32 Week Update

Merry Christmas!

We've been on the go since Tuesday and I finally caught a moment to post an update!

How far along? 32 Weeks.

How big is baby? Close to 18 inches and 4 lbs! 

Best moment this week: Spending time with both of our families and spending Christmas morning in our pajamas eating monkey bread!

Miss anything? Energy!

Movement: feeling less kicks and more rolls and stretches. Several times this week she has stretched and made my stomach a weird shape.

Food Cravings: Ice Cream and Cheesecake

Food Aversions: Cheese...just don't even go there.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I've noticed that if I do too much I get a little nauseous. Carrying some stuff up the stairs left me winded and queasy for about 30 minutes!

Symptoms: Is uncomfortable a symptom? That's the only way to describe it. She's running out of room and rearranging all of my insides. 

Looking forward to? Now that the holidays are over I'm ready to finish up the nursery and finally give in to Tim and pack my go bag! I'm actually pretty excited to start washing all the tiny clothes and picking out what she'll come home in.

30 Week Update and A Winter Woodland Baby Shower!

How Far Along:  30 Weeks! 

Size of Baby:  At our last appointment she weighed in at 3 lbs and was in the 57th percentile. Hopefully she will continue at that pace and not get too big. Today she is the size of a motorcycle helmet'

Sleep:  I have good nights and bad nights but when I sleep, I sleep hard.

Best Moment This Week:   Celebrating baby girl at the baby shower!

Movement: Lots. She is definitely running out of room in there.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Nothing in particular. I'm just so tired of the the diabetes diet. It would be much easier if I could eat whatever I felt like.

What I Miss: Just like previous weeks, breathing is what I miss most.

Stretch Marks:  Nope.! Hoping that if I don't have them by now Ive avoided them.

Belly Button:  Still in! I'm winning the bet!

Mood: Feeling exhausted and getting a little nervous.

Labor Signs:  I don't think so...I'm not too sure if what I've been experiencing are Braxton Hicks but there are days when I feel like she's going to fall out.

Milestones:   Bi-weekly doctors appointments start now!

Upcoming Appointments/Events: Looking forward to our last Christmas with just us. Hoping we can take a moment to ourselves and just enjoy each other before holidays take on a whole new meaning.

What I look forward to: Completing the Nursery

This weekend my Mom and Sister threw the most wonderful Winter/ Woodland Baby Shower!

I couldn't have asked for a more special day.

We are both so thankful for all the love and support from family and friends and so happy we were able to celebrate our baby girl together!

28 Week Update

I made it to the Third Trimester!!! This time is just flying by and in 12 short weeks we will have our baby girl in our arms!

I think I officially look pregnant because I'm getting a lot of people confidently asking me questions about the baby and I even had my first belly touch from a stranger. It's amazing how excited complete strangers get for you. I was in a long pre-Thanksgiving Costco line the other day when an older man stepped in behind me and told me pregnant women are good luck so he chose this line. Then he asked me when my due date was and was excited to find out he and the baby were both Aquarius. He then asked if he could give me a compliment..."No where in the pregnancy books does it say you have to leave the house with dirty hair and frumpy clothes even though it is so easy to do. My wife and I like to compliment women who take care of themselves and make themselves feel good. You little lady look wonderful!" I could have hugged him right there in the checkout line! It's hard not to feel frumpy and frazzled all the time and that was a day where I really needed to feel like I looked presentable.

How far along? 28 weeks

How big is baby? 14 in. 2.5 lbs or the size of a roller blade

Sleep: Ugh...

Best moment this week: Hitting another viability milestone (her lungs are fully developed and if she was born today she would have a really good chance of  surviving) and our friends had their darling little boy, Joshua! We went to visit him last night and he's just perfect. I had an explosion of emotions seeing him and his mama. I think the closer I get the more I realize that this baby has to come out of me one way or another and that's pretty terrifying. Examining all of his tiny features temporarily took that fear away because little feet and lips are just so wonderful!

Miss anything? Full breaths, Ice Cream, and being able to eat whatever and whenever I want. The gestational diabetes has been manageable but a pain in the butt eating and testing so frequently. Sometimes a girl just wants a chocolate chip cookie!

Movement: She's a wild woman! Movement is more frequent and quicker like she's kickboxing or something.

Food Cravings: Just all the things I can't have.

Food Aversions: Lately it's been cheese...ugh.

Symptoms: Sore back and hips, always out of breath, trouble sleeping/getting comfortable, a little more emotional than usual but that's kinda the norm for me.

Belly Button in or out? It's really working hard to stay in. Tim is convinced it will pop out like a turkey timer and make a noise. 

Looking forward to: Getting Christmas shopping done so I don't have to worry about it anymore and our next appointment and ultrasound!

Pregnancy Update: Week 26

How far along? 26 weeks! I can't believe this is the last week in the second trimester!

How big is baby? 14 inches long and 2 lbs. About the size of a head of lettuce or a bowling pin! 

What's going on in there!? All 5 senses are developed now and she has a hair color.

Sleep: Sleep is getting more and more difficult. I toss and turn a lot and now to switch sides I pretty much have to do a 3 point turn.

Best moment this week: This girl is hyper! She now moves throughout the day and yesterday we felt what we are assuming was her head. This morning I woke up to her first hiccups! 

