31 Week Bumpdate

Again, I'm posting this blog a little late.  I was busy over the weekend, PLUS I ended up getting slightly sick, so I had to muster up the energy to get off the couch to type this up.  Here's my preggo self at 31 weeks and 4 days!  Sorry, the cardigan is sort of blocking half the bump.

This week, or should I say this PAST week, Brynlee was about 16 inches long head to heels and weighed around 3.3 pounds.  According to babycenter.com, that's like carrying 4 navel oranges.  Baby Brynlee is supposed to continue to fatten up and dewrinkle!

So, this whole, "Your immune system isn't as awesome when you're pregnant" thing is such a bugger!  This is the second time I've been sick in a 4 month period, which is not like me.  I think I have a minor cold right now, and it's freaking me out!  I don't like being sick while pregnant.  I feel like I'm hurting our baby girl.  Plus, there's not really a whole bunch of medicines I can take; and with the few that I CAN, I'm too afraid to take them because I don't even want to take the slightest chance in possibly hurting Brynlee.  Even then, the meds I'm allowed to take are pathetic and don't do CRAP for me, so I'd rather not take it if my body normally doesn't respond to those meds.  All I have to say is that I'm sick of being SICK!

Also, this week, I feel like I connected more with Brynlee, rubbing on my tummy and talking to her all while thinking I can't wait to meet her.  She did some weird jolt when I laughed really hard at a show or movie I was watching.  I don't know if I scared her unexpectedly, or woke her up.  But, it made me laugh, so I started talking to her.  Of course, as soon as I start talking to her in my baby-ish voice, my white fluffy dog, Precious, comes running over thinking I'm talking to her.  Poor thing.  What is she going to do when I'm cooing at the baby when she's here?

Moving right along to the weekly survey now because I'm still not feeling well enough to sit at this computer and type.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far along? Well, I'm 32 weeks and 1 day RIGHT NOW, but the picture above is when I was in my 31st week.

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 20 lbs. from pre-pregnancy.  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.  Let's see, then, how much more I've gained.  I'm supposed to be gaining 1 lb. a week....GULP!!!  Officially going to the OB every 2 weeks!

Maternity clothes?  My husband's boxers have officially become the best "maternity" pajama shorts to date.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: I can't fall into a good, deep sleep.  I wake up every morning feeling like I've been hit by a truck.  Although, it hasn't been THAT awful.  The stories I'd hear from other women or in the books talk about how you just can't get comfortable, the baby kicks you and keeps you up, blah-de-blah...  Well, THANKFULLY, Brynlee DOESN'T wake me up or keep me up at night.  I don't even know if she's kicking in there at night.  If she IS kicking around in there, those kicks sure aren't strong enough to wake me up or keep me up.

Best moment this week: Okay, so I'll have to admit, Brynlee hiccuping inside my tummy is more annoying than cute to me.  When she hiccups, I'm like, "Here we go again!"  HOWEVER!!!....Friday, her head must have been up towards my ribs for a period of time, because I felt her hiccuping there, and thought it was super cute for some reason.  Usually when she's hiccuping, it's down low and I don't find it so cute.  Another best moment this week......WE ORDERED BRYNLEE'S NURSERY FURNITURE!!!  Whew!!!  One thing to check off my gigantic list of things to do.  Oh!  And ANOTHER best moment.....Tyson calling Brynlee "Brynlee Bear."  I thought it was cute.

Have you told family and friends: There's no hiding it now! :)

Miss Anything?  My Chevy Camaro 2SS.  Man, I miss that thing!!!  As soon as we found out we were pregnant, that made Tyson run for a dealership quicker than you could say, "Baby."  We needed to get me into more of a "mommy car," so we did.  We got me into a GMC Acadia.  I must admit though, I LOVE my Acadia and all of the room, but I miss the speed and power of my Camaro.  I can't just "floor it" and take off like I did in the Camaro.  Now, if I "floor it" in the Acadia, it's a complete joke.  Don't get me started on the sound of the engine compared to the Camaro.  The Acadia definitely sounds like a mom car.

Symptoms: Back pain, shortness of breath, achiness in the belly...  Can barely eat anything without feeling like I'm so full and miserable and just might have it come back up.

