35 weeks - Big movements, Diaper Bag, Hiccups!

 
Looking at that 2nd illustration is crazy to me. It's hard to believe that I have a baby that big in my belly sometimes.  Other times, it's very easy to believe because I feel a ton of pressure on my bladder or a huge stretch that catches me off guard.  It is blowing my mind that I am already 35 weeks and that I only have a maximum of 5 weeks before I meet my sweet little man.  It's even crazier to think that he could show up in about 2 weeks! I've mentally prepared myself for his arrival in 5 weeks, so if he shows up early, he is really going to catch me off guard.  I'm a huge planner (Type A personality here!) and it's stressing me out not know what's going to happen in the next few weeks. 

How far along: 35 weeks

Total weight gain: About 40 lbs.  :(

Maternity Clothes: Yep all maternity.  I did ask David to buy me a large T-shirt the other day when he ran into Academy.  He came back with this shirt... At least it covers my belly!

Stretch Marks: None on my tummy, a few on my butt though.  No big surprise there!

Sleep: Tossing and turning.  Having weird dreams again.

Best moment this week: Getting the diaper bag in! I absolutely LOVE it! It's big, has a fold out changing pad, comes with a travel wipes case, and has tons of pockets.  You can order one here! It's made by Petunia Pickle Bottom and I have recently become obsessed with their bags.  I really want to order the Wistful Weekender next.  Can you tell I'm a bag junkie?

Worst symptom(s) this week: Hot flashes, swelling, exhaustion...

Movement: He seems to be more active now than he has been the whole pregnancy.  Or at least I'm feeling more now that he has run out of room. It takes my breath away sometimes when he has a really big movement and pushes out really hard.  It's very distracting lol.  I've noticed that he does not like it when I lay too far on my side.  I guess I am pushing on him or decreasing his space, because he always pushes back really hard!  My husband finally stopped asking what's wrong when I shout "Ow!" for no apparent reason. He is also getting hiccups on a regular basis now.  He gets them 2-3 times a day and goes for about 5-10 minutes. You can actually see my belly continuously twitch if he's close to one side.

Food cravings:  Nothing much right now.  Been pretty thirsty!

Anything making you queasy:  Being really full and getting hot.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I'm huge.

Gender prediction:  It's a BOY! Grant James Martinez

Labor signs:  Had a few cramps which I'm told are Braxton Hicks.  Nothing consistent though.

Belly Button:   It's almost flat at this point.  Still hoping I can avoid it popping out!

Wedding Rings:  Gave up on them :(

Happy or Moody:  Moody.

Milestones: Packed the baby bag for the hospital.  I started on my hospital bag, but it's hard to get that 100% ready since I am still using the clothes and toiletries on a daily basis.  I've pretty much got everything in there that I can pack ahead of time, and will just have to remember what to grab at the last minute.

Looking forward to: My doctor's appointment this week.  I'm getting nervous the closer to 40 weeks I get!  Every little cramp I feel I wonder if this is the beginning of labor.  I am a planner and I can't plan for this!  It's stressful for me not knowing when he will decide to make his appearance. I'm hoping they start checking for dilation soon, so I can get an idea of when labor will start.

Things I never knew would be so difficult during pregnancy

Things I never knew would be so difficult during pregnancy:

Fitting into a tiny bathroom stall.  Getting that door to open and close when you have a giant belly sticking out in front of you is surprisingly hard.  I usually end up squeezed into the toilet or wall trying to get out.  You'd think I’d remember this each time and just go for the handicap stall, but no, I’m always in such a hurry to go the bathroom (another lovely pregnancy symptom) that I rush to the nearest open stall.

Eating with a plate in your lap. This doesn’t sound like it would be hard, right? Well, when your stomach sticks out so far, that means your plate is further away.  This means you end up dropping food all over yourself.  Not a good look. I just stick to the table now when I run home for lunch.

Getting up from the floor. Wow.  You’d think I’d just run a marathon for how out of breath I can be from just standing up from sitting on the floor.  I usually end up grabbing onto something nearby to help myself up, which really helps the process.  If there is nothing nearby however, I end up looking absolutely ridiculous trying to get up. 

