Pregnancy Highlights: 39 Weeks

How Far Along: 39 weeks...he is probably around 20 inches long, and weighs 7+ pounds. He is the size of a watermelon.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Don’t know, don’t care. Though I DID lose 3 lbs this week. Woo hoo!!!

Maternity Clothes: Same – still wearing what I’ve got, refusing to get anything new! In fact, since he dropped, I am wearing 2 non-maternity pieces of clothing today (2 tops) so that's kind of nice, especially since it is to be in the 80s today.

Gender: Boy. Carter Nicholas.

Movement: Slightly less this week. He's out of room. But I can and do still feel him stretch, tighten up, and squirm quite a bit. The kicking has subsided substantially.

Food Craving: Cereal is the only REAL craving. Though I must say, I am hungry every 2 hours or so again since he isn't using my stomach as a pillow anymore.

What I miss: Lack of back pain, being able to walk without waddling, sleeping.

Sleep: Horrible again. It hurts to roll over (my round ligaments seriously feel like they are about to burst). This is TMI, but I went to the bathroom six times last night. I didn't even really have to go any of them, but it felt like it because he is laying on my bladder.

What I am looking forward to: HIM!!!!! I want to hold my baby and kiss his sweet cheeks. :)

Symptoms: Impatience, braxton hicks (or real???) contractions, crampiness, anxiety to meet him!

Happy week 39 - only SEVEN days to go!

Pregnancy Highlights: 38 Weeks

How Far Along: 38 weeks...he is probably around 19 1/2 inches long, and weighs about 7 pounds or so.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Don’t know, don’t care. :)

Maternity Clothes: Same – still wearing what I’ve got, refusing to get anything new!

Gender: Boy.

Movement: I’m in pain….seriously. He is tucked in a little ball up under my ribs and when he stretches out, my stomach is lop-sided. He isn’t really kicking per se because I think he’s running out of room, but he moves and stretches SO MUCH.

Food Craving: Cereal again. Mmmmm….

What I miss: not having constant rib pain, sleeping through the night, and wearing my normal clothing.

Sleep: Not the best, not the worst. Somehow, some nights, I’m back to only needing to go to the bathroom one time.

What I am looking forward to: His arrival!!!!! I am 1.5 cm dilated but still only 50% effaced. I’m also looking forward to hanging up his new letters in his room above his crib. I’ve been painting them this week, and now need to just figure out how I want to hang them (with ribbon, picture hanger things, etc.). I think they will look so cute!!!

Symptoms: still swollen ankles and feet, though I’ve totally become accustomed to it now, serious rib pain, nausea/stomachaches, hungry every few hours.

Happy week 38 - only 14 days to go!

Pregnancy Highlights: 37 Weeks

How Far Along: 37 weeks...he is probably around 19 inches long, and weighs about 6 1/3 pounds (unless you're Carter and your mommy’s doctor said you’re probably more like 7 pounds).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I no longer keep track. I gained 3 since last week, but she said of course I would with all the fluid retention. I stopped caring.

Maternity Clothes: Still eeking by with my long-sleeves. Just when I think I can handle the heat no more, we have some cooler days and I survive. I refuse to buy anything new because I am holding out that maybe just maybe he’ll come early.

Gender: Boy.

Movement: Constant and hard. But we love it. Seth loves it more than me because his ribs are not being used as a punching bag. :) (In all seriousness, it lets me know he's alive and well!)

Food Craving: Eh, nothing really. Still the occasional cereal and Italian ice craving.

What I miss: sleeping, wearing shoes other than flip flops, shaving my legs without getting out of breath from bending over.

Sleep: Better this week, but maybe it is because I was so insanely exhausted from last. Nonetheless, it was greatly needed for both Seth and I.

