40 Weeks

Picture from 40w1d but I am now 40w3d as I write this!

How far along?: 40 weeks and 1 day in this picture

Maternity clothes: Still mostly regular clothes but most of my tank tops are a little too short to wear now!

Best moment this week: Going to the midwife and having her tell me she doesn't think I'll make it through the weekend without having this baby!

Symptoms: Still pretty tired but I officially had my last day of work on Tuesday. I'm afraid that the stress of work is not allowing me to relax enough which is why he isn't out yet! Last week at the midwife I was 2cm and 70% effaced and this week I was 3cm, 80% effaced, cervix is very soft and he's at -1 station so the progression in a week is awesome and its why they think I'm coming any day now. I also had my membranes stripped while I was there this week for an extra jump start which was a little more painful than I expected but she said it's because I have a high cervix to begin with and because he's so ready. So TMI (at least for those who haven't had babies or aren't pregnant since I've learned there's no such thing as TMI with someone who is with child or has given birth) I had bloody show on Saturday which is very good and then again yesterday after the procedure, a few times during the day and then in the middle of the night and this morning which is a good sign that I've had it more than just the once after the procedure. I haven't had any contractions yet but I've had much more pressure than normal!

Movement: He is still a very active boy! 

Food cravings: I wanted nachos last night but figured that would not be a good meal to eat if I were to go into labor so I didn't give in!

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: So impatient!!! I'm beyond ready for him to come out! My co-worker who was due two weeks after me went into labor yesterday and another old co-worker of mine who was due a week after me had her baby today. Granted this was the second for both of them, but I'm so jealous and want him to come NOW!

Looking forward to: Meeting our little man, sharing his name (I honestly think this is the longest I've ever kept a personal secret from any of my best friends and family) and becoming a family of 3!

I'm really hoping that not being at work and being able to relax will help labor start. I took a bath this morning (we have a miniature tub but it was better than nothing) and then went and got my hair cut since that's always my go to when I want to unwind and feel good about myself. I haven't gained any weight in two weeks and I've been measuring a week small (39cm this week instead of 40cm) for the past two weeks which is also a sign that my body is ready to labor so now its up to the little man to make his entrance, we're all waiting for him!!!

38 Weeks

Sorry for all of the bathroom pictures, life is busy now and I'm too tired lazy to erase and draw every week on the chalkboard!

How far along?: 38 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly regular clothes but most of my tank tops are a little too short to wear now!

Best moment this week: Going to the reservoir to swim this weekend with the pup in the beautiful weather.  

Symptoms: Pretty much exhausted! I definitely have carpel tunnel which wakes me up at least 4 times during the night making my hand tingle and hurt wicked bad. And of course there is nothing I can do for it other than stretch it and try not to use my wrist that much - which is hard since I'm a graphic designer and its my right wrist which is on a mouse all day. It should go away once the baby is born and my hormones are back to normal - or at least I'm hoping it does!

Movement: He is still a very active boy! 

Food cravings: Nothing really, but I would love some good Mexican food but that's nothing out of the ordinary.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Impatient! I just want him to come already!!!

Looking forward to: Our little man's arrival! I'm writing this at 38w6d so we have just about a week or so left and I'm now very impatient!

37 Weeks

How far along?: 37 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly non-maternity with stretchy skirts and dresses, but I'm kinda getting tired of wearing the same things. And some of my shirts/tanks are getting a little short and don't cover my bump - especially my workout clothes!

Best moment this week: Having Thursday off for July 4th and doing nothing! I took a three hour nap and I never nap but I'm just completely exhausted these days even after a good [ as good as it can be ] nights rest.  

Symptoms: Very tired and exhausted just climbing stairs takes a lot these days it seems. I've been having a lot of pressure and lightening pains the past week - good signs! 

Movement: He is still a very active boy - and Tom felt his hiccups the other night too which was really cool. 

Food cravings: Nothing really, but I have to have my mint chocolate chip ice cream every night!

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Impatient! I just want him to come already!!!

Looking forward to: Relaxing this weekend with nothing to do. Nesting is definitely a real thing so I'm going to continue my cleaning frenzy this weekend!

I thought I'd do a little comparison to see how big this little man has really gotten!

Same shirt looks a little different now - I'm really hoping I look that little again some day! I love my clothes and especially my jeans - I will be a size 2 again [ we can't afford a new wardrobe for me anyways haha ]!

36 Weeks

How far along?: 36 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly non-maternity with stretchy skirts and dresses. Loving this new red skirt I got at J.Crew a few weeks ago!

