35 Week Bumpdate

      And here I am, 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  These weeks have just been moving right along.  As I move towards the end of my pregnancy, I'm getting so anxious to see Brynlee and just not be pregnant anymore.  The "fun" is over, and the novelty of it is wearing off.  I'm also getting very nervous as I approach my due date rather quickly.  Will I be able to handle the sleep deprivation?  I LIVE to sleep.  It's been in my nature every since I was a baby, this being based off what my mom says and me remembering while growing up, all I did was sleep.  My mom told me I was an easy baby who loved to sleep.  Maybe Brynlee will be just like her mommy???  Will I be able to adjust to this new lifestyle of motherhood?  I'm so scared.  Another thing I keep thinking about is holy schnikes! (or however you'd like to spell that!)  I'm about to be a MOM.  I'm going to be taking care of another person other than myself.  Will I be a good mom?  Do I have that "mom" gene in me?  Will I be there enough for her and be mom enough for her that when she gets older, she'll look back, think I was a good mother, and want to be like me?  Will she be able to feel and see all the love I have for her?  These are just a handful of the things that have been clouding my brain over the last week. 

Big Ol' Belly!!!

My view of my 35 week old belly.  Don't mind the Girl Scout's thin mint.
I was eating them as a snack and decided to rest it on my belly.

This week, the average fetus is 5 1/4 pounds and is about 18 inches long.  Kidneys and liver are fully functioning now, and her physical development is now complete.  All she's doing is adding some pudge and growing.  Ugh!!!!  I can't wait to meet her.  She should be having patterns of sleep and wakefulness right now.  They say that I should start being able to figure it out.  Well, I'm still trying to figure it out.  She seems to squirm often during the day and into the evening, but then she does slow down when I go to bed.  She doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night like I've been hearing and reading what could happen.  Here's to hoping she's a very docile girl at night!  Or, it might be that I'm so OUT like a light that I don't notice her movements.  Tyson says I can sleep through a hurricane.

     Also this week, I've named her "hiccup queen."  Every time after I'd eat (mostly around lunch and dinner time) SHE gets the hiccups.  Not mommy....it's baby Brynlee that gets them.  You know when you eat too much, you get the hiccups????....Well, I feel like when I eat, Brynlee is taking the opportunity to swallow the amniotic fluid to taste the food, swallows too much, and gets the hiccups.  I don't know how I feel about all of these hiccups.  I've been told that it's a sign that they'll have acid reflux when they're out or the cord is wrapped around the neck.  I have also read that it's just a sign of lung maturity and that she's getting in some good practice breathing.  I'm hoping for the lung maturity and good practice breathing.  People need to stop scaring me!

      This past weekend, I was SO busy doing baby Brynlee things.  I finally got everything of hers washed, organized, and put away, for the most part.  I had to grab a picture of one of her little socks that I was putting away.  Made my heart melt.  She's going to be so tiny!!!

So precious!!!

My sister and I ran baby errands, and I found this mirror to hang on one of her walls in her room:

     It goes PERFECT with the theme of her nursery!  Elegance meets shabby chic!!!  Normally these mirrors cost upwards of a couple hundred bucks!  I got it for $80 at Marshalls.  HEY!  HEY!!!  Sorry, no pictures of the nursery, yet.  There's still A LOT to do.  This weekend is going to be another busy weekend of prepping to get ready for baby.  I just feel like it doesn't end!
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How far along? Posting this at 35 weeks and 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 23 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  Nothing this week.

Stretch marks?  I found some little red striations on the underside of my belly close to my pubic bone area.  I'm starting to stress out!!!! It's not bad.  It's very faint, very small, and it's only a few striations, but that doesn't mean that I'm still freaking out.  I guess I'm going to HAVE to get the battle scars.

Sleep: Sleeping fine.  Up a couple of times at night to pee because I feel like I'm going to lose it in bed!

Best moment this week: Finding that $80 vintage/baroque style mirror for Brynlee's nursery and getting her things washed and put away!

Have you told family and friends: That would be terrible if no one knew at this point.

Miss Anything?  Not feeling so uncomfortable and a glass of wine.

Symptoms: Back pain, shortness of breath, achiness in the belly, frequent bathroom trips.  I mean, when I've got to go, I've got to go!!!!  Baby is putting pressure on my bladder so much that I feel like I'm going to lose it!  I'm happy to report no heartburn or indigestion this week!  Woo hoo!!!!

Movement: She's rib jabbing me, pushing on organs....It hurts at times, and I'm so uncomfortable.  Space is limited, she's still continuing to grow, and I still have about 4 weeks left.