Movement: She's definitely still moving, punching, kicking, and hiccuping in there!  All reassuring to mommy that she's alive!

Food cravings: Chick-fil-A lemonade and citrus fruits.  I don't even know if you'd call the lemonade a craving.  Ever since I had my first cup of Chick-fil-A's lemonade when I was early in my pregnancy, I've been addicted.  I don't think this "craving" will go away even AFTER the pregnancy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Again, if I eat too much.  Also, sometimes when I sit down and if I'm hunched over, I'll feel a little sick to my stomach because I don't have a lot of room and it shoves the baby up into it.

Have you started to show yet: People can definitely tell I'm pregnant.

Gender prediction: No more predicting....It's a girl!

Labor Signs: I think I HAVE been having Braxton Hicks.  It just HAS to be.  But, they aren't painful.  Just a random tightening of the tummy.

Belly Button in or out?  It's still slightly in and slightly out.  Tyson says, "I'd say it's still in, it's just holding on for dear life."

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy......tired...

Looking forward to: Getting Brynlee's nursery furniture here so we can set it up and start to decorate her nursery!

30 Week Bumpdate

Here we go!!!  Right into 30 weeks!  Tomorrow I'll be 31 weeks.  We'll officially be in the single digit countdown to Brynlee's arrival.  Anyways, here's me at 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant with baby girl!  Because I can't choose between which side view to show off my 30 weeks bump, I'll just post both!

Me holding up the basketball sized tummy.

Me without my hands in the way to give a better view.

This week, Brynlee weighs about 3 lbs. and is about 15.5 inches long.  Basically, she's weighs just about as much as a head of cabbage and is about the size of a Yorkie Terrier.  That Yorkie Terrier comparison cracks me up.  Apparently, her growth has slowed just for this week to focus on the growth of her brain.  It's now developing wrinkles and folds due to the growth of her brain cells.  She's also starting to shed the lanugo hair she started sprout MANY weeks back because her brain is now starting to regulate her body temperature.

Everyday, I have been taking a peek at one of Brynlee's 3D/4D ultrasound pictures and try to analyze what she'll look like when she comes out into this world.  I have one of her pictures up as my desktop background on my computer at work.  All of my students got a kick out of looking at it saying, "AWWWW" when it projected up onto the white board.  Anyways, I get to see it everyday, so I study it.  I'm thinking she definitely has my heart shaped face and cheekbones.  So far, that's how far I've gotten.

Last Monday, we had our hospital tour at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.  It made me feel better to get in there and see exactly where we go, sign in, what to do, etc. when I go into labor, that is, if there's no scheduled c-section or induction.  HERE'S TO PRAYING THERE'S NO REASON FOR A C-SECTION AND THAT MY BODY WILL DO ITS THING AND GO INTO NATURAL LABOR WHEN IT SHOULD!  It'll still be the same procedure if a c-section or induction has to happen either way. It was also informational to find out what the hospital's procedures were with the whole labor and birthing process.  I'm going to be honest in saying that this tour did sort of scare me a little bit more when they walked our group into one of the labor and delivery rooms and were going over the process of everything.  There were some interesting things they told us that I didn't know, though.  For example, the room that I give birth in is the room that I will stay in my whole hospital stay; and, those rooms are pretty darn large, so that'll be nice!  With my experience with watching both my mom and my sister doing the whole birthing thing, they were moved into a separate room for their stay after giving birth.  Different hospitals, though.  Another procedure/routine our hospital just now implemented, which seems to be becoming quite a popular thing which I'm noticing hospitals are starting to do, is what our hospital calls the "Golden Hour."  For my sister, in a Dallas hospital, it was called "Kangaroo Care"......I think.  Anyways, Golden Hour is when everyone is out of the room for an hour after the birth and me and Brynlee will have skin to skin contact for a while, and then Brynlee and Tyson will have skin to skin contact, as well.  Can't wait to see THAT moment....Tyson with his shirt off and Brynlee resting on his chest.  So sweet.  I will have to make sure I have the camera handy for that sweet moment.

 Overall, even though it freaked me out a little more about the birthing process, it answered a lot of questions and it seems like we'll be in good hands.  Friends have been telling me that the whole labor and birthing process is not as bad as I'm picturing it, and my sister is trying to calm my fears as well.  It's just that I got to see the birth of my youngest sister, Rylee and my nephew, Braxton, and I remember it not being the most glorious, comfortable, and sexiest moment in a woman's life.  Now it's MY turn!

