of childbirth class and took a breastfeeding class tonight. I'm feeling much more informed about the whole process of giving birth, but am still a bit anxious/overwhelmed with the whole pain management thing. I'm hoping that when the time comes, my body will do what it needs to do, and I'm able to make decisions to help deliver a happy and healthy baby safely. I'm also anxious about baby girl's gender...I mean our ultrasound tech said it was a girl, but only 80% sure. When we asked our doctor about the percentage rate, she was like 80% for the techs is basically like 100%, so we're having a girl. BUT...the umbilical cord was hanging between her legs, so what if??? I'm such a planner...I would just hate to be so prepared for a girl with everything being pink and then, surprise, it's a boy! I know there's really nothing I can do about this, and baby will be loved either way of course...I'm just so getting used to saying she, she, she and see pink, pink, pink. I would just like to be prepared either way. Hopefully at our 3d/4d ultrasound in September, we can get confirmation and be much more sure of things.

What I miss-Not too much at this point...I've gotten so used to getting up at night for bathroom runs, i don't even remember what it's like to sleep through the night. I miss some of my regular clothes. I don't mind the maternity clothes that I have because I bought stuff that was traditional with what I would wear on a normal day, but sometimes I feel like I wear the same thing over and over. I don't want to spend too much more money on clothes since we're most of the way through now. Just can't wait to get some variety back in the mix!

What I am looking forward to-Our hospital tour on Saturday during our last childbirth class. I'm looking forward to learning what our experience might be like when baby finally gets here, and figuring out where to go doesn't hurt. I'm also looking forward to the first baby shower (out of 3!!) being thrown for me on Sunday. Can't wait to celebrate with all my Dynamics girls and parents!

Milestone/Best moment this week-This one has nothing to do with baby actually...Eric's birthday was yesterday. It was nice to celebrate him for a while, even though he isn't really looking forward to getting older;)

To Do-Get a dress to wear to Trisha's wedding ASAP! Start talking about our birth plan, pre-register with the hospital, pick a pediatrician...take naps! Read my baby book!

Food Cravings/Aversions-Nothing new here...

Bonus-Countdown to Bean's arrival...2 months and 9 days OR 10 weeks OR 69 days!

29 weeks!

How far along-29 weeks today...just 16 days shy of being 7 months, depending on how you're counting it:)

Weight Gain-Hehe...another doozie this week. I think this is exactly what everyone was talking about when they said you'll gain all your weight at once, and at the end. I gained over two pounds this past week, and over 2 pounds the week before...!!! Guess I better start watching what I eat again! My total weight gain so far is somewhere around 17 or 18 lbs.

Baby Size-Bean is the size of an acorn squash this week. Again, I've never actually seen an acorn squash, so not sure how to compare, but I'm definitely feeling larger, so she must be getting bigger! All stretched out, she is over 16 inches long, but right now she's scrunched up into a little ball in my belly...crown to rump length is somewhere about 10 inches. She weighs about 2 3/4 lbs! In one of my books, they have a drawing of a preemie baby born at 29 weeks, and it's body is comparable to the size of an adult hand. I can't believe how big she's getting! 

Movement-She MUST be getting cramped in there, because today Bean is rocking out like crazy! I mean normally she kicks after I eat...probably thanking me for giving her some food:) But today, like all. day. long....seriously kick after kick. She's never been this active before. It was almost like I wanted to say "Ok kid, I know you're in there, but give momma a break for a minute!" I do LOVE feeling her kick, kick, kick, but I'm wondering if I will be able to keep this up for the next 11 weeks...it was exhausting today just feeling her move around.

Sleep-Starting to decline. It's normal for me now to get up to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours, no matter the amount of water I drink. I can fall asleep and stay asleep just fine, until my bladder kicks in and wakes me up. In the morning, I'm having a lot of trouble getting my butt out of bed...just. so. tired! I had a horrible dream last night, and I know I've had some pretty vivid dreams recently...more like nightmares. I'm not dreaming about what baby girl will look like or anything...no, I'm dreaming about high school shootings and someone breaking into my house while I'm the only one home. Hmm...anyone care to psychoanalyze me?

Feeling-Still pretty excited! I feel like the next 11 weeks are going to fly by...but then I also feel like they are going to be the longest 11 weeks of my life! I am so anxious to meet our little girl, and I know so many people that are pregnant right now and due before me. Seeing pictures of their little ones is going to make me want to meet our little one that much more...I don't know if I can be patient enough. Of course I want her to stay in and bake as long as she needs to, but I know the month of October is going to move at a slug's pace!