Food cravings: Sweets!!!!!  It's like cravings decided to start kicking in!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week.

Have you started to show yet: I've got a full on belly!

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

Labor Signs: Your typical Braxton Hicks

Belly Button in or out?  Still slightly in and out.  Wondering if it will every fully pop out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall, happy.

Looking forward to: Working more on Brynlee's nursery and my baby shower coming up at work this Thursday.  Yay for getting more things I need!!!

34 Week Bumpdate

I was told this week at work that I look like I'm ready to POP!  Here's me at 34 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  What do you think?  I certainly feel a little more uncomfortable these days.

When I look at my belly in this picture, it doesn't seem so bad.  But, they way I'm FEELING, I feel big.  This week, the "average" baby is weighing 4 3/4 of a pound and measuring 18 inches long.  I say AVERAGE, because, for some reason, I'm not thinking she's weighing this much or is this long.  I have a feeling she's in the lower part of the 4 pound range.  I just feel like my belly is too small and compact for her to be weighing that much and be that long.  I can also feel her flip flopping around a lot.  She's supposed to be in the head down position right about now, but I keep feeling her hiccups everywhere in different places on different days which tells me that she's switching positions often.  She obviously has more room to wiggle.  I haven't gotten much of the rib jabs these days, and for a while, I thought she was lying transverse for a couple of days this week.  Who knows.

This past weekend, my dad and I got the nursery furniture put together.  Tyson helped with the dresser, but had to get to work, so we finished it up.  All I can say is HALLELUJAH that it's COMPLETE!!!  Well, actually, the glider had missing hardware so we couldn't finish putting that together.  However, Tyson ordered the hardware, and the glider is easy to put together, so that'll be up in no time compared to the crib and dresser.  I don't have pictures of the nursery, yet because I want to get it a little more set up.  But, what I DO have is the pictures of the masters at work!

Getting the dresser all put together.

UP IT GOES!!!

I'm SO very grateful and thankful that my dad came over and helped.  I was starting to have a panic attack because the boxes were just sitting in the room and I feel like time is dwindling away before Brynlee's arrival.  Today, my sister and I were running around doing some more stuff for Brynlee and some nursery stuff.  On the agenda:  washing her onesies, layettes, P.J.s, washcloths, and towels, etc. and getting some things organized in the nursery, as well as running some baby errands.

This past Tuesday, I had my final two week prenatal appointment.  Starting at 36 weeks, it will be EVERY week, now.  Everything went great.  I'm healthy and Brynlee sounds healthy.  Hearing her heartbeat sounded a little different this time.  It sounded WAYYYYY stronger and sounded like it was beating differently..... a good different.  The nurse goes, "147 beats per minute and just ticking away!"  This whole pregnancy, they've been taking her heartbeat from the right side of my tummy, but this appointment, they had to get it from the left.  She has apparently flip flopped, what ever that means.  At my 36 week appointment, I will be getting my blood drawn....AGAIN!...UUUGHHHHH!!!!! and getting swabbed for a strep bacteria to see if I'll need antibiotics during delivery. Then, my OB will start checking me.  She'll check whether I've started to efface and dilate and whether Brynlee is head down, yet. From what my OB told me, it's going to be an eventful appointment.  I REALLY would like to know an estimate of how big they think she is.

At my appointment, we talked a little about my birth plan....all the more reason I'm panicking to get everything done because my OB made the statement, "Now that we're getting down to the wire..."  We talked about if I plan on getting an epidural, which I'm going to be realistic and say that I AM....BUT!!!!....I'm going to put it off as long as I can.  My doctor fully supports my decision, which makes me very happy.  She said that she actually likes her patients to go as long as they can until they really need it. I told her that I've been reading (and heard) that it can slow down the progression of labor, AND it gives you a higher chance of possibly having a c-section.  She said that's one of the reasons she puts it off and that's because it CAN slow things down.  But, she also said that some women benefit from having the epidural early because the pain causes them to tense which slows things down, so the epidural could possibly speed things up.  On the other hand, though, she said she doesn't believe giving it to her patients when they say, "Oh I've had one contraction, it hurts, can I have it?"  I couldn't agree more.  I think I can suck it up a few extra contractions.  So, I'm SO glad that my doc is on board with me.

So, that's it for this week!  Time for the survey!
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How far along? Posting this at 34 weeks and 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 23 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.  Gained two pounds in two weeks.  Doctor still says weight gain is excellent.  I still plan on staying in that "excellent" category.