What I am looking forward to: Carter is full-term now, so he COULD come any time. At my appointment yesterday, I was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated, which I’m pretty sure means nothing. haha...BUT, be sure to go to the last post and guess when he'll be here and his stats. :)

Symptoms: crazy swollen ankles and feet at the end of every all day, overheating for no apparent reason, breathlessness, sciatic nerve pain, creaky bones and joints (I feel my hips pop sometimes when I stand), general feeling of discomfort, heartburn again, gurgling stomach/throat (from what I can only describe as acid reflux), general anxiety of not knowing when I’ll have the baby, etc.

Happy week 37 - only 21 days to go!

Baby birth pool

Let's play guess when baby Carter will arrive. :)

Seth and I (and many others) have taken to throwing out there when they think the little guy will arrive, how much he'll weigh, and how long he'll be.

So, when do you think he'll be here? How much do you think he'll weigh? How long do you think he'll be?

If you win, there are no prizes except a nice pat on the back, but let's play anyway! haha

I'll start:
May 2 (hey, I'm being optomistic, alright??)
8 lbs., 2 oz.
20.5 inches

Your turn!

Pregnancy Highlights: 36 Weeks

Warning: Negative Nancy pregnancy edition #2 (you may recall one several weeks ago)

How Far Along: 36 weeks...he is 18 1/2 inches long, and weighs about 6 pounds. I'm going to take a stab and say that he feels like he weights about sixTEEN. :)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don't even think it's fair to keep track of this anymore because there is no feasible way it is ever accurate. Depending on the time of my appointment, I am retaining so much water I look like the 1/2 ton woman on TLC. I did ask if he was going to be a giant baby and she said "nooooo, he'll probably be upper 7s, maybe 8 pounds." I'm going to hope she's right on that one.

Maternity Clothes: I am thankful that it is to be slightly cooler again this week because I was running out of options of things to wear in 90 degree heat everyday. Everything I have still fits but is just starting to be too warm.

Gender: It better still be a boy because if he comes out a girl, I'm going to just die. Or else she'll be wearing a lot of blue, and will still be named Carter. haha.

Movement: A LOT. We love feeling exactly where he is and love identifying baby parts. I'm almost 100% positive that it is his knee that occasionally sticks out an inch or two on my left side. Too bony to be a foot. And he is moving almost all day now with very short down periods rather than the other way around.

Food Craving: Eh, nothing really. Probably italian ice if I had to pick something.

What I miss: I'll just sum it up with "not being pregnant." This week has been a tough one with serious swelling, rubbery joints, pain, etc.

Sleep: Let's just say that God is preparing me in a mighty way for motherhood by what I can only describe as significantly less sleep. I seriously toss and turn ALL NIGHT (Seth can attest to this because he is also a walking zombie some mornings because he gets no sleep either). I never wanted to get to this point, but I'm wondering if the poor guy might have to sleep in the guest bed some nights so he can actually get any type of sleep. Last night, I remember vividly apologizing to him two times during the night because I was so miserable and was keeping him awake.

What I am looking forward to: The fact that at the end of this week of pregnancy, Carter will be full term and then I can wish him here all I want. :) We can't wait to meet the little guy!

Symptoms: Swollen ankles and feet all day, overheating for no apparent reason, breathlessness, sciatic nerve pain, creaky bones and joints (I feel my hips pop sometimes when I stand), general feeling of discomfort, pressure of the baby dropping maybe?

Happy week 36 - only 28 days to go!

Pregnancy Highlights: 35 Weeks

How Far Along: 35 weeks...he is 18 inches long, and weighs about 5 1/4 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure, no real appointment until next Wednesday. I do have a quick nurse visit today to check B/P and urine since yesterday my swelling was really bad to my knees and my B/P was elevated when I stopped at CVS to have it taken after work. It's back down to normal now (was probably elevated due to a combination of nerves and the insane swelling). But just to be safe, OB is having my swing in for a few minutes today to just check. Better safe than sorry before the holiday weekend, right? :)

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and I might sweat to death if I don't find some short sleeved shirts to wear soon. I did go back into my regular wardrobe of flowy shirts and manage to find a few that work with pants that have a full panel (to help hold them down and keep the shirts from creeping up in the front) so that's nice. But seriously, this little guy makes me feel like I have my own personal space heater.

