33 & 34 weeks

I seriously feel like the baby gets bigger over night now.  Though I certainly wouldn't say my discomfort has reached any kind of terrible proportions just yet, it is getting more difficult by the day.  I discussed some of my aches and pains with the Dr. at my 34 week appointment, and she suggested wearing a maternity support belt.  Doesn't that sound glamorous?  Thankfully, one of my friends had one from a previous pregnancy and is letting me borrow hers.  I wear it when we go on long walks and it really makes quite the difference.  My back still tends to hurt, but my lower abdominal pains are significantly better.

Everything is still right on track with the pregnancy.  The baby is measuring perfectly and his heartbeat is always steady around 150.  Here are some pics from 33 and 34 weeks!

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31 and 32 weeks

31 weeks -  Two weeks of sitting in training was EXHAUSTING.  Meeting new people (which I could care less about), listening to speakers, and having to sit in a chair all.  day.  long.  was annoying.  I also feel a little guilty for not being more passionate about meeting new people.  I'm normally excited about things like that.  I guess I just feel like I have other things in my life to focus on, and it's hard to get excited about meeting someone from China that I know I'm only going to work with on special projects.  I realize this will pass, and next year I'll be my normal self again.  So for now I just figured I'd go with it and do my best.

32 weeks - As the 32nd week progressed, I began to feel slower and much bigger.  I keep anticipating that when my doctor measures me she'll say I'm measuring large - surely, right?!?  Nope - right on track.  Hahah!  I guess I better get used to the simultaneous punch to the bladder and kick to the ribs! We did have a small "scare" (really, that's too harsh of a word) at 32 weeks.  One evening when I got home from work I noticed I was having significantly more Braxton Hicks contractions than normal.  We were heading to dinner with some friends that night so I decided that focusing on them was just making it worse and that surely after being distracted by dinner they would go away.  Not the case.  I was still having them during dinner, and when we got home I decided to text a friend that had gone into preterm labor previously and ask her about how she knew.  Unfortunately, she confirmed that it was b/c her BH were becoming more frequent and closer together.  After chatting with her I decided to call my doctor.  She said that as long as I wasn't having more than 6 in an hour (I was at 5 at this point) that I was okay and to take a bath, drink lots of water and try to go to sleep (it was 10pm at this point).  So I did just as she said and the next morning they slowed down to a more normal pace.  Morale of the story - even though I was drinking more water than I thought necessary, I needed to up the water intake even more! So I pretty much drink water nonstop now.

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General thoughts on pregnancy

As we enter the home stretch of this pregnancy, I wanted to share a few thoughts on pregnancy.  Things I don't really want to forget about.

*Pregnancy brain does not always last through the whole pregnancy.  I was feeling incredibly forgetful near the end of my first trimester.  I won't say it's totally gone away, but it has gotten significantly better as time has gone by.

*I may actually go off on the next person I have the following conversation with:
Stranger: "So when are you due?"
Me: "May 9th!"
Stranger: "Oh, how exciting - that's coming up."
Me: "Yes, it is!"
Stranger: "Do you know what you're having?"
Me: "Yes - a little boy."  (With a big smile on my face, might I add)
Stranger: "I'm sure your husband is so excited"  Sometimes they even say "I'm sure you're husband is so relieved"
Okay, first of all - my husband is not the only one who is excited about having a little boy.  I am THRILLED to be having a little boy.  Please do not assume that just because I am a woman that I only want a little girl.  What I "wanted" was a happy, healthy baby.  There are things that I'm more excited about with a boy than I would have been with a girl.  I cannot wait to see the little man that our baby grows into.  I am married to one of the greatest men I've ever known after-all   No pressure little guy. :)   Second of all, do not assume that my husband didn't want a little girl.  One day, God willing, we would love to have a second child, and we would love for it be a girl (or a boy - not ruling that out at all.  Having little brothers would be great!!!).  So please do not assign to either one of us what our gender preferences are.

Sorry for the rant - this conversation happens ALL. THE. TIME.  I almost lost it on a lady in the elevator today.  Thankfully I held back - I was at work after-all   But seriously people - I am just as excited about this little boy as his father is.

