32 weeks

and i've hit the pregnancy wall.

i knew it was coming. don't get me wrong, i'm still happy to be healthy and pregnant. but my thriving baby boy is taking up so much space and it's getting hard to carry him around all day. i asked mr. h3b if he'd do it for a little bit and he said he would if he could...

really, i'm fine. i just feel unlike myself and can't get over the little things (ok, big things) that have changed. my weight gain and subsequent body changes, my stretch marks (i think the belly one really did me in), my sausage hands and feet. while i wouldn't want to be at work everyday, part of me knows i feel "down" because i'm at home all day, with no one to impress, and therefore i dress in comfortable clothes (oh, the horror!) and don't do my hair and makeup unless i'm going out. but i haven't cried about it and i am thankful to be at home, where i can rest when i need to and spend my time doing things that i like to do.

in happier news, i had my first shower last weekend and it was fabulous. we are lucky to have such generous family and friends and i am so thankful to have spent a nice afternoon with some of my favorite ladies. good food (note how this comes first on my list), lots of stories, games, and of course, a shower of presents for baby h3b.

decor, gifts, cake, and treats

opening gifts

baby miles trying out the moby wrap and combi bouncer

obviously, things could be worse! i'm not writing an eviction notice to herman munstertiger just yet, but i'm giving myself just a bit of room to miss being smaller, with cuter clothes and a leaner, more photogenic face. i've got another dr. appointment this monday (yep, every 2 weeks now!) and i'm seeing someone new since my dr. is out of town. of course this is the week i have a ton of questions.  none of which will be: can i hope on the scale again? just for fun?

8 weeks left.

31 week belly

how far along? 31 weeks
total weight gain: still up 37 lbs
maternity clothes? yes
sleep: some nights, yes
best moment this week: having my first shower
movement: yes
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: none specifically. mr. h3b did make a 10 pm taco bell run...
what i miss: taking a decent picture, especially if my face is involved.
what i am looking forward to: unpacking and playing with all the baby stuff I got at my shower :)
weekly wisdom: get sleep whenever possible. cherish sleep.
milestones: i got my first belly stretch mark this past week :( just a small one near my belly button, but it is there.

31 weeks

another week down!

i hit 31 weeks, so if all goes exactly according to plan, as births often do, i will have this baby in 9 weeks. that doesn't seem like enough time. i have so much to do in the nursery and in the house before baby h3b arrives. i don't want him to come too early (even if i get "done" with being pregnant in a few weeks) so i can work on the things that need to be done. even though that means i'll be painting the living room at 31+ weeks and hanging pictures and curtains and such around the rooms of the house right up to my due date.

and the nursery. finish posters, buy frames, hang art in just the right spots. find curtains, lamp (my top choice is discontinued!), and other decor items. pick up furniture at ikea. and lastly, probably most annoying, find a rocker/glider that i actually like without breaking the bank. if there has been one thing thus far that has given me trouble, it's been the damn rocking chair. my dream chair is so expensive and it just seems ridiculous to pay that much for a rocker. but i don't want exposed wood (like so many of the gliders), i don't want too poufy, i don't want silly colors ("sage green minky dot" makes me want to stab myself with a fork). if you've searched for nursery chairs recently, i guess you know that this is apparently asking far too much. my nightly task of googling for rockers is causing meltdowns left and right.

aside from the great rocker debate, i'm feeling pregnant. i'm big, slow, and a bit uncomfortable. my pelvic bone hurts, my internal organs double as a water bed (herman munstertiger doesn't kick now so much as roll around, but he does it with force), and my hands and feet are swollen. when i wake up in the morning, i can't make fists or stand full weight on my feet without some wincing. it's so fun! add pain of waking up to annoyance of being awake until 2 or 3 am and i am just a bundle of energy. but, baby h3b is moving around and healthy as per my dr. appt, so i will take the pain for him.

later he'll pay.

(tomorrow is my first shower. so excited!)

nursery updates

we have a nursery!

it's not done, no. but we painted this past weekend, we received our crib and some accessories, and i ordered a few fabrics for sheets. i figured a sneak peek was timely, since we've got only a few things (but, things!) to show right now.

here are the walls before. a pinkish crayola peach color that just had to go.

we chose a subtle blue gray by olympic calling going gray - available at lowe's. and don't worry, i used the premium version, which is zero voc and somewhat "green". here's me at 30 weeks, painting the edging. it's black and white because i was wearing bright green, unflattering pants and i have some level of dignity.

