33 weeks and Sneek Peek at our Maternity Photo Shoot!! :-)

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with aconehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

1. How Far Along? 33 weeks (as of this past Friday, May 27)

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? 28lbs (still holding steady- thank God!) Maybe there is hope to stay at 35lbs!

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, please! Although some dresses and a lot of shirts are still fitting that aren't maternity.

4. Gender? GIRL! :-)

5. Movement? Lots! Lately T and I kid that she is taking up kick boxing inside the womb.  Sometimes her little feet HURT me! Actually, as I'm typing she has hiccups. This happens a few times a day, and happened at my last doctors appointment when the Midwife, Nancy, was checking her heartbeat, ha!

6. Sleep? Still much better- I usually get up around 3am to use the potty. When I do wake up for the morning, I am very sore.  I almost forget what it feels like to NOT be pregnant.

7. What I miss? Being able to wear a bathing suit and not feel super self conscious. 

8. Cravings? watermelon, green apples, cheddar cheese sticks, skinny cow strawberry shortcake sandwiches.

9. Symptoms? Just pressure.  I think I've really lucked out not getting heartburn, swelling, or carpal tunnel like so many women get.
  
10. Best moment this week? Our maternity photo shoot. :-)


* I had another doctor's appointment this week and was DREADING going after the fiasco last time with Beth making me feel like a MOO COW.  This time I saw a new midwife, Nancy, in the Beverly office.  It was honestly like night and day.  Baby is only measuring a couple days ahead now (not 1.5 weeks), my weight has not changed since my last appointment, and everything else checked out just perfectly (BP, urine, etc.).  When I asked again about my results from my glucose test, I was told that everything was PERFECT. No cause for concern whatsoever.  I see Beth again at my next appointment (a day shy of 35 weeks, so we will see what she thinks). At that point, there is only a little over a month left. CRAZY!!


Other baby related news:


-Our stroller arrived on Thursday!
-Our swing is en route and ETA is 5/31
-I was able to purchase most everything on our registry from returns and gift cards! Feeling much more ready for this baby to make her appearance.
-We have birthing class next weekend and I am nervous!!!
- I finished my thank you cards from my shower within one week and will send them out on Tuesday. :-) Pretty excited about this one!


Things we still need to do:


-Paint the nursery
-Paint the rocking chair & order cushions
-Wash and assemble bedding
-Wash all newborn and 0-3 month clothes and put them away
-Assemble bassinet, swing, stroller, car seat, and infant seat
-Have car seat installed at Fire Station
-DECIDE ON A NAME!!!!

32 Weeks!

Sorry for the poor picture quality, we were in a huge hurry leaving for a wedding 1 hour and 45 minutes away! I didn't have time to change the settings on the camera, and this was T's first time taking my picture in a new location! Also, no bare belly again this week because I'm wearing a dress.  I'll be sure to take my 33 week picture wearing a shirt and bottoms. :-)

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) 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.

This past week was so incredibly busy! We moved the weekend before, then scrambled to get things unpacked and organized, and had about a million different deliveries scheduled (Comcast, Jordan's furniture for our new mattress, Pottery Barn for our living room, and Baby Furniture Warehouse for the nursery furniture). The rest of the week was spent trying to organize and make this place feel like home. :-)

This past weekend we had a wedding on Friday night for T's cousin, Saturday I had my friend Katie's son, Patrick's, 2nd birthday party, then dinner with Dad's side of the family before my sister's recital, then of course the actual recital.  Sarah's recital went until 10pm! I was one tired Mama-to-be! Sunday was our Baby Shower (separate post on that all together!!).  It has been just non-stop.  T left Monday night for a business trip and will return late Wednesday night (tonight).

1. How Far Along? 32 weeks (as of this past Friday, May 20)

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? 28lbs

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, please! Currently loving dresses, too! I think the weather has FINALLY taking a turn for the better and it's been beautiful these past two days.  I think we ALL deserve it after the month long cold, rainy weather that superseded spring.

