38 weeks

How far along? 38 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: I'm up to +17/18 pounds. I gained a little bit at last week's appointment and then dropped a pound this week.

Maternity clothes? Yes and some don't cover my belly! 

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: Sleep is great. I think it helps that I'm a natural side sleeper though. I have a harder time getting out of bed however (especially for those middle of the night bathroom runs...sometimes twice a night now) and have asked Brandon to give me a hand every now and then in the mornings. :) I am also pretty consistently tired all day. It didn't help that it was exam week this week (read: grades are due). Monday, my long term sub starts and I cannot wait! She is excited to teach and I am excited to spend my last week in a more supportive side role.

Best moments this week: 

1) Finishing grades at school...I can breathe easier now!

2) 2 more baby showers...my dad's side threw me a wonderful shower and my co-workers surprised me with a shower (breakfast included!)

Here are a couple of pictures from Aunt Sandy's shower for me:

Delicious food and cheesecake!

Our little ice cube babies. Whoever's ice melts the fastest has to yell, "My water broke!". 

Below is a group shot from my work shower. Not everyone is in the picture but it turned out nice. :)

And....I had to throw in the selfie. It was the eve of epic Pi day (hence the shirt). ;)

3) Third best moment was actually a couple of weekends ago after I wrote my last post. After so many showers I was overwhelmed with the amount of things I had received and frankly did not have the energy to sort through it all and put it away. So my WONDERFUL mom came over and helped me get everything unpackaged, washed, and put away. We even ran out to return things I got doubles and triples of. This whole process took almost all of Saturday and part of Sunday too. I am so thankful for her help! Tyler stopped by for a little while and got put to work as too :).

4) Bought some last minute items we needed including the 4moms Breeze playard in the picture (don't worry, it's not staying in the middle of the living room!). The cradle I was planning on using ended up not working out. Apparently the mattress is completely not a standard size so I couldn't find anything to fit it. That's okay though, the playard will be nice for the cottage and traveling. 

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? I miss being able to move and change positions comfortably. And I walk so slow now! I have to tell Brandon to slow down a lot and he replies, "you're the one who taught me to walk this fast!" Haha!
Movement: Movement is happening but clearly baby has run out of wiggle room! Odd bumps often protrude from my stomach and are sometimes uncomfortable because my skin is already so stretched. I love feeling the baby though; I know I will miss it.
Food cravings: Anything not good for me. Haha!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Have you started to show yet: My nickname at school is "Ms. Basketball Lady" so I'd say yes. ;)
Gender prediction: Most people are saying boy now but I still think girl. We'll see if my "mother's intuition" is correct soon!
Labor signs: Baby is in a good position, I am having contractions every day, and doctor guesses that baby is in the mid 7 to 8 pound range but that can be off by a couple pounds either way. I think I'm on schedule. :) I have been convinced this entire pregnancy that I will go to my due date or later, so if baby makes his or her appearance this week (because I'm much closer to 39 weeks than 38...slacker blogger) I would be totally thrown off guard.
Belly button in or out? Out.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Spending what could potentially be our last week as just a couple together.

A couple of pictures from our walk last weekend at the Gardens:

And of course I'm looking forward to making use of this car seat! We're ready to meet you soon Baby!

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: Well, I finally gained some weight. I wondered, since I've been eating like a cow the last couple of weeks; I was just so hungry! :) I officially gained 2.7 more pounds, so now I am approximately +16 pounds total. But the last couple of days my eating has slowed down again, there's just no room!

Maternity clothes? Yes and even some of my maternity shirts are starting to get a bit tight. Yikes!

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: I start falling asleep around 8:00 at night. We've been having a Harry Potter movie marathon the last couple of weeks and basically Brandon watches the movie while I fall asleep. However, I don't have as much trouble waking up early for work. :) And it helps that it's getting light out in the morning now too! I still would not consider myself a morning person though. 