Maternity clothes?  Nothing this week.

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

Sleep: I feel like I'm sleeping fine.  Sometimes I'll wake up to my hips or back hurting form all of this weight.  I also have to wake up to middle of the night pee trips.

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery furniture set up and hearing a 1st grader at the school I teach at say point to me to one of her friend saying, "Look!  She's having a baayyyyybyyy."  I thought it was cute.  And one more thing!  Tyson getting me a Valentine's Day card "from Brynlee."  Melted my heart.

Have you told family and friends: That would be terrible if no one knew at this point.

Miss Anything?  Being a little more comfortable and not like my body is being taken over.

Symptoms: Back pain, shortness of breath, achiness in the belly, frequent bathroom trips, just a tinge of heartburn; and then on Thursday night, I had my first bout of indigestion   Hurt.  So.  Bad.  I NEVER get heartburn and indigestion, so I'm not used to the feeling, nor do I understand what to do to help myself.  I had to text my hubby at work to help me.

Movement: Wiggling, flipping, rolling.  Not so much kicking anymore.  She's probably crunched in there.

Food cravings: Anything sweet.  Tuesday night, I had an INSANE craving for Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Rolls late, late, late in the night.  On Valentine's Day, Tyson gifted me with Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Rolls AND Zebra Cakes.  I could kill him for bringing TWO boxes of junk into this house.  But, I love him for being so sweet.  And of course, I've eaten a couple...  So much for that "excellent weight gain," huh???

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week.

Have you started to show yet: I have students telling me congratulations and saying, "Look she's having a baby," strangers asking me when I'm due, co-workers telling me that I look like I'm ready to pop...

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

Labor Signs: Yep!  Good ol' Braxton Hicks.  Either Wed. or Thurs. night, they were starting to become a little more painful.  Felt like I was about to start my period there for a while.

Belly Button in or out?  Still slightly in and out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall, happy.

Looking forward to: Organizing Brynlee's nursery and getting that more put together.

33 Week Bumpdate

Hahahaha!!!  I'm sorry, but when I saw these pictures of me when I was uploading them into my computer, I couldn't help but laugh my butt off.  I look like total hell!!!  Usually on Thursdays, after work, I'll come home and follow Tyson around like a lost puppy while he gets ready for work.  We don't get a lot of time together, so I take any chance I can get.  Well, he was taking a shower and I was sitting on the bathroom floor spending time and talking to him, but lately sitting has been so uncomfortable on my diaphragm, so I decided to go lie in bed.  Well, I feel like I've been working my butt off lately and have been really tired, pluse heave hoeing this weight around at work all day has been tough, so I passed out on the bed.  I woke up to the sounds of Tyson getting Rosco ready for work, so that was my cue to jump out of bed, hurry up and grab the camera, and ask him to get a side picture of me.  No brushing of the hair, no wiping the sleepiness out of my eyes, and no slapping myself to make myself look more alert.  So the final product.....

Me, at 33 weeks and 4 days pregnant with bedhead and a fresh "I just woke up" look.

Dang!  I look GREAT!..........NOT!!!!!

Anyways!!!!....This week, baby girl is a little over 4 lbs. now (about the weight of a pineapple) and is measuring about 17 inches long from head to heels.  She should be gaining a half a pound each week by now. Her lung development is almost completely mature and her skeleton is hardening.  Plus, she's plumping up and losing that wrinkled look.  Looking like a BABY now!!!

Speaking of maturing lungs....I can tell!!!!  This little girl hiccups and hiccups and hiccups.  Or at least it seems like that.  It really isn't all that bad.  There are days where she has the hiccups, and then there are days that I can't remember when I FELT a hiccup that day.  She's definitely stretching herself out.  Most of her body seems to be leaning towards my right side.  I know because when she moves, I think I'm feeling a butt stick out and some feet in the right side of my ribs.  Really uncomfy, but I can't help but love every minute of it.

NOW!  On to the things that are making me uncomfortable and NOT really loving it....  I think I've also started experiencing my first bout of heartburn this week.  Monday and Tuesday I was fine, then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday happened.  Tyson and I went out to Pappadeaux for Tyson's 28th birthday on Tuesday an I ordered stuffed crab.  Well, those suckers had sliced jalapenos in them, which I LOVE!  I had them for leftovers on Wednesday, then sure enough, later on I felt a lumpy feeling in the right side of my throat and it kind of burned and stung.  My first thought... "Oh no.  I have heartburn."  Sure enough, every minute of every day after that, I've been having heartburn symptoms.  It feel like EVERYTHING I eat these days gives me heartburn.  I had a sandwich!....heartburn.   I ate some greek yogurt!....heartburn.  I had a sip of water!....heartburn.  This little love of mine is getting bigger and pushing my stomach LITERALLY up to my throat.