Getting up from a laying position.  I feel like this has something to do with my ab muscles.  It seems as if they have gone MIA at this point and I have no strength whatsoever to sit up.  I usually have to get some momentum going to get out of bed or off the couch.  It’s so bizarre to not be able to do things you are accustomed to doing with ease!

Swelling.  I had a feeling this would happen.  Everyone talks about it.  But it’s SO uncomfortable! I guess I’ve never really had much experience with swelling before, because I didn’t know it would be so awful.  It hit my hands first.  They start feeling tight, then they turn all red if I am trying to hold onto anything (fishing triggers it almost instantly.) My feet just started swelling, and it’s worse than my hands!  I try to bend my toes and it feels like I have toe socks on or something.  The other day I was trying to sit Indian style and I couldn’t even get my legs to do that.  Apparently my entire legs were retaining water that day.

Hot flashes.  I had zero experience with hot flashes prior to pregnancy.  I’m that person that is cuddled under a blanket in the middle of a Texas summer.  I’ve always been cold.  It could be 78 in my house and I’d have a chill.  Add some pregnancy hormones however, and now I’m a freaking oven 24/7! Even sitting still I am hot!  If you factor in any sort of movement (cleaning, standing, getting ready in the morning, etc.) then you can bet that I am now sweating up a storm.  I feel bad for all the times I got mad at my mom for freezing me out of the house when I was younger.  Sorry, Mom! Now I get it!

Painting your toenails.  I always considered myself a flexible person, but factor in swollen legs AND a huge belly, and it’s REALLY hard to reach your toes.  I barely managed to paint my toes this weekend (at 34 weeks) so I’m thinking that may have been my last DIY pedicure.

Walking.  Yep, just walking is hard on me now.  First of all, I have to walk at a snail’s pace or I’m panting.  Second, I get stabbing pains in the side of my stomach (I’m assuming this is round ligament pain.) When this happens I usually have to slow down even more or completely stop for a few seconds until it passes.   I always hear about women who work out religiously through the entire pregnancy and it blows my mind because I can barely walk up the street with stabbing pain!

via www.csh.org
 
Pressure on your bladder. Once again, I knew that this was part of being pregnant, but experiencing takes it to another level.  When I stand up, I immediately have to go the bathroom.  Immediately.  There is no in between time, I have to get there fast or it is EXTREMELY uncomfortable.  Sitting down I can hold it for a while and get work done, but if I stand up it is all over.   Then there are the swift kicks and pokes to your bladder when you least expect it.  You better hope you are close to a restroom when that happens!

Eye twitching.  This one hasn’t been difficult, but it’s been very annoying! My right eyelid has been twitching for months now.  I’m assuming it is pregnancy related and hoping it goes away as soon as I give birth.  It’s pretty distracting when I’m talking to someone, reading, driving, etc.

34 Weeks - Swollen Feet and Hands :(

How far along: 34 weeks

Total weight gain: About 40 lbs.  :(

Maternity Clothes: Bought a pair of yoga capris.  Amazing.

Stretch Marks: None on my tummy, a few on my butt though.  No big surprise there!

Sleep: Exhaustion is back in full swing.  I'm falling asleep on the couch at night before 10pm again.  I still get up 4-5 times to go to the bathroom, and now I'm having a lot of hip pain and have to switch sides multiple times.

Best moment this week: Easter weekend.  The husband was off all weekend so we had a chance to go to the movies, go fishing, and eat watermelon on the back porch :)

Worst symptom(s) this week: Hot flashes, swelling, nausea, exhaustion...

Movement: Felt a lot yesterday, but he's off to a slow start today.  Every now and then I get a big movement that takes my breath away.  It kind of makes me appreciate having an anterior placenta! I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must be to feel every huge jabs and rolls all day long.  Sometimes I wish I felt more movement, but other times it's nice to not have a constant party going on in there!

Food cravings:  Nothing much right now.  Been pretty thirsty!

Anything making you queasy:  Being really full and getting hot.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I'm huge.

Gender prediction:  It's a BOY! Grant James Martinez

Labor signs:  Had a few cramps which I'm told are Braxton Hicks.  Nothing consistent though.

