30 Weeks Pregnant (7 1/2 Months).

Ahhh week 30 baby girl is now the size of a large cabbage (she sure feels like it too).  At this point I feel like my belly grows daily.  It’s scary to think I still have another 10 weeks of growing to do because I feel like I can’t grow any more.  People think I look tiny but I sure don’t feel that way.  It’s getting harder to do the simplest things like put on my shoes, shave my legs and get off the couch lol.  

Last weekend we got the family together to go see this little girl in 4D.  I wanted to make sure she was active so we got a good look at her so I ate a sugary cake pop on the way to the sonogram place.  We were 10 minutes late for our appointment because someone decided to steal the catalytic converters off of our Toyota Sequoia which put a HUGE damper in our day and also required us to figure out another driving situation as we had 13 people with us and we didn’t want to have to take multiple cars.  It’s really sad that some people don’t know how to work for their money and steal from others who work hard.  That’s a $4,000.00 problem we now have to fix before the baby gets here because that was the car I was planning on driving once she arrives.  I’m pretty sure my little 2 door sports car is not gonna work with a baby haha.  Anyhow, because we were late for our appointment they had to push us to an 11:30 appointment (our original appointment was at 11:00) and by the time we got in the room to start the ultrasound this little peanut was sleeping the WHOLE time!  So much for that cake pop I had earlier, she must have had a sugar high for about 30 minutes and then knocked the heck out.  I was so upset because this was the ONLY time we could get all of us together to see her and we had no such luck.  She was so active prior to going in the room too!  Aside from her sleeping she also had the umbilical cord in front of her face.  At one point we saw her licking the cord and that was about it as far as any action shots.  The ultrasound tech had me eating candy, drinking water, walking around the room, jumping, etc….nothing would wake this little girl up.  In fact after about 10 minutes of trying to get her moving she turned her back to us so all we had was a clear view of her spine LOL what a brat.  Prior to her turning her back to us the ultrasound tech was able to measure her and get a little glimpse of her profile.  So far we have almost a 3 lb baby girl with a lot of hair already, long eyelashes and at least one dimple! We also learned that she's already positioned head down and butt up towards my ribs and they are guesstimating that she will likely weigh about 7.5 lbs. Luckily this place allows you to redo the 4D if you don’t get a good look at your little one so we go back tomorrow to try again.  I’m bummed that our family won’t be there to see her but we are getting a 20 minute video of her that we can share with them later : ) The cool part about the video is we got to make a 20 minute playlist to go with the video and we picked out some really awesome songs! We are so excited for tomorrow!  Since this little one is most active in the morning after breakfast, I plan on eating breakfast right when we arrive rather than a few hours before like I did last time.  Hopefully my next blogging session will include some awesome pictures of her : )

Tomorrow my husband and I are celebrating 5 years of marriage!  We’ve been together for 7 years and married 5.  I feel so blessed to have married someone who fulfills me in every way possible.  God sure knew what he was doing when he placed us together. I’m so thankful for everything we share, for this indescribable bond we’ve built together and for the never ending love I have for this man.  I married someone I cannot imagine my life without and now I get to experience a whole new chapter of life with him in just a matter of 10 weeks.  I cannot wait to learn even more together, to parent together and to show this little one how much love we have to offer.  We are off to San Diego this weekend to celebrate our last anniversary as the TWO of us : )  Boy do we need this little getaway!

So far the third trimester hasn't been too bad.  I had one week of being super tired and nauseous but once I got past that week I was back to feeling normal again.  I'm starting to feel the pressure of the baby now when standing too long.  She's head down already so that's probably why everything starts throbbing when standing for long periods of time. The pressure I feel now from this little 3 pounder feels so heavy, I cannot imagine what it's going to feel like when she doubles in weight.  I still have yet to deal with most complaints during the third trimester, acid reflex, constipation, hemorrhoids, leg cramping, insomnia, having to pee multiple times during the night or having lost control of my bladder.  I'm sure some of it's bound to happen though so for now I'm thankful for how great I've been feeling thus far.  I’m up 15 lbs as of my last doctor’s appointment this past Monday, I’m curious how much more I’ll gain with 10 weeks left.  Although they say it’s about a pound a week from here on out so I’m thinking I’ll gain the average 25lbs.

We have our maternity photo session next weekend!  I have two dresses I need to choose between wearing.  One is more vintage looking and one is more modern looking.  If I go with the vintage looking one then I need to find shoes that will go with it and I’m at a complete loss as to what shoes will look best.  Once I pick which dress I’m going to wear we need to find an outfit for my husband.

