38 weeks!

How far along-38 weeks exactly today...9 1/2 months along if you're counting by weeks!

Weight Gain-Everything I've read says that during the last month, weight gain slows down...well, apparently not for this one. If anything, my weight gain has sped up:( I know I've been eating trash the past couple weeks, and I'm hoping that honestly has a lot to do with it (and it's not because our baby girl is HUGE) because I've gained over 2 lbs each week the last couple weeks...puts my total weight gain to about 33 lbs...or somewhere close to that.

Baby Size-Appropriately, this week Bean is the size of a pumpkin...so suitable for her almost Halloween due date! Now I've seen some big pumpkins in my day...my dad used to love picking out these gargantuan pumpkins so he could carve some scary face on them to try and scare trick or treaters on halloween. I think that tradition has stayed with me, because I always look for the biggest pumpkin possible when we go to the pumpkin patch each year. Lord help me if Bean is anything like those pumpkins...I cannot imagine delivering one of those! No, according to books and websites, she should weigh somewhere between 6 and 9 lbs, and measure between 19 and 21 inches. I don't think those statistics will change in the next two weeks either...so pretty much she's about the size she needs to be full grown for birth!

Movement-I thought maybe she was slowing down a bit, but as soon as I think that, she starts moving up a storm. It's more rolling now than kicks, but she rolls across my abdomen A LOT! Baby girl is mostly quiet in the mornings...hopefully that means she'll be a morning sleeper so mommy and daddy can get some sleep in days;) As soon as I eat lunch though, she wakes right up and practices her big kicks. Sometimes her stretches and rolls almost hurt...like hey kid, how far do you think this belly will stretch anyway? It's like she's testing me to see how much room I can give her.

Sleep-I've had to add an extra pillow under my head this week in order to get rid of the mid night heartburn attack. Not really the way I prefer to sleep, but it works and I'm getting sleep instead of waking up with that burning sensation in my chest each night. Still waking up every couple of hours for a bathroom break as I like to call it...some nights are less frequent than others. I wanted to take a nap today so bad, but got busy doing stuff and just plain forgot:( Must remember to nap the rest of this week, while I still can!

Feeling-Anxious...somewhat more prepared. I got most of my hospital bag packed tonight, minus the last minute stuff we have to grab as we "run" out the door. The nursery is getting more and more put together with each passing day. Now that I'm on maternity leave it's almost like I don't want to do too much in one day just to save myself the boredom I might feel when everything is actually done. I've had like a weird feeling in my belly all weekend...not contractions or anything...almost like a gassy, cramp-like feel? The doctor has been asking if I've felt anything like that at my last two appointments...guess now I can finally say yes. Don't know if that's a sign of anything to come. Nothing besides that to report though...just the usual braxton-hicks and the pubic symphysis discomfort. Dr. Nath started talking to me about the signs of pre-eclampsia at our appointment last Friday...made me realize at any appointment from here on out, she could send me straight to the hospital if she thought anything was wrong. It's like we've been waiting all this time for baby girl, now that we're so close to her due date, it's so surreal. I don't think it will truly hit me until I'm holding her in my arms...and even then I might tell someone to pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming.

What I miss-my boney ankles. They swelled up two weeks ago when we had that heat wave and haven't been the same since...seriously, like the size of softballs! They feel better after a good night's sleep, but by 3pm the next day they're back to being fat and ugly.

What I am looking forward to-A margarita! Feeling like I have everything done and "Ok, baby can come now!" Taking naps (before baby comes). Actually meeting our little girl and holding her for the first time!!!

Milestone/Best moment this week-Nothing too spectacular...the look on Eric's face when I told him I wanted to know how long my Braxton hicks contractions were lasting. It was like he had seen a ghost! He is so going to be one of those men that runs around the house like mad as soon as I start having real contractions. Little does he know, i have my lists prepared...he should just sit back and relax.

To Do-Put sheets on cribs, put together diaper caddies, clean up baby's room, pick out birth announcements...not too much left...

Food Cravings/Aversions-I should just take this off the list..it's always the same.

