Baby Bump: 35 Weeks

35 weeks with Baby A

Total Weight Gain: I'm up about 5 pounds over prepreg weight now. The weight started to pile on all of the sudden...probably because baby is growing very quickly. And I'm not quite sure how much more my stomach can stretch. I know our bodies are designed for this, but I feel like a science experiment!
Maternity Clothes: Ha! All maternity, all the time. Minus some tshirts...most of them are hubs'. 
Stretch Marks? Still none! I have NO idea how because this stomach is stretching to capacity.
Sleep: What's that? No, seriously. Remember when I slept 8 hours a night? That's a thing of the past. For the past several weeks it's been about 3-4 hours a night. I can't get comfortable. My belly gets in the way of everythinggg. And for the love, I just want to sleep a little before this kid comes and takes that away from me!
Movement: He's active all the time! Which is a good thing because it doesn't leave me wondering whether or not he's ok. He likes to jam feet into my ribs and his head is pressing on my bladder. Because, that's right, he's head down! Locked and loaded for delivery.
Exercise: I don't do that much anymore. It's hard enough for me to get around doing ordinary things, exercise definitely hasn't made it into the routine. I've been walking here and there. Nothing structured though. 
Food cravings: None really! 
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: I had my ultrasound last week and the little guy is just shy of 5 pounds and head down, ready for delivery. I'm 2 weeks away from being full term. TWO WEEKS! Where has the time gone, seriously? It feels like I was just in my first trimester. 

I also had a FABULOUS surprise shower thrown for me this weekend from my friend Julie. It was awesome and I'm so, so lucky to have her, my friends and their families for support too. I think we're just about set with gear. Most things are put together. This weekend is car seat installation...which hubs is in charge of, since my putting together skills are lacking. After that, I just need to finish my hospital bag, get a few nursing tanks and I'll be just about ready. Lord help me. I'm beyond petrified for labor and delivery, but I know people do it all the time and it's totally worth it in the end!

Suprises about Pregnancy: What I didn't Know Would Happen

There are a lot of things about pregnancy that people don't tell you. I'm not sure if it's because they don't want to or because they're embarrassed. Luckily, I'm not above laying everything out on the table. Especially when it involves this baby baking I'm doing.

Here are a few things that have particularly surprised me.

1. First trimester hormones are no joke. They turn you from a perfectly normal person into a crazy bitch in about 60 seconds. I wasn't fully prepared for this and therefore, shed my fair share of tears from February to April.

2. Your nipples get darker. This was also not a thing that I was told could happen until AFTER it did. I was concerned. Hubs was concerned. I look like something out of the pages of National Geographic. I've been told they return to normal after you're done breastfeeding. Apparently, science says that they turn so the baby can see his target while breastfeeding. Good to know.

3. You don't poop anymore. Yes, I said poop. No matter how much fiber you think you're eating, everything gets stopped up. Add in the iron supplements I'm on for anemia, and you've got yourself an intestinal disaster.

4. The second trimester is a breeze. At least it was for me. I felt like I could do pretty much anything up until the middle of August. Take advantage of this time and energy and get important stuff done then, before you feel like collapsing on the couch every night.

5. Sleep is evasive starting at the end of the second trimester. Especially if you're a stomach sleeper. Your belly starts to get in the way. You're peeing every few hours. I think this is partially to get you ready for sleepless nights ahead.

6. Every time you don't think your belly can get any bigger, it does. I'm at the point now. I don't know how there's much more room in there, but I've got at least 6 more weeks worth of growth. And this kid has about 3 pounds more to put on. Meaning I'm going to get that much larger. Size ultra pregnant.

7. Every day tasks begin to get a little more difficult. Such as putting on your underbritches. It's a show every day in my bedroom. I've wobbled like a Weeble Wobble trying to get into these things.

8. You start to leak a little pee pee. I'll spare you the details, but it happens. Be prepared for it.

Suprising information? It was to me!