What I miss-Food options. I feel like I'm eating the same think over and over and over again. I know I'm a picky eater, so much of that is my own fault. I just can't wait to be done being pregnant so I can have a turkey and avocado sandwich...or tuna every day if I like. I'm also wondering now though, how I will adjust to dietary restrictions for breastfeeding...:(

What I am looking forward to-Alanna's baby shower is this Saturday and we have another baby class. I'm looking forward to the last class when we get a tour of the hospital. I'm also looking forward to the Dynamics baby shower that is being thrown for me. It's going to get really real when people start playing games centered around my belly;) Also looking forward to taking maternity photos and putting them in frames for baby's room.

Milestone/Best moment this week-Childbirth prep starting last Saturday morning. I knew a lot of the stuff the nurse was talking about, but I think it was definitely an eye opener for Eric. Without going into gory details, let's just say the things my body will have to go through to eventually deliver this baby...no wonder people call it "the miracle of birth". How my body is going to do any of that will literally take a miracle;) Another minor milestone/moment, we took our Disney pictures in to get framed so we could hang them up in baby girl's room...I can't wait to see how they turn out!

To Do-Decide on a name (I seriously doubt this will happen before she is actually born, but at least we're narrowed down as much as we can be)...it's down to Emma, Madeline, Madison, Mallory, or Natalie. 5 different names to choose from, and ones we all like. Hopefully as time passes, we will have more clarity on which name we really want;) I seriously made a list in my phone of all the to-dos I have BEFORE baby is born...it's just getting longer too. Some of it is just trivial, but some of it matters...like wash and organize baby clothes (can't do this until after my showers), pack a hospital bag, clean my office so I have room and it's not a mess, make sure Dynamics and all my dance classes are set to have me gone for 3 months...ahh!

Food Cravings/Aversions-Same ol' story here...meat is blech! Ice cream and McDonald's fries are the best thing since sliced bread! Eric actually made me a cream soda float tonight...OMG, heaven!!! It was amazing!

Bonus-Countdown to Baby Bean's estimated arrival...2 1/2 months OR 11 weeks OR 76 days...getting so close!

28 weeks!

How far along-28 weeks today! Let the countdown begin...12 weeks, or 84 more days to go! 

Weight Gain-Starting to get into the constant weight gain here...another 2 lbs (!!!) on this week. That puts my total weight gain to about 15 1/2 lbs. Not too shabby, but I am starting to feel quite large on a daily basis.

Baby Size-Bean is the size of an eggplant this week. She is about 15 inches long, and weighs about 2 1/2 lbs...no wonder I'm starting to feel quite large. She's got probably another 5 inches to grow, but quite a bit of weight to put on still.

Movement-Still kicking and moving! Her kicks are getting stronger every day, and I think now she thinks it's funny to kick my bladder because she seems to be doing that quite often!

Sleep-Well, I've been getting up to go to the bathroom about every 3 hours or so...and the Olympics are on. So I'm definitely not getting as much sleep as I should. I'm actually quite exhausted. Hopefully after the Olympics are over, I can return to a more regular sleep schedule and get some much needed rest before baby girl makes her appearance.

Feeling-Pretty good and excited about the next couple weeks. We have a childbirth prep class that we're taking for the next three Saturday mornings. I'm hoping that will answer some questions and worries I have about labor and birth. Also, the next month or so is celebrations galore. My friend Alanna has a baby shower on the 18th, Miss Trisha from the studio is getting married the 31st, my own showers are coming up too. I'm just more excited this week than overwhelmed about what's to come and that we're getting closer to meeting our little girl!

What I miss-Back to missing tuna fish! I'm still eating it about once a week in a sandwich, but I miss being able to eat it anytime I want. It would definitely make deciding on what to eat each day easier. Peanut butter and nutella is good, don't get me wrong...but tuna is sooo much better!

What I am looking forward to-Everything:) Classes, showers, getting bigger;)....like I said, I'm way more excited about the next 3 months this week than being overwhelmed like last week. We'll see how that changes from week to week though...

