33 weeks pregnant

My body: I felt really good this week, overall. Getting up and down (especially from bed) has become more difficult recently. I remain stretch mark free at this point, but know there is still plenty of time. I think my weight gain is still isolated to my belly at this point adn continues to be on track with the recommended guidelines. This heat has made my hands and feet start to swell a little bit. I don’t think anyone would notice at this point, but my rings and shoes are tighter than they used to be. My fingers are crossed that the swelling stays isolated to my hands and feet!

The baby
Weight: 4.5 pounds
Length: 17.5 inches…no, the baby did not shrink. I don’t always pull from the same website when finding this information, so it tends to vary a little.
Interesting facts: The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. Baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day. Pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light.

What’s going on with us: I had my second baby shower at Gina’s house on Sunday. It was so much fun and I received so many nice things for the baby. I feel much less overwhelmed by all the needed baby items because I have such generous people around me:) I was really touched by all the friends that came to celebrate this special time with me. Jonathan and I had our second childbirth class on Monday, which focused on natural childbirth. The idea is figuring out what makes you relax and then using those strategies during labor. Jonathan thinks he got cheated a little bit because the instructor had the husbands massage the wives for the last 10-15 minutes of class. Her theory is “a relaxed mom is a relaxed baby.” I completely agree. She also recommended 1-2 massages a day from the soon to be dads. No complaints here! In school news, only 1 and a half more days…We will be at school on Friday, then off Monday and return for a half day on Tuesday with the kids. Teachers will be at school on Wednesday for closing day, but then that’s it…I am so ready for summer!

Gina and I at the shower.
Liz, me, Andrea and Mel at the shower.

Erin and Meg at the shower. Courtney, Teresa and Lindsey at the shower.

Me and Abby at the shower.

32 weeks- 8 months:)

My body: I know I have said this several times…but the baby just gets more active every week. In reality, I think the baby is just big enough now that I feel nearly every movement. Probably in the time it takes me to write this update, I will feel the baby 10-20 times! Several people have told me that I look like “I’ve dropped.” It’s hard for me to say b/c the baby was never high enough to cause me to have any trouble breathing. The pressure from the baby has increased in the past few days and I have a strong feeling I will be waddling soon. In gender news (this week) I think this baby is a boy. I am not ready to buy blue outfits yet, but I do have a pretty strong feeling this time...stay tuned to see if I change my mind by next week:)

The baby
Weight: 4 pounds- yeah for baby!
Length: 19 inches
Interesting facts: Baby is busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him. Baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now

What’s going on with us: The moment we’ve all been waiting for…We have carpet in the basement and it looks great! We are both super excited for the basement to finally look like a room and for us to have more usable space in our house! Jonathan won the weekly Williamstown tournament last Wednesday night, which is great for him. I have been really busy with work, which always happens at the end of the year, but always exhausting none-the-less. I have my friend baby shower this Sunday, which I am really about!

31 weeks pregnant

My body: I measured my belly again and I am now 15.5 inches rounder than my pre-pregnancy waist...Hard to believe, isn't it? I am really starting to feel the effects of the weight gain when I go on walks or are particularly active. My weight is still on track and only a few more weeks until I (hopefully) stop gaining. I have read that at around 36 weeks, many women reach their top weight gain. I am still happy to do it for my little angel!

The baby
Weight: 3.5 pounds (what a chunker)
Length: 16 inches
Interesting fact: Baby can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. The baby’s lungs and digestive track are almost fully mature at this point..yeah for baby!

What’s going on with us: We had a very busy, but very good weekend. On Saturday, my little sister graduated from U of L with her bachelor degree! Congrats Abby, we are so proud of you! On Sunday, we split our day between Jonathan’s mom and my mom. We had his family over at noon for an early dinner and had a very nice time. After Jonathan’s family left, we went to my mom’s to celebrate with most of the extended family on my side. I even got several Mother's Day cards, which was a very nice surprise. All in all, a very nice day full of people we love. In basement news, the carpet is scheduled to be installed on May 18th, which I am really excited about. I am off work for Election Day, so it should work out very well. After the carpet gets installed, our next move will be to bring the office furniture down and put the crib together…and THEN it will FINALLY start to look like a nursery!

Alex and Uncle Jonathan on Mother's Day

Mom and Abby @ Abby's graduation

Abby and Jonathan at Abby's graduation

30 weeks pregnant

My body- I continue to feel good, although my back starts to get sore at the end of most work days. I am on my feet a lot at work, so I am trying to sit more in my classroom. Other than that, things are going well! Jonathan has felt the baby progress from kicks to turns, which is very exciting. I think he's probably tired of me saying "Do you want to feel the baby?" but is always so excited to feel a good kick, twist or turn!

The baby-
Weight- 3 pounds
Length- 15.5 inches
Interesting fact: Fingernails and toenails are finished growing. The baby is started to shed the lanuga (hair all over his/her body) because baby is able to regulate temperature better now. No need for all that extra fur any longer.

What’s going on with us: Jonathan has been hard at work in the basement and we are really getting close to being finished. Can you tell how excited I am? I really can’t wait to have that BIG thing checked off our list. I had my first baby shower on Wednesday with my work friends, which was really nice. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of my co-workers and feel very lucky to work with such nice people! I truely believe that each and every one of them are so excited for Jonathan and I to embark on this huge change in my life...how many people can say that?

This is a picture from my work shower..what a good day:)

Below is a picture of the surprise we found in our grill last week. What are we supposed to do with this? I think I almost died when I opened the grill to find 4-5 baby chicks and the mama bird inside. I guess we have to wait until they grow up and fly away???This is a picture of Maddie and Mickey right after they got their brand new bones. Aren't they adorable together?