Best moments this week: 

1) 3 Baby showers!!! My mom's side and church were planned for this week. And then Brandon's co-workers surprised him with a surprise baby shower! He thought he was going to a work meeting at Red Robin (they do have meetings at restaurants occasionally so this seemed normal) but when he arrived he was met by a ton of his co-workers both old and new! I was invited to join later (I was out to dinner myself!) and it was lots of fun! Here are some pictures from my mom's side baby shower:

2) After what seemed like a never ending car seat saga...we finally have a car seat that I LOVE and it is in the car. Stuff just got real. We went with the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 and it has so many features that I was impressed with (I'm a researcher) and it's super light which is a big plus in this wimpy armed girl's book. 

It can also go onto our City Mini Stroller with an adapter...very exciting. (And that was part of the drama of our car seat "saga").

3) I finished my grad class! Now I can relax and focus on prepping stuff for baby.

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? I miss having the energy to put into work at school. Luckily my long-term sub starts in a couple weeks and we will be working together for a week, assuming baby doesn't make an early appearance.
Movement: I was worried for a couple of days that baby wasn't moving as much but now I feel it a lot more. I've just had to adjust to a different sort of movement as baby runs out of room to wiggle!
Food cravings: Back to ice cream and Culver's shakes the past couple of weeks!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Have you started to show yet: Definitely! Many people have commented that they think I'm starting to "drop". I have no idea, the view looks the same to me!
Gender prediction: Girl. My students are hilarious and try to guess based on my shape and lots of other old wives tales, but they are split between thinking boy and girl. :) They are also convinced that I secretly know the gender. Apparently they believe the doctor has to tell you the gender. Oh my!
Labor signs: More and more Braxton Hicks contractions and lower pressure. Baby is getting into position. Doctor was pretty sure baby is head down (but perhaps sunny side up). I've been trying to stay active, and by active I mean walking!
Belly button in or out? It's an outie...crazy!
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I've felt more easily irritated lately, especially after school when I'm just so tired. However, Brandon says he thinks it's all in my head (and maybe it is...). But I'm always happy when I think about baby!
Looking forward to: Taking care of last minute details to prepare for baby's arrival. I'm talking about you hospital bag...

Baby B's Nursery

I am FINALLY getting around to showing off our nursery for Baby B!!! This end of the 3rd trimester tiredness is no joke! I get home from work and crash. But, when I do have some extra energy, the nursery is one of the places I love spending time in preparing for our little bundle of joy. :) So...here it is!

View #1

The rocking chair was handed down to us from my parents. They used to rock me in it when I was a baby. :)

View #2
Obviously I took these pictures a while ago (if you spy my chalk board)!

I love the bookshelves! And I love that my husband graciously put them up while I stood behind his shoulder watching him like a hawk...sorry love!

We've already added more books to the collection thanks to Brandon's "Man Shower"!

Our fantastic crib from Pottery Barn Kids! I LOVE it! And if you've talked to me about the nursery, you know that I plan on getting a crib skirt ASAP! Because a baby can't sleep in a crib without a crib skirt...haha! The mobile and crib sheets I purchased at the Land of Nod. Love that store! I may also eventually put Baby's name up on the wall here as well. I really like the metallic letters from Anthropologie!

My mom bought Baby B a going home outfit. But since the gender will be a surprise, she picked up a boy and a girl outfit! :) The little sheep is from Brandon's mom and it makes different comfort noises like a heartbeat, ocean, etc.

Let the accumulation of toys begin!

I love this dresser from Ikea! If it's a girl, I may replace the knobs with some glass knobs. And we will have a changing pad where the diaper cake is.

I can't wait to put a picture of Baby B in this adorable frame!

So there it is! I think it's quickly become one of my favorite rooms in the house. :) I hope Baby B enjoys it.