Gender: Boy. Carter Nicholas.

Movement: Still a ton. We can totally feel exactly where he is, and are starting to be able to identify parts besides the head which is pretty obvious. I think I touch his tiny little butt like 27 times a day because it is right at that spot where pregnant people always rest their hands on their belly. haha. Plus, often, we'll see a foot poke out the left side of my stomach.

Food Craving: Popsicles.

What I miss: Not having swollen calves and feet every.single.night. And not being out of breath when I walk down the hall at work. I think it's safe to say there is a baby foot in my diaphram. It better be a cute baby foot, that's all I have to say. :)

Sleep: There is absolutely no pattern whatsoever anymore. Some nights I sleep amazing and only get up once to go to the bathroom, other times I get up 3 times and can't sleep at all. A few nights ago, my mind was racing so insanely bad, I was certain I wouldn't get more than an hour or two of sleep....any worry a new mom can I have I did: what if my water breaks at work? What if we have to go to the hospital and we don't have our labor bag and CAMERA? What if I can't reach Seth when I'm in labor? What if my house is messy and we have to bring our new bundle of joy home to a messy house? What if I go out on maternity leave before my maternity leave plan is finalized at work? What if he comes early and something is wrong? And on. And on. And on.

What I am looking forward to: Picking up the glider today from Babies R Us. It's the last component of the nursery that was ordered and we were waiting for....well, except for the letters for above his crib which should be here soon! But we can at least live without those if he came. Also, in non-baby excitement, we got mulch delivered yesterday which Seth is diligently working on. So this should make our flower beds and gardens look lovely for baby C's arrival.

Symptoms: Swollen ankles and feet at the end of every day, overheating for no apparent reason, breathlessness, sciatic nerve pain, general feeling of discomfort, anxiety about the fact that we could have a baby pretty much any day but that in reality DEFINITELY within just a few weeks (almost a month!).

Pregnancy Highlights: 34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 weeks...he is almost 18 inches long, and weighs about 4 3/4 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure of the total, but I LOST weight since my last appt! WOO HOO!

Maternity Clothes: Yep...tomorrow night, we're going to go try to find the good ol' (prepare for TMI) nursing bras I'll be needing. The new belly pic will be coming sometime this weekend.

Best Moment this week: Going to a car seat check to get his seat installed in our cars...NOW we're getting close!

Gender: A boy....who must want to play soccer or be the kicker for the football team. :)

Movement: Crazy amounts. So much so that, because of his length now and the fact that he must be squished in there, it literally feels like he is moving my organs when he shifts around. Sometime it just downright HURTS. And I'm pretty sure one of those cute, tiny little feet is somewhere between 2 of my rib bones.

Food Craving: Pretty much back to cereal. And toast. And Italian Ice.

What I miss: When I could wear shoes other than flats to work, not having to prop my feet above my heart every night, a nose that isn't clogged.

Sleep: Off and on....I have had a few nights lately where I've only woken up one time to go to the bathroom and aside from that slept wonderfully. Then last night, I tossed and turned ALL NIGHT, which hurt when doing so. I feel like I want to wake Seth to help me roll over without pain.

What I am looking forward to: Going to BRU this weekend to order the glider which will make the nursery look complete! Oh, and also the fact that there are only 6 weeks to go AND technically, he is full term in 3! :)

Symptoms: Swollen ankles and feet at the end of every day, stretch marks (which are actually fading so that's nice), and a few sharp pains at the bottom of my belly. Also, like I mentioned above, he sometimes feels like he is kicking or shifting my internal organs. Sometimes when I'm just sitting at the computer I'll suddenly get out of breath for no apparent reason. It's then that I feel like he's kicking something like my lungs. :)

Baby Shower #2

On Saturday, my mom and sister threw Carter and I a baby shower for the PA family and friends! And, just like the one in NJ, this one absolutely made everything feel so much more real. In fact, there is just over 6 weeks until the little guy gets here, assuming, of course, he doesn't want to delay his arrival and be late. :)

It was so much fun -- it was held at a super cute place nearby called Events, Etc. Lots of friends and family were able to come and celebrate with us. The theme matched the invitations and was turtles!!