A few other uncomfortable things that have happened that I don't like:
1) Getting headbutted/punched in the bladder
2) Actually feeling Brynlee move my stomach up and pushing down on my pelvis.
3) Driving in a car.  I.  Can't.  Breathe!!!  Practically hyperventilating.  Baby pushes up on diaphragm.

On Thursday, while I was teaching, a sudden blow came to my bladder, sending shooting pains down  my bladder and into my va-jay.  Sorry....but that's the reality of pregnancy my friends.  As a natural reflex, I hunched over like I had gotten punched in the stomach and shouted, "Ooo!"  At that point, I couldn't help but think my students thought I was crazy.  This morning, I was lying in bed and I felt Brynlee move and stretch up.  I could actually FEEL her pushing my stomach up.  It was shooting sharp pains in my chest and pushing what feels like that same lump I get in my throat when I get heartburn.  I then felt her press down and it shot pains down my pelvis.  THEN!  She decided to slide to the right and pushed up in my ribs.  I'm so sorry, baby girl, that mommy's torso is so short and you have no room.

Well, those would be the highlights for the week!  Now let's see how the survey's changed this week.

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How far along? Posting this at 33 weeks and 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 21 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.

Maternity clothes?  I don't know, yet, if I'm going to buy anything else.  I'm inching closer to that due date, so what's the point.  Some of my pre-pregnancy clothes have still be good to me.  But!  We'll see.  I feel like I'm growing by the day and my wardrobe options are dwindling.

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

Sleep: I've been fine now since that cold finally went away.  Just up to pee 1-2 times in the night, which obviously interrupts my sleep.  But, it hasn't been terrible.

Best moment this week: Getting told that I'm tiny, all belly, and I don't look pregnant from the back.  One of our new student teachers told me that I'll bounce back fast because I'm so tiny.  I told her, "Aw.  Thanks, that's so sweet of you.".....and then immediately replied back, "However, you definitely didn't get to see what I looked like before I was pregnant.  My ass HAS spread since then."

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

Miss Anything?  Being a little more comfortable and not like my body is being taken over.

Symptoms: Back pain, shortness of breath, achiness in the belly, frequent bathroom trips, and the new one......heartburn.

Movement: Moving and stretching just fine.

Food cravings: Anything sweet.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: When driving in the car, it pushes Brynlee up into my diaphragm and stomach.  This, in return, makes me feel nauseous. Morning commutes to work aren't enjoyable and my commute back home isn't any more pleasant than the morning.

Have you started to show yet: People can definitely tell I'm pregnant.  Yesterday, while meeting my family for dinner, a waiter passed by, asked me what I wanted to drink, and then jokingly said, "Let me guess...TEQUILA!  Okay.  Water it is."  So, safe to say that little joke signaled he knew I was pregnant and wanted to make me laugh.  It worked.

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

Labor Signs: Yep!  Good ol' Braxton Hicks.  I think I've figured it out!

Belly Button in or out?  Still slightly in and out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall, happy, but also VERY tired which causes me to feel moody at times.

Looking forward to: Getting Brynlee's nursery furniture put together.  I'm bringing in my family to help so Tyson doesn't have to do it all himself with his crazy, busy schedule.

32 Week Bumpdate

Am I 32 weeks?  Yeah...I'm 32 weeks.  I'm starting to lose track of how many weeks I am these days.  Here's me at 32 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  You'll have to excuse the very dead sexy, sedated, sickly look I'm giving.  I've been sick ALL week, and am now trying to fight off a sinus infection.  I am SOOOOO congested and it makes me sleepy, especially after teaching all day.

Not holding my basketball.

Holding my basketball.

This week, the baby weighs about 3.75 lbs. and is about 16.7 inches long (about the length of a hot pair of over the knee boots!)  Right now, Brynlee continues to pack on the fat so she comes out looking all kinds of cute.  She should be in the head down position by now and is starting to become a little more cramped in there.  She is now establishing sleeping and waking cycles.