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks, 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: STILL +13 lbs. This means I haven't gained any weight since my 25 week appointment. I asked the doctor if this is okay, since all of the things I read say baby should be gaining 1/2 pound per week, but she assured me it was fine. She said not to eat any more or less, just continue with my normal eating habits. We'll see what this last month brings. ;)

Maternity clothes? Definitely. I ordered a new smaller pair of maternity jeans from Gap because my current pair are so baggy in the backside. Bad idea... I wore them for one day and I think I cut off circulation to my poor baby's head!!! It was sad because I got them for a great deal but I had to return them. On a side note, I also ordered a pair of their maternity "dance pants" (essentially yoga pants). As their sizing chart suggested, I ordered a small. Um, I could barely get them over my kneecap... Thanks Gap. *I feel I must clarify that most of my maternity clothes are from Gap and I LOVE them...so this was just a disappointing day!

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: SLEEP. I love it. And I know I'm going to miss it soon. I get very sleepy at school and typically fall asleep on the couch after school...hello first trimester again? At night, I sleep pretty soundly the first half of the night, wake up to use the restroom (this is every night now), and then sleep, but more restlessly, until my alarm goes off.

Best moments this week: 

1) I had my first baby shower! This one was given by my mother-in-law and WOW! She spoiled me! She and Melissa made me the most beautiful diaper cake (and two mini diaper cakes) I've ever seen. I almost burst into tears when she brought it out. Hello hormones! We were staying for the weekend so Brandon helped set up and then left with the boys. Us girls had lots of yummy food, played a couple games, and then I opened presents! I must say, I impressed myself with my baby food identifying skills in the first game. ;) Here are some pictures:

It was so much fun and we got some very nice things!
2) Receiving this surprise chocolate chip pie from the best cook at church!

3) FINISHING my lesson plans for my long-term sub. Hallelujah!

4) Snow day today so I could finish my paper for grad class. Another Hallelujah!

5) Finishing the nursery! I will be posting on our nursery soon!

We have also set up a few things outside of the nursery to prepare for baby's imminent arrival. In the living room we set up the changing station since the nursery is upstairs, complete with our new diaper genie in the corner. I hope it doesn't give off a stench or it won't live there for long! And yes, that is baby laundry there...even though baby isn't even here yet! It starts now.

And we also set up the Rockaroo (thanks mom!), the baby swing that actually fits in our home, so that Zoey can get used to the movement. At first she creeped around it and stared at it when it was turned on with her beady little Border Collie eyes. Now, she seems to have made peace with it. :)

And P.S., here is our new couch! I took this picture the night it was delivered. Love it!

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? I've missed having a clear complexion for a while now. Nobody warned me that junior high acne would return with a vengeance.
Movement: Less ninja-like moves and more moves that make it clear space is tight in there!
Food cravings: Oatmeal and I'm thirsty all of the time as well.
Anything making you queasy or sick? I don't think so.
Have you started to show yet: Uh yes. I'm getting the "you look ready to pop" line from pretty much everyone now. Oh my.
Gender prediction: Girl??? Brandon still says boy.
Labor signs: When I walk or stand for too long I get tiny little contractions (Braxton Hicks) but besides that no. When the real ones arrive, I've got my warrior face ready! lol
Belly button in or out? It's official, I've seen the bottom of my belly button. Never thought I'd see the day. It pops through looser shirts, but when I have all of my layers on you usually can't see it. It also gets very irritated if I bump it or accidentally rub my belly against things. Poor, sensitive belly button skin.
Wedding rings on or off? On. One of Brandon's female co-workers was SO jealous that my ring is still on. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I haven't had any swelling issues. *Knock on wood.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and excited to meet and see this little person!
Looking forward to: More baby showers and maternity leave. :)

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain/loss: Still +13lbs as far as I know. I may have dropped weight this week however since I caught the stomach flu. After almost 5 hours of throwing up every 10 minutes I had to go to the hospital for IV fluids and a bunch of poking and prodding. Good news, baby is okay and I'm finally eating a little bit of food again.

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: While being sick sleep has been plentiful. However, before I got sick I was starting to get more restless. I've been a bit stressed trying to get stuff done for school (work), grad school, and baby. 

Best moments this week: 

-I was able to use a snow day to get the nursery cleaned up and as ready to go as I can. We still need some things to finish it up. I plan on doing a nursery post soon with some pictures! 