How far along: 30 weeks (7 1/2 months with only 10 more weeks to go ahhhh)

Weight Gain: 15 lbs as of my last doctor's appointment this past Monday.

Stretch Marks: None

Belly Button: I think it's safe to safe it's flat now.  I give it a few more weeks and it will be completely flattened to my belly.  My poor belly button : ((

Wedding Rings On/Off: - Still on so that's a good sign because that means I haven't started swelling up yet.

Movement: Big movements still in the same spots all the time meaning she must like the position she's in because she's been in that same position for weeks now.  Her head is near my bladder so I feel her head once in a while and her knees/feet are always pushed up against my right side under my ribs. She does this weird jolting thing sometimes and it looks and feels so funny. She also gets the hiccups a lot now and they usually last about 5 minutes, drives me nuts lol

Feeling: Really good this week,  Last week I was tired, nauseous and feeling uncomfortable and this week I've pretty much felt the opposite.  Each week is different.  

Cravings: Still no real cravings...I pretty much eat the same as I was before just more carbs now because I feel my body needs them.

Symptoms: I can't stand for long periods of time or the pressure of the baby starts hurting my back, butt and lower stomach but other than that I feel good.
Missing: Sushi.  I thought I would be missing champagne by now but to be honest I'm really not.  I miss being able to get around easily though and how easy it use to be to shave my legs and put on my shoes.

Looking forward to: Our vacation in San Diego this weekend and our 4D ultrasound.  Praying she's awake this time so we can finally see her!

Sleep: This week I slept great.  It always takes me a while to get comfortable when I first lay down but once I knock out I knock out good.  So far I still only have to use the bathroom once in the middle of the night.

Here Is an updated belly picture and the picture I promised to share with you guys that we used for our baby shower invites.

29 Week Pregnancy Update!

Week 29, man the weeks sure are flying by now. I forgot to post my updates these past couple of weeks due to some family drama (that’s something I may blog and vent about later) and how busy I have been with both work and at home.  I’m in desperate need of a vacation!  Next weekend cannot come soon enough.

I'm now in my third trimester which means the countdown is on now.  She is now the size of butternut squash, weighing about 2 ½ pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.
As of a couple of weeks ago, her lungs are already capable of breathing air and her vascular system can now handle oxygen/carbon exchange and her brain stem can now regulate rhythmic breathing.  She has plenty more time to bake but if she were to be born now (prematurely) chances are she would survive yay!  

I had my glucose test last week.  It wasn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be.  I was hungry from fasting but the drink wasn't that bad and didn't make me feel sick either.  I’m happy to report I passed, however, I already knew I would pass with how healthy I eat and how much I workout.  She also measured my belly, took my blood pressure, weighed me and listened to the baby's heartbeat.  Everything went well.  Now I start seeing my doctor every two weeks as opposed to once a month.  I have another appointment this upcoming Monday.  My doctor also informed me that she generally likes to put women on maternity leave around 35 weeks.  I'm still not sure if I want to start at 35 weeks or somewhere around 38 weeks.  I guess it just depends how I feel as I get closer. Most of my co-workers suggest I take a full month off before her due date because she can come sooner than expected and so that I take the time to relax.  Everyone seems to think because I am so small and active that she will come a few weeks early.  I’ve always heard your first is always late so who knows.  I’ll be taking 12 weeks off after she’s born and my husband will probably take close to a month off after I return to work to have time to bond with her and also to prolong her going to daycare so soon.

We have our 4D ultrasound this Sunday and we are so excited!  We have the whole family going with us so we are really hoping she’s not hiding behind anything and we get to see her clearly.  We had a regular ultrasound last Friday and I had the ultrasound tech confirm that she was in fact still a girl haha!  He also informed me that she’s already positioned head down and her butt it up near my ribs, which now explains all the painful rib and right side kicks I’ve been feeling.  My goodness they hurt!! A lot of times when driving home from work a foot will be sticking out of my right side and it does not feel too good so I place my hand over it until she tucks it back in.  Sitting up straight is also starting to get uncomfortable for my ribs.  If I sit straight up I get kicked or bumped in the ribs forcing me to slouch again.  This is where having a shorter torso sucks!

