37 Weeks Bump Update

*Originally posted June 24, 2015 on Fab . Fit . Me*

Home stretch baby!!! We've reached the 37 week mark! Which means, Baby P can come any day now! I'm hoping she decides to stay in the belly till her due date, but if she wants to come early, then that's completely fine, too! Everyone is anxious to meet her and so are we. So this could potentially be one of the last pregnancy posts from yours truly... well, until Baby #2 ;-)

What Baby P's Been Up To This Week...

• Baby P weighs 6 1/3 lbs and measures a bit over 19 inches head to heel...about the size of a of a bunch of Swiss chard.

• She may also be born with a full head of hair

• Her lungs and brain are continuing to mature in these last couple of weeks

What I've Been Up To This Week...

Weight Gained: hopefully not too much! Being on maternity leave, in this heat, has made me lazy. Work kept me super active. All I've done at home is clean and watch shows on Netflix.

Workouts: Walks around the neighborhood with the pups. When it cools down in the evenings, the hubs and I take them out for a nice stroll.

Symptoms:

• Mild headaches - I'm blaming it all on Southern California's heat. Triple digit heat is just not the greatest weather conditions to endure during pregnancy.

• Nosebleed - again, I blame the heat as well as being pregnant.

• Dizziness - I always have dizzy spells when the weather heats up. Don't know why but I do. And I'm blaming pregnancy too.

• Aches and pains in the back, legs, lower abs and groin area. Doing chores and just being on my feet for short amounts of time just kills me.

• Fatigue

• Occasional Braxton Hicks? Honestly don't know if that's what I feel but sometimes when I stand up from sitting for awhile, there's tightness and pain in the lower ab area and I'm just guessing that's what it is. *shrug*

• Slight nausea after eating...not to mention, taste buds are out of whack. What I mean by that is... EVERYTHING I eat leaves a weird taste in my mouth.

• Mild swelling in feet and ankles.

• Vaginal discharge

• Extreme laziness and exhaustion!!!!

• Frequent potty breaks!!!

Food Aversions: None

Food cravings: Watermelon!!!

Sleep: Definitely starting to get uncomfortable. The belly is just heavy. And having to lay on my side... the weight of the belly makes it feel like it's about to fall off! Once I find a comfy position, I have no problem falling asleep. But I'm still getting up 2-3 times a night to use the potty, and getting in and out of bed is quite challenging.

Any Baby/Pregnancy Related Purchases?

No, but continuing to receive gifts for Baby P! Gift cards, of course. And received a gift from a friend in Hawaii. It's a car seat cover/canopy set from Car seat Canopy... And I cannot wait to use it!

Stretch Marks? And with less than 3 weeks left to go, I think I see stretch marks. Which I'm depressed about. They're red right now...and it's hard to really tell if they are really stretch marks. I guess lathering it up with lotions and oils every day didn't help me at all...and as vain as I sound right now, I'll eventually get over it and accept it. And that doesn't mean I love Baby P less or hate being pregnant...so for those of you reading this who are criticizing and judging me right now, just don't. I'm sure I will wear these marks as a badge of honor but for now, just let me sulk. Watching my body change and transition has been both amazing and yet difficult at times. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Miss Anything? With Baby P nearing her due date, I am already missing the thought and idea of her being in my belly. Feeling her movements first thing in the morning, all throughout the day, and the last thing before I sleep at night... I'm going to miss that. I love her and can't wait to meet her...but the time spent being pregnant with my baby girl will be missed.

Belly Button In or Out? Out!

Wedding Rings On or Off? I haven't put them on since that one day... My hands aren't swollen but I don't want to take the chance of having my rings get stuck on my finger.

Happy or Moody Most of the Time? Happy! And just irritable because of the heat.

Any Movements? She is active all the time! I love watching her movements. Makes me smile.

Looking Forward To? The next doc appointment... to see Baby P and find out if we are progressing nicely! Hubby and I have been counting down!

Tags: #firstpregnancy #thirdtrimester #37weekspregnant #37weekspregnancyupdate #babybump

36 Weeks Bump Update

*Originally posted June 17, 2015 on Fab . Fit . Me*

36 weeks pregnant and totally in nesting mode!!! Officially went on maternity leave June 11th. Been trying to get everything in order in our tiny little space... sorting Baby P's clothes and just organizing and getting everything ready for her arrival. All the while, she continues to bake inside my ever growing belly.

And this is me, looking absolutely exhausted and just homely in loungewear...

Gotta love it.

What Has Baby P Been Up To This Week? At my 36 week check up, Doctor said Baby P is healthy and right on target! She is already head down and in position for whenever she's ready to come. That's exciting news, no doubt... but I can't help but feel a little nervous, too!!!