 

mr. h3b built the crib tonight and i had him move it around the room to see where it looked best. here is a tiny peek at the paint color, the crib, and the new faux sheepskin rug.

our mini doxies were on hand to "help". they were joined by the white offi dachshund lamp.

and that's all i've got so far. when i post the final nursery images, or, more of it than this, i'll be sure to include a full write up of what/from where for everything.

30 week belly

how far along? 30 weeks
total weight gain: awkward pause. 37 lbs. o.m.g.
maternity clothes? yes
sleep: thank you benadryl
best moment this week: painting the nursery!!!
movement: yes
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: see soft serve sundae story
what i miss: putting on my shoes like a "normal" person. or fitting into my shoes.
what i am looking forward to: one of my showers this weekend!
weekly wisdom: wear an apron while you cook. the belly gets into everything
milestones: realizations. i'm 30 weeks now. i have a room for the baby with baby appropriate things inside of it. this is really happening.

a belly shot outtake, courtesy of my sister. 

hot fudge sundae

i wanted one.

mr. h3b and i went out to get, specifically, a soft serve hot fudge sundae for me. we could have gone to mcdonald's for cheap and easy, but instead we ventured out to baskin robbins. it's 9:15 pm on a sunday night and the place was empty save for one worker and one shady character. i'm wearing black leggings (with a hole in the bum, so nice...), black boots, and a black hoodie and have no makeup on and my hair swept back in an effortless updo (read: unclean, unkempt...). the following dialogue takes place:

me: what comes on a soft serve sundae?
he motions to the soft serve machine.

me: yes, the sundae, what's on it?
him (broken english): just this, in a cup ::makes swirling motion::
me: no i want the sundae, not just the cup of soft serve.
him: well sundae is two scoops ::motions to hard ice cream::
me: no i want the soft serve sundae.
::blanks stare::   ::crickets::
him: hold on for just one minute.

he leaves behind some wall and is gone for about 8 minutes. during this time the shady character asks mr. h3b for a quarter. we have no change and say so, but the man lingers very close anyway (for a quarter?). the employee returns, confident in his new found sundae knowledge. he picks up a medium or large drink cup and asks if this is the size i want. i say sure...it's too complicated to argue or ask why i'm getting a slurpee sized serving. he begins to fill the cup with soft serve, carefully swirling, and after 2 minutes, i see the ice cream at the top. where will the chocolate, the sprinkles, anything, go?!

me: i want hot fudge, right?
him: yes. ::adds two more swirls to top of cup::

he adds a spoonful of hot fudge to the entire cup, sprinkles on jimmies, and tops with a cherry. he presents it, smiling, to me. i eat the hot fudge/ice cream top in 3 bites and am left with a cup of vanilla soft serve. meanwhile, he makes mr. h3b a layered peanut butter cup sundae that involves intricate portion planning and tops his with extra candies. w.t.f.

since shady character is still lurking as we begin to pay, mr. h3b gives him $5 lest he try to follow us out to the car. we pay $11 (ELEVEN!) for our two sundaes. we head directly to the grocery store and buy a jar of hot fudge so i can enjoy the rest of my soft serve.

$20 well spent.

30 weeks!

only 10 to go...

today i entered my thirties. fortunately, just in my pregnancy. besides the giant belly as a constant reminder, i cannot believe i am 30 weeks pregnant. it seemed like i would never get to this point, like it was so distant i couldn't really picture it.

my baby bump is as big as can be. i have a layer of chub (like winter fat but worse) around everything else. butt, hips, chin, ankles...they are all chunky. seeing as how i haven't followed a diet or exercise plan, this is as expected but no less shocking as the days go by and the chins add up. i am always warm and cannot find enough summer clothes that fit over my belly. i have only a few nice tank tops for public places (to go under sweaters and cardigans), so my home clothes tend to be more like tshirts turned sports bras (not that they are supportive, but that they cover only so much...). i have one pair of sleep shorts that "fit". i thought i'd need all these winter pants and long sleeves, but when i'm home i just want out of those too warm, often too tight things.

