32 Weeks

11/30/11

Big Baby is almost 4 pounds this week! He/she is getting big. We’re really looking forward to meeting this kid sometime in the next 8 weeks or so. This week was Thanksgiving, and we had a really nice time at Andy’s parents’ house on Thursday. Then on Friday we went up to my aunt and uncle’s house and I got to hold my baby’s second cousin Jonathan who was 6 weeks old. So precious!

I forgot to say last week that we took some maternity photos on the 19^th with my friend Kristen. I’m excited to see how they turn out! I’ll post some here and probably on Facebook. We got lucky with decent weather, so lots of them are outside with the pretty fall leaves.

I’m not sure if I’ve said anything about the baby’s position, but so far it has been head down (since at least week 24), but is posterior. I’ve got feet in the front of my belly which is fun to feel, but it’s a lot harder to give birth that way. Hopefully it will turn around by the end so I don’t have to have horrible back labor and a longer labor… We’ll see what we can do to turn it.

Birth class has been going really well. We get to do mock labor this week… I hope I’m up for it! Apparently we get to hold onto ice cubes to simulate contractions. We’ve been practicing our relaxation, so hopefully that will help.

Our midwife appointment today was great. Everything’s looking pretty good. I did have a little glucose in my urine, but I’m pretty sure that’s because of the corn bread with maple syrup I had at lunch  Carol said she’d keep her eye on it.

Changes this week: I’ve been having pretty bad hip pain at night. I wake up 4-5 times a night to use the bathroom and to flip over. I’m feeling like my hips are loosening up as well. Also last night I had the worst leg cramp of my life! I got up and tried to stretch it out, but it took a little while before it released. I think I freaked Andy out by jumping out of bed saying “Ow, ow, ow.” I’ve also been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. Andy has a theory that it will make labor faster and earlier, but we’ll see. I’ve asked a few friends and the ones that have had them did have shorter earlier labors… We can always hope!

31 Weeks

11/23/11

This week the baby is about 3.3 pounds and 16” long. It’s getting pretty big in there, and I think it’s supposed to grow a ½ pound each week until week 38. The movements I’ve been feeling have changed from lots of kicks to more squirms because it doesn’t have as much space. Everything’s still going great with the pregnancy. We’re getting anxious to meet our baby in about 9 weeks!

My cold is much, much better. Those vitamins my midwife said to take really seem to have helped. I’m glad it’s mostly gone for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’m also just really glad that I have a four-day weekend. We’re heading to Lake Oswego tomorrow to spend time with Andy’s family, which will be fun.

At our midwife appointment last Wednesday Carol gave us a list of things to start getting together for the birth, so we’ve been working on that. We ordered a birth kit with things like umbilical cord clamps, gloves, etc. in it so we’ll be all prepared. I’m getting excited about birth at home.

We now have a baby pool online! We’ve decided that the prize for whoever guesses the closest will be a $10 Amazon gift card. If you want to make your guess, go to http://bebepool.com/jillcpullen. Good luck!

Changes this week: I’m starting to feel like my ligaments are loosening in my hips and pelvis. Our birthing class instructor told us ways to move around that will cause less injury, so I’ve been trying to do that. It feels weird though.

Cravings this week: Oranges

30 Weeks

11/16/11

I'm blogging early today because I'm home sick. I caught a cold yesterday and today it feels like my lungs are on fire. I've been drinking lots of tea and water and trying to get some rest. I hate being sick, and I'm glad it doesn't happen very often!

As for our pregnancy... only 10 weeks to go until our due date!! We're officially 3/4 of the way there. Big baby is approximately 15.5 inches long and about 3 pounds. It's getting big and I'm feeling it. Less kicks and more strange rolling movements all around. I love it. We're getting so excited to welcome our baby into our family soon-ish.