Here are some pictures of the shower:

The centerpieces (under the turtle tag was Carter's monogram!)

The tables all set up!

The food! It was very good!

Cake -- white cake with strawberry filling!

Ultrasound picture on the welcome table -- surrounded by the turtles!

Turtle cookies made by mom, my sister, and grandma

All of the gifts moved into Carter's room

Working on his closet -- everyone brought a book to the shower, so he has 2 FULL shelves of books plus a tote of them in the living room. Love that he'll have lots to read! :) He was also blessed with tons and tons of clothing so he won't go naked, that's for sure!

His bed is all ready for him -- now we just need HIM!

We are very thankful for the shower and I was so excited to see so many friends and family there. Thanks to my sister and mom for planning the day! :)

Pregnancy Highlights: 33 Weeks

How Far Along: 33 weeks...he is over 17 inches long, and weighs slightly over 4 pounds (though I'm going to be frank...he feels like he weighs 20) :)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Like 24 I think.

Maternity Clothes: Yeah...went to the consignment maternity shop a few days ago but only had luck with one short sleeved shirt. They had a TON of pants and shorts but we'll be getting out of pant season soon (and I'll be fine on dress pants and jeans for the rest of the time anyway), and there is no way I would be these swollen legs in shorts. I was hoping to find a bunch of longer tops, but they still had mostly long sleeved. Bummer. I'll check again soon. The place is SO CHEAP. It is all Motherhood Maternity, Liz Lange, and things like that for like $4 or $5 an article of clothing.

Best Moment this week: Scheduling Carter's newborn photos!!!!

Gender: A boy....who must want to play soccer or be the kicker for the football team. :)

Movement: So much it is unreal. My stomach moves all the time. I felt him have hiccups for the first time yesterday. It's pretty cool because we can feel exactly where he is all the time because of how hard it is at that spot. Seth loves to find where he is and how he is laying!

Food Craving: Nothing really. Pretty much out of the cereal phase so when I'm finding it challenging to find a snack I want. The past week or so, those real fruit popsicles seem to be hitting the spot.

What I miss: When my feet weren't so swollen every day, wearing my wedding rings (though I probably could -- we won't risk it though), sleeping through the night.

Sleep: Eh, getting sort of rough again. I just wake up SO MUCH. If it isn't to go to the bathroom, it is because the baby is kicking the tar out of me. A few nights ago, I just grabbed Seth's hand while he was sleeping and put it on my belly. Instantly my entire stomach shifted and he said "oh my word, no wonder you can't sleep." Yeah, tell me about it. :)

What I am looking forward to: My PA baby shower is tomorrow!!! Plus, I get to meet baby Emily AND set up Carter's nursery!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!!

Symptoms: Swollen ankles and feet at the end of every day, stretch marks appearing, and a few sharp pains at the bottom of my belly...not sure if it is some type of Braxton-Hicks contraction (I have no idea what to even expect!) or him kicking something. Never lasts more than a few seconds.

Newborn Photographer

I booked a newborn photographer for Carter last night and am seriously giddy about it!!! I searched for a long time and ended up right back to where I started--with someone from Messiah who has turned it from a hobby to her side business.

We will do the photos about a week after he is born so he is still curled up and bendy and tiny (hopefully). :)

YAY!!!!

Lots of progress

Yesterday, we made a lot of progress in preparing for the baby's arrival. My mom and grandma came down in the morning to spend the day doing a serious cleaning of our house to have it ready to go (with the weekly upkeep of it, of course).