Now, how about that survey!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far along? I'm writing this at 30 weeks and 6 days.

Total weight gain/loss:  Saw the doctor this past Tuesday.  I'm officially up to 20 lbs. of weight gain.  My OB says this is still excellent when she saw the panicked look on my face, and she told me I should be gaining a pound a week.  A pound a week!!!!????!!!!

Maternity clothes?  My options in my closet are becoming limited now that I'm getting a bigger belly, but I'm getting creative and making do with what I have....maternity and non-maternity.  I really don't want to fork money into maternity clothes when I'm only wearing them at this time.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: My sleep sucked this week, but I don't know if it's pregnancy related.  I  can't seem to go to bed at a decent time because, for some reason, my body won't go to bed even though I'm really tired.

Best moment this week: Well, I've been feeling quite "blah" looking these days, so I'd say the best moment this week would be getting told how beautiful I look by parents of my students and by strangers.  Old wives' tale says if you're having a girl, she steals your beauty.  I feel like Brynlee as been stealing my skin pigmentation because I feel I look so pale, washed out, and lifeless.  To be told I look beautiful warms my heart.

Have you told family and friends: There's no hiding it now! :)

Miss Anything?  This week, I was REALLY missing alcohol.  I could have really used happy hour on Friday.  Thursday and Friday at work had me super stressed because we had the writing benchmark testing in preparation for the state test coming up in April.  State tests are the most ridiculous things EVER!!!  There, you have ONE teacher's opinion.

Symptoms: Back pain and shortness of breath.  I'll be teaching and I get out of breath TEACHING!!!!  I've been wanting to sit A LOT more at work because standing for two seconds hurts my back.

Movement: Ooohhhhh boy!  I drank some Chick-fi-A lemonade on Wednesday night and it made this little girl go CRAZY hyper.  I was getting punched and jabbed while she somersaulted in my tummy.  There were a few times I thought I was going to see a foot stretch out about 5 inches away from my tummy.  It certainly FELT that way.  I felt I could feel her foot (or hand).  I probably could have held it, it was sticking out so much.  She was kicking so hard, it was sort of hurting me!

Food cravings: Fruity flavored things.

Anything making you queasy or sick: If I eat too much, I feel like my stomach is up to my throat.  I have to eat REALLY small portions these days.  I get full WAY fast, now.

Have you started to show yet: People can definitely tell I'm pregnant.

Gender prediction: No more predicting....It's a girl!

Labor Signs: Again, I can't tell if I'm having Braxton Hicks or not.  I feel at times my belly tightening, but I can't tell if that's Brynlee shifting.

Belly Button in or out?  It's coming more and more out as the weeks roll by.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy......tired...

Looking forward to: Getting Brynlee's nursery more organized.  I'm actually getting more anxious to just get it finished!  She'll be here before we know it! I started to organize it with the stuff we have gotten so far, but I'm needing her dresser to put some stuff in and more hangers to hang some more of her clothes.  Ideally, I want to get the whole nursery set up: crib, dresser, decor, etc.  I just it DONE.

29 Week Bumpdate

      Well, here I am typing this, just finishing up my 29th week of pregnancy and moving on to 30.  Here's me at 29 weeks and 4 days preggers.

          At 29 weeks, Brynlee weighed about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, like a butternut squash, and was a little over 15 inches in length from head to heels, like the length of a loaf of bread.  She's packing on more fat and filling out.  Muscles and lungs are maturing, and her head is getting bigger to make room for that ever growing brain.  Her brain can now control her body temperature and breathing, and her sucking abilities have perfected.  I'd DEFINITELY say YES to that!  We saw her sucking abilities on the 3D/4D ultrasound we had this past Tuesday.

       And that leads me into our experience with the 3D/4D ultraound...IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!  Here are a few things we learned about Brynlee:

She's already growing hair!
She's fun and entertaining.
She's more than likely going to be a pacifier baby because she mouths EVERYTHING.
She's good with her hands, grabs everything, and will be finding her thumb in no time once out of the womb.
She's already squished in my tummy.

