40 weeks - due date!

I don't really need to write a post...
this webpage sums it all up:
haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com

yup.

...today is my due date.

and yes, my uterus is still occupied.

seriously though, life is good - I'm just ready to meet our sweet girl. working from home has been a huge blessing, my sweet husband has been so supportive and attentive, my family and friends have been great, overall I've been feeling pretty good (other than the whole not sleeping and feeling huge thing) not to mention - I have the most loveable and cuddly puppy ever (who is cuddled up to me as I sit and write this).

so no complaints here - just ready and excited for our sweet girl to be here to join the party.

we've been trying all sorts of things to try and "help" bring her along (like walking 2 miles a day pretty much every day, evening primrose, red raspberry leaf tea, spicy foods and much much more)... apparently, she's not phased.

I should also add just so people aren't on pins and needles waiting for it (because clearly, I'm that important, hah... right - kidding) - I will not be sharing our birth story when Sweet P makes her grand appearance. I just feel it's one of those things that I want to be "mine" (well, along with DJ's)... I don't think there's one right way to bring a baby into this world and I feel that whatever choices you make during the process should be yours and yours alone (along with the medical team helping bring your little life into the world).  Even though I do have a fairly public blog I'm pretty private when it comes to things like this and don't really want my nitty-gritty birth details google-able... and let's be real, most of you really probably don't want to know.

So, with that being said - get ready for picture overload when our sweet girl comes because clearly I have no problem sharing pictures of sweet babies! On that note, here are some pictures of our [quite possibly] last week as a family of three...

taking advantage of "guilt-free calories" for one last week...

walking on the treadmill...

 

walking at the lake...

 cuddling on the couch and relaxing....

...and nesting, nesting, nesting - I feel like all the finishing touches on everything are finally done!

so that's that!

40 weeks down - ZERO to go!

...so ready to meet our sweet girl!

38/39 weeks...

...as I shared yesterday, still pregnant. 

I'll let this serve as a 38/39 week update considering I've been all sorts of lazy and didn't really update last week.  It's been a hectic but great week - last week was ridiculously exhausting, I was cramming in all of my last minute work meetings that I really wanted to get done before maternity leave. All of that running around campus combined with all of the swelling I was having [biiiig sore feet and hands] made for an exhausting week.  

LUCKILY, I work for an amazingly accommodating Dean/department and it was per my boss's suggestion that Friday was my last day working out of the office!  Therefore, as of yesterday I'm working from home until Sweet P makes her appearance [hello yoga pants 24/7]! Which is great because I am able to save my vacation/sick time for maternity leave and not start maternity leave until baby j gets here...  So Friday was my last day "in the office" until mid-August (6 weeks maternity leave/6 weeks working from home)... hell to the yes. SO EXCITED.

other than the whole finishing up work/now permanently living in yoga pants for the next three months thing not too much is happening. Sweet P is just plumping up in utero and my doctors appointment yesterday went well - things are "developing" on the cervix front [I'll spare you details] but I'm happy progress is being made. I have an appointment made for Monday afternoon if she's not here yet and we'll talk "what next" at that point -- who knows. Fingers crossed she comes on her own before then! I've been trying to "walk her out" - 2.2 miles at the lake saturday, strolling around downtown Athens sunday and yesterday was spent doing laps at Target! So back to the lake today and hopefully that combined with the Raspberry Tea I've been chugging down non-stop will help get her moving....

what a difference 30 weeks makes... (8 weeks/almost 38 weeks)... I can't believe I was ever that skinny [or that I didn't realize how skinny I was then, damn]... fingers crossed in 30 weeks [or less] I'll be back to the "before picture" 

this past week's snapshots...

so here we are....

7 days until my due-date.

CRAZY.

so ready for sweet p to get here!

37 weeks!

yup. still pregnant and my uterus is still occupied... didn't want you to think the radio silence was due to sweet pea entering the world - I've just been swamped/beat.  so here we are... 37 weeks down - THREE to go... FULL TERM! as of today, we're 15 days out from my due date - tomorrow starts the month of May aka the month sweet pea will be born (?!?!?) - holy cow.

I'm still running around like a crazy person at work - I had two "transition meetings" with my coworkers who will be assisting with some of my projects while I'm out so I'm happy to have that checked off the list! Now I have two more days of meetings with my university contacts -- I just need to make it through wednesday and then we'll be in the clear! As of now I plan on working up until sweet pea makes her appearance but I'm not going to lie - its getting tough, I'm beat.