• Baby P is still packing on the pounds (about an ounce a day) and is now almost 6 lbs and more than 18.5 inches long - about the size of a head of romaine lettuce.

• She is shedding most of the downy hair that covers her body as well as the vernix caseosa - the waxy substance that protects the skin during its nine-month bath in amniotic fluid.

• Baby P swallows this stuff, along with other secretions, which forms a tar-like black substance called meconium, which Baby P will pass in her first bowel movements.

• At the end of this week, she will be considered "early term." Full term is 39-40 weeks. And she is most likely in head-down position.

What's Been Happening With ME This Week?

Weight Gained: Up another 4 pounds. Whew. Thought I was gonna be up another 10 lbs the way I've been eating!!! That brings us to a total of approximately 30 lbs gained so far (from my last pre-pregnancy weight check). I'm ON TARGET so I'll take it!!!

Workouts: Lots and lots and lots of walking!!! And even that gets painful after only a few minutes of it.

Symptoms:

• Flintstone feet! Chubby toes and swollen feet... gotta love the last stages of pregnancy combined with this horrible SoCal heat!!!!

• Aches in the groin area! Yup... that, too, comes with the territory!

• And because of the aches in that very sensitive area, I'm officially waddling everywhere! Even getting out of bed is difficult.

• Baby has definitely dropped. How do I know? I can now breathe a lil easier (yay!). But the sucky part is? She's lower in the lady part region so a lot of her movements hurt. Oh well. Just a little bit longer!!!

• Exhaustion level is about quite the same.

• Vaginal discharge

• Pregnancy brain for sure

• And this is a given: frequent trips to the potty!!! (sarcastic much?)

Food Aversions: Asian Food. Because after I eat it, it throws my taste buds out of whack and everything else I eat afterwards just doesn't sit well with my belly.

Food Cravings: Nothing in particular. Maybe that whole deal is over? I dunno, we'll see right?

Sleep: Pretty darn good now that I get to sleep in past 4am!!!! Oh the things we as adults get excited about!

Any Baby/Pregnancy Related Purchases? Oh yes. Quite a few actually. So with all the gift cards we received from the shower, we bought things we didn't get: receiving blankets, towels, socks, mittens, diaper cloths, and other necessities. And even after all of that, we still have a good amount of gift cards leftover (Baby P is set for awhile!).

And then I had to buy some things for me. Stuff for my hospital bag. A new robe, some pajama bottoms, new slippers, nursing bras, nursing pads, and a bunch of toiletry items (you know, those little bottles they sell for travel so I don't have lug around my regular bottles of shampoo and stuff).

After all that shopping, I thought we were finally set and ready to go. I figured, now all I have to do is ALL of Baby P's laundry, pack mine and hubby's hospital bag, and then clean, clean, CLEAN right? Wrong. When I was done with Baby P's laundry, I decided to get her infant car seat all cleaned and installed into our car so that we would have one less thing to worry about when the time comes. The car seat given to us by my lil sis-in-law who kept it in really good condition. Except, when I went to clean it and put it together (the harness straps had been disassembled so she could wash the car seat cover before putting it away in storage), I realized that one of the metal pieces that actually holds the strap in place was missing. Go figure. We tried to see if we could order the part online but everyone who ever carries this part is out of stock and would take anywhere from 6 weeks plus to have it delivered. Yeah we ain't got time for that!

So... we went out and bought a brand new infant car seat.

NOW, it is safe to say... we are ready (baby gear-wise) for Baby P!!!!

Stretch Marks: None, nada, zilch! Let's keep it that way!

Miss Anything: Everything I've ever mentioned in any of my prior blog posts

Belly Button In or Out: OUT!

Wedding Rings On or Off: Haven't tried to put them back on yet.

Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Definitely happy. A little emotional at times. But hey, I'm pregnant and I'm allowed to get emotional.

Any Movements? Yep. She loves to beat me up from the inside!

Fun and/or Interesting Things From The Week? Not that this is baby-related, but it definitely is worth something to mention! While Baby P may not have seen this event take place, she definitely heard every bit of it. She was able to witness, in her own special way, her daddy graduate with honors from college! Such a great accomplishment for him as well as his little growing family. We (both Baby P and I) could not be more proud. So many awesome things happening in our lives, how could I not share it with the world?

Hubs and I pre-graduation ceremony lunch/dinner

Hubby chillin' on campus before the ceremony

The family congratulating the Twins on a job well done!

And then a post ceremony reception for all the Public Policy Graduates and their families

Looking Forward To: Relaxing once I'm done with all this cleaning and organizing. Enjoying this little "vacation" before this Baby comes. And, of course, counting down to Baby P's arrival.

