31 Weeks - Merry Christmas from The Bird, The Bean, & AppleSeed!

Merry Christmas (a couple days late) from The Bird, The Bean, & AppleSeed!!!

Last weekend, we traveled to New Jersey to celebrate an early Christmas with Jeff's dad, mom, grandmother, sister, and brother & family.  We left late Friday night and had an uneventful drive up arriving around 4am.  I kept track of how many times I had to stop to pee and it was a grand total of 6!  Granted, some of those stops were dual purpose (get gas, food, etc.).  I guess an average of once an hour isn't all that bad!  Saturday was mostly spent just hanging out with Jeff's brother, his wife and their four kids - our nieces and nephew.  On Sunday, Jeff's mom and sister arrived from VA and we had Christmas dinner and exchanged gifts.  It was very nice.  Monday, once again, we just hung out and mostly played with the kiddos.  Then, we hit the road around 6pm.  The trip started out rough with rain & traffic but thankfully, that cleared up pretty quickly and rest of the trip went well.  Here are a few pics from our visit.

Grammie wearing Judah's new cowboy hat!

Kepola

Laeli

 

Judah helping me open one of my presents!

Me & pretty Kaloni

Jeff & his brother, Ryan (and the aftermath of all the present-opening)

Nieces & nephew from left to right - Judah (3), Kaloni (4), Laeli & Kepola (1)

I was scheduled to work Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (night shift) this year but I got cancelled on Christmas Eve!  Yay!  Jeff & I went out to dinner at O'Charley's and then, we got a milkshake and drove around and looked at Christmas lights!  It was so nice.  I worked Christmas night and it was super busy & not the best shift but thankfully, it was just one night. 

Here are two pictures of my growing belly and below are my weekly stats...

How far along? 31 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: coconut.

Maternity clothes?  I don't think I'll be able to wear most of my non-maternity shirts for much longer.  My belly is starting to poke out from below! Ughhh (that decreases my wardrobe considerably).

Symptoms:  Looks like the swelling is back (in my ankles), but thankfully it's pretty mild for now.  Otherwise, it's all the same old stuff (indigestion, bloating, growing belly, voracious appetite, etc., etc.).

Sleep:  Still sleeping fairly well.  The only complaint I have is that when I wake up to pee, my whole body aches.  I think it's so difficult for me to turn from side to side while I'm sleeping that I just stay in the same spot for hours and get stiff.  At least I'm not having any trouble sleeping, though, right?!?

Best moment this week:  Christmas! "Hellulujah, we've been found!  A child is born to save us now, Jesus!  Hallelujah, light has come - a Savior who will set us free.  The promise for those who believe."  --"Hallelujah (Light Has Come) by BarlowGirl

Miss anything?  At this point, there are little things that annoy me (most of which I've already mentioned on this blog) but honestly, there's nothing worth pointing out right now.

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  2-3 (which is pretty crazy considering how often I have to pee when I'm awake). 

Food cravings:  The forerunner this week is macaroni & cheese!  Otherwise, I'm still finding it very difficult to resist the sweets cravings but I'm trying my best!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Well, it's pretty strange because I ate salad like it was going out of style for a couple weeks and then, BAM, it makes me gag & the thought of it makes me want to throw up!  It's so weird & very unfortunate since salad is so good for me & and an easy lunch or dinner option. Ughhh!

Movement:  ALL.THE.TIME.  For the most part, it's quite wonderful and I'm getting really excited about the adorable baby she's growing to be!

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Belly button - in or out?  Pretty much still flat at this point.  Every once in a while it pokes out just a little but it's mostly non-existent. 

Wedding rings - on or off?  On...I still haven't noticed hardly any swelling in my hands (hoping it stays that way for a very long time).

Mood:  Good (as long as I don't get too hungry, haha)!

Looking forward to:  Celebrating Christmas with my family next week and being able to really get some stuff done to get ready for this little bundle of joy!

Baby preparations:  Working on finalizing paint colors for the nursery & hoping to buy paint & get rolling (literally, haha) as soon as we have a free moment!  We really need to paint before we can do anything else (put together the crib and changing table, hang decor, etc.).