This week was a nicely uneventful one - my sweet coworkers threw me a baby shower so that was a great end to the week and DJ and I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend! SO NICE. I read (for pleasure), did a heap load of laundry and cleaning (nesting), and ate yummy food (gluttony)! Crazy to think it could be our last weekend sans baby... But who knows - she could be in there for weeks still!?

this weeks stats:

• sweet pea is around 7.5 pounds and around 19 inches - the size of a Swiss chard (?!)
• bubble baths taken: 3 (newly obsessed)
• pedicures: 1 and it was GLORIOUS!
• uniform of choice: yoga pants & maternity tanks... I don't want to wear anything else for the rest of this pregnancy!
• number of break and bake cookies eaten this week: two (entire) packages. don't judge, I'm getting on the diet train after this baby comes out so I'm enjoying myself until that happens!
• books read: the first two books of the Fifty Shades series... on the third book now... Not quite about them, they're okay - they are what they are!
• birth plans written: one (by written I mean I checked off boxes on the form on our hospital webpage... it's more a outline/some thoughts - who knows how it'll all go)
• hospital bags unpacked and repacked: one (neurotic party of one...) oh yeah, remember that bag of hospital snacks in the car... yeah, we're going to need to go to the store again (all gone) - oops!

so that's that... here is my 37 week bump... (go cocks!)


this weeks snapshots...
taking advantage of my last few weeks of shameless weight gain - don't judge...


work baby shower... love my sweet coworkers and students!

so that's that... until next week (or labor & delivery)!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

36 weeks!

36 down, 4 to go... 

holy guacamole. 

today is the last day of my 36th week

we are 22 days away from my due date [?!?]... 

we've had a pretty good week, just trying to get things wrapped up at work [I think at the end of this week I'll be at a good stopping point/place to pass on my projects and/or pause them for 6 weeks]. DJ is also really swamped at work right now - poor guy worked pretty much all weekend and every night last week. I am so incredibly proud of him and the work he's doing. I catch myself just watching him sometimes and am just in awe of how intelligent, creative and hardworking he is. Sweet Pea is one lucky little girl to have him as a daddy [and I'm pretty damn lucky to be married to him].

Speaking of sweet boys... Ollie has been particularly sweet to me this week. He's turned into my shadow and follows me up and down the stairs, has to be sitting next to me [if not on top of me] and DJ is convinced he knows Sweet Pea is in my belly by the way he pays special attention to it [I think he just thinks I've eaten too many treats and have grown him a pillow, hah]. Either way, he gave me some practice on what it will be like to work from home and take care of a baby today as he has been in my lap [along with my laptop] all afternoon... fun. haha.

so that's that - I can't believe how close we are to meeting our sweet girl - I am so excited, petrified, overwhelmed, ready... so many emotions and just more than anything feel blessed by how smoothly everything is going. our doctors appointment today went off without a hitch - baby j is measuring a little ahead of schedule (5 days ahead) according the ultrasound she weighs 7 lbs 1 ounce -- but that could be +/- a pound [let's hope not a +, hah]... so basically, she's going to be a big baby! so Sweet Pea is in the 77th percentile [high-normal is what the doctor says] and everything [fluids, placenta, etc] looked normal in the ultrasound. my strep B test came back negative and my blood pressure/swelling still looks good/normal.  all around, a GREAT appointment. it was crazy that the doctor said "see you in a week or before in labor and delivery" at the end of the appointment, yup - we're right around that time! so without further delay here's what my sloppy self looks like as of today...

36 week bumpin' bump....

36 week stats -

• Sweet Pea is right around 7lbs and should be around 19-20 inches long! Crazy to think that's not a guess and we actually know that's how big she is.
• As of now, she's the size of a coconut [a lovely coconut, I'm sure] 
• Sleep has not been my friend this week - baby head on my bladder combined with achey hips has made for many a restless nights... 
• We are SO ready to cloth diaper! I got the last minute essentials that we needed (trashcan, pail liners, cloth wipe solution, etc.)
• Hospital Bag = PACKED. heck yes. [and we have a bag of snacks in the trunk ready to go to the hospital with us, thank you Trader Joes]
• number of bubble baths taken this week: two. heavenly. amazing. LOVED. all that was missing was a nice cold glass of wine... oh well, soon enough! I think one or two more are in my future this week...
• number of loads of laundry I did this weekend: six. can we say nesting?
• things I'm missing: sleeping on my stomach, wine, spicy tuna rolls, running, sleeping through the night [oh wait, I won't be doing that for a long time], enjoying a cold beer with my husband... but as I keep saying, it's so worth it - I'm just SO ready to meet our sweet girl! 

this week's photos...

one of my relaxing baths, AMAZING I tell you...

 my sweet boy...

 puzzles & nesting = my weekend.

so that's that.

