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.