      Here's just a sneak preview of what she's looking like in the womb before I give you a link to the rest of the pictures.  Actually, I'll do a before and after 3D/4D ultrasound picture to compare:

BEFORE (18 WEEKS)

AFTER (29 WEEKS)

      She has changed SO much in her appearance.  We walked in, I lied down on the table, and as soon as the wand hit my belly, we found her girl parts and confirmed for the one hundred fiftieth time that she's DEFNITELY a girl.  See...

    That white arrow is pointing to the three white lines that screams GIRL!  The ultrasound tech goes, "Well, you're still having a girl!  So now I can breathe and rest assured that I won't have to be returning all the girly stuff we've gotten so far.  So, as the lady is moving the wand around, we found Brynlee ALL kinds of contorted and rolled in a tight ball.  Her feet and hands were covering her face, her head was turned into the placenta, and she was sort of snoozing in there, so the lady shook my belly vigorously to get her to move and wake up a little.  Well, it worked.  Brynlee woke up and started grabbing for her umbilical cord and gnawing on it like it was food.  She kept mouthing on EVERYTHING within reach.  The ultrasound tech laughed and said, "When's the last time you ate?  She's hungry."  That's when it broke my heart to see my little girl mouthing everything, knowing she was hungry.  It had been almost 4 hours since I had last ate.  Poor baby.  Mama is horrible.  Once she lost the umbilical cord, she'd turn her head to gnaw on the placenta.  Then, she found her foot, started to mouth that, didn't seem to like it, pucked, and made a sour face like, "Ew!  Gross!"  The tech and I laughed so hard because it was absolutely adorable.

     We got to see Brynlee's eyes open in the ultraound.  It was SO COOL.....to me.  Here's a picture with her eyes open:

   That's her arm and hand going across her cheek and chest, and that's her foot up to her mouth.  Like I said, she's ALL kinds of contorted.  We had to keep shaking her a lot to move all of these parts away from her face.  Here's a few pictures of her showing us that she doesn't like being shaken around:

 
     What a little temper!  The last one is funny because it looks like she's holding her breath.  HA!

     The tech seemed to love her, laughing and giggling the whole time she was moving the wand around.  She took about 80 pictures.  She said that on average, other women get about 25 because the baby is either uncooperative, not doing much, or things are in front of its face.  At the end of the session, she told us congratulations and be ready because we have a fun baby on our hands.

     Here's the link to the album with ALL 80 of the ultrasound photos taken:

Brynlee's 3D/4D Ultrasound Photos

     This Saturday was also Brynlee's baby shower at my parents' house with just close friends and family.  Brynlee was COMPLETELY spoiled with SO MANY clothes and onsies.  All of them were ADORABLE!  We were able to get her Britax B-Agile stroller to go with her carseat.  Now the whole travel system is complete and we're set to go!  We got her pack and play, high chair, some room decor (INCLUDING A CHANDELIER!!!), etc.  Brynlee is already so spoiled.  Now, I just have to get in her room and start organizing everything.  Time to get that room ready!

      Here's just a sneak peek of Brynlee's shower:

Dress is from Forever21!  I pulled it off, not wearing maternity!

     Here's the link to Brynlee's baby shower:

Brynlee's Baby Shower

   And now for your weekly survey!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far along? I'm posting this at 30 weeks exactly, but the picture above is me in my 29th week.

Total weight gain/loss:  So far, I've gained 16 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.  This upcoming Tuesday is another prenatal appointment.  We will see how much I've gained in 4 weeks!

Maternity clothes?  Didn't buy anything at all.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: Uncomfy at times.  It wasn't horrible this week.  Hips still ache from having to lie on my side with this weight sitting on them.  Middle of the night potty breaks interrupts sleep.

Best moment this week: The 3D/4D ultrasound and my baby shower!

Have you told family and friends: There's no hiding it now! :)

Miss Anything? An adult beverage  BUT!  Friends of mine bought me non-alcoholic wine and a "Mommy's Sippy Cup" wine glass as a baby shower present!  I laughed so hard and got giddy when I saw these!

Symptoms: Lower back pain, but it wasn't really that bad this week, and frequent potty breaks.

Movement: Moving around so hard that I feel like she's shaking my whole body!