4. Gender? GIRL! :-)

5. Movement? She doesn't stop. Really, she moves constantly.  Baby Girl gets the hiccups usually at least once or twice a day.  Her super active times are still first thing in the morning, and in the evening.  She is getting big in there! I can tell by her movements, I feel her to the left and the top and the right all at the same time! T and I are trying to figure out if what we are feeling is her elbows, feet, or knees. ;-)

6. Sleep? I'm so happy to report that it's been MUCH better since we moved into the new place and we got the new mattress. I've only been getting up once a night to go to the bathroom, and I feel as though my sleep is less interrupted.  I'm not sure if that has to do with me not being about to feel T move or get out of bed or what, but whatever it is, I'll take it!!

7. What I miss? With the warmer weather here, I'm going to say a nice cold cocktail. 



8. Cravings? Green apples, salads from Chipolte, chicken salad on a jalapeno cheddar bagel from Perfectos Cafe, watermelon (LOTS OF WATERMELON!!), skinny cow ice cream sandwiches (currently have cookies and cream ones in the freezer but my favorite are strawberry shortcake), and of course....water! (I'M KEEPING THIS FROM 2 WEEKS AGO BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME)

9. Symptoms? Hip pain and pressure below.  Other than that I feel great! I honestly can't complain much, I mean I've only got 8 weeks (or less) to go!
  
10. Best moment this week? Our Baby Shower! :-) I can't wait to do a separate post on that and share with you some of the amazing pictures taken by our photographer and dear friend, Kerry Goodwin.  If you are in the market for a photographer you should definitely check her out! www.kerrygoodwin.com



One other thing that I want to mention is that our nursery furniture was delivered on Thursday!! WOO HOO! We absolutely LOVE it! Other than a drawer needing to be replaced since there is a paint bubble, everything is just perfect!! I can't wait for T to paint the nursery so that I can put the bedding on and start decorating...hint hint, Hubs! ;-)

31 weeks (over a week late!!) and WE'VE MOVED!!!

Okay, so this is just a super quick update since I am so behind on blogging with the recent move. Last week I turned 31 weeks pregnant. :-) No survey for 31weeks.

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) 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 he

*I do want to make a brief mention of my terrible doctor's appointment though.  I went for my regular appointment on Friday, May 13th. I was in a surprisingly good mood even though we were scheduled to move the next morning.  When I had my weight checked I asked the nurse how much I had gained thus far. She told me I was at 28lbs, but that I had nothing to worry about because I was tall and probably could have used a few extra pounds when I got pregnant.  I texted T right away while I was waiting for my midwife, Beth, to come in. I told T that I was bummed because I was gaining a lb a week and that I was most likely not going to stay at my 35lb goal, rather end closer to 40lbs total gained.

Fast forward to Beth coming in to the room.

Beth: Courtney, we need to talk about your weight.  You've gained 28lbs, we need to figure out what's going on.
Me: (Taken aback!) Um, okay.  I'm not really sure what to say, I work out, I eat relatively healthy etc.
Beth: Do you want to make an appointment to see a nutritionist?
Me: (Crickets......holding back tears) A Nutritionist? Um, no, I don't think that's necessary.  Here's an idea of what I eat usually on any given day.

Breakfast- Go Lean Crunch cereal
Morning Snack- Yogurt or Fruit
Lunch- Salad with chicken or a sandwich
Afternoon Snack- almonds or Lara Bar or granola bar
Dinner- protein, veggies, and brown rice
Dessert- Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich

All I drink is water, and sometimes coffee with SKIM milk and a splenda.

Beth: Oh. Well. It sounds like you're doing everything right.  I think we should check your glucose.
Me: I just had my glucose screening test a few weeks ago.
Beth: Yes, but I'd like it to be random.

:::FACE PALM::::

I should also mention that Beth told me that the baby was measuring a week and a half ahead. WELL NO KIDDING! We've been telling her all along that my due date is off. T and I had calculated our due date to be July 15th , but my doctor's office has it as July 18th, however T and I could have our dates off and it could be a few days earlier than the 15th.  At both our 12 week and 18 week ultrasound the baby was measuring 8 days ahead. My doctor's office won't change the EDD unless we are a full 2 weeks ahead (14 days). So this measuring ahead is nothing new. Beth then asked me how big T and I were as babies (again) and I got the feeling that she was surprised that T and I were high 6 and low 7lb babies. Talk about making me feel like a heffer.