Milestone/Best moment this week-I think we've registered for almost everything under the sun. Part of me feels a little, how would you say over-abundant-like?...But I am having 3 showers being thrown for me. And whatever is not bought off our registry, we can always go and purchase the priority items for a discount before baby girl gets here. I'd rather buy at a discount than full price:) I do feel accomplished that I think we've covered pretty much everything we'll need with our registry. Also, we've narrowed down our name list to just 5 names! That's a huge accomplishment considering we actually agree on all 5 names:) I don't know if we'll be able to decide before baby girl is actually born what her name should be, but at least the list is 5 now, instead of 60,000.

To Do-Set a date and place to take maternity photos, start to think about a birth plan...get a dress to wear to Trisha's wedding:)

Food Cravings/Aversions-I had the biggest craving for orange juice the other day...I think I was just thirsty in general, but I've never wanted OJ so bad before...too bad we were out:( I still do not want to have anything to do with chicken or steak...blech!

Bonus-Can't think of anything to do for a bonus this week...I'm so boring.

3rd trimester-27 weeks!

How far along-27 weeks today....6 months along, depending on how you look at it. Welcome to  the third trimester...how did we get here so fast?!? 3 months (91 days) to go!

Weight Gain-I must admit I haven't been watching what I eat as much lately...craving the junk food, plus just being a little lazy;) So the weight gain from last week was just over a pound...puts my total weight gain to right around 13 lbs.

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a rutabaga this week. I'm not even sure I've ever even seen a rutabaga in real life, but I can't imagine one growing in my belly! She's over 15 inches long, and weighs over 2 pounds!! She only has to grow another 4-6 inches, and gain another 4-5 pounds before she's ready to go:)

Movement-This girl can kick! Maybe I've been training a dancer in my belly this whole time? She's pretty quiet most of the time...but sometimes when I wake up on my back in the mornings, she likes to give me a few good nudges. Maybe she's trying to get my tired butt up and out of bed? (That'll be something to look forward to when she's outside the womb, hehe). Most of the time I don't feel too much out of her until after I've eaten a meal, or if I'm sitting in a way that crowds her. She seems to like what I'm eating (better watch that since I've been eating so much junk lately:() and hate being crowded! If I lie on my right side while watching tv, it's guaranteed that she's kicking away...I wonder if she's lying on her head on that position or something?

Sleep-Still pretty good. I find that I'm drinking a lot of water lately...like a lot! I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather, or dance, or I'm just plain thirsty...but drinking all that water is taking a toll on my bladder. Ever since getting pregnant, I've had to get up on average once a night to go to the bathroom...now, it's getting worse. I'm sure it's because baby girl is pushing on my bladder more since she's getting so big. But yeah...sleep would be much better if I didn't have to get up 2+ times a night.

Feeling-Slightly overwhelmed. I started reading the section of the book my doctor gave me on labor and delivery...umm, I know I have plenty of time and all, but being in the third trimester now, it is so close. I'm also feeling super excited...like all I want to do is get ready for baby. I'm excited for baby showers coming up...I'm excited to have some time off work at the end of August to just collect myself before the school year begins. I'm also feeling very emotional right now, but I think a lot of that has to do with the Olympics being on:)

What I miss-Not a whole lot this week...just miss being able to go over 3 hours without going to the bathroom. Ya know how in a dream when you have to go to the bathroom, and then you go in your dream, but you still have the urge to go, and then finally you wake up and realize it's your body's way of telling you to go to the bathroom...it's starting to get to feel like that....where I have to go all. the. time.

What I am looking forward to-Childbirth preparation class in another week and a half...three saturday mornings in a row. I'm a little afraid, but I think knowledge will be power in this situation...here's hoping at least.

Milestone/Best moment this week-Reaching the third trimester! Also, got the glucose tolerance test out of the way and no gestational diabetes for me!!!

To Do-Find a name for this baby girl!

Food Cravings/Aversions-Nothing has changed...milkshakes and french fries with ketchup are a must. I haven't eaten steak in I don't know how long.:)

Bonus-A look at my belly bump progression from when we found out we were pg, to the beginning of 2nd trimester, to the beginning of the 3rd trimester...

4 weeks

13 weeks

27 weeks...just ignore my face here;)

26 weeks!

How far along-26 weeks exactly today...almost done with the 2nd trimester!

Weight Gain-Up a little from last week...total weight gain to date is almost 12 lbs.

Baby Size-Bean weighs almost 2 whole lbs and is about the size of a head of lettuce. In terms of inches, the books I have are all over the place...one says she is just over 9in. another says she's about 14in...so somewhere in between that sounds about right. She's getting bigger by the day!