Andy's gone on a youth pastor retreat. He left on Sunday and is getting home this afternoon while I'm at my midwife appointment. It's been very lonely with him gone, but I've been very busy and sick. It will be so nice when he's home again, I miss him. We started birthing classes on Friday, and they go on for five weeks. The only down side is that we have to drive 45 minutes to get there. Our midwife highly recommended the lady who teaches them and says that her ladies do well in labor. It's very much geared toward natural birthing, kind of like a Bradley class. I think we'll get a lot out of it. She has me writing down everything I'm eating this week to make sure I get all the right nutrients and she had lots of relaxation techniques, stretches, and exercises for me to do.

I ordered some of our cloth diapers on sale, and they should be here tomorrow :) They're very cute and I'm excited to see them on our baby. Plus we will be saving tons of money!! People have been very generous in giving us things. Just this week we got a baby swing and a bag of girl clothes (if it's a boy we'll just give them to someone else). We're feeling very blessed.

Changes this week: I'm now experiencing tail bone and rib pain. Not sure why, maybe the baby is hanging out there. My tailbone isn't as sore as it was a few days ago though, so that's good.

Cravings this week: I'm just trying to eat healthy. Staying away from too much sugar is important for not growing a huge baby. It's so hard with it being fall and the holidays around the corner. Everyone at work brings in goodies all the time. I do feel very proud of myself when I say no though. I'll try to keep that up.

29 Weeks

11/9/11

This week our baby is the size of a butternut squash, and about 2 ½ pounds, 15 inches long. It still has a lot of weight to pack on during the last 11 weeks, and about 5 more inches to grow. I’m not sure there’s that much room in my belly!

We had our first baby shower on Friday at the home of Jon and Janelle Furman. They threw a great party and there was tons of food and friends/family there. We were also given a lot of really nice gifts from everyone. They had an affirmation time, and it was really cool to hear encouragement from everyone. We also got lots of hand-me-downs from both of our sisters (thanks!!).

My parents were able to come up for the shower and the weekend, so that was fun. We had a nice relaxing weekend with them including going on a really long walk and going out to a yummy dinner. They brought us up a mattress for our bed, and it has been helpful with getting more sleep.

I’m majorly nesting. Last night I got home from work and made dinner, did the laundry, wrote all of our baby shower thank you notes, made applesauce and cleaned up the kitchen. Whew. My to-do list keeps getting longer though, not shorter… I keep thinking of more things that need to get done. Andy’s really good at helping do things, so I think together we’ll be able to tackle everything by January.

Changes this week: This third trimester is really different than the previous two. My joints are starting to crack more/hurt more. My belly’s getting pretty large, my hips hurt when I sleep, etc. It’s really fun to feel the baby’s little feet moving around though.

Cravings this week: Sweets and desserts, although I really need to limit those so I don’t grow a monster baby. 

28 Weeks

11/2/11

We only have about 12 weeks left until we get to meet our baby! We’re getting so excited to be parents. Our little one is about 2 ¼ pounds and 14 ½” long at this point. My parents are coming up this weekend for our first baby shower on Friday! We’re very excited to see our family and friends and to celebrate our little baby.

We went to the midwife today, and everything’s looking great! I measured at 26cm and the baby’s heartbeat was 144. The great news, is that Carol called our insurance, and it looks like they are going to cover more than we thought!

With the coming of the third trimester my nesting urge has increased. I’ve just been wanting to tackle my big to-do list and get stuff done. Last weekend we built shelves in our utility room, put some shelves in the baby’s closet, got our carpets cleaned, started organizing the stuff in the baby’s room, installed new smoke alarms, and probably a few more things that I can’t think of. I also had to go shopping for a few more work pants, because I was down to pretty much one pair that I don’t even really like. I don’t know why they make maternity pants so short… maybe I just have long legs. It’s annoying.

I’m definitely getting clumsy. I have so many little cuts and burns on my hands that Andy said it looks like I’ve been in a fist fight. On Sunday I made two pans of enchiladas which were delicious, but when I went to put the second pan in the fridge I completely dropped it upside down on the floor. That made me very sad to waste the delicious enchiladas. I guess that just gives me an excuse to make them again 

Changes this week: I’ve started having Braxton Hicks contractions a few times a day. It’s kind of a strange sensation when my uterus tightens for a few seconds, then it goes away. It doesn’t hurt at all. It’s just my body getting ready to push out the baby! Sleeping is pretty much horrible. I can’t seem to get comfortable anymore. And I’ve gotten heavy so fast that my tailbone and my feet hurt most of the time from sitting and standing.

