31 and 32 Weeks

These past few weeks may have been my favorite so far.  They haven't been the easiest, but they have been the ones that I have enjoyed the most and I think it's because I really feel pregnant, all of the time.  I remember during my second trimester, I would wake up in the morning and feel my belly to see if I was really pregnant.  I felt so normal that I almost thought every morning that I had dreamt the whole pregnancy thing.  These last few weeks, I have shifted in balance, felt really huge, and can definitely tell there is a difference in endurance during the day (Did I say I feel huge?  NONE of my clothes fit!  I feel like I wear the same thing over and over and over again, and by that I mean I wear my husband's clothes now.  My 32 weeker is my "pregnancy uniform"- leggings and one of his old fraternity shirts.  Love it).
Little Miss is so big now that I can feel her moving all day long.  I can push on my tummy just slightly and feel her little body, and she will usually push back.  Her movements seem to have so much more of a pattern and purpose now, like when she feels her Daddy's hand on my belly- she totally stops moving and I like to think she's resting in his warmth (or that's what I tell him when he pouts because she won't move for him).
I had quite a few contractions during week 31, and after my doctor's appointment I realized that my husband is right when he says to "slow down".  I am definitely used to being the type of person that gets things checked off the to do list quickly- I like to be pretty active and get things done.  But, all that got me that week was a few hours of contractions.  It's getting to the point in this pregnancy where if I choose to be as active as I usually am, the next day I will spend the majority of daylight in my bed. So, we have been learning to stay home more, take breaks more, and rest more, even if it means laying down but not falling asleep.  Plus, I know I have to get used to that knowing I can't gogogo with a newborn (or 3 month old, or one year old!).  I've got a few more things to sew, so staying home is right where I'd like to be.
I took a breastfeeding class as the hospital during week 32 and, I have to say, it was amazing.  I highly recommend taking one if you can.  A friend recommended it after I told her I was thinking about taking one, and she was so right!  It was taught at my hospital by a lactation consultant who is a leader in our city's La Leche League.  We got to practice nursing positions with cabbage patch dolls, which I thought was great.  I had lots of questions and she answered every one.  All I have to say is that I am beyond excited to nurse my little baby.

A friend of mine blogged a sweet discovery she had made that her newborn baby was born one year to the day that she miscarried her last.  She had blogged about how redemptive and cleansing the Lord is in her life.  At the time I had read it, I realized that one year ago at this time, we were miscarrying our own little baby and wept at those thoughts, too.  It is a very odd feeling watching your body build this life and grow in ways that make you look in the mirror and not recognize what you see.  You worry about the weight, you see clothing in the closet and wonder if you'll ever be able to wear it again.  You hope your husband finds you just as attractive as he did before.  It's easy for me to look at myself and look at the "pregnant" models in magazines (that I swear aren't really pregnant) and be disappointed in myself.  It's easy for me to get carried away thinking about my little girl being here and me "getting my body back".  But these last few weeks, I realized, like my friend, how redemptive the Lord has been in my life.  He took every ounce of pain we felt, ever tear we cried at night, and every ache that broke us for a child and gave us this little life.  Just a year ago we were holding each other in bed, feeling the crushing pain of losing a child, wishing we could crawl to heaven to be with Jesus, too.  Instead of looking down at my belly and seeing a baby's grave, I see my little girly wiggling and kicking my belly.  These days, we are shopping for a car seat, filling the freezer with food, and packing our bags to meet the girl of our dreams in a few short weeks.  I am so, so grateful for pregnancy.  I am grateful for heartburn, for stretch marks, for achy hips and a chubby face.  My thighs may rub now,  but I know my body is storing up energy to make milk for my baby.  My baby.  I can't wait to see her and touch her and smell her, but I will surely miss being pregnant. 

Free Nursing Pads!

I posted in February about some free nursing pads and got an email this morning that the sale is on again!
Bamboobies is offering a free set of nursing pads, just pay shipping.  I have heard people rave about these and registered for some, but can't argue with free.  No code, just add the free "item" to your cart and pay shipping!

30 Weeks!

I know 30 Weeks isn't any special milestone, but in my mind, I feel like a big deal.  Maybe it's that when you say you are 20-something weeks, people always say "Oh, you've got a while!".  But when you whip out the big 3-0 or more, it's like you are legit pregnant.  That makes no sense now that I see it in writing.  Whatevs.

We haven't had any huge changes this week.  I have felt better this week than last, although I am definitely "working the waddle" as Daniel says it.  We ate super clean diets this past week (well, I am sure it could not be technically defined as "clean" the entire time (church picnic hot dog, not so much), but we ate mostly oatmeal, chicken and veggies!), so I think that has a lot to do with me feeling better than when we were on vacation and pigging out.  The biggest change this week is my appetite.  I just cannot eat a full meal to save my life.  My mom always warned this would happen, that baby would get so big there wouldn't be much room for my stomach and I'd get full fast.  I just didn't think it would feel like this!  I feel like eating small, more frequent meals lets me move around a bit better though, so I'm happy with that.