-Also, Zoey turned 2! We officially have a "teenager" on our hands. Haha! We didn't do anything super special (because I was too sick to move) but she did get to go play with her friends at day care all day!

Already sleeping like a teenager. Of course, if you know Zoey, this is a rarity. 

-Our new couch is getting delivered this afternoon!!! 

-My mom bought the cutest little "going home from the hospital" outfits! One boy and one girl. They are from this really cool brand that uses magnets instead of snaps or zippers. It's called "Magnificent Baby". Here's the website if you're curious: http://www.magnificentbaby.com

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? Um, eating like a regular person currently.
Movement: Lots! Less kicks, more rolling and shifting. It's starting to get a bit cramped in there I think. ;)
Food cravings: Still Culver's chocolate peanut butter shakes...
Anything making you queasy or sick? Um, yes. The stomach flu. Boo.
Have you started to show yet: Yup and occaisionally I run into things with my belly. Oops, sorry baby. ;)
Gender prediction: I'm back to thinking girl...but pretty much everyone else (including Brandon) thinks boy. We shall see.
Labor signs: While at the hospital I was having small contractions because of the irritation the flu caused. However, they got better once I had fluids back in me and I was not dilated at all. Good news there.
Belly button in or out? I would say it's pretty much out. It doesn't really "pop" since I had such an innie to begin with...but it is certainly stretched to the max!
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I did leave them home for church again.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! I'm both excited and slightly terrified that we only have about 7-8 more weeks to go!
Looking forward to: Baby showers! :) 

30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks, 6 days (30w4d in picture)

Total weight gain/loss: I was still +13lbs at my 29 week appointment so there has been no change from my 25 week appointment weight wise. I asked the doctor if I should be concerned but she said no. So, I guess baby is all good. I thought for sure I had gained quite a bit because my belly is getting bigger by the day! :)

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: I still sleep quite soundly, thank goodness. I'm a side sleeper naturally so that has made it that much easier. Flipping over has become quite the production though...haha! And I'd say 4-5 out of 7 nights I do have to get up to use the bathroom, usually within an hour of my alarm going off. 
Best moment this week: I passed my glucose screening test! Yay! I received a lot of advice about that test regarding eating or fasting beforehand. Turns out, most of the advice came while I was already sitting in the waiting room....so what was done was done. Lol. In case you're wondering, I actually had about a 3 1/2 hour "fast" before I went. Seemed to work out fine for me. And for the record, I actually liked the Orange drink...it was like McDonald's Hi-C on steroids. 

Also, last night we got to hang out with some friends from church. ALL of us are expecting! Tiffany, on the left, is due with baby #1 (boy) in 5 days(!!!), Paige is due with #2 (boy) about a month before me, and then there's me, due March 29! There was definitely a lot of pregnancy and baby talk going on! :)

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? Being able to shift/change positions quickly and comfortably.
Movement: I feel a ton of movement, especially at night of course. Baby has clearly had a preference for my right side the last couple weeks. I can always feel something moving from the outside too and I'm not sure if it's a leg, arm, or what! I'm so curious!
Food cravings: Besides Culver's shakes, this week it was definitely Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I could have had it for every meal. No joke. I resisted, but the urge was there! I've always liked cinnamon toast crunch, but not that much. Haha! I stocked the fridge with many more healthy options this last grocery trip so I've actually been eating relatively well, just a handful of CT Crunch here and there. ;)
Anything making you queasy or sick? The fact that I have to finish one more grad class before baby comes... Actually, I seem to have hit the jackpot professor! Only two, relatively short papers to write. And, I like the class. :)
Have you started to show yet: No, I still feel so thin! HA HA. YES I am clearly showing! My students have said everything from "you're huge" to "it looks like you swallowed a bowling ball"! I take them all in stride. Obviously growing a human being is going to cause some outward growth. :) And though I absolutely love my big belly, I did almost cry when Brandon and I looked back at my 4 week "day we found out" picture. I was a stick! 
Gender prediction: I'm still clueless. Not even an inkling of an idea. However, there are 10 couples in our birthing class...5 having boys, 2 having girls, and 3 surprises. If you do the math, that means we're having a girl since the ratio is like 49% to 51%. Haha!
Labor signs: Nooooo thank goodness!
Belly button in or out? I'm coming out...I want the world to know, got to let it show. Yes, my belly button has officially crossed over part time. Depending on where baby is positioned it can be in or out. Hey, at least Kelly Ripa said outie belly buttons were going to be the body part of 2015. I guess I'm on trend. ;)
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I did leave them home for church. My hands swell up so much during the service!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and more and more excited to meet this little person!
Looking forward to: Baby showers! :)