Best moment this week: Going to one of my best friends, Carly's, wedding this past weekend! There are four of us from high school that are still best friends (Carly being one of the four) and the other three of us were in her wedding party so we had a ton of fun and it was sooo nice to catch up since we don't get to see each other nearly enough!   

Symptoms: Still tired but getting use to it. I've also been having some pelvic pains which is my pelvic bone stretching and getting ready! 

Movement: He is so active and he doesn't really kick much anymore its just constant moving and pushing. And I love that I can really tell the difference between kicks and hiccups now, hiccups are so cute!

Food cravings: Nothing really, but I have to have my mint chocolate chip ice cream every night!

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy that these next few weeks will hopefully fly by with all we have going on so he'll be here before we know it!

Looking forward to: Not having anywhere to go anymore! As much as I love to travel and I'm happy we have seen so many of our friends this summer, it is exhausting and I'm tired and all I want to do is just stay home, relax and nest!

P.S. sorry for the lack of posts last week, I had a ton of freelance to finish up and it took first priority!

Working Out While Pregnant Take 2!

I'm 34W5D pregnant and boy has my fitness routine changed since the last time I posted on it!

First, my shin splints are now pretty terrible no matter what. I still manage to run intervals of 2mins on, 2mins off but I am definitely more winded now compared to a couple weeks ago. I can only do about 20mins of intervals and then I walk for about 10mins. I tried just doing inclined walking, upping the incline by 1 every minute until I hit 10 and then went back down to 1. But even then I was getting pretty bad shin splints around 12 minutes. So back to intervals it was since its the only way I don't get shin splints.

Oops! Waaaay blurrier than I thought, but here ya go - me at the gym this morning!

I still lift, and I've even increased my weight from 6lb dumbbells to 8lb dumbbells.  But again I take more time in between sets to catch my breath and wipe the sweat dripping down my face! It's certainly a challenge because all I want to do is go for a relaxing run on these beautiful days and I can't because there is no such thing as a relaxing run anymore, ugh!

Me after the gym at 30 weeks before doing 5min on, 2min off intervals for 35mins. What a difference 4ish weeks makes!

I'm just hoping that all the women who tell me that working out while pregnant makes for an easier and faster labor and delivery and a quicker recovery weren't lying to me!

34 Weeks

How far along?: 34 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly non-maternity with stretchy skirts and dresses. I got a new stretchy red skirt from J.Crew and its so cute and I can wear it after so double plus!

Best moment this week: Going to Maine for our best friend's wedding! All of our college friends were there and we had a TON of fun all weekend catching up.   

Symptoms: Still a little tired but not as bad as before, but still pretty exhausted after a long weekend in Maine. 

Movement: So active! Tom even saw my stomach moving for the first time since every time I saw "look my stomach is moving!" he stops moving and Tom can't see it!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! Everyone at the wedding was so nice and said I was all belly and looked awesome - making a pregnant lady feel great even if it is a little bit of a lie!

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy that these next few weeks will hopefully fly by with all we have going on so he'll be here before we know it!

Looking forward to: A relaxing weekend. Tom has to work this weekend but I have nothing to do but nest! I have had the urge to nest a little but I'm exhausted at the end of the day so this weekend the house will be getting a deep clean!!!

Tom took some maternity pics of me on our way to Maine when we stopped in Ogunquit, ME and went to the beach. My dad grew up in Maine and went there as a kid a lot during the summer and I can see why! Here are a few more of the pictures!

33 Weeks

I think this is the last wear of this non-maternity shirt!

How far along?: 33 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly non-maternity with stretchy skirts and dresses.

Best moment this week: Seeing my parents and family friends when we went home for a wedding.   

Symptoms: The Calms Forte seems to be working better and I am definitely sleeping more in a night but I'm still waaay more tired than I had been in the second trimester but not quite as tired as I was in the first. 

Movement: Oh geeze I swear that this week he's been waaay more active and seems to never stop moving. All of those stories about women not knowing they were pregnant until they gave birth make me laugh now - I mean did they think their intensities and organs were moving around in there or what because this is crazy movement that definitely does not just feel like digestion anymore!

Food cravings: Nothing really other than wanting one of those cheese biscuits when we passed a red lobster this weekend but then again who doesn't want one of those?!?

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! I am straight out and all belly. I've had a few people tell me I look way bigger than 33 weeks but I have measured exactly on at every midwife appointment so its probably because I'm straight out and not to the sides at all.

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy that these next few weeks will hopefully fly by with all we have going on so he'll be here before we know it!