22 days until my due date 

[17 days based on sweet pea's measurements today...?!]

c-ra-zy.

maternity photos....

Originally we had planned on getting professional maternity photos taken but as the pregnancy progressed [and our budget tightened - it was one of the things that just didn't seem necessary, I am much more invested in newborn photos of Sweet Pea].  So we are lucky enough to be friends with an amazing photographer and one of our favorite people Josh [along with his photo assistant and wife Tiffani] came down and took some pictures of DJ and I [and Sweet Pea and Ollie] before our baby shower...

All of the pictures were great, but I can't lie - I'm definitely just am not a fan of the way I look in pictures right now... I know, vanity - not my friend. I need to get over it.

Anyways, thought I would share a few of our faves....

so there we are...

I know... Ollie is the cutest pup around.

unfortunately, he was not very into the photoshoot...

oh well, fingers crossed he cooperates more once sweet pea arrives...

[because let's be real - Kristen will kill me if I don't take some baby/bully pictures]

35 weeks!

whoa. 

this pregnancy is clearly flying by.... 

I'm on the last day of my 35th week of my first pregnancy

 ...a pregnancy that could be over - resulting in a baby...

any. day. NOW. 

whoa. [wait, I already said that]

so yes, today is the last day of my 35th week and marking the "less than a month" point [29 days!!!] til my due date...

let's get real - my pregnancy has been a really easy and fairly painless one. everything has been normal, on track and I haven't had [too many] complaints... things are still great, don't get me wrong but I have officially hit the point where I am ready to not be pregnant -- as my nurse told me today, it's downhill from here until the baby comes [gee, thanks]. not only am I huge [HUUUGE] but I am very uncomfortable [HUUUGE] and getting nice and swollen [HUUUGE]. Braxton hicks has officially started and I have these fun bruises popping up all over my body [strange].  my legs/feet are killing me and did I mention I'm huge?

now, with all that being said - I am so grateful that I'm healthy and that sweet pea is seeming to be right on track. I had my 35 week appt today and it went great, everything was normal and my midwife checked sweet pea's position and great news - she's head down! AND she seems to be "pretty far down there" [her words, not mine] so we're definitely on track! I'm going back on Monday [a week from today] and we're getting an ultrasound to see how big sweet pea is. Such a great surprise as I didn't expect to have another ultrasound for the rest of my pregnancy [I'm trying to be optimistic and not think something seems odd and that's why we're having one].

it was a busy 35th week - we spent lots of time with friends and family for DJ's 30th birthday [recap coming soon], that partnered with a hectic hectic week at work, not feeling too hot and yes - you guessed it, being huge - made it a tough [but fun] week. 

so here are this week's "stats" --

• sweet pea is over 18 inches long and should be weighing a little over 5lbs [so exciting that we should have a better idea on this next week]!
• The "fruit/vegetable" of the week is a honeydew melon! which I picked up at the grocery store this weekend and marveled at that fact that "one" is inside me!
• baby j is pretty much done developing - now her biggest job in there is to put on weight!
• number of ankles I have: ZERO. no seriously. no ankles... two big ole honey baked hams that are attached to big ole fred flintstone feet. FUN.
• sweet pea has been wiggling all over the place this week, the movement definitely feels different as she's getting bigger and I've been able to see "points" in my stomach from her feet/knees/elbows - it's CRAZY.
• number of hospital bags packed this week: zero! oops - I will pack my bag this week! any suggestions for "must-haves" and/or "things you brought that you didn't need" -- ??

forgive for a lack of a real "bumpin' bump" this week - I have no motivation... therefore, enjoy these pictures from this weekend which I think do a pretty good job of showing my large and in charge-ness....

35th week snapshots.... getting the nursery all setup - nesting is in full force, painted my nails a fun purple color [new from this months birchbox!], books for sweet pea and the newest additions to the making of a baby divided...

and of course - we couldn't have a weekly post without a dose of Oliver cuteness... this is pretty much how I felt this week....

35 weeks down - 29 days to go!

so so so close! 

can't wait! :)

34 weeks!