Off to the lab I went.  As I sat in the waiting room I couldn't help the tears streaming down my face.  I texted T (who was PISSED!!) and my two friends that just recently had babies (and who both gained 45 and 55lbs) for support.  T was really upset that I was being accused of being unhealthy and not taking care of myself when he KNOWS how hard I work at still being active and going to the gym/studio each week, and he KNOWS that I'm not going through the drive thru eating fast food and drinking soda.

T is going to try and make it to my next appointment with me. I called the doctor's office for the results of my lab work since they never had the courtesy to call me  and I passed with FLYING colors.  The on call nurse told me that my results were normal at a 75.  I asked what the "normal range" was (I remembered I got a 90 on the last test and 130 was the cut-off for possible gestational diabetes which required a follow up 3 hour test).  This normal range was between 73-113 and I got a 75.  Are you even serious?! I'm on the LOW range! How do you like that, Beth??!?!? I cannot wait for my next appointment this week! Oh and as of a few days ago I was holding steady still at 28 lbs- this means I haven't gained anything since my last appointment! :-)

I'll leave you with a quick iphone photo:

30 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). 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.)

1. How Far Along? 30 weeks (as of this past Friday, May 6)

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? 26lbs

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, please! Currently loving dresses, too!

4. Gender? GIRL! :-)

5. Movement? A lot! My stomach gets very hard right around my belly button. I also can feel her all the way over on my sides.  She favors my left side.   If Baby Girl is positioned like the baby in the above picture then I think what I've been feeling on my sides must be her little elbows/arms.

6. Sleep? Horrible. I'm getting up about 3 times a night to pee, and it's really hard for me to get comfortable after I'm awake.  T and I just bought a new mattress on Sunday, and it will be delivered to the new place on Thursday-- I.can't.wait!!!!!!!

7. What I miss? Turning over in bed without needing a push, getting out of bed, walking without feeling like Baby Girl is going to come out!

8. Cravings? Green apples, salads from Chipolte, chicken salad on a jalapeno cheddar bagel from Perfectos Cafe, watermelon (LOTS OF WATERMELON!!), skinny cow ice cream sandwiches (currently have cookies and cream ones in the freezer but my favorite are strawberry shortcake), and of course....water!

9. Symptoms? Shortness of breath, pressure down below. And, one day last week my ankles were SO swollen after substitute teaching.
  
10. Best moment this week? So many! Where to start?

1. Having hubby surprise me with the most GORGEOUS dozen roses ever! Had met T for lunch at his work and then came home to find the flowers at our doorstep. SWEETNESS!!

2. Finally finding a dress for my shower that I love! I exchanged another that I had previously purchased. This dress is exactly what I had in mind- nice and casual but can be dressed up! It's white and strapless and I plan to wear it with my Jackie cardigan in light coral color from JCrew. :-)

3. Celebrating my first Mother's Day ever! (I'll do a separate post on that all together.)

Other pregnancy news that I want to document for my own memory- sorry if it's boring or TMI!

-I've noticed that I have to shave my legs much less often- as the hair on my legs barely grows since I've been pregnant. Bonus!

-That being said, my hair on my head falls out less than before I was pregnant.  From what I've read and heard from friends with babies, this is temporary and changes after the baby is born. I've heard that women can loose hair after giving birth.  I'm enjoying it now though! Also, I can go longer in between washings.  Usually I wash my hair every 3 days, now I can go 4. 

-TMI, but my boobs started leaking colostrum (sp?) in the dressing room on Friday. I immediately freaked out and texted my BFF, Tanya. Apparently this is a good sign that I won't have problems producing milk? We'll see. It certainly freaked me out!
-I think I had my first dose of Braxton Hicks contractions on Saturday night after eating pizza.  My stomach was so crampy and kept getting this tightening sensation.  I don't know if that was exactly what it was, either way it hurt!