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com:  This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3 1/3 pounds (about the size of a coconut) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

30 Weeks!!! Only 10 (give or take) Weeks to Go!

After my lovely baby shower last Saturday, which you can read about here, I had the opportunity to attend one more fun and exciting event before heading home and having all my free time filled with work and other such necessities of life.  Sunday, I got to take my 5-year-old niece, Karly, to see the Nutcracker in Richmond.  We went with my best friend, Jen, and her 4-year-old niece, Raelynn.  It was so much fun and just as magical as I remembered.  I love the Nutcracker!  I think my niece enjoyed it, as well.  I can't afford to take her every year but I'm hoping to make this some kind of tradition.  I just hope she gets to go again before she's a teenager (that's how long I had to wait when I was little).  Here are a few grainy pictures I snapped (they're from my phone and the lighting wasn't very conducive to good picture-taking).

The set was gorgeous!

Karly & I excited for the show to begin.

Karly looked so pretty all dressed up!

We wore our matching grey boots! :)

These silly girls sure do love each other!

Karly & I posing in front of the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby. 

We went to grab a bite to eat at Wendy's afterwards and these goofballs had a blast!

 Now, I have to cut right to the chase because I have about a thousand things on my to-do list to get ready to leave and go to New Jersey to celebrate Christmas with Jeff's family this weekend.  We're leaving in about 6 hours and I have to bake, wrap presents, finish laundry, pack, figure out what to eat for dinner, etc., etc., etc.!!!  Here is my ever-growing belly with stats below...

How far along?  30 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: large head of cabbage

Maternity clothes?  Obviously, I can only wear maternity pants but I'm still about half and half with the shirts (the one I'm wearing in the pic above is not maternity).  I also bought some leggings the other day that aren't maternity. 

Symptoms:  First and foremost, I would like to say that I have not really had much swelling since last week when I was devastated by it!  Yipeee!  Hoping it stays that way for a while!  Otherwise, it's all the same old stuff with the addition of Braxton-Hicks contractions (I think). 

Sleep:  Still pretty good with the exception of being super stiff when I wake up (which inevitably equals getting up to pee).  It's actually quite painful.  I think it's because it's so difficult for me to roll over when I'm sleeping, so I lay on one side for hours and get stiff.

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  On average, 2.

Best moment this week:  Baby shower and Nutcracker! 

Miss anything?  Being able to turn over easily while sleeping, hehe. 

Food cravings:  Nothing too crazy this week:  sweet potato, pizza, milkshake/ice cream...

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nope!

Movement:  Almost constantly!  I have a love/hate relationship with the moving currently.  A lot of the time, it's awesome because I can see her moving and jumping around in there and I can feel specific body parts pressed up against my belly...but, it also hurts sometimes!  I am having to ask her quite frequently to please stop using my bladder as a trampoline and to please stop poking me in weird places!

Stretch marks?  Nope!  (Itchy belly, yes, but no stretch marks)

Belly button - in or out?  Is it sad that I had to look?  It's still in...kinda flat right now.

Wedding rings - on or off?  On, yay!

Gender:  It sure better be a girl because if it's a boy, he's going to be wearing some really pretty clothes and be nameless for a few days.  Hehe.

Mood:  I've been tired this week which equals cranky at times but overall, I'm feeling pretty good!

Looking forward to:  Jeff having two weeks off of work (he's a teacher) starting this afternoon, yay!  We have lots of traveling planned, I have to work Christmas this year (yuck) and we have lots to do on the nursery but it will still be a welcome break!

Baby preparations:  I bought a used glider last week while I was at my Parents' and I bought a used dresser for the nursery last night.  I'm looking forward to things coming together as I make some improvements and such.  

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com:  Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a large cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Baby Shower!

Today (well, yesterday, technically), my sister threw me a baby shower and it was truly lovely!  I am feeling so blessed and loved, I could just explode (but I won't because that would be quite the mess for my Mom to have to clean up).  My Mom and sister put lots of hard work into planning a beautiful party and I loved every little touch.  I can imagine throwing a shower for a party planner like myself could be a bit intimidating and I know my sister was trying to make it super cute and special since I have had the privilege of throwing her three baby showers and she definitely succeeded!  The food was wonderful, the decor was just adorable, and we played some fun games.  I wasn't able to get pictures of everything, unfortunately, but here are a few showing some of the little special touches...

 This was such a cute idea.  My sister cut out scrapbook paper in the shape of onesies and pinned them to this old window that my Mom had.  Then, she had all the guests write words of wisdom, advice, or something funny as a guest book of sorts!

This was also adorable and something I had never seen before--"midnight diapers."  Each guest was supposed to write a little message on a diaper for me & Jeff to read when we're up in the middle of the night changing baby's diaper.