Bonus-Countdown...2 weeks OR 14 days OR 336 hours OR 20,160 minutes!

37 weeks!

How far along-37 weeks exactly...that means we're full term! 259 days along, only 21 more to go:)

Weight Gain-So last week was not a fluke as I hoped it would be...or maybe the week before that was a fluke, I don't know. Let's just say my total weight gain is hovering right around the 30 pound mark. I was hoping to stay closer to 20 or 25, but in the grand scheme of things, not too shabby.

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a winter melon this week...a what?!? I've never heard of one either, but that's what the bump compares her too. Kind of looks like a big version of a cucumber if you ask me. There's a big spread in how much she could possibly weigh, as well as how long she is...anywhere from 6-9 lbs and 19-21 inches. I read somewhere that Bean can still gain up to a half an ounce a day until she's born. No guess from the doctor on approximately how much she weighs...I'm hoping it's closer to 6 lbs right now, than 9...eeks!

Movement-Still moving around...it's like she can't run out of room! Or she is running out of room, but loves to move around so much, she'll fight for whatever room she can get. My doctor keeps asking if I've noticed any change in movement, or slow down in movement...and my answer is always, nope, she's definitely active! Sometimes I feel like she's using my uterus as a punching bag...who knows? Maybe she'll grow up to be a boxer??

Sleep-Still ok...still waking up about every 2 hours to go to the bathroom. I find that when I do wake up now, it's less like being half asleep and able to go back to bed easily...and more like I'm actually awake and could function right then and there. A couple times over the last week, I've had to sit up in bed and then force myself to lie back down. Also, I've fallen asleep sitting up in bed while reading I think every night for the past 3 weeks? It's like I can't go to bed normally anymore.

Feeling-I think I've felt every emotion under the sun in the past week. I've been scared of the unknown, sad about leaving my dancers and classes, excited to have a little break and relax before baby gets here, nervous about being away and bringing a human into the world, anxious to meet this little human growing inside of me...just everything. And feeling opposite feelings at the same time too. Mostly, I'm feeling more ready than ever to be a mom and go through the millions of emotions, trials and tribulations that that brings. With the heat last week, and feeling more like we have things ready around the house...I think I'm ready...we're ready to have this baby. I'm hoping she gives a few days off from work, but I'm hoping she comes early!

What I miss-Eating whatever I want...I can't tell you how many times a tuna or turkey sandwich has presented itself to me over the past week and I've had to turn it away. I've been eating so much junk food lately and I feel like I'm eating the same things over and over, day after day...it'd be nice to go back to tuna and turkey. Only a few more weeks left...

What I am looking forward to-Being on maternity leave! I'm looking forward to just concentrating on baby stuff, and not having to rush off to teach class or rehearsal. I'm looking forward to catching up on some much needed tv time. And I'm looking forward to taking a nap at 4pm, while I still can;)

Milestone/Best moment this week-My best moment was lame...it was honestly just making it to the weekend so I could sleep in. Reaching the full term mark doesn't hurt either!

To Do-I'm trying to cut my list down little by little...so last week, I took 3 things that needed to get done and did them. This week, I will read over my SDI forms and figure out how and when to submit them, I will pack my hospital bag (for the most part), and I will do some artsy project for baby girl's room that I've been wanted to do. If I can accomplish just those 3 things this week, then I'll be in good shape...and I'll have a lot more time next week (assuming baby doesn't come super early) to get the rest of the stuff on my list done:)

Food Cravings/Aversions-Same as usual...

Bonus-Just our countdown this week again...3 weeks OR 21 days OR 504 hours left to go until Bean's due date...even though I'm hoping she'll come much sooner;)

36 weeks!

How far along-36 weeks exactly today...even though today is mostly over. That's 9 months along if you're counting by 4 weeks=a month, OR just over 8 months counting by months alone.
Weight Gain-I prefer not to go here this week...let's just say that when I stepped on the scale yesterday, I thought it needed to recalibrate itself, only to find out that I did indeed gain a significant amount of weight this past week.:( Overall, my total weight gain is still pretty good (and under 30 lbs), but still to gain that much weight in one week?!? Kind of making me sick...