34 weeks down, 6 to go! It's crazy to think sweet pea will be here before we know it! This week (other than the my sick boys) was a pretty normal, relaxing one... It was spring break for most of the schools in Atlanta so our commute wasn't too bad - and I stayed home from work on Wednesday so it was a nice break in the middle of the week (do you think I could have four day work weeks for the next six weeks??). Things are moving along nicely - all of sweet pea's clothes are washed, I washed/prepped her cloth diapers this week, and started packing our hospital bag!  Ollie is feeling all better and has been SO sweet this week. Sweet Pea is definitely getting bigger, I can clearly see her moving inside me from the "outside" - it's nuts!  I've also been REALLY thirsty this week - other than that, no big changes. More than anything, I'm just getting antsy know - I definitely want her to stay in there and cook a little more but I'm so ready to meet her!

So, here are this week's stats...

• Sweet Pea is right around 4 and 3/4 pounds (around the size of a cantaloupe!) and around 18 inches long!
• She's starting to fatten up and her lungs are continuing to develop -- and she's urinating about a pint a day [?!]
• current cravings: water, juice, rice crispie treats, soft serve and french fries
• number of trips to Athens Baby J took this week: two and we had two yummy dinners at Farm 255 [aka her dad's favorite restaurant]
• number of thank you cards written: NUMEROUS - but I'm all done with all the shower gifts, phew!
• number of chins I have: more than I'd like to admit.

34th week bumpin' bump....

34th week snapshots...

so that's that!

...ready for the next few weeks to fly by and to meet our sweet girl!

33 weeks!

I know, I know... this post is a little late. It's just been quite a crazy 33rd week... first off, one of the upsides to our Atlanta staycation was that I had no commute (aka a five minute walk back to the hotel) and DJ was working late every night pretty much so I stayed in the office late and got a LOT done last week... then Thursday was a whirlwind of all sorts. I got some unexpected and sad news that a family member had passed away while at work, and it was the same day my mom was travelling in to see us. Basically, I was all sorts of out of it and just in shock/upset all day.

To top it off, my baby shower was on Saturday and the funeral was around 5 hours way on Friday so mom and I couldn't make it... that paired with the emotions of losing some dear to my heart and the crazy way I found out made for a pretty crazy rollercoaster of a weekend... yeah. So that explains the "radio silence" around here for the past few days - it's been hard to write about the excitement of my mom visiting/baby shower when I had a bit of a heavy heart... with all of that being said, I pushed it all aside this weekend and tried to soak up the love that was surrounding DJ, baby J and I and realize just how lucky we truly are.

Having my mom in town was great (and stressful) and the shower was a blast. It was super lowkey and relaxed and I'm pretty sure that sweet pea now has more clothes than I do... I spent Sunday with my mom running errands and washing and organizing all of Sweet Pea's clothes/blankets/accessories etc. It was a great 33rd week and I can't believe tomorrow starts my 34th week!

Here are this past week's stats --

• Baby J is the size of a Honeydew melon [yowzers], weighing between 4.2 to 5.8 lbs and measuring between 17.2-18.7 inches! 
• Apparently Baby J is keeping her little eyes open in utero when she's awake and starting to 
• She's definitely been an active little monkey - especially at night, my mom felt her move this weekend so that was really exciting for both of us and might have even caused some tears all around.
• Baby J was a star this weekend and took part in her first photoshoot! Josh and Tiffani came early to the shower and Josh took some maternity photos of us... Josh is an amazing photographer and I cannot, cannot, cannot wait to see them! 

33rd week bump, no real bump photo this week (well other than the ones Josh took but I don't have those yet...) but you definitely get the picture of my "growth" in this picture of mom and I...

yes, my mom is adorable.

yes, I'm a giant next to her in so many ways.

some more 33rd week snapshots...

pretty darn cute stuff, huh?

so that's that.

33 weeks down, 7 to go! [?!?!]

32 weeks!

32 weeks down, 8 weeks to go! can't believe we're under the two month mark... the emotions are pretty much standard at this point -- excited/nervous/ready/not-ready... I think the biggest stresser at this point is getting things ready to take maternity leave at work. I'm all cleared via paperwork/HR but I know there are things I can't control - like when baby j decides to make her entrance so I'm trying to get all my projects at a good stopping point so I can continue working on them but at the same time - if I went into labor and left it wouldn't be a disorganized mess. FUN.

Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good - it was really hard to sleep without DJ the first few nights he was gone but I've been trying to go to bed earlier/get up earlier which has been helping in that AND he gets home tomorrow which is super exciting! Also exciting is that Lindi is coming to visit this weekend! I'm so excited for a girls night/day with her before DJ gets back... and clearly to hang out with both of them after we pick him up from the airport tomorrow night.