i'm feeling ok this week as far as back and hip pain, probably because i did less walking and no moving/unpacking. my newest complaint is pregnancy induced insomnia due to what i imagine is restless leg syndrome. it might sounds fake, but laying down exhausted only to toss and turn with jumpy, jittery legs that won't relax is horribly real. i have been up for 4 nights out of the past 6, barely sleeping until the early morning hours. it's frustrating, but seems common enough and "they" say it goes away after baby. which is perfect because i hear having a newborn is the best way to catch up on much needed zzzs. in any case, i've resorted to tylenol pm (didn't really work) and tonight, benadryl. in fact, i'm feeling the effects right now!

i have my 30 week dr. appointment on monday. after that, i start seeing her every other week. i'm sure stepping on the scale biweekly will be so much better than waiting 4 weeks between weight updates. but i'll do it...

for the heartbeat!

29 week belly

compare to 25 weeks in same shirt (did it shrink?!)


how far along? 29 weeks
total weight gain: at least 25 lbs
maternity clothes? yes
sleep: restless legs have kept me up 2 nights in a row
best moment this week: randomly buying white crib sheets, like, oh this? yep, just having a baby so we'll need these. like it's paper towels or something...
movement: yes, dance party at about 11 pm every night
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: i'm a lot hungry
what i miss: bending over for things i've dropped
what i am looking forward to: nursery, nursery, nursery
weekly wisdom: you look skinny at 20 weeks and prior, i bet. i thought my bump was SO big...
milestones: last week in the 20s...then it's 10 weeks or less from here on out

28 and 29 weeks

a two in one catch up.

we moved last week, to our new condo on lake michigan that will be our home when we bring baby h3b home. i got sick just before the move (as i did last time, at about 14 weeks) and being sick and 3rd trimester pregnant while moving is really annoying. i felt lazy and unhelpful. thankfully i had lots of support - we are all moved and 90% unpacked and settled.

i am huge now. my belly takes over everything. it's the first thing people look at when they see me. everyone asks about my due date, the gender, etc. when i'm running errands. i forget, even though i've been pregnant for many months, that other people see me as a pregnant person first. i've also noticed that in the last week or so, i'm pregnant even in my dreams.

i'm in pain quite a bit so i started prenatal yoga (a dvd) yesterday. my hips, back, feet...they all ache and i'm hoping some mild stretching and relaxation with purpose might help. i was shocked at how much flexibility and strength i've lost (huh, 5+ months of doing nothing will do that...) and am embarrassed at how schlumpy and couch potato-y i've become. but my sciatic pain is out of control and my feet throb if i stand for too long, so i've got few options. oh, woe.

baby h3b is active and seems happy in his ever expanding home. while i get kicks and rolls all day long, it's at 11 pm when he's ready to party. i'm collecting video clips of his nightly routines and will post proof - he's a maniac. now mr. h3b and i can feel his body parts as he pokes and kicks. it's hard to know what's what, but we've felt knees or elbows and either the head or bum as herman munstertiger presses outward and contorts my round belly.

pain and sleepless nights aside, i still love being pregnant. i look down at my stomach and protruding belly button and am amazed that he lives in there and we'll meet him soon. it seems like forever that women are pregnant, comlpaints about just wanting baby out and all, but it's not forever. it's so far from forever and i just want to cherish the time i have him mostly to myself. i love my beach ball belly and i like how i look (mostly) and feel. it is still so exciting. i'm not ready for march for so many reasons, but mostly, i'm not ready to not be pregnant.

not yet, anyway :)

28 week belly

compare to 15 weeks in the same shirt.


how far along? 28 weeks
total weight gain: at least 25 lbs
maternity clothes? when i get dressed beyond leggings
sleep: limbs falling asleep, being crushed under my weight...
best moment this week: seeing our actual nursery (in its pre-nursery state, of course)
movement: yes, dance party at about 11 pm every night
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: well, it was new years. i had a few sips of champagne and it wasn't worth it
what i miss: not having back fat (side fat, ankle fat, extra fat in general)
what i am looking forward to: getting the crib, nursery items, and painting
weekly wisdom: don't move at 28 weeks unless you have a bunch of strong, willing family members
milestones: we *might* have picked a name