They washed blinds, showers, baseboards, moved all of the furniture, etc...pretty much the whole kit 'n caboodle. I helped when I could, but since my feet were swollen the size of Mt. Everest, they made me take breaks frequently. Which, by the way, is the perfect way to clean in my opinion -- laying on the bed or couch supervising other people clean. ;) I told them I could get used to this!!

I did manage to make a bunch of freezer meals for after Carter's arrival too, which was very nice! We made a ham that we had in the deep freezer since Easter time, which freed up a lot of space in there. So I used the ham for a few things, but also made other things as well.

In all, we got 3 lasagnas, 6 quarts of ham and bean soup, 6 quart-sized bags of frozen baked ham (to use in future recipes or for omelets and things like that), 2-3 quarts of ham broth w/ ham (for a central PA favorite of ham, green beans, and potatoes--I'll just have to toss in a bag of beans and some potatoes when we are ready to eat that!), and a nice sized bag of ground beef/sausage already cooked (for in spaghetti sauces and other recipes).

Today, I am going to make 2 chicken supreme casseroles with a small chicken that we found in the freezer too that needs to be used. At some point, I'll make some meatballs and other things that come to mind. I'm thinking it'll be a huge help after the baby arrives and we're far too tired to think of dinner ideas and/or prepare it....thaw, heat, and eat (or at the very least, have part of the preparation already done)!!! :)

Any other freezer meal ideas?

Pregnancy Highlights: 32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks...he is almost 17 inches long, and weighs about 3.75 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: A lot, in my opinion. :) I think 23.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and one of my favorite pairs of pants is getting a little tight. Other than that, still okay with everything though I can totally understand how in the last few weeks, the bottom of your belly would stick out. Might need to get some longer shirts in a few weeks. I'll try to take a 32 week picture tonight and post sometime this weekend!

Best Moment this week: Having the doctor feel my belly and tell me exactly where he is in there and how he is facing.

Gender: A mud-throwing, sports-playing, truck-loving, eat-us-out-of-house-and-home little boy. :)

Movement: A ton. He moves so much. On Wednesday night he rolled from the right side all the way to the left and then I could feel the left side solid as a rock and the right side squishy. So I knew exactly where he was positioned!

Food Craving: Still nothing really. Cereal here and there.

What I miss: Wearing shoes that aren't flats.

Sleep: Alright. Not the best every night, but not the worst. I started dreaming again quite vividly -- sometimes the dreams are happy and sometimes they are dreams of worst-case scenarios which I HATE.

What I am looking forward to: Today, my mom and grandma are coming to help me clean my house from top to bottom really well in preparation for baby. I'm also going to be working on a few freezer meals to start stocking up!

Symptoms: Itchy belly and heartburn, though the heartburn seems to have died down a bit. HOWEVER, my feet and ankles are HUGE. They have been swollen for 3-4 days now and I can't seem to kick it during the day. When I wake up, they aren't too bad but as soon as I spend a whole day on them at work, they are right back to being awful. I really, really need/want to avoid bed rest so I have been propping when I can and drinking lots of water.

Pregnancy Highlights: 31 Weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks...he is 16 inches long, and weighs about 3.3 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure; I have an appt Wednesday where I'll find out!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and luckily (knock on wood), everything is still fitting and long enough over the belly for now. I will say that I should have listened to the people at Motherhood Maternity back in my first trimester when they said that the "under the belly" paneled jeans would be nice at first, but eventually, I would hate them and wish I had the full panel. She was so very right. My full panel jeans are my best friend...the full panel holds them up SO much better. I'm going to make it through the last 9 weeks of this pregnancy with only those 2 pairs of jeans, so I'll have to just suck it up and use the under the belly ones. haha

Best Moment this week: Watching my belly move every day at work (his most active time). Though I will say, it can be sort of creepy to others. :)

Gender: Boy. Carter.