Other unrelated tidbits:

- Our crib bedding came in and we LOVE it!
- We picked up some paint samples from Home Depot this weekend and as soon as we're in the new place Hubs will put them on the nursery walls.

- Our baby shower is coming up a week from this coming Sunday- so exciting!

- We move this weekend (yikes!)

A Day in the Life of a Hormonal Preggo!

T left last night for a guys trip down to the Cape. He and his friends are going to start a tradition going the first weekend in May and are calling it the "Gentleman's Intermission". So that means that I am home alone and pretty blah.  Not to mention that T took the SUV (which is what I drive) because a friend of his who will be down at the Cape is giving us moving boxes. T's car's seats do not fold down. FAIL. I can barely get in and out of T's car because it's so low to the ground. I never minded driving it, now I hate it!!

So last night I slept horrible because I was home alone.  I was up what felt like every half hour, and at 3:30 in the morning I swear I heard someone knocking at the door. Turns out our refrigerator makes odd noises. Awesome. When I finally couldn't take the awful sleep I was getting any longer, I awake to an email from another unit owner in the building (I am a Trustee so whenever there is a problem in the condo building, I'm one of the first to hear about it) saying that her hot water wasn't working. Great. I get up and check the hot water in our unit, or lack there of, and realize we don't have hot water either!! Even better! In the midst of dealing with our management company, the oil/heating company, etc. (all before 8am might I add...) I realize that not only can I not do the dishes that have been in the sink since Wednesday without hot water, but now I cannot shower.  No big deal, right? WRONG. I didn't shower yesterday and worked out. I was exhausted last night and the thought of showering made me cringe.  My legs were hairy and I NEEDED to shower because I had a prenatal massage scheduled at 10:45am. No such luck.  I literally ate cereal in bed with tears streaming down my face. A little dramatic? Sure, but hey I'm hormonal!!

Anyway....off to the massage I go, before I left I tried my best to freshen up. Best massage ever!!!  Honestly, it was like pure heaven and I would have stayed on the massage table forever if my masseuse, Elaine, would have let me.  As I was checking out at the front desk, I checked my cell phone. 1 missed call and 9 text messages from T (he was explaining this via text). Apparently the appraiser needs to come by the condo at 1:30pm to see our unit. FANTASTIC! I haven't made the bed, cleaned, vacuumed, or done any of the aforementioned dishes.  Needless to say my relaxation was thrown out the window! :-( Back home I raced, and now just finished cleaning and doing the dishes. Here I sit waiting for the appraiser. Calgon take me away!!!!

EASTER 2011

I know this post is a week late, but I wanted to make sure that I blogged about it since Baby Girl got her first Easter basket/gifts! :-)

T and I started our day by going to church for the 9am service.  This was our second time going to our church on Easter and we love it.  It's always such a beautiful service on Easter, and we love that our church really incorporates the children into the program.  There was one hiccup this year though, a young boy of a family that are members of our church fainted.  It was quite scary as he was just 3 rows in front of us, and he hit the pew hard. T saw the whole thing unfold.

After church, we went to my dad's girlfriend, Kathy's house, in Stoneham because they were hosting brunch.  We had already committed to eating lunch with T's family at his aunt's house, but we really wanted to try and make both, so we did.  My uncle was there, and Kathy's friend's family, her sister, and her 2 daughters who are just a few years younger than me.  We had such a nice time, and were sad to have to go.  We would have loved to stay and then head to T's family, but there just wasn't enough time.  T got to experience my dad's amazing Bloody Mary's. My dad can mix a mean drink, and Bloody's are no exception.  He told T that Bloody's go back to his Barnicle days (a bar he used to bar tend at while my mom was pregnant with me until I was a toddler). I was so jealous that I couldn't have one too! Soon enough! ;-)

We headed out to Leominster to T's aunt's house and my mom met us there.  My mom was so sweet and got us an awesome Easter basket.  She actually bought the diaper cady basket off of our Pottery Barn registry and the pink gingham liner to match and used that as the actual basket.  Inside she filled it with goodies for us and the baby.  Candy for us, and 2 books, and a toy for the baby. So incredibly sweet and thoughtful!