28 weeks

Hello 3rd Trimester!

How far along? 28 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: +13lbs at my 25 week appointment. I will get an update at next week's appointment. I think I'm supposed to gain about a pound a week now...yikes!

Maternity clothes? Yes! Although the shirt in this picture is not.

Stretch marks? No!
Sleep: I've been sleeping very soundly this week and usually waking up once for the bathroom. One strange thing though is that every morning I'll wake up a few times before my alarm and my arms from my elbows to my hands are numb and tingly...I'm not sure what's causing this but I will check with the doctor.
Best moments this week: 

-Getting back to school and seeing my students. Even though teachers love breaks from school (sometimes more than the kids) we still get excited to see them again.

-Attending our first session of the "Preparing for Childbirth" class. I may have had the "deer in the headlights" look a few times but we enjoyed it. I'm a teacher...I like learning. :) We still have 3 sessions to go.

-I finished both of my baby registries (BuyBuyBaby and Target)! I love registering...it fulfills my shopping cravings without the spending of money. :) BuyBuyBaby has everything baby so that registry is much more comprehensive (and long!), but Target is more convenient for many people so we have a smaller registry there too. 

-We used some money we got for Christmas plus some of ours we had been saving and ordered a new couch!!! I cannot wait for it to arrive!!!

-Speaking of furniture, we did a bit of rearranging of furniture in our house, specifically the living room, to make room for the impending load of baby gear. (We have a tiny house!)

-This may seem contradictory to my first statement, but it's a snow day today! Always very exciting for me...but I feel bad that Brandon has to go to work. :(

Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss anything yet? Every week I try really hard to think of something to put here...but to be honest I'm really enjoying being pregnant. I think I will miss all of the little movements I feel everyday in my tummy after the baby is born!
Movement: Definitely! I can see it clearly from the outside now and one of my students even spotted it once, haha! I did feel my first "rib kick" and it compares to the "crotch" kicks as far as discomfort. ;) Luckily I haven't felt another one yet!
Food cravings: Clementines! I seriously considered having one in my picture this week. I eat a couple every day! I have to do my glucose screening test today or tomorrow (if I can get out of my driveway) and I'm hopeful for good results so I can continue to eat what I like.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really; Brandon still deals with the raw meat for me though.
Have you started to show yet: Oh yes, and everyone likes to point out how much bigger my belly is every. day. It's true though, it's growing like crazy now.
Gender prediction: I'm going to say either boy or girl...haha! I have no clue.
Labor signs: Nope and hopefully none for a while. Keep cooking baby!
Belly button in or out? You mean that alien thing on my belly? Lol. It hasn't popped, but it's almost there.
Wedding rings on or off? I always hear about foot and ankle swelling in pregnancy, but for me it's my hands. Since my last post my hands have started swelling more frequently. I have not taken off my ring yet...but I may have to soon. :(
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy! We're starting to get really excited!
Looking forward to: Baby showers, finishing up the nursery, and meeting this little person! 

On a side note, we have been trying to prepare Zoey for baby's arrival. You can see below this cute picture of her is a picture of our "stand-in" baby. However, Zoey's not stupid and she totally knows it's a fake lol. She ignores the doll and brings us the ball instead. Yeah, we still have some work to do there. :) 

Mom, just play ball with me...I set it right next to you.

I hope you all stay warm this week!