Movement: A ton. He moves so much. Yesterday morning before we got out of bed, I told Seth to feel my belly and he kicked him super hard right away. It was nice to have that moment because I swear, that little stinker knows when his daddy's hand is on my belly and he'll pretend he's sleeping. Seth will step away, kick, kick, kick. ;) We need to come up with a secret code word on facial expression so that Seth knows to hurry and feel without Carter hearing. haha.

Food Craving: Still nothing really. Food still gives me heartburn. I will say though that we went to Melting Pot last Saturday for fondue and it was FAB.U.LOUS. A preggo woman's dreeeeeam.

What I miss: nothing really. I stopped being anal-retentive and have a glass of restaurant iced tea every once in a while now.

Sleep: Shockingly, it has been going better lately (knock on wood). Seriously, that body pillow Seth got me is heaven sent. I think that after I have the baby, I will probably still use it every night. Sorry, babe... ;)

What I am looking forward to: My Pennsylvania shower and getting to see people I haven't seen for awhile. Also looking forward to finally being able to set up his room entirely. I can't wait to make his bed and have everything absolutely ready for him to come at any point (after 37 weeks, of course)! I'm so excited to pack the hospital bag, pick out his going home outfit, his "meet people for the first time" outfit, his professional picture at the hospital outfit...you get the idea! haha

Symptoms: Mostly just itchy belly and heartburn. Getting a few light stretch marks now. I also think I could get my rings back on now because the puffiness went away, but I don't think I'm going to risk it. I would just die if they had to cut them off.

Pregnancy Highlights: 30 Weeks

Warning!!! This edition of pregnancy highlights might be a little more negative Nancy than ever before :)

How Far Along: 30 weeks...he is 16 inches long, and weighs about 3 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gain. And we'll leave it at that. :) Though the doctor said she is very pleased.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, and my khakis are getting too tight now. Ugh. (Bethany suggested that each week for this section, I tell you what clothing I got or show a picture of what I'm wearing. Sounds easy enough!! :) I will take our 30 week picture tonight and update this post with it later!)

Motherhood jeans, FLATS, and a Motherhood top from my sister's friend! :)

Best Moment this week: Putting away the stuff from the baby shower in NJ. So much fun to organize it all!!!!

Gender: Still a Boy...Carter Nicholas

Movement: He still doesn't kick like I expected he would by 30 weeks. Definitely squirmy and he definitely kicks, but I thought by this point it would be unbearable to tolerate. Guess those days are still coming...HOWEVER, he did kick me so hard in the ribs yesterday that it made an echo sound. It was so odd. **Update** funny that about an hour after I wrote this, his kicks have made me experience new things. I just had my first "corner" in my stomach. There was something protruding out the side of my belly (I think his foot) and it moved all over the place still sticking out. It was so weird/funny!! I called Seth at home to tell him about it. :)

Food Craving: Absolutely nothing. Food gives me heartburn, and heartburn makes me grumpy.

What I miss: Not getting heartburn. Iced tea. Sleeping. Wearing flip flops. (Yes, I realize that is un-related to pregnancy, but I thought I'd throw it out there)

Sleep: Not sleeping so fine anymore. Go to the bathroom 3-4 times a night (averaging every 2 hours...insane). Plus, a few nights ago, I started getting leg cramps during the night. Oh, and acid reflux. And then I'm hot. And then cold. Oh, and then hot again. ;)

Symptoms: Heartburn, acid reflux, itcy belly, leg cramps, puffy hands. I can no longer wear my rings (little ditty about that for you: I woke up during the night a few nights ago and my rings were so tight my hands were practically swollen around them. I got up, put my hands in ice water, panicked, and worked for quite some time to get them off. I took Benadryl, used soap, and nothing was working. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I used butter. It was nasty, but I would rather have nasty buttery hands than have my wedding rings cut off my hand. It worked though!!!) I think we'll be done with the rings now though. I told the doctor I was puffy and swollen and she looked at me and said "no, you are not puffy. You are 30 weeks pregnant." haha.