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a honeydew melon this week...she's getting up there! I have a couple different versions of how big she's measuring though...she could weigh anywhere between 4 and 6 pounds, and measure anywhere between 17 and 21 inches long. That seems to be quite a big difference in how big she COULD be...I'm anxious to see how big she actually will be! It's crazy to think that she really did start out as something so minute, it couldn't even be seen on a powerful microscope...but now, she's so prominently there! And we still have 4 weeks to go, so she's got more growing to do!

Movement-Still moving strong...she's been rolling around quite a bit still. I think I have noticed her moving a little bit less, or maybe she's sleeping more, but not by much. She likes to roll across my belly a lot, especially just after I've eaten. Sometimes if I sit a certain way, she let's me know she's out of room, which I think is hilarious for a second, until she almost makes me pee my pants because she's punching me in the bladder;)

Sleep-The last two nights have not been the best...on Saturday night, I turned abruptly and popped my hip pretty bad. All day yesterday I had this uncomfortable feeling like I had popped something out of alignment. It was just a lot of pressure on my pelvis, I think. Last night was ok...I woke up around 4am and could not for the life of me find a comfortable position to sleep in:( I ended up being awake for about a half hour trying to find a good way to sleep that didn't hurt my pelvis and hips, and was comfortable for my belly. I think I'm just getting to that point where my sleep is going to seem intermittent and naps will become a necessity...hmm, training for what is yet to come?

Feeling-I will be the first to admit, I've been darn lucky being pregnant...no complications to speak of, every test has come back normal and with good results, no morning sickness really, not really uncomfortable. It's been great actually! Well now that I'm in the home stretch, my feet and ankles are starting to swell (and a considerable lot with this heat we've been having...who would've thought it would be above 90 degrees on the 1st of October?!?), It's getting harder to be comfortable kind of at all, getting up and down is way harder....it's just getting difficult, period. I was so uncomfortable yesterday with the heat and swelling...we had decided to take the dogs to a nearby park just to get out of the house for a little bit and get some fresh air...boy, I thought I could go into labor at any second walking around that park. It was just crazy to feel that way after having it easy for so long. I understand what people have been telling me...by the time the end comes, you're so ready to have that baby!

What I miss-Being able to point my toes without looking like a cartoon character, not having cankles:(

What I am looking forward to-Maternity leave...and finally getting to meet this little bean inside of me!

Milestone/Best moment this week-I wouldn't consider it a moment like a milestone or anything, but the best part of this past week was taking some time this weekend to just relax. I did get a lot of work done this weekend too, but it was so nice to not leave the house for a day...I had no where to be and could do whatever I wanted. Another reason why I'm looking forward to maternity leave...I can nap, I can clean, I can do whatever I want (assuming baby girl cooperates and gives me at least a couple days to be on leave):)

To Do-My list is gradually getting smaller, but I still feel like there are so many little things to take care of. I wanted to make a playlist on my iTunes to listen to while at the hospital. We have to start getting our hospital bags together. Finish sorting out the nursery. Look into SDI. I'm sure there are a million other things I'm forgetting right now too...

Food Cravings/Aversions-Still the same, nothing has changed...

Bonus-No pictures to share this week...let the countdown continue...Less than one month to go! By the time I've finished typing this blog entry, it will be 3 weeks and 6 days left (almost full term) OR 27 days left OR 647 (or so) hours left! Going to start counting down minutes at the two week mark, and seconds at the one week mark:)

35/35!!!

How far along-For those of you that don't know, the title reflects that we are 35 weeks along, and have only 35 more days to go! It seems like I've waited forever for this day to get here...yet, at the same time, I can't believe how fast this day has come. It seems impossible to me that our excitement over becoming pregnant was already over 7 months ago. I can't believe that in a mere month, we will be able to hold our baby girl in our arms, and we'll finally be a family of 3!