Lamest moment this week: Unfortunately I failed my glucose test and was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes :( ...Failing wasn't even on my radar so to say I was shocked was an understatement. In fact, I was devastated. I felt so guilty and scared until I did more research and realized how common it was and sometimes it just happens. Yesterday I had my first class and picked up my testing supplies. Although testing 4 times a day and sticking to a strict diet was not what I envisioned in the home stretch, I'll do anything to keep both me and the baby safe and healthy. 

Miss anything? Just being ache free

Symptoms: Achy hips and joints when I walk or stand for too long, feeling tired and pretty emotional.

Belly Button in or out? It's still hanging in there!

Looking forward to? The holidays and working on the nursery some more!

24 Week Update

How far along? 24 Weeks --She's reached her first viability milestone!

How big is baby? About 13 in. long and the size of an eggplant that weighs about 1.5 lbs.

Sleep: I have good nights and bad nights but I finally found a comfortable way to use my maternity pillow.

Weird Dreams: The other night I had a dream that I had the baby, in the hospital, but by myself and didn't tell the nurses until the next day. I just put her in a bassinet and went to bed. The next morning when they found her I tried to pick her up but she was very slippery and I dropped her on the floor. The nurse casually picked her up by the back of her neck like you would a kitten. Tim was at a comedy show at the mall so I didn't bother him with the news and my parents said they might stop by after lunch. 

Best moment this week: Making our first steps towards preparing the nursery. This lady is ready to nest! Also, having Tim home to feel his crazy daughter dance around.

Miss anything? Being able to walk around without getting winded...shoot, I miss being able to sit without losing my breath!

Movement: She's very active in the morning and before bed. I'm just now starting to feel her while I'm standing up and last week she did a somersault! 

Food Cravings: Haven't had many cravings lately. I have a hard time deciding what to eat because nothing really sounds appealing.

Food Aversions: I can't believe it but baby doesn't like pumpkin!! I was so excited to bake a Halloween treat and made these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies and one bite had me sick all night. I couldn't even think of it without my stomach flipping.

Symptoms: I'll spare you some of the TMI symptoms but mostly just feeling uncomfortable. Some shooting pains, feeling like there is a block on my chest and not being able to take a deep breath. 

Belly Button in or out? Still in but looking pretty shallow

Looking forward to? Getting my gestational diabetes screen over with! I'm lucky enough to get the 3 hour test right off the bat. Praying my little veins can handle it and that the drink isn't as horrid as everyone says it is.

22 Week Update

How far along? 22 Weeks...18 weeks to go! Yikes!

How big is baby? The size of a water bottle or ear of corn and she finally hit 1 lb!!

Cravings: CEREAL! I can't get enough. I was never a breakfast person and just preferred to make lunch my first meal. Now I wake up so excited for breakfast! Its so bizarre but I suppose it's a good habit to get into. I have to take my thyroid medication 45 minutes before I eat so I watch the clock as I dream of my bowl of cereal.

Best Moment This Week: She is a kicking machine! Mostly when I lay down to sleep. Last night the kicks could be seen on the outside and every once in awhile it will be a real good one that makes my stomach drop like I'm on a roller coaster. 

Symptoms: I've been feeling pretty good physically. I'm struggling with always being hungry and the fear of gaining too much. I've been trying to substitute with smaller, healthier snacks in hopes of feeling full longer. I'm having a hard time with Tim being in Ireland too. All of these extra hormones make it difficult to have so much alone time.

Comments From Strangers: The other night when I ordered my veggie sandwich the guy asked if the baby didn't eat meat. I was so excited that he could tell I was pregnant and didn't just have a beer belly! But then he said, "So, you're in like the third trimester?" Luckily he was a teenage boy and I resisted the urge to punch him.

Things I'm Looking Forward To: We finally decided on our crib! I can't wait to go buy it and set it up. I feel like that will be the beginning of my nesting and it will be so fun to officially have a nursery! And of course Tim coming home and having him here for a day before his next trip <3 nbsp="" p="">

Also, this week I went to my first pre-natal yoga class! It was at the cutest little place called Granola Babies (fitting name, right?)  It was my first time doing any type of yoga and I totally thought we would just sit there and do some stretches with our eyes closed....Nope! I was dripping with sweat and fighting the urge to throw up! It was definitely a workout. I left feeling so accomplished so I'm sure I'll go back.

Little Piece of Fall

We recently made a day trip up to Oak Glen seeking a glimpse of Fall and escaping the scorching                                                        temperatures here in Orange County.

We were on a mission to pick apples and pumpkins and eat awesome apple treats!

Photo by D.Park Photography

Oak Glen is such a cute little town in the San Bernardino Mountains. It' s a road lined with apple orchards and cute little shops and restaurants.

I was so excited to pick apples for the first time! It proved to be a bit of a challenge because the place was packed and we were lucky to find the four apples we did! Most were on the ground or had weird holes in them. Still glad I got to experience it though.

After an apple hunt and making our way through the corn maze we settled in for a cute BBQ picnic

 Next stop was the pumpkin patch where we found the cutest little pumpkins as well as the largest pumpkins I've ever seen. 

By this time I was ready to sit down again so we made our way up the road to our next stop.

Photo by D. Park Photography

 We got in line for some famous Apple Cider Donuts and it was well worth the wait!

Photo by D.Park Photography

Photo by D. Park Photography

We even had an impromptu mini maternity shoot! I just love how these turned out.

(Photos by D. Park Photography)

So glad we got to experience a little bit of fall to kick off October!