32 weeks

Pregnancy: 32 weeks.  Thanks for taking my picture Mary, in Baby Chobot's new room! ;)  I don't have really good lighting in my house- oops!  Any way, 32 weeks... that means.. EIGHT MORE WEEKS TO GO. Officially 2 months. 

Weight Gain:   Went to my midwife on Monday and I am up 3 pounds.. It's never easy to see myself gaining weight. But i know there is a baby brewing in there and it's only right that he/she grows.. there for, i must grow too.  So far weight gain - 21 pounds.  OH!  And i must say, this is one of the first times i had my appt in the later afternoon. AFTER a huge lunch... excuses, excuses..  I guess i am ok, with 21 pounds at 32 weeks....

 

Next appointment:   Next appt. will be at 34 weeks.  On Aug. 29th. (at 8:15am).  Scale don't screw me then!

Sleep:  Sleep has been good. I have gotten used to my pillow again and learned to properly maneuver it with this belly.  I love to sleep. 

Gender:  I have to say on the record I officially think it's a girl now. I know it's either one or the other, but for some reason. I am now going GIRL. I guess because i really thought BOY for so long, i just knew it would prove me wrong and be a girl.  So i'm saying girl now. 

Names:   Girls first name - SET.  Now need to find a middle name that goes well with it.  Thought we might have had a boys name... but ran it by a friend, and now i don't know. hmmmm...

Feeling/ Symptoms:  Feeling good. No Braxton Hicks or anything yet.  I'll take it. Sometimes i forget i am pregnant. Then, i see my reflection....

Movement:  Still officially KICKING my rib cage - found out baby's head is DOWN.  now, we wait...Speaking of rib cage- i used to have one right?  Where did they go? i can't feel it from the outside anymore. Anyway, baby is a real good mover.

Belly:   I love this belly.  It feels really great to let it all hang out.  Belly button still pushing out.

Maternity Clothes:   With Hayley's up coming wedding, i have tried and tried SO MANY dresses.. ordered from different places, tried on, returned.. Fancy dresses while preggers = NOT CUTE. I think i found one though.. i am waiting for the mail to arrive.... 

Stretch Marks:  Again...Sigh, yes.  Left hip. and i see them trying to creep in on my right hip.. :(

Best Moment Last Week: Best moment last week was my ultra sound!  Andrew and i walked in and it was the same tech that i had at my 20 week, and i got really nervous.  (i had a bad 20 week ultra sound) She was so much nicer this time and talked us through it and it went by quickly.  She left the room and came back in soon after saying everything looked great! The doctor didn't need to see us.  The kidney Fixed itself!  and my placenta moved into a good place.  Oh man, we we re so happy.  We celebrated with a McDonald's breakfast.  So happy and thankful that both problems fixed by themselves. And i realized if the tech is quiet and seems rude, there might be something wrong....If she is nice and smiley... YAY!

Nursery:   Did buy a cute bird decal for the wall, but haven't put it up yet. And i think Andrew is going to make some bird prints to put up above the crib, so the bird decal can go on the main wall.  Horray for an artist as a husband! He SHOULD make some art for the baby's room, right??!? ;)

What I Miss:  again, and still drinking with my friends. But i went on a boat for Hayleys bachelorette party- and just being with friends was enough.  Didn't even WANT a drink.  Weird how that works.

Looking forward to:   - I'm looking forward to, Hayley's wedding next weekend!  

- Trying on my new dumb, fancy maternity dress in hopes that it fits.
- Staying in a hotel for the wedding...hmmm. should i bring my preggo pillow??
- Next Saturday my FIVE Year wedding anniversary.  Where has the time gone?  
- Girls trip coming up!  (i keep forgetting).
- Adair coming into town!  Can't wait to see my preggo buddy! :)

What the professionals are saying:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds  and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Baby is the size of what fruit/ Vegetable?   Jicama... whatever that is

Hayley's Bachelorette Party

It was a success!  On Sat. we celebrated my sweet friend Hayley's bachelorette party!  With her wedding slowly approaching we got a bunch of girls together and had such a great day.  Jess, Colie and myself emailed back and forth for weeks coming up with a master plan.  And that we did.

We met at all the girls at a new bar called Estate Ultra Bar, right on the river.  Reservations were at 2pm. Before that Colie and her husband Grant and I met at the sail boat we were taking out for the day to decorate and set up the food we had catered in from Fox and Obel - a great grocery store down town.  At 2pm we headed to the bar and met- Jess were she had held down the fort and order appetizers and pitchers of Sangria.  Hayleys' four friends from Indiana were there: Kelly, Mandy, Gabby and Becky and then Mary and Margo showed up and of course Hayley.

Photos of the bar:

Hayley & Becky

the spread

so good!

