34 weeks

I'm actually almost 35 weeks now.  I wrote this post earlier, but never posted it.  So they'll be a 35 week post coming in the next couple days as well.

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 34 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a cantaloupe! He measured about 5 pounds at the ultrasound earlier this week.

Total weight gain: 27 pounds total.  Hoping not to gain too much more.  My weight gain has started to level off the last couple weeks, so hopefully I won't have any drastic increases before baby comes.  

Stretch marks:  Still none.  Lotioning up the belly, boobs, and butt every morning and night though.

Best moment of the week:  We got to see baby on the ultrasound on Tuesday.  We had an appointment on Monday and the midwife was concerned because I was measuring about 3cm smaller than I should be, so she sent me to get an ultrasound on Tuesday morning, just to check and make sure baby boy is growing properly.  Well, it turns out baby boy is measuring perfectly.  Fluid levels are good too.  Annnnd, baby is head down and ready to go!  At 28 weeks, baby was breech, so I've been worried about his position, but I'm so relieved that he's finally flipped properly.  At the ultrasound the tech surprised us and showed us a 3D of baby's face.  It was so fun to be able and see his cute little features.  I can't wait til he's actually here and I can snuggle and hold him. 

And while this is clearly not the "best moment of the week," I had a wonderful confidence boost yesterday when I found that I could still fit into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans.  There's just something about being 8 months pregnant and still being able to put pre-preggo jeans that boosts your attitude for the whole day.  Mind you I think I'll stick with the maternity shorts and jeans I've been wearing, simply because they're slightly more comfortable, but the fact that I CAN wear my old jeans is awesome.  Think I'm crazy?  See how you feel when you're 8 months pregnant.  

Gender:  As the ultrasound tech said yesterday, "definitely still a boy!"

Movement: Baby is a moving machine!!  I love him, but man do I never get a break.  I wake up in the morning and he's kicking.  I eat meals and he kicks.  I sit down and he kicks.  I go to bed at night and he kicks. I wake up in the middle of the night and he kicks some more.  This kid is gonna be an active one.  On the ultrasound, we found out that he likes playing with his feet up by his head.  Baby boy is also hiccuping quite a bit these days.  Atleast 3 times a day I'd say.  And now that I'm so far along in the pregnancy, it's easy to see all his movements from the outside.  Hubby is impressed with just how strong baby's gotten.  He can produce full on waves on my stomach.  Kinda freaky looking sometimes.  

Have you started to show yet:  Absolutely.  People can't believe when I tell them I'm due next month, but I sure feel pretty big.  I've got a distinctive baby bump though.  As you can see in the picture clearly.

Belly button:  I went from having a very very deep belly button, to some funky looking thing.  It's pretty level with my abdomen at this point, but it's threatening to pop at any time.  Hang in there little belly button, only a couple more weeks!

Mood:  Happy!  I feel like hubby and I are finally checking things off our list, and so I'm feeling less stressed lately.  Just getting a little anxious as we're getting to the end of everything.  

What I miss: Not having my bladder used as a trampoline.  I swear I didn't think it was possible to pee so many times in one day.  Or night.

Symptoms: 

Headaches-Had these since second trimester, and can't seem to shake them fully.  They've gotten less frequent at least.

Tired-I'm getting that sense of exhaustion again.  I sleep about 8-9 hours every night and lately I've been taking 1-2 hour naps in the afternoon as well.  It's amazing I get anything done.  I'm seriously just SOO tired lately.   

Shortness of breath-I've had some trouble breathing lately. Even while sitting and resting, it's difficult to get a full breath lately.  I think my poor lungs are starting to get compressed.   

Heartburn-Very very minor.  I mostly only get it when I eat tomatoes.  Unfortunately I LOVE tomatoes.  Hubby is making me give them up until after pregnancy though.  They're really the only thing that seems to cause heartburn, and even then it's nothing severe, just a slight, acidic discomfort in my throat.

Sciatic Pain-Baby has been pressing on my nerve a little more lately, and I randomly get this shooting pain around my pelvic area and down the top of my thighs. 

Even though I've been experiencing more symptoms lately, I still don't feel like anything has been too terrible.  Like instead of getting the full taste of any one symptom, I've just been given a sampling of them all.  Not too much to complain about.  Though I wouldn't mind if someone could magically give me a bit more energy.  

Looking forward to:  Meeting little baby boy!!  At this point, I swear that's all I can think about.  I have another doctor's appointment in two weeks, and after that I'll be meeting with the midwives once every week until baby comes.  

Other:  Hubby and I have started attending a birthing class.  We go once a week for five weeks.  We've got three more weeks left in the class.  So far it's been really informative and I'm glad we signed up for it.

Overall hubby, baby, and I are doing well.  We're now in Nashville, getting settled with our new life here.  Obviously it's been awhile since I've updated, so I'm really gonna try and be more consistent in my posts.  So bear with me please, cause some days (most days), a nap is just so much more appealing than writing a blog post.  