*Most common questions asked:
"When are you due?"
"Are you past your due date?"  (Yes, this one has been popping up a good bit now)
"Do you know what you're having?" (See above)
"Do you have a name yet?"
"Are you craving anything?"
These questions are typically asked by just about everyone.  Sometimes I just want to blurt out all the answers to save time. :)

*Things I miss about not being pregnant:
-Sleeping well.  I won't say I sleep terribly, but getting up multiple times a night is tiring.  Clearly this complaint won't be going away for quite a while though. :) At least once he gets here I'll have a better reason for getting up than having to go to the bathroom or just needing to move around.
-Deli meat & Coke.  Specifically Jimmy John's #5 Vito.  Bryan has already been instructed that I will need this after delivery.
-My regular clothes.  The same rotation of maternity clothes is getting old.  And I am starting to feel as big as a house no matter what everyone says.  I would like to be able to wear some of my old t-shirts without my  belly showing.  Not a cute look.
-Exercising.  I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I really miss being able to get a really intense workout.  I actually miss Crossfit.  I know, shocking, right? Since about the beginning of my 3rd trimester I really haven't gone to the gym at all.  For a month or so before that I really didn't want to go, but made myself a few times.  I LOVE walking, and try to do as much as I can, but getting that really intense workout is no longer an option.  My lung capacity is so limited that I get winded walking up a hill.  Seriously, true story - ask Bryan.

*Things I will miss about pregnancy
-Feeling him move.  These last few months of him being super active have been awesome.  It does get a little annoying on occasion.  Like when I'm trying to have a serious conversation with a co-worker and he starts rolling around and I get distracted.  More often though, I love it.  It's reassuring to feel him moving around, and being distracted by him is generally a very good thing.
-How incredibly nice everyone is.  People won't let you carry anything or even open a door on your own when you're pregnant.  At first, I'll admit, I found this a bit annoying b/c I'm very much a do it myself kind of person, but the more pregnant I get, the more I appreciate it.  It is genuinely difficult for me to bend over and pick something up now, so I don't try and stop people anymore when they help me.
-Being able to eat whatever I want.  I've been fortunate in my pregnancy.  For the most part, I've eaten what I want.  Granted, I've wanted a lot of salad and fruit, but I've also wanted chocolate chip cookies, sweets (I told you, he's his father's son) and pizza.  Only now, at 33 weeks, have I really started to feel large.  My weight is still on track for how much I should gain, but I'm just feeling it a lot more now. I feel like that's much later than most women, and for that I'm thankful.

Overall, I have to say that I have loved and am still loving pregnancy.  It's truly a miracle, and that is one thing I try not to take for granted.

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A couples shower for babywagon

Our second shower for our sweet little boy was hosted by some of our amazing friends on March 9 (exactly two months before our due date!).  We feel so blessed to be surrounded by not only amazing friends, but so many great couples who we can call our best friends.  We both had a blast at this shower, and the details of it were just so sweet.  The shower was a travel theme, and the decorations and food were amazing!  We were given so many things for the baby, and are certainly feeling quite blessed.  Here are some pictures.  

We registered for these airplanes and our sweet hostess got them for us.  We are so excited to put them in the nursery!!!

The hosts/hostesses getting everything ready!

Franklin doing what he does best - cooking!

Elizabeth and Mandy having fun putting the amazing punch together!

The incredibly cute invitations - boarding passes! How creative!

Paul was sweet enough to take pictures of the event for us (and a few of himself)! :) 

All of the AMAZING food!

How they set up the food with the travel theme.  Macaroons for Paris! 

Arriving. :) 

Elizabeth showing us around.  This was when I first spotted the planes!

And the macaroons.  Pretty excited about those. :) 

Pointing out all the food!

Rob made some mean Hawaiian skewers.  

My bridesmaids!  So thankful they're all still my best friends and will be an important part of our baby's life!

Enjoying the food and company.

Us with all of our wonderful hosts!  Andrew, Kristi, Franklin, Elizabeth, Paul, Bonney, Mandy, and Rob. THANK YOU ALL!

Having fun opening the gifts! 

Bryan has a lot to learn about baby accessories! 

Sweet baby gown!

The gift Kirsten brought was as big as her!!

It took both of us to get it open.

Bryan thought I should try on some of his clothes!

Clearly excited about our crib sheets from Ms. Jean.  They look amazing in the nursery with the airplanes!!