Beautiful Bachelorette

L- R: Kelly, Margo, Gabby, Mandy

Gabby, Mandy, Colie

Hayley, Becky, Kelly

Then we had our first little surprise.  Question of the day was..."how are we getting from the bar to the boat?  Our answer:  we called a few cabs... Which of course was not true. We all waiting in the parking lot for:  THE LIMO we rented for the hour.  It was totes worth it, everyone was really surprised and a few girls said it was their first time in a limo

Limo Pics:

waiting for "our rides"

The secret Limo

Red Carpet!

Bride to be

She's a natural

Chuggin' the Champers in the limo- Mary, Colie & Margo

Hayley- out the window

Jess, double fistin'

My shoes

the other end of the limo

Then we headed to the sail boat!  Where we met Val who came from a test - straight from medical school- and Grant, our captain for the day.  And we were off!  We went for a sail around the harbor, then into the lake for a swim!  Me and Baby Chobot did pretty well on the boat, we got in the water to swim too, so i don't have any photos of that part, but it was fun!  I did have to lay down for a bit after the cold dip in Lake Michigan.. brrrrrrr!  But the weather was perfect.  Such a beautiful day for a sail.

Here are some photos of the boat:

hayley

Add caption

Amazing view

Bachelorette

Chicago

More champers!

Here are the rest of the photos i took.  The end of our night included:  opening hilarious and sweet presents, Surprise Fireworks!  (we didn't actually set these up, in Chicago in the summer there are fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday nights at Navy Pier)- So awesome.

Opening hilarious "video" gifts here...

Hayley and Val- looking at the camera

Blur of the group

Fireworks on the water

Then after some gals left for the evening- the boat a few spaces down had a surprise for the bride to be. The one request Hayley had was- NO STRIPPERS---  well little did we know the guys at the boat down the way didn't get this memo and Grant got one of their friends to do a little strip tease for Hayley, Colie, Me, Val, Margo and Mary.  I didn't get too many photos of this either but it was really hilarious.

Hayley, Colie, and "Captain Stripper dude"

That's the only one i got.  the "stripper" pretended to be the captain of the boat. Hilarious.

And- here's the group photos!

Group Shot!

Such a fun night!  Can't wait for the wedding.
xo

31 Weeks

me at 30 weeks with a cool app called Snap & Sketch

Pregnancy: 31 Weeks!  Which means, there are only NINE more weeks to go. Which means we are in SINGLE DIGITS!!!  

Weight Gain:  Still the same i hope. Up 18 pounds

 

Next appointment:   Tomorrow morning i have my follow up Ultra Sound.  I am a little nervous, please send good thoughts.  My 20 week ultra sound was not so much a good experience.  Then i have my 32 week appt on Monday with my midwife.

Sleep:  The weather has cooled off and i slept awesomely last night with the windows open and a lovely cool breeze. Tonight it's gonna be even better! It's 70 degrees now..  ahhh..peaceful non forced air slumber...

Gender: you know..

Names:   nope

Feeling/ Symptoms:   Feeling HEAVY.  like really feeling it. And my back is hurting a lot.  Finally took a pillow to work for my back so i can try to be comfy on an office chair all day. Also, getting shortness of breath, have to stop pretty often to catch my breath. Bladder.. SO SMALL

 

Movement:  Baby is kicking or high fiving my rib cage.  It's pretty cute, i'll take it. Also feels like he/she doing somersaults in there.

Belly:   WOAH.  Did you see that picture up there today.  I feel like i have grown so much

Maternity Clothes:   Some maternity stuff my dear friends gave me at the beginning of this are no longer fitting.  Mostly shirts.. just not covering my belly anymore.  uh oh. 

Stretch Marks:  Sigh, yes.  Left hip. 

Best Moment Last Week: Last week- well Tuesday was great! We got the crib set up and the room all ready (as i posted before). Last week got a little hard emotionally (as i posted before).  So... That was for sure the best moment.

Nursery:   YAY!  Posted all about it. And today i bought a sweet little bird decal at Joanne Fabrics.  Hoping to set that up this weekend.

What I Miss:  hanging with my friends.  BUT, i am looking forward to....

Looking forward to:  
- Hayley's Bachelorette Party this weekend! I helped planned it and i think it'll be real fun, even though i'll be sober!! SIGH.  I'll post pictures of this as well.  Don't want to drop any secrets.  
- I signed up for a Lamaze class!  It'll be in September. 
- sleeping tonight with the windows open and that cool, cool breeze.
- My ultra sound tomorrow to see Baby Chobot again.  


What the professionals are saying: 

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds  and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He'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.

Baby is the size of what fruit/ Vegetable?     Four Naval Oranges

Baby Chobot's bedroom

Aka.. The nursery is gettin' done!! Almost everything is set up! Last night Andrew's mom and sister (what would I do without them) came to the city and brought us the crib and our stroller and tons of clothes and more. They put the crib together and we unpacked some of the presents and put them were they should go. Andrew and I have walked in and out of that room 100 times just to look at it. We are ready for you baby!!
I am feeling much better about things. I think it's just a one day at a time thing for me. Just need to remember to breathe and know that everything will be great.