We're going to go see The Hunger Games this afternoon - SO FREAKING EXCITED. I reread the first two books and am currently halfway through the third book so it's all fresh in my mind for the movie [which can be a good thing or a bad thing]. We're going to see it at an IMAX theater too so I'm really excited about that!

My doctors appointment yesterday was extremely uneventful - which I do realize is a blessing and a good thing. I go back next Monday for my Strep B test and then start going weekly for my check-ins... CRAZY. I have a feeling these next 8 weeks are going to fly by!

Lastly, the saddest thing that happened this week was that my in-laws dog Lexi passed away last night... it was definitely a sad moment but at the same time, I know she's in a better place now and at peace.  She wasn't doing too well these last few weeks and I know they were struggling with the decision to put her down or not and luckily/unluckily (?) it didn't come to that and she went on her own last night.  My heart breaks for them because I know the pain of losing a dog especially one that you've spent a decade or so with... poor Ollie, he doesn't know/realize yet and I know he's going to miss her - Lexi was his little buddy [even though she was 9 years his elder]... here they are sunbathing together last week...

sweet, sweet pups.

anyways, back to lighter topics and on-to the stats... here's the low-down on my 32nd week...

• sweet pea is the size of a squash! she's between 15/2-16.7 inches long and weighs between 2.5-3.8lbs
• no labor signs/braxton hicks -- that I know of, I'm hoping/thinking I'd recongize them. all in all, everything feels pretty normal
• we still have four weeks until they'll check to see what position she's in but based on where I feel her hiccups and the movement I've been trying to decipher I think she's head down... which is GREAT news, hopefully she stays that way!
• number of glasses of orange juice consumed this week: I would guess close to 40. can't stop. won't stop.... even if it does give me heartburn. sad.
• my legs = pain. I'm definitely carrying extra weight and I feel it in my legs every day..... 
• number of pictures I took of my adorable new nephew Sam: probably around 300, coming soon! just need to get the energy/find the time to sit down and edit them!
• number of days until my mom comes in town: six!
• number of days until my baby shower: eight!
• number of days until DJ comes back from the UK: ONE! [!!!!]
• number of days until lindi comes: ZERO! she'll be here in a hour or so, yay!

here's this weeks bumpin' bump....

snapshots from the 32nd week...

key lime pie cheesecake = amazing * President Obama being in town = closed  highways and roads = my Friday commute home taking almost 3 hours.... NOT FUN * spent lots of time in our glider this weekend reading The Hunger Games series.... so relaxing!

 my sweet boy....

 finally playing catch-up at work and HOORAY for an organized desk! phew, feels so much better than the clutter I was looking at the past week or so....

so that's that. 

32 weeks down, 8 to go!

another week closer to meeting our sweet pea.... 

31 weeks!

31 weeks down, 9 to go... holy single digits batman!? Today marks two months to the day [aka 61 days and counting] until sweet pea is due! I'm so freaking excited/nervous/ready... oh yes, and I'm huge. huuuuuge. big belly in the house. I can definitely feel the extra weight I've put when I try and do any sort of phsyical activity [including simply walking from my parking garage to my office]... I think baby j is hanging out on my sciatic nerve too because I've been having some bad leg/hip pain when I walk, fun. You know what though? It's all worth it! She's definitely getting big in there though -- I can clearly see Sweet Pea moving from the outside of my stomach now - even with a shirt on [when its tight/form fitting]... so strange!

It's been a good 31st week...we had a great weekend with Josh & Tiffani - they came up our way and hung out around town with us on Saturday and then on Sunday we headed down to Athens and had brunch with them at Farm255 [amaaazing]. It was a fun low-key two days with them - I'm going to be so sad when they move away in May... luckily I have a feeling we'll be pretty busy/distracted in May!  anyways, this week hasn't been too eventful other than working like crazy and getting DJ ready for his trip. I'm still not sleeping great, and it was even worse the past two nights without DJ here [insert sad pouty face here].

we went to our newborn care class on Monday and it wasn't too bad - just pretty basic stuff but good to hear again none-the-less... also, we're officially childbirth class dropouts. I emailed our instructor yesterday and told her we weren't going to make the last two classes - she sent me what they'll be covering so I'm just going to do some research and try and cover them myself... as terrible as it is, I feel like that is going to be a much MUCH better use of my time!

here are the 31st week stats...