Belly Button:   It's almost flat at this point.  Still hoping I can avoid it popping out!

Wedding Rings:  Gave up on them :(

Happy or Moody:  Moody.

Milestones: All the clothes are washed and put away.  The stroller and car seat are all put together.  I booked the hospital tour and birth plan appointment.  I also started packing my hospital bag.  Things are getting real.

Looking forward to: Getting my hospital bag completely packed.  And ordering the diaper bag! I've been waiting on an outlet sale, but I told myself that if one hasn't popped up by 4/30 then I will just pay full price.  My "nesting instinct" has me itching to get the diaper bag packed and ready and I don't know how much longer I can wait!

Maternity Pictures

Here are a few of my favorite maternity pictures that my husband took for me!

24 Weeks:

 30 Weeks:

32 Weeks:

The bluebonnet one is my favorite! They were gorgeous this year.

Airplane Themed Baby Shower! 4/12/2014

We had our first baby shower over the weekend and it was amazing.  I loved getting together with friends and family to celebrate our baby boy. :)

I found this invitation online and it was my inspiration for the whole theme. You can order it here!



Here are a few photos from the party.

The refreshment table.

I love how the banner turned out that I made.

Red Velvet cupcakes with paper airplane toppers.  I just folded tiny paper airplanes out of scrapbook paper and hot glued a toothpick to the bottom.

 

The amazing diaper cake that my mother in law made!

 

Grant's first bible.

 

Each guest filled out "Wishes for Baby and Advice for the New Parents" and predicted when Grant would make his appearance. Everyone seems to think he will come early!

 

The "Thank You" favors.  Red velvet cookies.

All of Grant's gifts! So thankful for everything.

My sister found this print on Etsy - I love it!

 

The shower turned out amazing and we were so blessed with all of the presents.  Now we just need our little man to make his arrival in the next few weeks. :)

33 Weeks - Head Down and Looking Good

He weighed in at 4 lb 10 oz this morning!

How far along: 33 weeks

Total weight gain: About 40 lbs.  :(

Maternity Clothes: I'm on the hunt for an Easter dress this week!

Stretch Marks: Found some over the weekend... not on my tummy though.  They were on my butt!

Sleep: Blah. I'm tired of talking about my sleep problems.  I'm just going to accept that I won't sleep great until he's a few months old.

Best moment this week: The baby shower! It's so nice to have a lot of stuff prepared now.  I also had another ultrasound this morning to check his position.  He's head down now (yay!) and we could see him practicing breathing and opening and closing his mouth.  It's so cool to see him getting ready for life outside my belly. 

Worst symptom(s) this week: HOT FLASHES! I am SO over being HOT! The day of my shower it was 80 degrees outside and I could not keep myself cool in the house.  Apparently I turned the AC down too much for all the non-pregnant people, but I didn't really care.  I was sweating!

Movement: It's on and off.  I'll feel nothing for hours, then I feel a lot for a few seconds.  He kept pushing something out beside my belly button the other day.  I asked at my appointment today what was over there and she told me it was his knee.  So apparently he likes to stick his knee out of me!

Food cravings:  Nothing much right now.  Been pretty thirsty!

Anything making you queasy:  Being really full and getting hot.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I'll do a post on my maternity pictures soon.

Gender prediction:  It's a BOY! Grant James Martinez

Labor signs:  Had a few cramps which I'm told are Braxton Hicks.  Nothing consistent though.

Belly Button:  In, but getting shallower.

Wedding Rings:  Gave up on them :(

Happy or Moody:  Moody.

Milestones: Had the baby shower! Got the TDAP shot today too at my 33 week appointment.  Made an appointment to tour the hospital and work out my "birth plan."  I had never heard that term before I became pregnant, but apparently that's the thing to do now.  I just want to do whatever the doctor tells me I need to do!

Looking forward to: Finishing up the nursery soon.  David is off this weekend, so I think we may be able to get it all finished.  I'll do a post once I feel like it's complete :) I can't wait to show it off.  I feel like I've put so much into the design and hope everyone else loves it as much as I do.