Baby Bump: 33 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Still at 2 pounds over prepreg weight. But damnnnn do I feel GIANT these days. And I think it shows. Just look at the photo above. This kid is growing. As am I. Although it could have been the 5 cupcakes I ate this weekend at my shower.  
Maternity Clothes: All maternity. I'm clearly too large to fit into anything that's not. 
Stretch Marks? Still none! Thank you baby Jesus. 
Sleep: Oh, sleep. I miss you. I can't get 8 hours anymore. I used to sleep for 8 uninterrupted hours and it was fabulous. Now I get up at least twice to pee and it takes me a long time to settle back into position. Although this weekend I did get a fabulous new sleeping partner. A HUGE stuffed dog from Toys R Us from the baby shower. And although it's for the baby? It found it's way to my bed where I've been snuggling up to it. 
Movement: He's still on the move. And his movements are decidedly more uncomfortable. Baby boy is gaining strength and his pokes, jabs and kicks catch me by surprise a lot. 
Exercise: I'm terrible. I've been counting my house cleaning and running up and down the stairs to do the laundry as my cardio. But seriously? It feels like a legit workout when I vacuum, do laundry, dust, etc. I think I'll be going outside for a stroll tomorrow. I usually start to cramp up down below after 20 minutes, so my doc told me to take it easy when I feel that. 
Food cravings: None really. Shocking, I know. 
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: I have an ultrasounds next week, so I'm really looking forward to that! And I had my first baby shower and baby boy was spoiled with gifts. From some seriously special homemade blankets to burp cloths, we're getting stocked up. I went through everything this week and I'm slowly, but surely getting everything together. I did laundry last night and will work on sanitizing bottles/binkies and getting everything in it's place in the coming weeks. 

Here's a peak into parts of the nursery that I have done. 

My sleeping partner. 

And some pics from my shower:

 Cake made by my sister

 Amanda and Pam came out the way out from Pittsburgh and Philly to attend. Amanda's 10 days behind me with her second baby! 

 My baby sister, who pulled the whole awesome thing together. And made some AWESOME cupcakes. Hence why I had about 5. 

Diaper made by Pam

Baby Bump: Week 31

Total Weight Gain: The weight is definitely coming on quicker now. I'm up about 2 pounds over my prepreg weight. At least today. I'm sure that'll change soon enough. The numbers seem to be going up every time I step on the scale. Only 2 months to go though! 
Maternity Clothes: All maternity, all the time. I'm sure my coworkers are getting as sick of my outfits as I am. 
Stretch Marks? Still none!
Sleep: Sleep still eludes me. I wake up about 3 times a night to pee and I have a ton of trouble finding a comfortable position that actually allows me to fall asleep. When hubs isn't here, I make a pillow fort which seems to help a little. 
Movement: He's still moving. Just not as much as he was before. Mostly because of the lack of room I'm sporting in my belly. When he does move, it's VERY noticeable. Especially if you happen to be staring at my belly when he decides to karate chop me. His positioning for the day also determines the amount of back and pelvic pain that I experience. 
Exercise: I'm totally awful on this one. I haven't really worked out a ton in a few weeks. Mostly because after about 20 minutes I start cramping up in my belly and get really uncomfortable. I guess this could be contributing to the more rapid weight gain. 
Food cravings: Froyo. Hubs and I went out for some yesterday, actually. And I decided to be semi-healthy and get fruit toppings instead of all candy like I normally get. Expect for that spoonful of cheesecake bites I put on it...
Belly Button In or Out: Turkey's done!
Milestone: My baby shower in my hometown is this coming weekend and I'm really looking forward to it! I'm starting to get the nursery more and more together. I plan to go get a bookshelf tomorrow and I finally got some curtains up this week. Someone recommended getting thermal/room darkening ones, so that's what I chose. Especially since he's got 2 windows in the nursery. Here's a little peak. 

Pardon the mess. I'm still getting things together. I bought some tie-backs yesterday and installed them today. Everything will come together soon enough! 

This Post is Full of Sunshine and Rainbows!

You ever have those days where you need to bitch and moan? Today's one of those days. This blog isn't always sunshine and rainbows, so I'm warning of slippery road ahead. If you're not ok with a little negativity, then I suggest you find yourself elsewhere for today.