Food cravings: Snapple fruit drinks.   Not really a CRAVING, craving, but more of a, "It just sounds really good to me," kind of thing.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Still showing, and people have been making me feel good by telling me how tiny I still look.

Gender prediction: We were once again confirmed that Brynlee's STILL A GIRL!!! :)  Happy, pappy mommy right here!

Labor Signs: I've been reading in my books that Braxton Hicks should be becoming more frequent now.  I still can't tell the difference if I'm having Braxton Hicks or if Brynlee is just rolling and pushing out which is making my lower stomach hard at times.  Hard to tell.

Belly Button in or out?  It's starting to come out, but it's not fully out yet.  In shirts, you can see it starting to pucker out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Our hospital tour we have tomorrow!  Hopefully Tyson and I will get a lot of questions answered.  I have a feeling I'm going to be overwhelmed by the abundance of information!  Thank goodness Tyson will be there as well to be a second pair of ears and a second brain to absorb all of the info.!

28 Week Bumpdate

      It seems like yesterday that I posted my 27 week bumpdate, basically because that was pretty much the case!  Today, I'm 29 weeks, but the picture of me below is when I was 28 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  I'm officially in my third trimester!!!!  Excuse the language, but, HOLY CRAP!!!!  I'm off the tip top of this rollercoaster ride and making my way downward now.  This just got more real.

       Personally, I think I look huge.  I feel like my bump is gravitating all the way up to my boobs!  I'm just looking round all over in my torso.  Jeez...  At least it matches my butt.

     At 28 weeks, the baby measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head down to her little cute toesis that I can't wait to kiss.  Basically, she's the length of one of those amusement park cinnamon and sugar churros.....um....YUM!!!!  She weighs about two and a quarter pounds, about the weight of a Chinese cabbage.  Her eyes are now opening and closing, and she's blinking!!!!  She has begun having rapid eye movement.  Also, her eyes have color now; but, we won't know her true hue that she'll have for the rest of her life until about 9 months when her eye color will settle.

    This week, my body was jostled and jolted around.  She's really packing on a punch these days, and she's still small enough to give it to me at all angles.  As Tyson was lying on my lap today, taking a nap, he started to laugh.  I asked him, "Did you feel her kick the back of your head?"  And he replied with a yes.

     Tyson, Brynlee, and I have a very busy next couple of weeks ahead of us.  On Tuesday, we have an appointment to get a 3D/4D ultrasound of baby girl at Baby Steps off of the Sam Houston Parkway!  So excited!  This one isn't doctor ordered, it's just for fun.  For just $140, here's what we'll get:

• Twenty Five to Thirty minute 3D/4D imaging session
• Four 4x6 color prints 
• DVD video of your session set to music
• CD with 15-30 3D still images for printing or e-mailing
• Gender determination if desired
• One year free access to BabyPeeks, a customized online baby website (Reg. $49.95)
• $25 off any return visit during the current pregnancy

      Apparently, we can stream our ultrasound experience LIVE to family members, but it's an added $12 cost for them to access it.  Personally, I think this is GREAT if you have family members that live out of town and you want to share the special experience that's happening right then and there! If you're in the Houston area and are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or wanting to get pregnant again and never got to do this, here's the Baby Steps ultrasound places' website:

http://www.babysteps4d.com/

      I'll let you know how our experience was in next week's blog.  So after Tuesday's ultrasound, this Saturday will be my baby shower that my sister and best friend are hosting for me.  Excited about that!  THEN the following week, we have the hospital tour.  Both Tyson and I are really anxious for the tour.  Talk about getting even MORE real!!!  Actually, what started this "real-ness" feeling was about a couple of days ago when Tyson and I went to the hospital to finalize our pre-registration paperwork!  Real-ness coming at us at ALL different angles my friends!

     So, I have to be honest.  I've been FREAKING OUT about the whole labor and birthing process.  I'm SO scared of what's to come... needles and being hooked up to anything and everything!  I'm scared of the epidural.  Just the thought of hunching over while they stick a nice sized needle and catheter in my spine doesn't sound too pleasing.  AND!  The fact that the catheter STAYS in there freaks me out.  That, and an IV in my hand.....having to stay there...  Oh my GOSH I'm such a baby!  All I can think of is the really uncomfortable and painful things that are going to happen before I get to hold our little miracle in my arms.  But, I just continue to tell myself to take deep breaths when the time comes because I can handle it.  Many other women before me did!