32 Weeks - Nausea is back :(

 How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain: About 35 lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: I bought a dress for my baby shower!

Stretch Marks: Not yet. Fingers crossed!

Sleep: It's hit or miss.  I'm exhausted again so you'd think I'd be sleeping great, but I can't get comfortable, I wake up to pee about 5 times a night, and when my alarm goes off, I feel like I didn't sleep at all.  Last night I woke up on my back and felt like I was about to pass out.  I was VERY dizzy and seriously felt like I was about to lose consciousness.  It's happened a few times during this pregnancy and I have no clue what it means.  I just assumed I was cutting off blood flow from being on my back.

Best moment this week: He was moving around A LOT yesterday.  He feels so big in there! When he moves I feel him all over now, and I'm pretty sure he's still head down. Also, my shower is Saturday! I'm SO excited! I can't wait to get my friends and family together to celebrate our little man. Hopefully he will be energetic that day so others can feel him move too.

Worst symptom(s) this week: I was very nauseated last night, and this morning I woke up dry heaving.  I have a feeling that the last few weeks are going to be as miserable as the first trimester was :( I'm really not looking forward to being sick again.

Movement: His movements were very big yesterday.  It was fun to feel! I know most women say it's uncomfortable and can be annoying, but since I have an anterior placenta and I don't feel as much movement, I always get so excited when he has an active day.  It's so amazing to feel him stretching or trying to get comfortable. 

Food cravings:  I really wanted a chocolate malt last night.  It was delicious, but I ended up really nauseous afterwards.

Anything making you queasy:  Being really full.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.

Gender prediction:  It's a BOY! Grant James Martinez

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In, but getting shallower.

Wedding Rings:  Gave up on them :(

Happy or Moody:  Moody.

Milestones: Ordered the baby book and it should be in today.

Looking forward to: Our baby shower and finishing up the nursery.

31 Weeks - Swollen hands, Turned 26!

Note: As of yesterday, baby boy weighs 4 lbs, 2 oz!

 How far along: 31 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain: About 30 lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: I bought a pair of maternity yoga pants. Oh. My. Gosh.  I want to live in them.  They are so comfortable.  So soft and stretchy and don't put any pressure on my tummy.  I predict that I will wear them to work the last few weeks.  They are just too amazing and I'm starting to be over jeans at this point.

Stretch Marks: Not yet. Fingers crossed!

Sleep: Seems to have improved slightly.  I had been sleeping terrible with lots of hip pain, so out of desperation I threw another pillow into the mix so that I'm completely surrounded.  It actually worked and improved my sleep! I've slept pretty decent the past few nights with only a few (4-5) bathroom breaks.

Best moment this week:  Felt hiccups for the first time on 3/30/14! It was the cutest feeling.  This past weekend we celebrated my 26th birthday by making a trip to Marshall.  I got to watch my nephews play baseball (they won!), my niece perform in her first drill team spring show (she did great!), and eat at my favorite hometown restaurant.  AND as one of my presents, we went yesterday to get an elective ultrasound done so I could see my sweet boy again. :)

Worst symptom(s) this week: The swelling in my hands is getting very annoying.  My legs are also feeling sore all of the time.Oh, and I woke up with a painful calf cramp the other night.  That seriously has to be the worst way to wake up.  It's like someone is stabbing your leg with a steak knife.

Movement: Still feeling him, but not as much.  It can be worrisome at times.  He barely moved over the weekend. I think he has started sleeping a lot.  He just kicked me though, so I know he's doing okay in there :)

Food cravings:  Mexican food, blueberry waffles with tons of syrup, and orange juice! 

Anything making you queasy:  Nope. I seem to finally be good!

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. My sisters were amazed at how big my belly is.  They hadn't seen me in a few months and couldn't stop touching it lol!  Here's a picture with my beautiful birthday flowers.

Gender prediction:  It's a BOY! Grant James Martinez

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In, but getting shallower.

Wedding Rings:  Gave up on them :(

Happy or Moody:  Moody.

Milestones:  Sent out invitations to my baby shower and turned 26!

Looking forward to: Our baby shower and finishing up the nursery.