Movement-Definitely a mover! Her kicks and movements are getting more pronounced and stronger. It's fun to sit in bed at night and watch my belly twitch from her moving around in there. She's got to be running short on room because she's moving around a lot more, especially after I eat something. When I sit in a crouched position, she also starts kicking a lot...it's like she's saying "Mommy, make room for me in here!"

Sleep-Still not bad, although I am starting to feel more tired and less well rested. I've read that around this time in pregnancy that can start to happen. I'm still comfortable lying down and everything and even wake up on my back sometimes...I just think my body needs more sleep and time to recover than what I can give it right now. Also, I'm noticing I have to go to the bathroom a lot more frequently at night now.

Feeling-Less overwhelmed than before, but still a bit anxious about getting everything done. We have all our furniture put together, except for our glider, which will be coming closer to our due date. We've registered for pretty much everything under the sun, so I'm feeling more set and ready. I had my first labor dream the other night...I can't remember details, but I do remember waking up and feeling like "guess what my brain is concentrating on now..." I'm trying not to think about that part of it now...just concentrating on putting things in order, training my teachers at the studio, and making sure I'm taking care of what I need to at work. Even though we still have 3 months left...it's ONLY 3 MONTHS!!! Time is flying by super fast and our due date will be here before we even know it!

What I miss-Being able to bend over without feeling like I might pee myself...or feeling like I have to squat with my belly in between my legs, lol. I swear, I totally took my agility for granted before! We went to raging waters yesterday and hung out mostly in the wave pool...at one point I couldn't stand up because I couldn't get my feet under me in such shallow water:( It almost hurt to squat that low.

What I am looking forward to-Suprise or not...looking forward to feeling completely overwhelmed again when we do childbirth prep classes next month. I'm also looking forward to getting my glucose tolerance test over with tomorrow so I can stop dreading it and wondering if I have GD or not...keep your fingers crossed I don't because I am loving being able to eat whatever I can right now!

Milestone/Best moment this week-My mom was able to feel Bean kick! We had a surprise baby shower thrown for us at Eric's office. After getting back from our trip, his co-worker said everyone wanted to meet me and could we come down for lunch last week. Luckily, since I'm taking more time off from work now, we went down on Wednesday and had lunch with all his co-workers. We went back to his office after to take a look around, as I've never been there since it's so far from our house, and they had the conference room all decorated with gifts, confetti, and cupcakes! We got lots of baby goodies that we completely weren't expecting...it was so cute and nice of them!

To Do-Keep trudging through the name book! Make sure our registry is finalized for the two (!!!) huge showers that are being thrown for us. Figure out if we're doing maternity photos and who's taking them;) Keep on getting as much sleep as I can...before it's too late!

Food Cravings/Aversions-Still with the meat and steak...I don't even want to look at steak. And still craving french fries! Nothing new here!

Bonus-Pictures from our surprise shower...

23, 24, 25 weeks!

It's been a busy couple of weeks...taking Dynamics to nationals in Anaheim, competing, performing in Disneyland, checking out all the shows and rides...it's no wonder I haven't had even a second to write a post on what's been going on in our pregnancy! (The busy-ness, and the fact I haven't had access to any sort of internet, other than my iPhone for over 2 weeks...it feels good to be home!)


I'm going to try to give as much detail as I can from the past two weeks, but make this brief also so it doesn't lag on forever...

How far along-Currently 24 weeks, 6 days...only 106 more days until our EDD! By this time next week, we'll be in double digits:)

Weight Gain-Along with having no internet for two weeks, I was without a scale and measuring tape also. With all the eating we did, I was afraid I would come back and gain like 15 pounds! Not so, weighed myself today and I haven't really gained anything...total weight gain is 11 pounds so far. Same as where I was almost 3 weeks ago...must've been all that walking around the parks:)

Baby Size-I'm going to run through all the weeks I've missed, just so I get all my fruit covered;)

23 weeks, about the size of a grapefruit...weighing just about a pound and measuring about 9 inches long.

24 weeks, about the size of a cantaloupe...weighing about 1 1/4 pounds and almost 10 inches long.

25 weeks, about the size of a stock of cauliflower...weighing about 1 1/2 pounds and almost a foot long.