Such a cute outfit from the Reeds!!

A very sweet rattle from the Whitworths!

Our hosts got us a very fun and useful exersaucer! :) 

We feel so blessed by all the love and gifts from our friends.  Thank you all so much again.  You mean the world to us!

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29 & 30 weeks

29 weeks was great b/c we went on our babymoon!! Bryan and I enjoyed three wonderful days at Barnsley Gardens up in Adairsville, GA.  We heard wonderful things about it from Franklin and Elizabeth, who've been there a few times.  So when we started looking for places close by, it was near the top of our list.  Our plans were nearly derailed by Bryan's starting schedule at work, but we managed to have it all work out perfectly.  We spent Saturday - Monday at Barnsley, and Bryan flew out Tuesday morning for his orientation in Denver (followed by a ski trip with Alex).

Our time at Barnsley was so refreshing.  We turned the data off on our phones so we didn't check anything online or get any texts.  Sunday was the most beautiful day and we spent almost all of it outside.  We had a picnic lunch and walked along some of the many trails at the resort.  It was really special just to have some time together "off the radar".

The 30th week was pretty smooth.  Bryan was out of town, so I spent some quality time with friends.  Kirsten and I enjoyed a day of shopping, a movie, and great food.  Afterwards, I realized it reminded me a lot of college.  Since both of our husbands were out of town, we had nothing to rush home to, we had no responsibilities, and took full advantage of all of it!  I'm so thankful to have friends like her to share life with.  I also got a number of house projects done while Bryan was out of town.  I was so happy to have him back home on Sunday though.  I always sleep better, and enjoy life more when he's around.  My 30 week dr's appointment was the first one that Bryan didn't go to since he was out of town.  I rotated through to the newest dr in the practice, and really liked her a lot.  As I was explaining to her some about how I was feeling, she said (not in a rude way at all), "So you feel pregnant?"  Hahah - yes, I guess I do.  I've had it so very easy thus far that many of my symptoms are very normal for my stage of pregnancy, but they're not really normal to me.  I'll take it!

Here are some pictures from 29 and 30 weeks.  We actually forgot to take our "official" 29 week picture.  We were so busy with going out of town and Bryan traveling as well that it just slipped past us.  Thankfully, Bryan took some maternity photos of me at Barnsley Gardens so those certainly qualify as our weekly picture. ;)

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Our first shower for Babywagon!!

On February 16th we had our very first shower for the baby!  To say it was fun was truly an understatement!  I had such a blast.  It was so wonderful to see everyone that came, and we got some truly special and exciting gifts.  Our wonderful hosts (Amy, Jerene, Kris, Candice, and Susan) really went above and beyond.  Everything was absolutely beautiful.  It's best to just show you b/c I can't do it justice with words.

Every detail was perfect.  Isn't this the cutest entry way? 

Everyone decorated onesies with ties and bowties.  Too cute! ;) 

And also left messages on the back of some diapers.  Hilarious! 

I think Amy managed to make sure everything had a mustache or a bow tie.  It was adorable! 

Loved the Babywagon banner! :) 

Baby Bryan!

Another gorgeous banner.  And check out that amazing diaper cake!  Many thanks to Kristina and her mom for the most creative diaper cake ever!

They had pictures of the men in our families when they were kids.  That's my dad! :) 

Susan and Candice hard at work - such great hostesses! 

All of my Coke ladies - so thankful they all came!

Opening presents. :) 

We got some great stuff!

Aunt Amy got him his little monkey bouncer! 

Kristina was sewing up a storm for Babywagon!

Love all the cute clothes!

Loved all the thoughtful gifts!

My and my friend (and co-worker) Lauren.  She's about 7.5 weeks ahead of me.  It's been such fun to share our pregnancies with each other.

Everyone (except Amy and Jerene who were acting as photographers) with their mustache mugs. 

Moses basket from Aunt Judy - gorgeous!!

Jerene crocheted this blanket for the baby!!  How special is that?  

Me with all the wonderful hostesses!!  Sad that Kris couldn't be there, but thankful she could be with her family. 

We feel so loved by everyone's excitement and generosity.  It is truly overwhelming to see so many people who share in our excitement over this little one's arrival!! We have another shower coming up on March 9th, and we are looking forward to sharing in that excitement with even more friends! :)

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