• baby j is currently the size of a pineapple, whaat! she's weighing between 2.5 to 3.8lbs... when you see how big my stomach is you're probably going to agree with me that she's probably closer to 3.8. hah. seriously. she's also measuring between 15.2-16.7 inches... nutso!
• I've still been drinking OJ like it's going out of style... and I haven't had soda in weeks [since I "quit" cold turkey].
• Tiff & Josh gave us a super sweet gift for the nursery... I might share it with you soon but then again it would be a pretty big hint towards Sweet Pea's name soooo we'll see... maybe next week. hah.
• heartburn has been my worst enemy this past week. I've never had it before getting pregnant... it's seriously NOT fun?! who knew.

31 week bumpin' bump... enjoy the bathroom self-portrait... no photographer this week and I'm too lazy to setup the tripod...

31st week snapshots...

beautiful flowers from my love ~ 90s music while playing board games ~ newborn class ~ DJ's new grownup suitcase all packed up and ready to go...

....and the many faces of adorable ollie this past week....

so that's that. 

31 weeks down, 9 to go!

one more week closer to meeting our sweet pea! 

30 weeks!

30 weeks down, 10 to go! holy moly - I can't believe next week we'll be down to single digits. for lack of anything better to express how I feel - wtf. It's crazy, some days I feel like I've been pregnant forever and others I feel like it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant... insanity.

well clearly, the biggest thing that happened in our little world on my 30th week was that sweet pea's cousin Sam was born! It made everything so much more real to me to meet him on Sunday. It's still crazy to me that I was hanging out with Summer on Saturday night/early Sunday morning watching SNL laughing over Lindsay Lohan being a crackhead with us both being pregnant and woke up and she had A BABY [well, technically she has three, but you know what I mean a new baby]. I know, that's how it happens... I know that the result of this pregnancy will be a baby... meeting Sam just made it that much more real for me.

It was also too funny [for lack of a better word - sweet? amusing? scary?] to watch DJ with a newborn... for being one of the most relaxed and laid-back people I've ever met he was very careful - I felt like he was holding his breath when he was holding Sam for fear he would break him. It was sweet. I've definitely seen a more cautious side of him since I've become pregnant... I can only imagine how much that will heighten once the baby is actually here.

Well, other than Sam coming into the world, the 30th week hasn't been too exciting - we had another childbirth class. Yeah... about that... our childbirth classes aren't proving to be too worthwhile... the information is good - but the way it's being presented is not very engaging.  Not too mention, I have NO clue what she's doing/what I'm supposed to be doing throughout the breathing exercises -- our instructor isn't very clear and I feel like we're all just sitting there staring at the screen pretending to follow-along... it's special. I thought with my learning style and need to process things and come back and ask questions that I would be better off with the five week class but I'm starting to regret not doing the one or two day classes.

30th week stats...

• sweet pea is around 16 inches long and weighs almost 3 pounds! she's also currently surrounded by a pint and half of amniotic fluid.
• her eyesight is also supposedly also getting better! we haven't tried the "flashlight trick" yet but maybe we'll do that soon... apparently if you shine a flashlight at your belly in a dark room the baby reacts and moves around. hmm - who knows.
• Overall, I've been feeling pretty good - still getting up a few times a night to go to the bathroom and still having issues sleeping some nights. Overall, I've been extra exhausted this week and just sore... my joints/ligaments are definitely feeling different in a not good way. Fun.
• I put sweet pea's swing together and I love it! I can't wait for her to come and use it [until them Sam is going to break it in for her when he comes to visit, she's going to learn to share early] :)
• craving: still loving juice [OJ is topping the charts, followed closely by grapefruit and apple]
• remember last week when I said I was done messing with my baby registries... yeah I lied. I made like five more changes yesterday. hah. I just can't stop!
• sweet pea [and DJ and I] is excited for some QT with Tiffers & Josh this weekend, we haven't hung out with them since the superbowl so we're way overdue!

30 week bumpin' bumpin' bump....

snapshots from week 30...

max on his last day being the youngest in his family * sam's "birth"day cake from just five-six hours before he was born *sweet pea's swing [which I put together all on my own, so proud] * sweet pea got some sweet goodies in the mail from two of her favorite aunties [lindsey & sarah] :)

so that's that - one week closer to meeting our sweet pea!

29 weeks!