Looking forward to: Going to Maine this weekend for the wedding of our two best friends (who also happen to be the baby's God Parents)! We leave early tomorrow and come back Sunday so it will be a long weekend with lots of college friends that we don't get to see nearly enough and we can't wait. We're going to stop at a few places along the way since its a 5.5hr drive and there's no way I can make the trip without multiple stops. I'm excited to stop at the Ogunqit Beach on the way where Tom is gonna take some maternity pics for me since we can't afford legit maternity pics right now. It will be gorgeous and I can't wait :)

32 Weeks

This is the "Before bed, crap its Wednesday night and I don't have a bump update picture" picture...enjoy!

How far along?: 32 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Mostly regular clothes that consists of stretchy skirts and sundresses. Luckily I'm a fairly modest person so most of my tank top and t-shirts are long so they [mostly] cover the bump!

Best moment this week: Relaxing for the weekend. Even though it was a pretty crappy weekend it was nice not to have to drive anywhere for once.   

Symptoms: Sleep is still pretty bad. I started taking Calms Fort before bed which helps for the first few hours but I still get up to pee which usually means I can't fall back to sleep for at least an hour after that. And that is yet another reason we will be doing the side-car co-sleeping since I have an extremely hard time going back to sleep if I get up and out of bed - no matter how tired I may be its just how I have always been. You could wake me up and have a full conversation but as long as I don't actually get up then I can usually fall back asleep fairly easily. 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and moving a lot! Tom has been feeling him waaay more and can now feel him squirming and pushing against me. 

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Just a little tired and feeling like we have so much to do before our little man is here. I'm also a very impatient person so I just want him to be here already!

Looking forward to: Going home for the weekend for a friends wedding. We met on the bus in Kindergarden and I invited her to my birthday party even though I didn't even know her name. Stephanie [I finally asked her name] then ironically moved to my street a few months later and now our moms are very, very good friends too - her mom was always one of my character references on every job application I filled out in high school and most of college! So needless to say it will be a ton of fun and we're pretty excited to get dressed up and dance :)

31 Weeks

From our trip to Skaneateles this past weekend. 

How far along?: 31 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still mostly regular clothes since I'm wearng my stretchy dresses and skirts with the nice weather!

Best moment this week: Going back to Skaneateles - where we were married - for the weekend.   

Symptoms: Still just tired. Sleep is still not going well even with using Calms Forte (a homeopathic sleep remedy). 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and moving a lot!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but very overwhelmed. I have a bunch of freelance things to get done in the next week and I'm not sure when I'll have time for it. We have a long weekend with the holiday so all I want to do is relax and do nothing but that's not seeming like a possibility with all of my freelance work :( 

Looking forward to: The long weekend which will hopefully be pretty lazy!

And here are a few pictures from our weekend :)

Downtown Skan

This is what the entire lake looks like - it is crazy clear and so beautiful!

excuse my heavy under eye concealer - not sure if this or bags under my eyes are better!

30 Weeks

Excuse the non-bright eyed and busy tailed appearance this morning!

How far along?: 30 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Mostly regular clothes since I can now wear my stretchy dresses and skirts which has been really nice!

Best moment this week: Celebrating my "first" mother's day although I'm not sure it totally counts so we'll call it my half mother's day instead!   

Symptoms: Sleeping has still been an issue and keeps getting worse it seems so I feel exhausted most days. I have a body pillow but I toss and turn so much that it usually ends up on the ground and isn't much help. I've decided to start going to the gym in the afternoon now so that I can sleep in on those days at least which will hopefully help a little.   

Miss anything?: Eh not really, its been cold here the last week so wine hasn't been on my mind much. 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and moving a lot!

Food cravings: Not much other than I wanted a donut really bad the other day but didn't give in since that's probably the worst thing I could eat.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but very tired. I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed that we only have 9 (or so) more weeks left! 

Looking forward to: Going to Ithaca and Skaneateles this weekend. We're heading to Ithaca on Saturday to go to a baby consignment store that has cloth diapers for $10 instead of $25 plus we need a few more sleepers. And then we're spending the night in Skaneateles where we were married since we were given a gift card to the Inn we had our reception at as a wedding present and have yet to use it. It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend there so we're pretty excited and Skaneateles Lake is absolutely gorgeous which doesn't hurt!

29 Weeks

Again, getting so busy we haven't had time to change our chalkboard!

How far along?: 29 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Mostly regular clothes since I can now wear my stretchy dresses and skirts although the dress above is maternity from H&M and on top of that its organic!

