33 weeks down ... only a few more to go!

How far along? 33 weeks

Maternity clothes? They are definitely needed, but I can still find pieces of regular clothes, especially dresses, that still fit. Brian bought me the cutest and comfy outfit from Victorias Secret so that adds to my collection
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: I think I have the position down, as I have been sleeping much better lately...extra pillow under my head and one under my belly.
Best moment this week: Probably feeling him hiccup a lot. I'm taking it as a sign that his lungs are developing well and he is becoming more of a "real" baby!
Movement: This little guy is definitely getting stronger, but more cramped in there. It's fun to try to determine which body part he is jabbing me with throughout the day.
Food cravings: Trying to keep my food choices more healthy, but with the abundance of Krispy Kreme donuts around lately, it's hard to not eat one (or the whole dozen).
Gender: Boy
Pregnancy symptoms: Same 'ol same.

Labor Signs: Our little man is head-down and ready to go, so now it's just letting him get bigger and stronger before he makes his appearance.

Belly Button in or out? Ugh...out!

What I miss: Just the usual ... nothing new.
What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery finished!

Weekly Wisdom: Don't let the fear of the unknown overwhelm you!

Milestones: Besides our little man getting into position, it's just so great to know that even if I went into labor any time soon, there is a 95% chance he would be just fine! Oh...and how can I forget...our biggest milestone this past week is Brian and I successfully putting together our changing table/dresser without strangling eachother!

8 months down ...

You are now 33 weeks and into your 8th month. Your baby is the size of a melon!

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

Walla Walla Weekend

Brian and I headed over to Walla Walla for a little weekend trip recently. We wanted to take a trip over before the baby was born and his mom decided to throw us a little welcome home party/baby shower as well.

The weather was fantastic so we headed out on a drive through the wineries and stopped at one of our favorites for a little wine tasting (well minus me...I had a nice tastey cup of water). Brian even signed us up for the wine club so we have some delicious bottles just waiting for me after this little guy is born.

We spent some time with our good friends Gwen and Steve as well. We finally got to see their new house ... which is ADORABLE ... and we went to the dirt track to cheer Steve on while he raced BMX bikes. It was great to spend some time with them again, since we hadn't really seen them since the wedding.

On Saturday evening, everyone came over for the party and we had a great time catching up with old friends and I finally got to meet some people who are close with the Halls that I had yet to meet. We got some wonderful gifts as well, which is more than appreciated and definitely got us started on stocking up the nursery!

(If I get some pictures from Jan --- hint, hint --- I will post them here later)

On our drive back, we took the round-about way over White Pass and took in the scenery. We passed a few waterfalls and lakes and scouted out a couple campgrounds that I'm thinking we will have to go back and visit in the future.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the in-laws. Who knows when we will be able to make it back over next.

A weekend away...

Brian and I planned a weekend away to Ocean Shores to celebrate our anniversary. (well...Brian planned on surprising me with the trip, but we all know he gets too excited and can't keep secrets so I was included in the planning a few weeks ago.) We figured it would be a great trip, just the two of us, to celebrate a year of wedded bliss and the last getaway before our little man makes his grand debut!
We stayed at a friend's beach house that was right on the canal, which was a nice relaxing change from staying in a hotel.

Brian had never been to Ocean Shores before so we spent most of our time touring around town. We visited the local shops, took a few walks along the beach and just enjoyed the perfect weather. We even took the paddle boat out on the canal (but don't tell my mom!) and gambled away a few dollars at the local casino.

If you were to ask Brian what his favorite part was, I bet he would say driving on the beach. Every time we would drive somewhere, he would drive down to the beach and along the shore until we got to a point where we needed to turn then he would head back out to the main roads.

And of course we did our fair share of eating. We found this fantastic bed and breakfast where we had our "official" anniversary dinner, and it couldn't have been more delicious. Who wouldn't love a four-course meal with homemade clam chowder, steak and lobster overlooking the ocean? Brian did manage to keep one surprise and brought us cupcakes from Indulge for our anniversary cake ... and planned them to replicate the colors and flavors of our actual wedding cake.

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. It was hard heading back to town, knowing we had to go back to work the next day. Soon enough we will be taking our little bundle of love on ocean trips as a family ... but it was great to have one last trip without worrying about nap times and poopy diapers.

Oh ... and can I tell you how many deer we saw just hanging around the town? I would say we counted at least 20 just wander through the neighborhoods and beaches.

Pregnancy updates ...