Weight Gain-According to the scale this week, I just hit the 20 pound mark...hard for me to believe because I feel so absolutely humongous! We'll see what the doctor scale says at our appoint tomorrow;)

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a coconut this week. She can measure anywhere between 17 and 19 inches long, weighing somewhere between 4 1/2 to almost 6 pounds! According to the bump website, she's done with most of her growing lengthwise, but still has another pound or so to gain in baby fat before she makes her debut. I'm really hoping for my sake then, that right now baby girl is closer to the 5 pound range than the 6 pound range.

Movement-Still kicking up a storm! Although her kicks and movements now are different...before they were more like sharp, jabs, like an actual karate kick...now when she moves, it's more like a rolling sensation, like she's trying to push out as hard as she can to pop this bubble she's in. It reminds me of a scene in the movie "40 year old virgin"...I'll save you the details though;)

Sleep-...eh ok. Not much to say here really...still getting up every couple hours, starting to get more uncomfortable, and harder to find comfortable positions. I expect this is all normal for being 8 months preggo.

Feeling-A little anxious, and little nervous...anxious to meet this little girl kicking and jumping around inside of me, nervous about everything I'm going to be responsible for once she gets here. I'm really hoping I can get the majority of stuff done that I want to get done before she gets here, but we shall see...like I said last week, the list keeps getting longer and longer...

What I miss-Being able to get up and down from sitting or lying down without losing my breath. Most of the time baby girl is low enough that she doesn't bother me, but after sitting, she gets pushed right up into my ribs. Exerting the energy to stand up takes a lot out of me.

What I am looking forward to-The beginning of October (next week)...so I can finally say I'm due at the end of this month. Once we hit October, it's all going to get really real...like I need to have my bags packed and everything ready type of real.

Milestone/Best moment this week-We had our 4d ultrasound last week...one of the coolest things we've done so far. We definitely got confirmation that this thing inside of me is indeed a girl (saw her lady bits to prove it even) and got to see her play around a little in utero. She was trying to play shy and wouldn't put her arm down so we could get a completely clear shot of her face, but we were able to see quite a bit, including a moment where she grabbed her foot and kicked herself in the head! She's stretching for those big kicks already:)

To Do-Install car seats, put the pack n play up in our room to see how the cats react, look at my SDI paperwork, gather recital music to bring to classes over the next two weeks, finish washing and putting clothes away, get crib sheets and some other last minute things to be fully prepared for this little one, write thank you cards (my goal is to have them all completed and mailed before she gets here...whether that means I do 5 ever day, or all at once)...they WILL. get. done!

Food Cravings/Aversions-Same same here...

Bonus-Countdown...1 month and 4 days OR 5 weeks OR 35 days OR 818 hours!
Some pictures from our ultrasound...

Looks like she's having a party in there!

Playing shy...

More shy girl...

A foot...with 5 little toes!

34 weeks!

How far along-34 weeks today...238 days down, 42 more to go!

Weight Gain-Evening out once again...I only managed to gain a half pound this week, so my total weight gain is still right around 20 lbs total. I think being up and about at the dance studio helps a lot!

Baby Size-One email I have says Bean is the size of a butternut squash, another app says she's the size of an average cantaloupe...either way, she's getting much bigger and everyone can tell by the size of my growing belly. Bean weighs somewhere between 4 1/2 to 5 lbs, and measures somewhere between 18 and 19 1/2 inches stretched out in length.

Movement-Supposedly, at this stage in pregnancy baby starts to slow her movements quite a bit because she's running out of room in my belly. I feel like that might be happening a little bit, but not really. Most of this time this little girl is as active as ever...maybe that means she's a smaller baby? Or she's my belly is providing lots of room still for her? Either way, she's a healthy kicker:) I always say...she's either practicing her grande battements, or she's going to be one heck of a soccer player!

Sleep-I find that I'm sleeping fine, but I'm getting more and more tired as the days wear on. I really need to start fitting naps into my daily schedule, but there is so. much. to. do! I'm waking up all the time, it seems, to go to the bathroom. Luckily, I can fall back to sleep relatively easy...but I still wake up tired in the mornings...

Feeling-Anxious...about everything. Washing clothes, getting the nursery organized, installing car seats, leaving work, going into  labor...will I get everything done on time? Will I have any sort of maternity leave to just relax before baby comes? I know I can't control any of this, and I'm trying so hard to keep a well-balanced schedule...work on Dynamics a bit, then do baby stuff. I just find it's so much more fun to work on baby stuff now.