Aside from the rib kicking this third trimester has started making me tired.  I have the hardest time waking up in the mornings and after dinner I am exhausted.  I really have to push myself to workout right when I get home now or I can easily sit on the couch and not get back up the rest of the night.  I’m still managing 5 days of working out and that’s 5 days of cardio and 4 days of lifting.  On the days I lift I do 25 minutes of cardio after lifting which is usually uphill jogging and walking.  I also do one day of no lifting and 45 minutes of cardio.  I’m starting to notice that I have to workout at night in order to be hungry for dinner.  I get full so fast now and can’t eat nearly as much as I use to without feeling like I can’t breathe.   I skipped my workout on Wednesday and also skipped dinner because I just wasn’t hungry.  My stomach just felt super tight and I felt like everything was pushed up into my lungs and there was just no room for food.  However, working out at night does help me build up an appetite and it does make everything feel a little less compressed.

A few weeks ago my dad took us to Babies “R” Us to buy the mattress for the crib.  We did not expect him to buy her mattress so we were super surprised when he said he wanted to go pick it out and buy it for us.  I told him that we had picked out a mattress that was pretty expensive. It was one of the most expensive ones there but my husband really wanted to make sure she had this specific mattress. Luckily my dad didn’t mind, he wanted us to get exactly what we wanted.  Now we just need to add the bedding.  My mother-in-law bought her bedding and had it ordered online, I can’t wait to complete her crib with it! This little girl is going to be so spoiled between my dad and Josh’s mom.  It’s so neat to see how much joy she has already brought them and she’s not even here yet.

Last week our baby shower invites were completed YAY!  My mother-in-law really wanted to make our sure our invitations were personable and about the both of us since we are having a co-ed shower.  We really wanted to use one of our maternity photos for the invitations but there was just no way possible considering the invitations have to go out this month.  After a lot of going back and forth we finally settled on a beautiful invitation.  They came out perfect! Once they are sent out, I will share the picture we used for them with you guys.  

I purchased a new baby book not too long ago that I've been reading little by little, although I have to admit it is a bit overwhelming.  It’s called What to Expect The First Year.  I haven’t done a whole lot of reading thus far.  I mean I’ve read about what to expect during pregnancy but nothing on how to care for the baby once she’s here.  With less than 3 months to go I guess I better start reading and taking notes. There is so much I don’t know yet!  I have sooooooooooo much to learn! I’m thankful my best friend is a labor and delivery nurse and that’s she’s going to be with me when I go in the delivery room.  She can help answer a lot of my questions and make me feel a bit more at ease.  As for now, I’ll just read…a lot!

With only a few months left I’m starting to get a little bit nervous. I’m not sure what to expect as far as labor goes and that’s the scary part.

How far along: 29 weeks

Weight Gain: 12 lbs as of two weeks ago at my last doctor’s appointment.  I have another this upcoming Monday so we shall see….

Stretch Marks: Still none, hoping I get lucky like my mom and don't get them. My doctor claims its all genetics and that I probably won’t get them.  Hmmm I sure hope so.

Belly Button: Not flat yet but I know the time is coming because it’s getting there!  I want my belly button back whhhaaaa! LOL

Wedding Rings On/Off: - On and yesterday it was really loose.  I must be doing pretty good with staying away from too much sodium because I haven't had any swelling just yet.

Movement: She's found my ribs ahhhh!!!  Her movements have become a bit painful now.  She just loves kicking me in my ribs when I least expect it and it does not feel good. Sometimes I will try and push her out of that same spot she sits in because I swear my insides are bruised from her kicking the same spot over and over again and when I do try and move her she kicks me twice as hard.  I can pretty much guarantee I’ll find her kicking and moving in the same spots daily.  She’s found where she’s most comfortable obviously.

Feeling: Pregnant now haha

Cravings: No cravings really…just fruit.

Symptoms: Tired and nauseous.  I feel like I’m in the first trimester all over again with a heavier stomach!

Missing: The usual, sushi, having a few drinks on a nice summer night and moving around quickly.  I'm also starting to miss my hardcore workouts.  My husband and I are already coming up with a plan to get back into shape after the baby is born.  I'm so thankful I workout from home, it makes me stay even more motivated because I really have no excuses.

Looking forward to: Our 4D ultrasound next weekend, our little getaway to San Diego the following weekend, my work shower and maternity photos...we have a very busy month of fun stuff ahead!

Sleep: Has been good once I knock out.  However, I do have a hard time getting comfortable at night and I wake up to go to the bathroom at least once.  I also switch sides a lot during the middle of the night because my sides hurt from staying in one position all night.  The baby kicks me when I switch

 

 

                                                  27 Weeks Pregnant

 

 

 

 

to the side she's laying on and that keeps me up for a while too.

Here is a picture of the nursery and some updated belly photos from the past few weeks.  I’ve been posting them on Instagram (Stephani_fitlifehappywife) but somehow my Instagram is no longer connected to my fitness page, now it’s connected to my personal Facebook page and I’m not sure how to fix it just yet.