24 weeks (last week in Hawaii)

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 24 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of an ear of corn!

Total weight gain: 16 or 17 pounds, depending on the day.

Stretch marks:  Nope nope.

Best moment of the week:  Hubby and I very well may have come to an agreement on a baby name!  And if you know anything about how that's been going, you know it's been difficult.  We rarely agree on names.  In fact, we decided that I favor the names that would get a kid beat up over, and hubby favors that names that you would expect to be the very bully who's beating other kids up.  Good stuff.  BUT at long last, I think we might have agreed on something.  It just seems to fit and we both really like it.  Cross your fingers it stays that way!

Gender:  Boy!

Movement: LOTS of movement going on this week.  Hubby is constantly impressed with how strong baby is able to kick these days.  On another note, I'm now able to recognize baby's sleep cycles.  He has three main times of the day that he's really awake (first thing in the morning, when I'm going to bed, and in the late afternoon/evening between 3pm and 6pm usually).  

Have you started to show yet:  Yep, my bump is getting much more defined.  People are finally starting to notice that I'm pregnant and not just chunky-looking.  Finally.  

Belly button:  Still in, but looking like an awkward pregnant belly button.  Whatever that means...

Mood:  Happy about all things baby!  Still stressed about packing and moving and the sorts.  We move off the island tomorrow by the way. :( 

What I miss: Eating whatever I want.  I'm not even talking about unhealthy stuff, but I just miss not having to think about every little thing that I eat (is this okay?  is it good for baby?  etc.)

Symptoms: 

Headaches-Getting better (less frequent), but still fairly killer when they happen.  

Tired-I'm definitely getting more tired again. Come about 2pm every day I'm so ready for a nap.  Though I have yet to actually take one yet.  I'm just making sure I get 8-9 hours of sleep every night.  

Braxton Hicks-Started getting some of my first braxton hicks contractions.  Nothing serious, and definitely not painful, but definitely not very comfortable either.  They only seem to happen when I'm over-exerting myself though.  

Looking forward to:  Traveling to New Orleans! That's actually the first place that the hubby and I will be going on the Mainland.  We're leaving Hawaii tomorrow night and flying into New Orleans on Saturday.  We'll be spending a couple days there so that I can help present at a national conference for work.  

23 weeks

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 23 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a PAPAYA!

Total weight gain: According to my most recent doctor's appointment (three weeks ago), I've gained a total of 11 pounds.  I'll get weighed again at my 24 week appointment.  Sooo, 11+ lbs so far.

Stretch marks:  Nope. Thank goodness.

Best moment of the week:  Sooo, I know I'm a slacker and I've only been doing updates every TWO weeks instead of every week (hopefully I'll get better), but things have been crazy for us lately as we wrap up our stay here in Hawaii.  At 22 weeks, hubby was able to feel the baby move for the first time.  And just yesterday hubby got to feel baby having a dance party in my belly.  

Gender:  Boy!

Movement: We are seriously having an active little boy.  He LOVES moving all around.  It's gotten much easier for hubby to feel him.  Instead of feeling just like a "muscle spasm" (as hubby first described the feeling), baby has gotten significantly stronger and it's fairly easy to feel him through my clothes now.  It's so crazy how big he's getting already.  

Have you started to show yet:  Yep, getting more of a bump-like belly by the day.  People still seem skeptical when I tell them I'm 5 months, but oh well.  Hubby thinks I must look a lot bigger to myself than to other people, because I keep thinking I've gotten huge all of a sudden.  

Belly button:  Still not poking out, buuut looking kinda funny these days.  

Mood:  Happy about all things baby!  Stressed about most everything else going on these days. 

What I miss: Laying on my stomach.  I'm still able to lay on my back without any problems really, but laying on my stomach is super uncomfortable for me (and probably baby) and gets me super winded feeling.  

Symptoms: 

Headaches-Still some headaches, but they're getting less frequent thankfully.   

Tired-I've been getting tired more easily again.  It's weird, it's like my body is feeling good and energized and all my mind wants to do is take a nap.  Kinda weird.

And honestly, other than that, I've been feeling absolutely great lately.  I've been working out a lot using videos from this site.  I've also been eating super healthy. And I have to tell you, I've been feeling amazing! I've really been pushing myself with working out.  I love feeling strong and capable.  Of course I listen to my body and make modifications when necessary, but working out hard has helped boost my esteem a lot lately. 

Looking forward to:  My 24-week appoint this Friday!  And sadly this is gonna be my  last appointment on the island.  I've already booked an appointment in VA for the month of June with my obgyn from back in the day.  But I'm not going to be able to meet with anyone in Nashville until the month of July.  I'm hoping to go the Vanderbilt Midwifery though.  I've looked into them, and they seem to be exactly what I want.  

Oh, and since I only have a week and a half left in Hawaii, let me give you a little scenic teaser.  This is where I'm currently sitting and writing up this post.  Not a bad view of the ocean, huh?  Definitely not eager to leave this island.  

21 weeks

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 21 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a BANANA!