I love that my mom keeps up tradition with getting me (and now T and the Baby!) an Easter Basket each year.  I plan to keep the same tradition with our kids (no matter how old they are). It's just so fun!

29 weeks- last week in the twenties= Crazy!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his 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.

1. How Far Along? 29 weeks (as of this past Friday, April 29)

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? These past 2 weeks must have been flukes because I'm up 26lbs total. However, when I went to my dr. app this past Thursday the nurse told me I was only up 1 lb since my last visit which would have put me at 21lbs. Hmmm....

I'm going to keep going by my scale and that equals 26lbs total gained thus far.

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes, please!

4. Gender? GIRL! :-)

5. Movement? Yes, and this baby is starting to hurt me! :-/ Now, Baby Girl moves her whole body and I can feel her limbs on either sides of my belly at the same time.  Sometimes her movements take my breath away.  I will say that feeling her all.the.time is reassuring that she's doing okay in there!

6. Sleep? I'm up 2-3 times per night now to use the bathroom. Lovely. 

7. What I miss? People have been asking me if I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over, and to be honest I was being truthful when I have answered, "No, not yet.".  Now, I think I'm getting to that point.  My belly is getting HUGE, I waddle, I can't walk for long periods of time (or even short periods of time) without feeling lots of pain and pressure.  I can't get comfy on the couch at night either.  Getting in and out of the car is a chore, and bending over hurts.  Every night after I workout at Barre class or if I do the elliptical at the gym, my body just aches. Thank goodness for T! He is such an amazing Hubs and really helps me so much!

8. Cravings? Watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, green apples, water (lots of water!), and skinny cow strawberry shortcake ice cream sandwiches. 

9. Symptoms? Very sore and achy down below. I think it's just going to get worse.
  
10. Best moment this week?  Staying active is still something that I am proud of.  I'm still taking classes at Barre N9ne 2 days a week and then doing 2 days of cardio at 7 months pregnant.  I'm hoping to keep this up until at least 32 weeks, then if I need to cut down to doing just prenatal yoga and swimming at the pool, I'm okay with that! :-)

Unrelated News:

- We are in the process of selling our condo....we accepted an offer, had the home inspection (with no issues- thank goodness) this past Friday, and are just waiting for the P & S to be signed on Friday, May 6th. Please say prayers for us that everything goes through.  Lenders are really making it nearly impossible for buyers to get loans on condos.  We've already had one hiccup with there not being enough "owner occupied units" in this building.  Fingers and toes crossed!!

- We officially get keys to our new townhouse that we are renting May 11th- and T will go in to paint, but we don't officially move until that Saturday, May 14th. We have hired movers this time though- and I am hoping that I can pack a room a day next week and not let myself get too stressed out.  My mom is planning on coming here to help me pack things up on her day off (Thursday). I just don't want to over-do it with the lifting, etc.  I'm thankful that the weather isn't too hot yet, and that I can take my time. A few things we are looking forward to at this new place: 1. More space- we'll go from just under 700 sq. ft to over 1800! 2. Having a garage again! this means that we will no longer have to rent a storage unit in Salem to store our washer/dryer, lawnmower, wheel barrel, grill, and other misc. items 3. Having a DISHWASHER again--- this is HUGE people! It's painful enough having to do dishes for the two of us these past 2 years, never mind adding a baby to that equation! 4. Having a washer and dryer in our unit! Praise the Lord on this one! I'm SO sick of having coin-op laundry in the basement of the condo building.  I hate having to be on a schedule, share the facilities with others (including a fisherman that lives in the building), and the most annoying part is having to go to the laundromat first to get the quarters, UGH!!! 

-Our nursery furniture has arrived at the warehouse! They called me last Thursday and we scheduled delivery for May 19th. I'm so excited because our baby shower is the following weekend (May 22nd).  It's going to be so fun to have everything set up and start the nursery! When people ask me if we've finished the nursery, I just about die because we haven't done a thing yet which is so unlike me and my OCD personality.  I just can't wait to paint her room and put all of her little clothes away!