For the majority of this week, I felt great, except for this stupid cold that I've been battling since Sunday.  I didn't feel like I had a heavy baby sitting in my pelvis and enjoyed walking around a little more.  I must admit, I started liking pregnancy this week, rubbed my belly a lot, and told myself I should just enjoy this moment I have with her sitting in my tummy.  It still sucks that I feel like a fat whale trying to get myself out of bed
and /or off the couch.  That's still a challenge.  I'm just not used to having this big ol' belly sticking out in front of me, let alone this much weight.  Breathing is still pretty labored, even more labored now that I'm congested.  From this point on, I feel like I'll need to be wearing a face mask when I go to work because I don't want my students getting me sick.    I certainly DON'T want to be sick when I'm in labor and delivering!  That would be no fun.  AT.  ALL.

I had my first 2 week prenatal checkup this past Tuesday.  Nothing new they do with me at the checkup.  Just your typical weight, blood pressure, urine sample, check the heart rate, measure the height of the fundus, any questions?, awesome....you're good to go.  I have only gained one pound in 2 weeks, so I'd say that's pretty damn EXCELLENT when average is about one pound a week.  That means I only gained half a pound per week.  Yeah, yeah.... I know you can do the math. ;)

Brynlee's heart rate was 132 bmp, which stopped my heart for just a second when the nurse told me that.  To me, that was unusually low for her.  Her lowest ever was around 145 or 146.....I can't remember.  I know normal is between 110-160 bmp, so I told myself not to worry.  When my OB came in, I expressed how shocked I was to find out that her heart rate was so low compared to her old numbers.  Well, I found out something interesting that I DIDN'T know that she explained to me when I told her how low baby girl's heartbeat seemed to be....for me.  Apparently, as I approach my due date and get further along, babys' heart rates will actually drop.  It starts high early on and now it's supposed to drop.  Also, she said that we want to see her heart rate varied like it has been.  That is a good sign that she's getting plenty of oxygen to her brain.  HALLELUJAH to THAT!!!  Now that's news that a new mama WANTS to hear.  In the end, her heartbeat sounded strong and beautiful as usual.  So, overall, all was good and great at my appointment   I see the doctor in 2 more weeks, and then one more 2 week appointment after that, and then we're on the week by week countdown.  I know it's just going to fly.

Now for that weekly survey!
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How far along? I'm posting this as 32 weeks and 5 days preggy!

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 21 lbs. from pre-pregnancy. 

Maternity clothes?  Nothing else so far!  Still rockin' my husband's boxers he no longer wants (or I've stolen from him) at night for pajamas.

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

Sleep: It sucked this week due to this silly cold.  BLLLLAAAAHHHH!!!

Best moment this week: Feeling good and enjoying my pregnancy.  Who would have thought I would enjoy it more LATER in my pregnancy than earlier on???  Let's see if this feeling changes next week.

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

Miss Anything?  Being able to CONFIDENTLY take meds without feeling guilty if I'm hurting the baby.  First off, I'm NOT a medicine person.  Most of the time I will just suck it up and suffer.  Ask my husband.  He thinks I'm the biggest pain in the ass when I refuse medicine to "make me feel better."  Sometimes, it just makes me feel worse, and I rather let my immune system fight it (because it's its job) unless I'm just on my death bed or if it an absolute necessity.  This week, I DID need something so I could sleep and function SOMEWHAT at work, so I hesitantly took Benadryl   It IS an approved preggo medicine, but I felt so, so, SO guilty and selfish taking it.  Let's just say I monitored Brynlee's movements for 24 hours trying to feel if I had drugged her or not.

Symptoms: I didn't have much back pain this week....SURPRISE!  Hmmm...I felt good in my pelvis and had barely any back pain......she must have been lying or sitting in some position that gave me SOME relief.

Movement: I didn't get any violent belly shakes this week, just a few rib jabs.  I think she was just being nice to mommy knowing I wasn't feeling well...............or, she was sedated with Benadryl I took on Tuesday....

Food cravings: Nothing.  I haven't been feeling well.  I had to FORCE myself to eat this week.  I kept telling myself, "This is for the baby.  I don't care if you don't have an appetite.  You HAVE to eat for the baby."

Anything making you queasy or sick: If I was feeling queasy, it wasn't from the baby.  It was from nasal drainage.  I know....Yummy!

Have you started to show yet: Getting bigger by the week.

Gender prediction: No more predicting!  100% GIRL!

Labor Signs: Maybe Braxton Hicks????  You'd think I'd be able to figure this out...

Belly Button in or out?  Still slightly in and out; and as quoted by my husband last week, "Holding on for dear life."

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy about baby.  Moody about being sick for the umph-teenth time.

Looking forward to: Brynlee's crib and glider came in today, so I'm looking forward to getting that put together and in her room.  Her dresser should be here next week!

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.
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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!
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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.