Tags: #firstpregnancy #thirdtrimester #36weekspregnant #36weekspregnancyupdate #pregnancyupdates #babybump

31 Weeks Bump Update

*Originally posted May 15, 2015 on Fab . Fit . Me*

Previous Pregnancy Updates:

• Pregnancy Q&A

• Gender Reveal

• 26 Weeks Pregnant

• 27 Weeks Pregnant

• 28 Weeks Pregnant

• 29 Weeks Pregnant

• 30 Weeks Pregnant

Which brings us to the completion of my 31 weeks of pregnancy :) The time is just whizzing by and I'm just hanging in there! I'm nervous and anxious to meet my little one... enjoying the pregnancy and putting up with the annoyances of being uncomfortable in this last trimester. Everyone said I'll be wanting this baby out as I get closer to my due date, that by the time I have to deliver Baby P, I won't be thinking about the pain of labor and all the scary stuff that comes with it.

Anyway, here I am at 31 weeks! It seems the belly has grown quite a bit since my last update pic...

...And that belly will just get bigger and bigger as it gets closer to my due date.

What Is Baby P Up To This Week?

• Baby P is about the size of a coconut, weighs approximately 3.3 lbs and measures over 16 inches long...and is heading into a growth spurt (Um, I think she already did!)

• She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath the skin.

• Her kicks and somersaults may be keeping me up all night - but that just means Baby P is active and healthy!

• Baby's brain connections are developing, too! She is now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all 5 sense.

• She's also putting in longer stretches of sleep - with noticeable patterns of wakefulness and rest.

What's Been Happening With Me This Week?

Weight Gained: So I had my doctor appointment at the very end of the 31 week mark. According to their scale, I've gained about 4 lbs since my last visit. So we're lookin' at 26 lbs total gained so far. And I'm right on track! Yay!

Workouts: I have failed miserably at this once again. No strength training. At. All. But, lots of and lots of walking still. At work. Life of a retail manager means busy, busy, busy. I'm hoping to see if I can get some strength training in from now till Baby P arrives to help with endurance since I will need it for labor and delivery!

Symptoms:

• lower back pain (still)

• extreme exhaustion

• I get totally winded walking short distances and have to stop to catch my breath. Even walking and talking takes a lot out of me.

• Baby P continues to hang out in my right rib and it gets pretty uncomfortable when driving home from work

• Frequent trips to the potty day and night

• Feeling hungry all the time but unable to eat my normal portions of food because duh, there is no room in this belly

Food Aversions: None. Perhaps that phase of pregnancy is over. I dunno. We'll see.

Food Cravings: Any and everything coffee and chocolate! Haha. Okay so a couple of days last week, we had some chilly temps roll through SoCal and I craved some pho. Just soup in general. Only thing is, I couldn't have any. By choice. Soup would just make me feel full and miserable. So that kinda sucked. But I got over it real quick when the temperatures got hot again.

Sleep: Surprisingly enough... pretty comfortable sleep. Not enough sleep though. And that's because I don't go to bed early enough. So I'm averaging 6 hours of sleep a night during the weeks. And even with the frequent bathroom trips, I'm still able to go right back to sleep and just knock out till the next potty trip or when i have to get up for work. So yeah... no complaints here.

Any Baby/Pregnancy Related Purchases? No, but that could all change soon coz I'm itchin' to buy some clothes for Baby P. I've been seeing some cute clothes....

Stretch Marks? Thankfully enough, nada! Since I've stopped using cocoa butter, I've just been using my regular lotion and then after taking my shower at night, I'd rub my belly with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to keep my skin moist and prevent dry skin. The only spots that itch, if ever, is my belly button. And whenever that happens, i just rub some lotion on the area and it kinda helps.

Miss Anything? I miss my normal unpregnant body. Don't get me wrong... that doesn't mean I don't like being pregnant! I know some of you will take that comment in a negative way. But the idea of having limitations and restrictions, especially at work... where I'm used to being Superwoman... it's kinda hard to deal with. I love being pregnant with Baby P. But I really do miss being able to just walk up the stairs without feeling like I'm going to pass out. And I am pretty sure once Baby P is here... I will say "I miss being pregnant and I miss my pregnant belly". But for now...that is my answer.

Belly Button In or Out? It is no longer an innie.

Looking Forward To: The weekend. We have a baby shower to go to for a good friend who is due in the beginning of June...not long before me! So it'll be nice to celebrate and spoil her little girl and be able to grub on some good food! :) And dessert. Looking forward to some cake. Mmmmmm.

Tags: #firstpregnancy #thirdtrimester #31weekspregnant #31weekspregnancyupdate #babybump