I can't believe how quickly this room transformed from Andrew's man space/ computer room to our baby's nursery. Pretty crazy. Here are just some photos I took last night from my phone. I still want to get some bird wall decals and just a few more decorations and such.

Also, yes the room is blue- we are renters and it came this way. I'm not sure how long we will be in this apartment so if baby is a girl, hope she'll likes blue!

View from standing in the door

Chai Chai starring at the crib.  She doesn't know what's about to happen....

the CRIB!  And a video moniter (charging)

Thanks for the turtle Adair!  this thing is awesome.. Stars on the ceiling. I want one for our room..

chai!

another view from the door.

this might be the same picture..

view from inside the room

book shelf

Song of the Day

It's been a while since i've done one of these, but I only do it when i hear a really good song and I NEED to hear at that moment.  This happened today.

I had a real shitty weekend.  Everything was fine, but I just felt very alone and border line depressed.  I started looking into it and read somewhere that the sadness/depression/mood swings/ hormones ALL of that fun stuff from the first trimester comes back in the 3rd trimester.  Boy did it.  Poor Andrew. 

It was nothing he did, or anyone did for that matter.  Just that feeling of being alone, and knowing all of my friends were doing fun things without me.  It sucked a lot. Times they are a changin'

So hearing this song today cheered me up, at least for now. 
Don't get me wrong, I am still very excited for all that is to come, i just think as the weeks close in on me, it's starting to get really real, and I need to get mentally ready for this change.  I obviously don't know what's coming.  It's fun right?  I can still have fun?  Still have a life? Or does it not matter, because I'll love this baby more than anything (my dog) and i won't care that everything is changing??? 

Let's get to the song before I over analyze the brain of a first time pregnant lady who misses drinking beer with her friends..

Band:  The Smiths
Song:  I'm So Sorry

* i couldn't find the actual video, but this little still shot of Morrissey is pretty cute to stare at, and also helps to cheer me up. :)

30 Weeks

Pregnancy: 30 weeks!  Officially 10 more weeks to go.  This has really flown by i tell ya.  It helps when you are SWAMPED at work.. (i'm pooped!)

Weight Gain:  Had Dr. appt. on Monday and no weight gain!  Still up total of 18 pounds.

 

Next appointment:   Fri. 8/10 for my second ultra sound.  They will be checking out my "low lying placenta" and my baby's kidney to make sure all is fixing itself.  Please send good thoughts my way next friday!

Sleep:  Starting to learn how to maneuver my big ole pillow with this big ole belly.  Was worried that i should only sleep on my left side, but now i don't care. I roll back and forth left to right. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again!

Gender: Not finding out the sex.- I still think it's a boy. BUT EVERY kid i meet... (boy or girl) ages 2+ have said girl..  I bet because i think it's a boy and so many other people do too.  This baby is gonna pop out being a girl!  2 and half more months or so we will know!

Names: I'll just stay mum on this.  Still no official name or announcement.

Feeling/ Symptoms:   Feeling really BIG today. Back hurting, waddling, all of that is in full effect.  Started feeling a lot of weird pressure in my lower belly, but it just comes and goes and mostly happens when i get up from sitting a while.  Working 9-5 at a desk is starting to take it's toll.

 

Movement:  Lots and lots of movement.  Mostly at night when i lay down to go to sleep. Baby is UP and ready to party.... is that a glimpse into the future or what?

 

Belly:   BIG.  Just getting bigger!

Maternity Clothes:   Still able to pull off old summer dresses that i already had.  Being preggers in the summer saves money on buying maternity stuff!  Esp. when you are me and already wore flowy, dresses.

Stretch Marks:  Sigh, yes.  Left hip.

Best Moment Last Week: So many!  My 3D Ultra sound!!  Baby Chobot's Shower!  My mom being here and going to the Dr. with me on Monday!  She was able to meet my midwife- and feels much better to know that she wasn't a 20 year old hippy (she didn't really understand what a midwife entailed...).

Nursery:   So, thanks to the most awesome baby shower ever!!! We have all our stuff in the room with a new doggie gate so our sweet Chai won't get in there and mess with all the stuff.  Aimee is delivering the crib next week.. then I'll start organizing!  We got a dresser and so much good stuff. I can't wait to put it all together...  well.... watch Andrew put it all together. When it gets done, pictures to come!

What I Miss:  hmm... this week i miss, my back not constantly hurting.  and sleeping normally.

Looking forward to:  Not really looking forward to it, but eager for my 2nd ultra sound next week.  I'm a little nervous.  I am also looking forward to looking into what classes to take.  Any advice?  I have no idea where to start with WHAT classes to take....

What the professionals are saying: 

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds . A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease 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 is the size of what fruit/ Vegetable?     Head of Cabbage