29 weeks down, 11 to go! If baby j comes on her due date - she'll be here in 75 days. I don't know why but I have a feeling she's coming early... but as I'm trying to prep everything for maternity leave that makes me a little anxious [I mean, I planned my maternity leave dates perfectly... hah, planned - more like I had great luck with the way all the dates worked out and coincided with the academic year] and I have a lot to do in the next 11 weeks to prep for my time-off], I guess I don't really have control over that so we'll just see!  This past week hasn't been too eventful, we had a relaxing weekend - a nice date night on friday and then ran errands, saw a movie [Act of Valor] later on the weekend - we're trying to have a date every week or so and spend plenty of time just the two of us as I know life is going to be very different come 11 [give or take a few] weeks... 

The biggest "baby j" thing that happened this week was our childbirth class yesterday... we had our class for an hour and it was "interesting" to say the least - we discussed the different phases of labor AND we got to watch a birth video... now let's just talk about this for a second - one, yes I know we're in a childbirth class but I would think that we'd have a little notice before we saw vagina on the big screen... no, no - no warning. just all of a sudden we go to the next slide in the powerpoint and she clicks the video that goes along with the slide and BAM - the miracle of life... Yup, DJ watched. Nope, I sure didn't. I saw what was coming and directed my attention to the woman sitting directly across from me that is pregnant with twins... let me just say watching her face was further justification that I should not be watching... her face was a combination of horror, shock and anguish... Yes, I probably should watch a birth video before giving birth... yes, I probably will - but as I told DJ, I'd rather do that in the comfort of our home rather than in front of 10 strangers. I'd like to be able to curse react freely in a judgement free zone... so we'll see about that. 

From there, we spent the second half of our class on a tour of the hospital where I'll be giving birth - I was really impressed by everything we were shown, the entire facility, the staff and feel great about where we'll be bringing baby j into the world!  I was happy to see all the different rooms we'll be in, know how long [approximately] we'll be there and just get some peace of mind on the facility, I'd heard great things but it's human nature to be skeptical... well, at least it's in my nature. I was impressed AND our favorite nurse from our OB's office is a labor and delivery nurse there and we saw her... is it sad that at this point in the pregnancy I don't have a preference on which doctor in our practice delivers sweet pea but I hope our favorite nurse is there?  haha, oh well. fingers crossed.

anyways, here are the stat's on baby j during her 29th week...

• baby j is measuring around 15-16 inches long and is weighing around 2.5-3.8lbs, aah she's getting SO big!
• speaking of big -- I definitely can see her moving around in my stomach and her "kicks" coming out of my stomach so much more than before - it's pretty freaky [alien like?] to see your stomach moving around from the inside... it's aliiiiive.
• I've been having problems sleeping again... yuck. It's like every other night at this point - one night I get a terrible night sleep, can't fall asleep/toss and turn, get out of bed for awhile and then get back in and finally fall asleep... the next day I'm so exhausted all day that I lay down and I pass out.. then the NEXT day it starts again with the problems sleeping - not a fun cycle.
• I've been doing good with no soda for the past few weeks! wahoo! now, I'm onto juice... I've been LOVING juice lately - apple, orange, grapefruit, pomegranate... yum, I cannot get enough of any and all of it!
• I finally feel like I'm done playing around with my baby registries and they're set - phew! I'd literally been adding and taking things off every day for the past week or so... but now, I'm DONE! I feel like I've researched everything more than any human should/needs to and I am happy with all of our picks.
• four weeks [and 2 days] until my baby shower, I'm so so so so excited! [hooray for family, friends and fun -- AND more than anything, I'm so excited my mommy coming to town!]
• also, baby j's cousin - "baby 3" is arriving any day now! Summer's [my SIL] due date was on Monday and now we're waiting -- I'm so excited that "baby j" and "baby 3" are going to be so close in age! I never had cousins my age [or not my age, hah] around when I was growing up and I'm so excited for sweet pea to have a cousin that she's only 2.5 months younger than to play with and grow up with! we're just waiting now for the little guy to be born so we can meet him!

29 week bumpin' bump....

...so that was our 29th week...

...another week closer to meeting our sweet pea! 

28 weeks!

28 weeks down, 12 to go [81 days]! I can't believe how close we're getting to meet sweet pea! this has been a great week - we're making huge strides in the nursery... it's pretty much done, I had a great visit to the doctor [no anemia or gestational diabetes here!], we bought our carseat [with a 25% off trade-in coupon], we got our first gift in the mail off our baby registry [yay for a swing for sweet pea!], I booked my mom's flight to come visit/for our baby shower! so yes, a great week.

we also took our first "childbirth/delivery class" -- it was interesting to say the least... I'm not quite sure it's going to be super informative but hey... it will definitely be entertaining. I'm pretty sure DJ and I almost got kicked out because I have the maturity of a 12 year old [and my husband is not far behind me]... we were definitely giggling uncontrollably during the "relaxation exercises"that we did not understand. next week during the class we're taking a tour of the labor/delivery wing of where I'll be delivering sweet pea - so I'm actually really excited about that!

here are the 28 weeks stats...