What I miss-Sleeping through the night...and having a bladder of steel! Being able to fall asleep lying down...because of heartburn, sleeping while sitting has become standard for me.

What I am looking forward to-Meeting baby girl of course! But beyond that...our 4d ultrasound tomorrow(that almost wasn't. The tech guy called me today because he just found out his power is being turned off from 9am-230. Whoopsies! So now our appt is at 330pm, instead of 11am...talk about rearranging a day around! ), our infant care class on Saturday, putting all our baby clothes away:)

Milestone/Best moment this week-My mom, sis-in-law, and bff put together and threw a family and friends baby shower on Saturday. Everything was so adorable...I couldn't believe how fantastic it turned out. The decorations, the punch, cake, the games...everything was perfect and such a great way to celebrate our little girl. We got a lot of much needed supplies for baby girl, and so many cute outfits! Again, this baby is going to be one stylish chick! I also had an office shower thrown for me today at the optometry office. After this weekend, I've pretty much been able to sum up what's left on our shopping list (which isn't much)...so we'll be able to gather stuff over the next couple weeks and be super ready for baby girl to get here.

To Do-Everything I'm feeling anxious about is also an item on the to do list. The list is seriously a mile long, and keeps getting longer every day. So many things I wanted to get done before baby gets here just aren't going to get done.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Food Cravings/Aversions-nothing new...

Bonus-Countdown...1 month, 1 week, 4 days OR 6 weeks OR 42 days...getting so close!

Some pictures from the shower on Saturday...

Dirty Diapers...

Yummy!

Cute details:)

What my baby girl MAY look like...:(

Sorting everything out...after the shower:)

33 weeks!

How far along-33 weeks exactly today...it's so weird to say "I'm due at the end of next month." We're getting down to the wire now...

Weight Gain-...and we're back down again this week. My weight seems to fluctuate so much depending on what time of day I weigh myself, what I've eaten the day before...I don't really have a clue how much weight I've gained...I just know that I have somewhat of a ballpark figure. So far...the weight gain is somewhere between 18 and 20 pounds...not bad for 33 weeks, I think.

Baby Size-This week, Bean is the size of a Durian fruit...wth? I've never even heard of a Durian fruit:(  Whatever it is...Bean weighs about 4 1/2 pounds and is somewhere around 19 inches long. Supposedly, she can grow a whole inch this week alone, which means she's close to the length she will be when she's born. 

Movement-Still kicking up a storm! I've read that movement might slow down as she gets bigger and runs out of room in my belly, but at this point, there's no slowing this girl down.

Sleep-Not too bad, but starting to have trouble rolling over and getting out of bed. Still getting up every couple hours to go to the bathroom...don't think that's going to change any time soon, as now, every time I stand up, I feel like I have to go. Once I'm asleep, I'm fine, but I find that my mind kind of races a little bit with everything I want to get done before baby arrives before I actually fall asleep. I find that I'm getting so much more tired so much faster now too. Going to work today at the optometry office, and then to the studio was a lot...most of the time, at 1030 at night, I'm wide awake, but I could literally fall asleep while typing this out.

Feeling-Anxious, Nervous, feeling like I need to go out and buy everything we don't have for baby girl yet...one more shower to make it through, and then I can buy whatever I feel like, hehe. I just want to be as prepared as I can be...I feel like my to do list keeps getting longer and longer, while my time left to get stuff done keeps getting shorter and shorter. Like, I need to start waking up earlier just so I can get stuff done AND have time for a nap before I have to head to the studio.

What I miss-Not missing too much this week...just being able to eat close enough to the table so that I don't spill all over my belly:)

What I am looking forward to-The Family and friends baby shower this Saturday, going shopping for leftover baby stuff;) Our 3d ultrasound next week...hoping we can get some good shots of baby girl. MATERNITY LEAVE!!!