(Can you tell I am getting lazy with the pictures these days?)

How far along? 31 weeks

Maternity clothes? Most definitely.
Stretch marks? Although I had a minor panic attack last week when I looked back at my belly photos, thinking I saw stretchies on the under side of my belly, but hadn't noticed because I haven't seen that part of my body in weeks, I'm safe to say still no stretch marks.
Sleep: Getting worse.
Best moment this week: Getting the most fantastic anniversary present from Brian.
Movement: A whole lot!
Food cravings: I've been craving my mom's spicy bbq beans for some reason.
Gender: Boy
Pregnancy symptoms: As I type I am feeling the beginning pains of what I believe are my hips widening.

Labor Signs: Nothing new.

Belly Button in or out? Surprisingly, it hasn't popped out much more.

What I miss: Being able to easily get in and out of a bathroom stall.
What I am looking forward to: Brian finally getting to meet our new doctor. And our welcome home/baby shower party in Walla Walla this weekend ... well and seeing the Hall family of course!

Weekly Wisdom: Always make a list when going to the grocery store ... if your cravings don't get you more than you need, your forgetful mind will have you leaving without the things you came for.

Milestones: Today is our first anniversary! We celebrated and headed to the ocean this past weekend, just the two (well two and a half) of us. More to come from that trip soon.

31 weeks and he's now a BIG squash!

Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)

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 healthy.

Time to start pumping some iron!

... and I don't mean lifting weights.

Last week I had my glucose tolerance test and they also test you for anemia. The good news is my blood sugar was normal so no Gestational Diabetes for me. The bad news is that I am slightly anemic. I wasn't exactly sure what the effects of anemia were on a pregnancy and fetus so I did some googling ... let's just say it's not fantastic, but not the worst thing that could happen either. I will definitely be doing all that I can to get my iron levels up in hopes to avoid any of the possibilities becoming reality.

Following doctor's orders, I am now on a daily iron supplement and am working on upping my dietary intake of iron as well. It's a good thing I love red meat, spinach, beans and seafood! If you have any great suggestions that include iron-rich ingredients ... send them my way!

30 weeks down ...

How far along? 30 weeks!

Maternity clothes? Nothing new this week.
Stretch marks? Nada ... knock on wood.
Sleep: It's so-so these nights. I can feel the weight in my belly pulling when I lay on my side.
Best moment this week: Getting the results from my glucose tolerance test ... and finding out my blood sugar levels are normal!
Movement: This boy is a mover! Its so fun, yet somewhat painful and distracting while I am working/driving/sleeping.
Food cravings: Salad. Is that weird?
Gender: A little man
Pregnancy symptoms: I've started to get some lower back pain as my belly gets bigger ... and I have been told I'm starting to waddle.

Labor Signs: BH contractions, so nothing new.

Belly Button in or out? Definitely popping out.

What I miss: Being able to fit into the majority of my wardrobe.
What I am looking forward to: Our anniversary weekend alone at a beach house in Ocean Shores this weekend. It's going to be a great time.

Milestones: We have hit the 30 week mark which makes it feel like our little guy will be here really soon.

Why hello, hormones.

I have been pretty happy-go-lucky for the most part throughout this pregnancy, but I now know that those hormones have just been hanging out in there waiting to explode. Which they did a couple nights ago. I mean, I have had one little breakdown a couple months ago, but this one had me sobbing like a baby.

Why, you might ask? I wish I knew. All I do know is one minute I was fine, the next I was storming off to the bedroom to lay in bed and cry for an hour.

Luckily, Brian being the supportive husband that he is ... and although he had no clue why I was crying and probably was thinking he married a crazy lady ... was able to calm me down (but he was smart enough to give me about 45 minutes of alone time to get the worst of it out).

I do know that I have been keeping things to myself as to not burden those around me with crazy pregnancy complaints every day, and that might be part of the problem. I have such great friends and family who are willing to listen, why not take advantage of it? If I had to pinpoint the source of my meltdown, I would say it was part fear/nerves of what is about to change in the next couple months, and part feeling like a fat moose every day. I wake up every morning and still feel like I have the body I had a year ago, and then I try to sit up and realize I have no abs, but a beach ball stuck on my belly, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

And the idea of having an "outside baby" is so exciting but so nervewracking at the same time. Not to mention the process I have to go through to get there.

I think I was able to vent it all out to Brian that night and am feeling a lot better, but it's scary knowing that I will probably have another freak-out or two before our little man makes his grand arrival.