Movement-Definitely!!! Bean has been quite active the past few weeks! I'm noticing patterns of when she is awake and asleep now. Most of the time she's pretty still, except for right after I eat lunch or dinner...and at night time (when I've been craving ice water before bed) she's super active. A few days into week 23, I actually felt her kick on the outside of my belly for the first time! It was a crazy feeling...almost like a muscle spasm! It's been super cool to watch my belly twitch at night as she's moving around...even as I type now, she's kicking away:) I was super anxious for Eric to join me in Disneyland after the first week away, especially since I finally felt her kick...I wanted him to feel her kick so bad! it took some time and patience, but last Wednesday, lying in bed before we went to sleep, he finally got to feel his girl kick! He had his hand resting on my belly for a good 5 minutes, then all of a sudden she did a big, strong kick...Eric looked at me and said "Did you do that?" LOL...he was amazed at how strong it was and how weird it felt. So, now onto everyone else that wants to feel my belly move like a little alien is inside;)

Sleep-I'm not noticing any trouble yet. Only issue I have is I've been drinking more water before I go to bed, so sometimes I have to wake up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom. I notice I kind of have to roll out of bed a little bit more each morning too. Other than that, I'm trying to get as close to 8 hours of sleep a night...while I still can.

Feeling-After catching up on some much needed sleep this weekend, I finally feel like I can think straight and can actually concentrate on what needs to get done before baby girl gets here. Summer session for the studio starts tomorrow, and I have to go back to work at the optometry office, but I feel like I have more time to enjoy being pregnant now.

What I miss-Not too much...drinking, I guess. Being on vacation and seeing other people have nice cold margaritas and beers is hard...but only a few more months left...

What I am looking forward to-Birth prep classes, our 3d/4d ultrasound package that I bought through living social...I know it's so far in advance, but our baby showers in September!

Milestone/Best moment this week-Watching hubby feel Bean kick...and also building our nursery furniture! We're just waiting on our glider, which should be in closer to our due date.

To Do-Finish registering for baby goodies, make an appointment to take the glucose tolerance test...keep your fingers crossed I have NOT developed gestational diabetes!

Food Cravings/Aversions-still french fries with ketchup, and ice water! Like not room temperature water...fill a glass full of ice and then fill it with water...that's how cold I like my water!

Bonus-Some pictures of Eric building the nursery furniture...and my growing belly!

The dogs wanted to help build furniture too:)

Taken today...24w, 6d!

22 weeks!

Another late entry this week...man, have I been busy! Dynamics show last week, recital this week, nationals next week...when does a girl get a break?!?

How far along-22 weeks, 1 day

Weight Gain-Gained a couple pounds this week...puts my total weight gain to 11.2 lbs. I've noticed that I will gain a couple pounds, then even out and drop some over a few weeks, then repeat. It's like I can't gain weight steadily or something...

Baby Size-About the size of a papaya...each resource I have reports a different size in inches for this week. One says over 7 inches, another says 12 inches...so let's just say baby is somewhere in between. And she weighs somewhere between 12 oz and a pound.

Movement-Bean was pretty active last week, but has calmed down a bit over the weekend. I'm wondering if recital this past weekend was a bit too much for her. After seeing me on stage, my dad commented "you've even got her dancing already!"

Sleep-Still fine...nothing new to report here.

Feeling-It was really hard watching everyone on stage this past weekend...I sort of wish I could have been with them, sort of. I can always come back to the stage next year, or whenever I choose. Being pregnant is growing on me more and more, and I feel like I'm finally able to process that there is a human growing inside of me! It's been such a whirlwind of events the past couple months between competition, rehearsals, two shows, and nationals...I haven't ever really stopped and taken this whole pregnancy thing all in. Of course we're beyond excited!!! And I think it's awesome that so many of my dancers are supportive and excited for us...I just wish I had a little more time to actually enjoy being pregnant...like, I can't believe we're over halfway through already...

What I miss-Dancing

What I am looking forward to-Going to Ikea tomorrow to check out furniture and see what we can find. I've also been having this weird muscle soreness, and I'm really looking forward to finding out if it's normal or not at our appointment tomorrow.

Milestone/Best moment this week-Walking out on stage after finale was over, being announced as Miss Sara, and baby to be<3

To Do-Maternity bra shopping, register or purchase a glider/recliner and dresser x2, have my brother put in the ceiling fan while we are on vacation during the next two weeks.

Food Cravings/Aversions-I refuse to eat meat...that's about all.

Bonus-Nothing for bonus this week. I have to upload all my photos from this weekend, but that might take a little while...