Milestone/Best moment this week-In a week full of tears and sorrow over losing Miss Joy, the highlight of the week was definitely the studio shower. It was hard to say goodbye to such an amazing woman and role model in my life, but it was nice to end the week with a celebration and shower for our baby girl. Miss Nicki made the studio look so cute, and we got lots more stuff for Bean to use when she gets here:)

To Do-Look at a birth plan (still!), prioritize what items we still need for baby girl (can't do that until after the shower this weekend...good thing Eric has a bonus coming because I think we might be spending a healthy chunk of change on baby items), write thank you notes for the showers I've already been thrown, put up pictures and decorate the nursery, clean our own room and figure out where the pack n' play might fit (although actually having the pack  n' play would help this a lot) so baby girl has a place to sleep...the list goes on and on...

Food Cravings/Aversions-Same old thing...

Bonus-Countdown update...1 month, 2 weeks, and 4 days OR 7 weeks OR 49 days! (I'll start breaking it down into hours and minutes at the month countdown)...

Some pictures from the shower yesterday...

My diaper trike...made by Miss Nicki!

So many gifts for baby Bean:)

The nickname has stuck...cake table.

Too perfect of a shot of grandma (my mom) trying to figure out which candy bar is in the dirty diaper;)

32 weeks!

How far along-Another late post here...32 weeks and 1 day along. Less than two months/8 weeks to go!

Weight Gain-hehe...I must admit, I was a little surprised by the scale today. I know the past week, I've pretty much eaten junk and eaten out almost every meal. I was hoping with all the walking we did at the aquarium this past weekend, I'd be good...not so much:) I have now gained over 22 lbs...let's just call it all baby weight. Here's hoping over the next 8 weeks, the weight evens out...although even gaining a pound a week would put me at 30 lbs...still pretty good, I think.

Baby Size-Bean is the size of a squash this week...not to be confused with an acorn squash a few weeks ago. She weighs just about 4 lbs, and is somewhere between 16-19 inches long (it varies depending on what book I'm reading). My belly is definitely much bigger...to the point of being in the way sometimes. I've always been notoriously known for running into walls and doorways, but now I'm starting to run Bean into walls and doorways!

Movement-Same as usual...active and kicking. I'm beginning to get a little nervous because I've heard that whenever baby is most active in utero is when baby will be most active outside the womb...that would mean that I'm going to have a child that never. sleeps. ever. We shall see, I guess...the only time she's not kicking seems to be when I'm teaching at the studio.

Sleep-I go back and forth between getting a good nights sleep and not sleeping so well. Most nights are ok...rolling from one side to the other is starting to get difficult, mostly because of the strain on my pelvis though, not because I'm uncomfortable.

Feeling-Honestly, it's been a really rough weekend. My mentor, former studio owner, teacher, and second mom passed away last Friday (part of the reason this blog is being published late). Eric and I spent the weekend in Monterey, which helped take my mind off of things a little...but then the studio opened today for fall classes. Not easy to go in and teach knowing that the person who taught you much of what you know is no longer around. Services are going to be Saturday...it's going to be such a flashback of memories. More selfishly, I'm feeling sad that Miss Joy will never get the opportunity to meet baby girl and share in the joy that she's going to bring to my life.

What I miss-Miss Joy...enough said.

What I am looking forward to-Looking forward to both my baby showers for the studio and the family in the next two weeks. Not looking forward to the funeral the day before the studio shower. Looking forward to hearing about babies being born at the end of this month (Alanna, Erica, Abby, Debbie), but not looking forward to the anxiety it might bring me knowing my own daughter is only a month away from her own appearance. I just hope I'm ready for the next two months being such a whirl wind.

Milestone/Best moment this week-We took a baby moon/anniversary trip to Monterey and stayed at the Monterey Plaza hotel. The hotel was great...so nice and relaxing, and the view was spectacular!

To Do-Pick a pediatrician, prioritize necessary baby items for our registry completion, put up pictures in the nursery, look over and fill out a birth plan if it's needed.

Food Cravings/Aversions-Nothing new...

Bonus-Let the countdown continue...1 month, 3 weeks, and 3 days OR 7 weeks and 5 days OR 54 more days!

The plaza:)

View from our room...with room service breakfast!