     So, I have a feeling that next week's blog is going to be full of pictures... a few of our 3D/4D ultrasound pictures, and if I'm really on top of things, maybe a few baby shower pictures.  We will see, we will see!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far along? I'm posting this at 29 weeks exactly, but the picture above is me in my 28th week.

Total weight gain/loss:  So far, I've gained 16 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight.  STRONG feeling that I'm now heavier than that now.  Ugh. :(  That's me pouting.

Maternity clothes?  I bought two items this week that WERE NOT maternity.  My baby shower dress from Forever21.  It's a shift dress so it's loose and cleverly fits my bump.  Also, I FINALLY got a new bra to fit my new preggo ta-tas.  It took me all the way up until 28 weeks of pregnancy and 28 weeks of my husband yacking in my ear about getting a new one; but, I got one!  Yes, I'll have to admit, I've been rocking my pre-pregnancy bra at a size of 34B.  Yes, I'm so ashamed because I was shoving these puppies in the bra as they were popping out like a busted can of biscuits.  Well, I got measured with my new set of twins on my chest, and I'm officially between a 32DD to 34D.  When the lady at Victoria's Secret told me this, I became shocked, gasped, and then laughed really hard because I can't believe I have been shoving these suckers in my old size 34B bra.  So embarrassed.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: It's getting a little more uncomfy.  My hips ache from having only two sleeping position choices.....on my right side or on my left.  Since my body is heavier, it's putting pressure on my hips, which causes them to hurt and me to toss and turn.  C'mon body pillow!  You're supposed to work with me here.  Middle of the night bathroom breaks are definitely more frequent now.

Best moment this week: Getting a lot of things handled....pre-registration paperwork FINISHED, set up a 3D/4D ultrasound, and got my baby shower dress that I thought would be a gigantic pain in my butt.  I wasn't finding any maternity ones online that I liked that looked girly, fashionable, and elegant enough for my tastes.  Girly in the sense that I'm having a GIRL and all the dresses were either BLUE or dark, drab colors.  I just wanted something soft, flowly, and "Hey!  I'm having a girl!" looking.  

Have you told family and friends: There's no hiding it now! :)

Miss Anything?  Not being so freaked out about the food I'm putting in my body in making sure Brynlee's getting enough nutrients, or I'm not putting something cruddy in my body that will hurt her.

Symptoms: Oooohhhh boy.  Lower back pain has been a biggy this week, for sure!  Having trouble standing for a while.  Other symptoms are including waddling when I walk and constant bladder pressure.  Like I told Tyson this week, this little miracles doesn't FEEL like a little miracle.

Movement: Punching me and doing this creepy crawly walking feeling in my belly.  I'll feel it at night when I'm trying to sleep, but I LOVE every move she makes!  I just laugh and smile.  I also get this "sticking" feeling in my ribs.  Hard to describe.  A couple of nights ago, I was resting a book on my belly and reading it.  I just sat there and watched it bounce.  Let's just say I did more watching than reading.

Food cravings: FRUIT!!!!!  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Overall, I was fine this week up until this very moment. I just made baked shrimp spring rolls and pulled them out of the oven.  The smell of the mix of garlic, shrimp, and ginger are making me nauseous.  Contemplating if I even want to eat one.

Have you started to show yet: Yep!  I'm closing in on becoming a house!....And I SERIOUSLY still have 11 weeks to go!?!?!

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nothing.

Belly Button in or out?  It's still at a teasing point and still slightly in. 

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: The ultrasound and my baby shower!

27 Week Bumpdate

     Sorry so late on the bumpdate.....like almost a WEEK late.  Tyson and I were out of town to Port Aransas spending some Christmas time with his family at the beach for a week.  This was me at 27 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  I took one look at the picture after it was taken and said out loud to Tyson, "Ho-ly cow!  Look how much bigger I look!"

     At 27 weeks, Brynlee was the length of a roast or the weight of a head of cauliflower.  Basically, she weighed about 2 lbs. and was about 14.5 inches long.  At 27 weeks, baby girl is sleeping and waking at regular intervals and hiccuping.  I could tell she was hiccuping in my belly by the rhythmic movement I was feeling in my tummy.