Yummy & cute cake from Ukrops bakery!  I don't care to admit how much of this I ate today!

Punch with cute little paper straws!

Yummy food and centerpieces made by my Mom.

We had a very nice turnout and I got lots of wonderful gifts!  

Lots of gifts to tote home tomorrow!

Lastly, we shot a few of the obligatory family & friends pictures.  So glad everyone came!

 Me & my Mom.

 My sister, Rachel, me & Mom.

 Me & my best friend of many years, Jen

My sisters-in-law (and good friends), Robin & Jess, and me!

Once again, feeling so blessed and one step closer to being ready for this baby girl!

29 Weeks

This post is going to be short and sweet because for once, I really don't have much to share about the past week!  I have worked 4 out of the 7 days and just went to the Dentist and Christmas shopping on my days off.  Today, we snapped my belly pic just before I headed out the door to my Parents' house where I am now composing this post.  I am here for my baby shower on Saturday and I couldn't be more excited!  Tomorrow, my Mom, sister & I are going to do some shopping in Richmond.  We're hoping to get some fabric for a few things we're making for the nursery and perhaps some nursing bras (sorry if that's TMI). Then, my baby shower is on Saturday at my Mom's house.  I am so blessed to have the loved ones in my life that I do and I'm so thankful for them!  Sunday, I am taking my eldest niece, Karly, to see the Nutcracker with my best friend, Jen and her niece, Raelynn!  I'm super stoked.  She doesn't know yet and I'm so excited to tell her!  It's going to be a busy, wonderful weekend!

I almost forgot that I do have one very important thing to report related to my pregnancy--my glucose screening was completely normal which means I do not have gestational diabetes!  Yay! Yay! Yay!

Here's this week's growing belly:

How far along? 29 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: butternut squash

Symptoms:  It is with great sadness that I report that my ankles have begun to swell <insert frowny face here>, I knew it was inevitable and just a matter of time but I was really hoping I might be in the small percentage of women who don't suffer from swelling!  Otherwise, it's been the same ol', same ol'--indigestion, reflux, bloating, voracious and growing appetite, occasional leg cramps, itchy abdomen, forgetfulness and clumsiness, VERY frequent urination...

Sleep: Still pretty good for the most part!  Praising God for this!

Best moment this week:  Finding out my lab results.

Miss anything:  Being able to lift things and carry them up the stairs without a struggle or getting short of breath, hehe.

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  Still 1-2.

Food cravings:  Just sweets...cookies, candy, pie, cake, you name it, I crave it!  I've been doing a fairly good job of resisting this week, though!  Hope I can keep it up!

Movement:  Goodness, yes!  I'm pretty sure this girl doesn't really know how to sleep and I'm hoping that doesn't carry over to when she's out of my womb!  Haha!  I just love how I can feel (and see) actual body parts as she moves all around inside me.  It really is the coolest!

Stretch marks:  Nope!  For once, my genes have been very good to me.

Belly button - in or out?  It's mostly flat right now.  I'm really starting to think that's as far as it's going to "pop" (which is OK with me since I've always been rather fond of my "innie").

Wedding rings - on or off?  Thankfully, for now, the swelling seems contained to my legs/ankles so my rings stay put!

Mood:  Still get "hangry" quite often these days and my poor husband gets the brunt of it every time.  He really is the best husband in the whole wide world!

Looking forward to:  My baby shower!

Baby preparations:  The crib and changing table arrived this week (still sitting in the boxes in the Dining Room, though, of course).  I also ordered a rug that already came and paint samples that are also here, yay!  And I got a really cute lamp from Wal-Mart and two adorable frames from Kohl's!

What the baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com:  Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (about the size of a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

28 Down, 12 to Go!

This past week has been pretty status quo with book-ends of events worth sharing here on the blog.  First, I will tell you all about my first Thanksgiving as a hostess.  Then, I will tell you about my 28 week check-up that I had today!