What I am looking forward to: Baby Carter being here so that when I can't sleep and don't have a desire to eat, it is because I have a cutie little baby, and not all of those lovely things listed above. haha.

Happy Friday!

Baby Shower

We had our baby shower in New Jersey this weekend! Everyone told us that this would really start to make everything seem more "real" and they were definitely right! Hard to believe that in just over 10 weeks, we will be parents.

Everyone put so much effort into making this a special day for us and we feel extremely blessed. On the way home, we couldn't even fathom how much people love us and our unborn child to spend their Saturday with us and spoil us (and baby Carter) absolutely rotten.

Plus, my good friend Allie made the trip all the way from Atlanta. Kidding...haha. Well, she did. But she was visiting her parents in NJ for the week, and it happened to fall on the weekend that my shower was....I was so happy she could come and be there for this important part of our life.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this day special -- from the food, organizing, invitations, cookies, centerpieces, favors, clean up, transportation of the gifts, etc. We really, really appreciate the generosity! :)

Pregnancy Highlights: 29 Weeks

How Far Along: 29 weeks...he is 15 inches long, and weighs about 2 1/2 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Not sure; I have an appt next Wednesday where I'll find out!

Maternity Clothes: Yep.

Best Moment this week: Feeling his feet kick me on the left side, feel him turn over, and then kick me on the right. Really cool!

Gender: Still a Boy...haha

Movement: Really quite a bit now. Sometimes it takes my breath away. He responds pretty well to ice cold water too.

Food Craving: Eh, nothing really this week. Though I'm back to the being hungry a lot thing. It's just lovely....or not. :)

What I miss: Not getting out of breath so easily. haha

Sleep: Still sleeping fine when I'm not getting up to go to the bathroom.

What I am looking forward to: My NJ baby shower on Saturday!!!! :) It will surely make everything seem so much more real.

Symptoms: Starting to get that weird line up my stomach but not too much yet. Itchy belly and arms. Some general discomfort.

Pregnancy Highlights: 28 Weeks

How Far Along: 28 weeks exactly...he is 14.8 inches long, and weighs about 2 1/4 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think 16 pounds. Seems like a lot; doctor wasn't concerned at all, and I don't FEEL like I gained 16 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. With no signs of going back anytime soon. haha. I need a pair of cute yoga-type pants for relaxing.

Best Moment this week: Seth feeling him kick finally!

Gender: Still a Boy...haha

Movement: It is so amazing how much more he kicks week to week. I can't feel body parts yet but I can tell which way he is laying based on where his kicks are. At one point earlier in the week, he kicked me directly on the left side, I felt him do a somersault, and then he kicked directly on the right. Pretty cool!

Food Craving: The cereal is toning down (for now), and so is the near-constant hunger, which is nice. I heard it would pass so that's good. Still in a food rut - not sure what I'm in the mood for or not in the mood for. So I guess no REAL cravings right now.

What I miss: Seriously, I miss restaurant iced tea. Bad. :)

Sleep: I can sleep fine except for the 827 times I have to go to the bathroom every night.

What I am looking forward to: When I can start to set some things up around the house to make it feel more like baby is coming soon!!

Symptoms: Itchy skin, super thirsty for ICE COLD water (Seth knows the drill...3/4 ice, 1/4 water) haha. Hmm, what else? My rings also got tight a day or two this week. They are still on now and but I do take them off when they start to feel even remotely tight (even if it is in my head). Don't want to have to get them cut off!!!

'Snow place like home!