Cravings this week: Chocolate, but I really shouldn’t be having too much of it. I’ve really been liking plain yogurt lately too.

27 Weeks

10/26/11

Hello third trimester!! We have 13 weeks until our due date, which doesn’t seem like very much. The baby’s about 2 pounds now and I’m feeling it all the time. Last night I definitely felt a foot sticking out by my belly button. We both love feeling it move and are getting so excited to meet our little one. We’ve been talking about what it’s going to be like… will it like Lego? Cooking? Sports? Computers? Math? We’ll just have to wait and see on those. I’m wondering what it’s going to look like. Our friends have a baby who looks exactly like a girl version of her daddy, then others are a combination of both parents. Only three months left until we know!

I’ve been remembering tons of dreams lately and having some strange ones that feel very real. The other night I was hanging out with a friend in my dream and then I prayed for her. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed in a dream before. I’ve been sleeping pretty terribly also. It’s the same old story where my left hip hurts and my right leg goes numb. I can do this! When I think of the issues I have, I get very grateful for the ones I don’t have (heartburn, exhaustion, carpel tunnel, swelling, etc.).

We’re getting ready to start taking our birthing classes soon hopefully. Our midwife recommended a lady in Dallas, OR so hopefully that will work out. I’ve been working on relaxation, and we’ll hopefully have a peaceful birth. I’m pretty confident in my birthing ability so far, and I’m not really worried at all. I’m really looking forward to having a big tub in my house for the delivery 

Changes this week: The tendinitis in my foot is much better. I was able to jog on my treadmill this morning a little bit while I walked and it didn’t hurt at all. I’m really starting to feel pregnant. Moving around while I’m laying down is getting to be a chore.

Cravings this week: Fritos  Someone brought a bag to small group and left it, so I’ve been snacking on them. I’ve actually been craving them for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy them. It’s so funny how cravings change. I went from craving fruit and cheese to Cheez-Its to pickles to Asian food to chicken nuggets to Fritos. At least it’s mostly savory food and not sweets. It is going to be hard to keep away from sugar with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. I don’t want to grow a monster baby.

26 Weeks

10/19/11

One week left of the second trimester, and just over three months until our due date. I’m starting to think of all the things we still need to do before Big Baby arrives, such as take a birthing class, get the baby room all ready (which includes building utility room shelves to put all the stuff in the baby’s closet), read some newborn books, finish my baby quilt and blanket, etc. Yikes that’s a lot!

The baby is a little less than 2 pounds this week and 14 inches long, about the length of an English cucumber. I’ve been feeling him/her so much lately. On Monday at work I felt what I think was the butt on my left above my belly button and on the right was a foot that kept kicking hard. It was cool. It likes to squirm a lot.

The rest of our New York trip was great. We did a lot more sightseeing and I did a lot of shopping while Andy was at his conference. On Saturday we rode the Staten Island ferry and got a pretty view of the city and the Statue of Liberty. New York is quite the place. I’m now an expert of the subway system for sure, and I walked so much that I got tendinitis in my right foot. It hurts still, so I’ve been trying to rest it.

We got the new iPhone 4s this week. My main reason for getting one is for the great camera that they have. Now I’ll be able to take good pictures and video of our little one when he/she arrives and put them on my blog. I figured it would be cheaper to get a new phone since I can sell my old one than getting a new camera and having to take two things with me all the time. The best camera is the one that’s with you, after all.

Changes this week: Sleeping has been a little better, at least no insomnia. But my hips have been hurting so I flip over a lot. Yesterday at work I had a huge project all day, so I didn’t get up enough and I didn’t drink enough water. Then when I got home my ankles were a bit swollen. I’ll have to be more careful of that!

Cravings this week: My mom’s granola, so I bought ingredients yesterday and it's in the oven right now 