Last Thursday, we (the Bean and I) hosted his Mom, Dad, sisters, Jessica and Robin, Robin's husband, Josh, and their two kids, Hazel and Virgil at our house for Thanksgiving.  It was tons of fun and a lot less stressful than I thought it would be!  The night before definitely wore me out because I crammed a bunch of baking, cleaning and organizing into just a few hours (I had to work the previous 2 nights), but the day itself was quite relaxing!  Everyone came over around 10:30am and Jeff's sisters brought breakfast which was awesome!  Jess made a yummy egg casserole dish and Robin made homemade cinnamon rolls!  YUM!  After that, we just lounged around for the majority of the day (with the exception of Jeff's Dad who is a rockstar and did most of the cooking).  Jess & Robin both brought snacks so we wouldn't have to worry about lunch & such.  We noshed on chips & salsa and a buffalo chicken dip that Jess made and veggies and hummus that Robin contributed.  Once the oven was free, I got to work on my dishes which included green bean casserole, roasted carrots, and mashed potatoes.  (I baked the pumpkin pies & made the chocolate pudding pie the night before).  In addition to the things I made, we had turkey, stuffing, gravy, turnips (not me), corn, cranberry sauce and rolls.  Robin made this super yummy cinnamon honey butter that we spread on the rolls.  I was very proud of my table decor and overall, super pleased with how everything went!  Here are a few pics:

Today, I went to New Life Birth Center for the first time and had my 28 week check-up.  This included a glucose screening which was not bad at all.  I think that's mostly because my midwife just has her clients bring in their own drink with 50gm of sugar (and no additional protein, carbohydrates, or fats).  I drank two little boxes of Orange Hi-C and it was yummy!  At first, my midwife wanted me to fast but when I questioned whether it was really necessary, she decided to let me do what I felt was best.  I didn't want to have to go so long without eating and have to drive so far (3 hours round trip).  I was really afraid I would hit a wall on my drive home.  I ate a high protein breakfast and drank lots of water and arrived for my appointment around 12:30pm.  I drank the Hi-C right away and then, we did other check-up stuff for the hour while we waited to check my glucose.  I've been trying really hard the last few days to eat better and, in my opinion, have been quite successful.  I don't want to stress too much over it (which I have been) or beat myself up if I slip up every now & then and eat more sweets than I should, etc., but I want to try to eat a better diet overall to set myself up for success to have the healthiest pregnancy, delivery and baby possible.  That's all I'm going to say about that for now.  I will go ahead & leave you with my bump and weekly stats!

How far along?  28 weeks

Baby is the size of a: large eggplant

Maternity clothes?  Yes and no!  The shirt I'm wearing in the picture above was a steal at Old Navy on Black Friday and it's not maternity.  I did buy three new maternity tops today at Kohl's.  I probably spent too much but I really need more shirts that I can wear with leggings.  I think they'll be cute to wear at my baby showers!

Symptoms:  Nothing new this week; indigestion, reflux, and bloating; increased thirst, hunger and urination; forgetfulness and clumsiness; expanding belly (see above pic); some carpal tunnel and other joint pain; and that's all I can think of right now!

Sleep:  Still pretty good for the most part!  The cold weather and subsequent dry heat is still taking its toll on my sinuses, etc., but I keep water by the bed and run my warm mist vaporizer to try to help with those things.

Best moment this week:  Getting lots of baby preparations under way (see below)...

Miss anything?  I miss being able to eat anything I want to knowing that the only person it will harm is me (not the little one growing inside me)!

Number of times I get up to pee each night:  Approximately 2.

Food cravings:  Sweet stuff!  Especially since I've really been trying to limit it this week!  I've had really good self-control and I am very proud of myself!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Not really!

Movement:  Oh my goodness!  I think she is moving almost constantly!  Jeff said she's kicked him while we cuddle at night a couple times this week.  I can feel actual body parts all the time now and it is the coolest thing!  There's an actual baby in there!

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Belly button - in or out?  Pretty much flat at this point, not in or out!

Wedding rings - on or off?  Still on!  I really haven't had any swelling at all yet (knock on wood)!

Mood:  Definitely having more mood swings but this week has been better than last.  All my meltdowns involved food this week...Jeff says I get "hangry."

Looking forward to:  my baby showers and doing more baby prep.

Baby preparations:  I finally purchased a crib and changing table this week!  We also went and looked at paint swatches and I plan to order some samples very soon.  I am also hunting diligently for a dresser and glider/rocker for the nursery.  I have been bad this week and bought a few little outfits and other things that we will probably receive a lot of as gifts but I just couldn't help myself with all the sales.  I'm so excited to get some tangible work done on the nursery!

What the baby is up to this week according to babycenter.com:  By this week, your baby weighs 2 1/4 pounds (about the size of a large eggplant) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Oh, how I love this little one already!  We can't wait to meet you AppleSeed!