1. I'm sore. Straight up, like I ran a marathon then topped it off with 1,000 push ups and kegels sore. My back, my pelvis. Apparently pushing around the vaccum has turned into an Olympic sport for this preggo. Don't worry though. The doc checked me out last week to make sure I wasn't dilated. I'm not, in case you were worried. She just happened to mention, "Ah, the third trimester. This is when you really start to understand why most people hate to be pregnant."

2. I've been planning on taking 12 weeks FMLA since before I got pregant. So I applied in June, like a good little employee. But now I'm getting hit with "We can only give you 6 weeks, then you have to get a note from the pediatrician for an additional 4 weeks, and oh, by the way, if you want that other 2 weeks? Go back to your OB and get another form signed for 2 weeks." Are you kidding me? I thought this shit was regulated by the federal government. Cripes. This is exactly what I want do to when I have a screaming newborn. Fill out a bunch of papers and try to fax them out.

3. There's nothing like being pregnant and alone. Especially during your third trimester. Hubs' travel schedule has been off the charts since March and he won't be back on solid MD soil until mid-October. You know. Right AFTER I'm full term. Let's hope this boy decides to stay put until then.

4. I wish all my grass would hurry up and die. I hate mowing the lawn and I especially hate it while pregnant. Even though we have a riding mower, it's still a pain in my rear.

There's only 4 things that can possibly fix this angst right now. My couch and/or bed, puppy snuggles, froyo and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Normally? I'd say sushi and wine, but the the consumption of either of those treats is apparently frowned upon during pregnancy.

Baby Bump:29 Weeks

29 weeks with Baby A.

Total Weight Gain: 5 pounds, which has put me right back at my prepreg weight according to the OB's scale. So no "official" weight gain yet, but that's definitely coming in the next few weeks because the weight seems to be coming on quicker now as baby grows. 
Maternity Clothes: Um, yeah. I'm the size of a house, so therefore all maternity clothes are in order. Which, by the way, I'm getting sick of my wardrobe. I'm missing my other duds.
Stretch Marks? Still none I can tell except for a few small ones new my belly button. 
Sleep: Oh, elusive sleep. I haven't had a full 8 hours in quite some time. I wake up twice a night to pee or change positions. I totally miss sleeping on my belly. 
Movement: He's on the move! He goes through spurts. It's slowed down a little as I've gotten bigger because there's not as much room in there. But now when he moves, it makes my whole belly shake.
Exercise: I'm still walking when I can, but not nearly as much. My energy has been zapped as of late. 
Food cravings: Cherries. I can't get enough. And corn nuts. Weird, right?
Belly Button In or Out: Almost out! 
Milestone: I took my SECOND 3 hour gestational diabetes test last week and much to my surprise, the results came back negative! So bring on the froyo :)

I had my regular appointment today and did find out I'm anemic. This naughty baby boy has stolen all my iron. So, that's probably why I've been so freaking tired lately. She started me on an iron supplement, so that should help. I also started with some fun symptoms that everyone dreads...like pelvic pain and back pain. She checked to make sure I'm not dilated (thank GOD I'm not) and simply said the pelvic pain is my body stretching my ligaments to get me ready for delivery. Because, oh yeah, that'll be here in just over 2 months...or less!

Finally, I'm going to leave you with the first letter of Baby Boy A's name. R. That's all you get :)

Banana Peanut Butter Faux Frosty

You know what's delicious? Bananas. And Frosty's. And peanut butter. 

Do you know what I have for you guys? A delicious concoction that tastes like a banana, peanut butter frosty. And guess what? It's good for you. And guess what else? It's 3 ingredients. 

I know, right!?

I've seen variations of this floating around Pinterest and Facebook. So I decided to make it my own. 

Peanut Butter Banana Faux Frosty Treat
3 bananas, cut into chunks, frozen
3 tablespoons dark chocolate almond milk (regular chocolate milk will work fine too)
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Cut your banana into chunks and freeze solid. Take frozen chunks and throw them into the food processor or blender. This part takes the longest. Keep pushing them down until they start to break up. Add almond milk. Blend to a creamy, soft serve-like consistency. Once you get to that state, add your peanut butter. Then, get this:

Then come back and thank me for showing you this delicious treat. You'd never know it's just bananas, almond milk and peanut butter. But it's sooooo good.