Best moment this week: Being home for the weekend for my shower! My cousin who just had her first baby in October surprised me and came all the way from Virginia so it was a ladies weekend at my house with the most amazing women I know!  

Symptoms: Definitely more tired since sleep is not going so well. My stomach also starts to feel really heavy by the end of the day so instead of standing around the kitchen as Tom cooks I bring in a chair.  

Miss anything?: Again, just some good wine during this beautiful weather. 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and moving a lot!

Food cravings: Eh, nothing really still.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but very tired. I feel like we have so much more to do to get ready yet we are so busy the next few weeks we won't have time to rest before the baby comes. 

Looking forward to: A weekend at home this weekend! My dad is coming in and we are photographing a wedding so even though that will be tiring, at least we won't be driving!

Oh, and do you want a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card? Check out the giveaway!

28 Weeks

Sorry, Tom failed to inform me that my shirt was blending in with the background making it hard to see my bump.

I'm wearing my new PinkBlush maternity skirt that I got with the gift card I won from Katie!

How far along?: 28 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still just maternity jeans and leggings but everything else are my regular clothes. I am very excited that I can start to wear stretchy skirts and dresses!

Best moment this week: I cleaned up the nursery and put away all the clothes our little man already has. I wasn't feeling great so the weekend was kind of a bummer since I had to forego a bachelorette weekend for one of my bets friends in NY.  

Symptoms: Nothing really. The round-ligament pains weren't present but now I'm back to being tired again and just generally drained throughout the day. 

Miss anything?: Again, just some good wine during this beautiful weather. 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and moving a lot!

Food cravings: Eh, nothing really still.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but starting to get anxious that we don't have everything we need yet and everything isn't set up. I know this is crazy since we still have around 3 months left but I'm a planner by nature and with us being so busy the next few months it makes me a little anxious.

Looking forward to: My shower this weekend that my mom is throwing me! I can't wait to be home and to see all of my friends and family :)

Oh, and do you want a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card? Check out the giveaway!

27 Weeks

Too busy for a chalkboard picture so we took this last night before Tom's birthday dinner and apparently my left eye was not prepared for this picture!

How far along?: 27 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still just maternity jeans and leggings but everything else are my regular clothes. I am so excited that the weather is finally starting to get nice so I can wear stretchy sundresses and skirts!

Best moment this week: Tom's mom had a couples baby shower for us and it was so much fun getting to see his family and  of course we were blessed with a bunch of gifts for our little man.  

Symptoms: Oh, hello round ligament pain. I've only felt it twice but it comes at 5am when all I want to do is sleep but I can't because I'm in pain and nothing makes it better except waiting it out. 

Miss anything?: It would be nice to have a nice glass of sauvignon blanc on the front porch in our adirondack chairs on these beautiful days. 

Movement: Oh yes, he's very active and I found out at my midwife's that he is head down now thank goodness!

Food cravings: Eh, nothing really still.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! And I feel like I look waaay bigger in this picture than I actually am which means I am probably arching my back making my belly stick out more than normal.

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but not feeling too good right now. My allergies have started up which is wicked early for me and its leading to a cold which is not good so my midwife told me to take it easy so it doesn't tun into bronchitis which I get really easily.

Looking forward to: My shower next weekend that my mom is throwing me! I can't wait to be home with my parents and see all of our friends and family! 

26 Weeks

How far along?: 26 weeks 

Maternity clothes: Still just maternity jeans and leggings but everything else are my regular clothes. 

Best moment this week: Traveling to Maine for our best friends' [ Tom is the best man in the wedding and I am a bridesmaid ] bridal shower and bachelorette party and Tom hung out with the boys! 

Symptoms: My stomach is definitely starting to stretch and gets kinda painful by the end of the day.

Miss anything?: Oh, ya know, bachelorette parties are just not as much fun when you can't drink!

Movement: Oh yes, he just keeps getting more and more active!

Food cravings: Eh, nothing really except I really wanted something greasy yesterday but I was good and didn't give in as much as I wanted pizza and garlic knots.

Have you started to show yet?: Oh yes! 

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Mood: Happy but saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon. Tom and I are both runners and I've run one marathon and Tom has run two and he is actually running the Marine Corps marathon in October so this has all really hit home with us. We also love Boston, it is our favorite city by far and we just stayed at the Weston right around the corner form the bombings. It's scary to think that something so awful could happen at such a joyous event - I just feel so bad and so helpless.

Looking forward to: Our shower this weekend that Tom's mom is giving us. Tom is very close with his family so his mom thought a couples shower would be best since we don't get to see them all that often being in VT. So we're both pretty excited to see everyone!