We had our 30 week OB appointment and everything was perfect- fundal height right at 30 weeks and baby's heartbeat was 143.  My blood pressure was great and I didn't gain any weight.  Woohoo!  I know I shouldn't be concerned with that, and I really don't care, but it was nice to know everything (including ME) was perfectly healthy.  Plus, from this point on, my mom would lose half a pound per week until she delivered, so I think I am fine.

Exciting things this week- we had a baby shower from our amazing church and extended family on Daniel's side.  We were SO blessed.  We are blessed anyway by these amazing people- just their fellowship is a tremendous gift.  We love them so much.  "Church family" is not just a term we use- a lot of times it really feels like we are family.  Love it.  We got a lot of adorable clothes and tons of essentials that we desperately needed!  So thankful.

We live in Kansas City and last Friday night there was a Royals and Chiefs game on TV.  Usually I do everything I need to do during the day while Daniel is at work so that my evenings are free for us to have pure one on one time.  I know it won't be like this for very much longer, but we have always done that so that the evenings can be for us.  But, with two games on, I think it was safe to say I could vacate to the basement and sew.  I was able to finish Little Miss' coming home outfit! 

Prettttty much in love with it.  I adapted a vintage reprinted Simplicity pattern and used an online tutorial for the diaper cover (well, I added the ruffles of course!).  Love that bonnet.  Can't wait to get that thing on her cute little head.  Yes, it will be October (Lord willing), but we'll wrap her up good in a blanket (plus, have you been to the Midwest?  It could be snowing, it could be 75).  I think I am going to do some posts on what I have made for this girl once it's all done with links to the tutorials I used.  Some of the things are pretty self explanatory, other things I looked up.

Tomorrow I'll be 31 weeks and we are off to St. Louis to see my side of the family.  It's been too long and I am so excited to see them (plus, we are eating lots of food from my childhood.  Hello Dairy Haven orange swirl cones and Dandy Inn)!!

29 Weeks

29 Weeks!  8 weeks to full term, one week until the thirties (well, okay since I am so bad at blogging these days, it's already there but whatever!).  How did we get here?  Blessed for sure.

29 Weeks was pretty great.  We went on a family vacation with my in-laws and had a great time.  We went to Wisconsin and saw House on the Rock and The Dells.  I think we ate cheese curds and fried pickles at every meal and had a blast hanging out.

Non-pregnant, I would have said we didn't do a huge deal of walking, or anything out of the ordinary.  House on the Rock was 5ish hours of walking, and we were on a boat for a lot of The Dells.  I have to say, though- I felt it the first night!  Otherwise, I felt pretty good.  Our diet was pretty bad on the trip, but we really didn't have the option sometimes.  I felt pretty sluggish because of it, but it felt really great to get home and detox.  It's vacation.  Gotta live a little!

Baby wise, lots of similarities from last week or two.  A few notables-

• Feeling heavy at the end of the day, which does zilch for my self esteem. I joke with Daniel that I have my own gravitational pull and act like objects are orbiting around me (yeaaah, Family Guy reference I am not proud of!)
• My hair is terrible. My mom kept reassuring me that I would have thick, lustrous hair from this kid.  NO.  EXACT OPPOSITE.  It has become super brittle and is breaking all over the place, despite my efforts to keep heat away from my hair most days out of the week, apply heat protectant when I do fix it, and baby it.  My hair was healthier when I was working and fixing it every day!  Did not expect that at all.
• The pregnancy insomnia is at an all-time high.  I usually wake up around 2 and stay awake until 4.  Sometime around 3 I hit Pinterest on my phone and-good news-we have been trying lots of freezer friendly recipes that I can stock the freezer with for when baby comes.  I have broken down and taken a Benadryl every once in a while if it's bad.  I was having some allergy issues, and then realized I was sleeping.  Woohoo!
• The gas.  Wow.  Yesterday was the worst!  I had a big honkin salad at lunch and think that may have done it, but I felt like I was literally about to pop.  There is no room in there for baby and gas, and, well, unfortunately for my husband, the baby wins out.  And they are bad.
• I'm not sure if I already mentioned hiccups, but she always has them it feels like!!  I can see them, now, too.  It's so fun.
• I am just about finished with this book and pretty much love it.  So much information and it is so encouraging!  Nursing is one thing I have been looking forward to for so long.  Can't wait.  
  
  We (or shall I say "I"- Daniel doesn't want to come) are taking a breastfeeding class in 2 weeks at the hospital.  Excited for that, too.
• I feel like I have been nesting for a lot of this pregnancy, but now I feel like it's down to the wire.  I feel like we still have so much to do (shampoo carpets, build a bookcase, sew five thousand things, fill the freezer, organize the garage!) and not so much time to do it.  We have been traveling so much this year and next weekend is (hopefully) our last trip before she gets here.  Our plan is to make September our R&R month of a whole lotta nothin', so looking forward to that.

I can't believe how far we have come.  This week it really hit me- a day is coming soon when I will be able to see this little face that looks so much like us and smother it will kisses and snuggles.  I won't be able to feel her kicking me or have the hiccups, though.  I have loved being pregnant, and I will miss it!  Cherishing nights on the couch with her Daddy,  feeling her every move.  We are so thankful.