• Baby J is currently weighing around 2.5 lbs and measuring around 14.8 inches long... around the size of an average rutabaga [?!]
• Baby J can also blink her eyes AND has eyelashes... she wasn't wiggling too much over the weekend but the past few days she's been back to her active self! 
• Baby J is also developing "billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world"
• As I said earlier, the doctor this week went great - everything was normal as could be and I'm measuring right on track. Sweet Pea's heartbeat was great, all my blood tests came back normal, my blood pressure was great and the doctor seemed really happy with my progress.
• Now that I'm in the third trimester they've moved my appointments to every two weeks so we'll be going more frequently - which is exciting that we'll be able to check-in on Sweet Pea more often!

28 week bumpin' bumpin...

my 28th week in photos...

 adorable newborn bumgenius cloth diapers!

new lamp and table in the nursery

"sun-dex" aka orange sugary yuck

sweet pea's new ZTA legacy onesie that I got at ZTA day!

DJ surprised me with sweet macaroons from West Egg last Friday and they were AMAZING!

...how I celebrated passing my gestational diabetes test = key lime cupcake from yum yum cupcakes!

Ollie just being all sorts of adorable this week...

so there we are... another week closer to meeting sweet pea!

27 weeks!

27 weeks down, 13 to go! we're officially in the third trimester and have less than 3 months [89 days!] until baby j's due date! nothing major going on this week - still feeling great and just moving along. DJ and I have been able to see sweet pea moving around in my belly and that is just insane... I've spent countless evening hours laying on the couch/in bed with my shirt pulled up staring at my naked belly to see the little movements/spasms as she moves around in there. so amazing.

here's this week's 27 weeks bumpin' bumpin - as usual, Ollie came over and wanted to be a part of our "photoshoot" this morning and looking through all the shots that DJ took this was my favorite. I love how Ollie has his little paw on my foot looking up at me like, "mom, I know there's a baby in there but don't forget about me..." - never my little prince!

sweet, huh?

27 week stats...

• baby j weighs almost 2lbs this week [head of cauliflower] and is measuring around 14.5 inches with her legs extended [I'm starting to feel her in two spots at once at the top and bottom of my belly, so she's definitely getting long... and punching and kicking at the same time! we have a little athlete on our hands!]
• this is the week that I sighed a sigh of relief because even though it would take a lot of medical intervention - this is the point where the rate of survival is a lot higher if I were to go into preterm labor and sweet pea was born early.... but on that note, I'd like her to stay in there longer and get stronger!
• as of this week, more of her brain tissue is developing and her brain is very active. 
• leg cramps = still cramping my style. I woke up from them four times on Tuesday night, not fun!
• number of heart shaped cookies baked and iced: around 50 [for my coworkers and student assistants]
• number of sodas drank: ZERO. [that's right. even though my doctor said I could have a coke/glass of caffeine a day - I felt like the soda was adding to my excess weight gain and probably not too good for sweet pea]. so - no more, not going to lie it's been hard, especially working in downtown Atlanta where Coca Cola is plastered EVERYWHERE]. it's crazy too - I hadn't drank soda in years [other than with a little jack mixed in...] and after I got pregnant I started craving it and wanting it like crazy?! oh well, no more.

sugar cookies that I baked for my students... DJ helped me decorate them with royal icing... he even made me a sweet one of my one... 

ollie and I had some "tummy time" on Sunday... [see, already getting in mom/taking care of an infant mode]. then he decided he had enough of laying on his tummy and sat on mine. I was waiting for sweet pea to kick him the rear but he got off before that happened...

our friends Cord & Sarah were driving through on their way from Florida back to the Berkshires and stayed the night with us on Monday night, they were so sweet and brought these adorable goodies for sweet pea from Marco Island!

and then of course, sweet pea's first [in utero] valentines day... hope everyone enjoyed their wine/champagne with their loves... I thouroughly enjoyed my apple cranberry sparking cider!

so that was our 27th week.
nothing too exciting but one week closer to meeting our baby girl...

on to the third trimester!