Just a few shots of what life has been like on Saturday of this past weekend and then last night into today. In all, we got about 30 or so inches of snow those 2 days. It's been unreal. But fortunately on both of those days, I've been trapped inside with my love and my adorable little puppy....and my cutie little baby, who FINALLY let his daddy feel him kick today! I think the "Wheels on the Bus" song did the trick (off one of the CDs that the Bonilla's sent him!). :)

Pregnancy Highlights: 27 Weeks

How Far Along: 27 weeks exactly...he is 14 1/2 inches long, and weighs about 2 pounds.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Yes. I think it sounds like too much but the doctor said I am on target, so I guess all is well...

Maternity Clothes: Mmm hmm. And now I am on the lookout for cute PJs for in the hospital. I can't possibly sit in that gown for 2-3 days. I'd go nuts.

Best Moment this week: Hearing his HB at the appt. Oh, and the Children's Place $2.99 sale. I can't wait to dress him in these cute clothes!!!!

Gender: Still a Boy...haha

Movement: So much more each week. I feel him pretty consistently on the outside. Still no seeing him move (well, I think I might have ONCE), but it'll come in time. Seth is pretty sure he felt him Wednesday night which is cool, but we have to get a definitive yet. I did find out that I had an anterior placenta this week, which is no big deal. It just means that instead of the placenta being behind the baby it is currently in front (meaning between him and my belly). Therefore, it will make it harder to feel from the outside, especially for Seth who can't pair it up with the kicks from the inside.

Food Craving: Still cereal. And sort of any food in general. I'm containing myself but I hit this point the past few days where I am seriously starving every 3-4 hours and sometimes not even full after I eat. I know that won't last long though because he'll eventually push up against my stomach and restrict that, so that's good!

What I miss: Not having a baby's head resting in my pelvis and making it painful to walk sometimes. :) (It'll all be worth it though in 13 weeks!)

Sleep: Well, on Wednesday night, I managed to only wake up once to go to the bathroom, so that's a plus! And last night, I was so sound asleep that I never heard Seth and Bentley come in from watching tv, so that's good too! The most lovely sleep I get is from about 4-5:30 a.m. Isn't that nice that my body decides to get comfy exactly 90 minutes before it's time to get up?

What I am looking forward to: Meeting the little guy. I know that when all is said and done, Iwill look back and say wow, that was fast. But for now, time is going as slow as molasses in January.

Symptoms: Just some pain when he, um, rests in places he wouldn't. Other than that, everything is peachy.

I've got nothin.

Pregnancy has sapped my brain of anything worthy of blogging about. It is writer's block to the max. Well, either that or life is just revolving alot around preparations for el baby, and that's all I have to say.

Here are some random things for now:

1. Seriously, the craving for cereal is so intense it made me salivate last night at the grocery store as I stood in the cereal aisle like a child. Cookie Crisp, Life, Kix, Cocoa Puffs, Apple Jacks...they all sounded SO AMAZING. Somehow, I have been transported back to when I was 6, because only kid cereals are appealing to me right now. Rumor has it I'm craving the calcium of the milk, but I'm not sure. I did look on my baby message board I am a member of and there is a whole post about women craving cereal. So I'm not alone. Mmm, what kind will I eat for a snack tonight?!?! Lucky Charms perhaps! I don't think I've ever, before now, heard of anyone craving cereal so bad.

2. One of my best friends had her baby last night - a little girl (which surprised us all since we swore it was a boy). Her name is Haylen Nicole and I am visiting her today. YAY! :)

3. Last night, I had an uncontrollable urge to clean the showers. It was weird, but wildly fulfilling to see it so clean afterwards (I only got to the one!).

4. Tomorrow night is the last night of childbirth class! Woo hoo! Good thing we're talking about the 2 things that freak me out the most -- vacuums and forceps. Nasty.

5. I still haven't found a diaper bag to register for. I love the Vera Bradley ones, especially the solid colors like black or brown, but wow, they are expensive!

6. My dreams are irrational and weird, and in real (awake) life, I have this unexplainable fear that something is going to happen to someone I love. Maybe it's the whole emotional hormonal mess thing?

What's new with you?