     And so starts the New Year!  2013!  The year of Brynlee's arrival!  We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We sure did!  Mommy and baby were TOTALLY spoiled this Christmas by family and Daddy.  Grams (my stepmom) bought Brynlee tons of cute outfits from Janie and Jack, including these super cute red espadrilles shoes to match an outfit she bought for her before we found out she was a girl.  My sister-in-law got Brynlee SUPER CUTE pink sparkly TOMS!  Both of these pairs have to be my favorite shoes she's gotten so far!

      We got Brynlee's carseat from Tyson's parents (Grammy and Oscar).  We went with the Britax brand on the carseat and stroller.  It just had overall good reviews on safety, etc.  Plus, it has a very sophisticated, sleek look that I really liked, along with it being neutral enough for Tyson to carry around in public. :-D

      Tyson spoiled me with a brand new digital camera to take pictures of our baby girl when she arrives, along with an iPhone 5.  Just when I thought all of the spoiling was over with, we get to Port Aransas, open gifts with the family, and Tyson had a surprise gift waiting for me there......a Kate Spade diaper bag!  Overall, I just felt that Brynlee and I were spoiled with such nice gifts this Christmas and I am so very grateful!

     Our time at the beach in Port Aransas was great.  We lounged around, spent some quality family time, ate some seafood, and played tennis.......or at least Tyson and his family did.  I suck so bad at tennis.  I can't consistently hit a ball with a racket, let alone OVER a net to save my life!  We tried to get out to the beach and walk around as much as possible; but, it was mostly cold and rainy while we were there, which was a total bum.  Needless to say, I got my pregnant butt out there only once to take a walk.  Got to see some dead jellyfish just chillin' on the beach!  To sum up how cold it was, here's a picture of Tyson (sorry hunny) about to play tennis in pajama bottoms with shorts over it because he didn't think to bring long pants to the beach.  Now, I just HAVE to blog this awesomeness...

Tyson and his mom in his shorts and pajamas combo, getting ready to go play some tennis!

Just stretching.

 And for the finale....

This one is my favorite.

    Now, 27 weeks of pregnancy has come and gone.  I'm now in my 28th (start of third trimester) and will be happily blogging away about my 28th week in just a couple of days!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How far along? I'm posting this at 28 weeks and 3 days, BUT the picture of me above IS a 27 week bump!  

Total weight gain/loss:  So far, I've gained 16 lbs. from my pre-pregnancy weight. 

Maternity clothes?  About a week and a half ago, I bought a non pregnancy sweater for 20 bucks at Target.  I just went two sizes up from my pre-pregnancy size, and VOILA!  Fits just fine!  I'm hoping to use it next winter as an oversized sweater.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: It wasn't awesome this week due to being in a bed that wasn't mine.  It was too soft for me, so my back ached and ached.  Plus, I was up to pee every couple of hours.  Joy...

Best moment this week: Brynlee moving for Nancy (my mom-in-law) and my niece (Britian).  They got to feel her!

Have you told family and friends: Of course. :)

Miss Anything?  An adult beverage!  This Christmas season was sort of torture for me as I watched everyone else enjoy their cocktails......even my husband who NEVER drinks.  I also miss my abs.  I never realized how pretty they were until I started getting a huge bump.  I can't believe I ever thought I was fat...

Symptoms: Lower back pain, but probably from that bed, my stomach feeling like it's sticking into my ribs, breathing like I ran a marathon after I walk up only a few stair steps, and the constant sensation of needing to pee!!!  I'm so OVER this!!!

Movement: She's been giving me some nice, big kicks!......right in the bladder and right up into the ribs!  One night, she was moving about and it felt like a creepy, crawly feeling.  New Year's Eve, I felt and watched my tummy bounce around.  It looks a little alien-ish.

Food cravings: None

Anything making you queasy or sick: If I eat too much, my tummy feels icky.  This pregnant belly of mine is allowing me to practice some portion control.

Have you started to show yet: I'd like to think so!

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nothing.

Belly Button in or out?  It's still at a teasing point and still slightly in.  I'm having a feeling that it won't go OUT, out.  Instead, I think it will just lie flat.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

Looking forward to: Getting through these last few months of pregnancy!