Total weight gain: According to my most recent doctor's appointment (last week), I've gained a total of 11 pounds.  

Stretch marks:  Nope. Still rubbing the belly down with moisturizers every night and morning though.

Best moment of the week:  The other night baby did some crazy movement inside me.  It's hard to even describe.  It's almost like some intense shiver thing.  Anyhow, it cracked me up.  Baby had quite the dance party that night.  

Gender:  Boy (still).  

Movement: Like I said, baby has been quite active lately.  Hubby still hasn't felt him, but I think he'll be able to any day now.  It's just hard to predict when baby is gonna start moving his little self around.   And by the time I get hubby's hand on my stomach, baby decides to give his dancing a rest.  

Have you started to show yet:  Yes, yes, yes.  I can now say without a doubt that I'm showing.  Even hubby has commented on how my belly has grown (in a nice way of course).  But where is the cute bump?  It's kind of there, but I'm looking more thick than anything else.  Bah.

Belly button:  Still not poking out, but definitely much more shallow than I'm used to.  

Mood:  HAPPY! And somewhat overwhelmed. 

What I miss: My normal-sized stomach.  

Symptoms: 

Headaches-The last two weeks I've been getting these really bad headaches almost daily. Anyone have any suggestions to help with these?  And no, it's not dehydration.  I drink plenty of water.     

Back and rib pain-For about a week I've been having super bad back and rib pain.  It initially started with a pain in my upper rib under my left boob, but it's progressed to the backside of my ribs, making it super uncomfortable to sleep on my left side.  And now my whole back has been sore lately.  Hubby has been great and has been giving me back rubs though, which has helped some.  I'm hoping the rib pain is going to subside soon though.  

Looking forward to:  An ultrasound appointment this Friday!

t-minus three weeks

I'm overwhelmed.  

We've moved 3 times in a matter of 3 and half weeks, and we're moving again in a week and a half.  

We're officially leaving our island home of paradise on June 1st.

We only have 3 weeks left here and I'm really really going to miss it.  

Hawaii has been more than just a beautiful paradise.  

It's been my home for the past three years.

It's where I met my husband, fell in love, and got engaged.  

It's where we started our life together after our wedding.

It's the place where we both went to college and graduated.

The place where we learned what it meant to be "grown up."

The place where we found out we were pregnant and 

The place where we got to listen to our little boy's heartbeat for the first time.

Hawaii has helped give me a perspective that I hope never to lose.  

It's taught me about cultural appreciation.

Friendship.

Love.

It's introduced this city-girl to the joys of a slow-tempered lifestyle.

A lifestyle I never thought I'd be able to embrace when I first moved out here.

And now as our Hawaiian journey is coming to a close, 

I find myself hoping (wishing even) that our life's journey will somehow lead us back here.

Back to this place where our lives really started.

And can I admit something?

I'm terrified about moving and leaving this place behind.

We're stepping into a completely new way of life and I have zero idea of what to expect.

We're moving to Nashville, a place neither of us have ever been.

Hubby will be started graduate school in a great program.

Baby is due less than a month from the first day of hubby's start date.

And for the first time in my life I'm not going to be working or in school.

Everything is changing for us.  

And it's all changing all at once.  

But aside from being somewhat terrified, I'm also intrigued and excited.  

When I first came to Hawaii, I was almost in the same position. 

I had no idea what to expect.

I was young, single, going to college, and was thousands of miles away from my family.

And yet look where I am now.

I could never have imagined my life could become so wonderful in such a short period of time.

I could never have imagined that the decision to go to Hawaii would lead to such wonderful things.

And now I'm excited to see what wonderful things Nashville is going to bring to us.

I'm excited for the opportunities that await us there.  

So yes, that's what I'm feeling lately.  

Overwhelmed, grateful, terrified, and excited.

All the regular emotions in the day of a pregnant woman. 

19 weeks...almost halfway!

It's unreal to me that I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy.  I have so much to say about it and up until now I haven't had the time to document my thoughts on it all.  But these days, I have nothing but time on my hands.  I'm officially graduated from school, my family came to visit and I had a wonderful vacation with them, and now I'm just hanging out in Hawaii while Beau finishes teaching for the school year.  And then, it's back to the mainland for us.  But for now, we're enjoying every precious minute we have on this beautiful island.  I'll work on some more detailed posts in the next couple days about how this pregnancy has been so far.  

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 19 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a MANGO!

Total weight gain: I've gained a total of 8 pounds this pregnancy.  My goal was to not hit +10 pounds before 20 weeks, so I'm doing alright.  It's so hard for me to see weight gain as a positive thing, but hubby does a good job of reassuring and reminding me that I'm "pregnant, not fat."  As I all-too-often forget.  The doctor tells me I should be gaining anywhere from 25-35 pounds in the 40 weeks of my pregnancy, and so far she's happy with  the rate at which I'm gaining.  So I guess I have nothing to complain about.  Baby and I are both healthy, which is what's really important.

Stretch marks:  Nope. And I'm hoping not to get any.  I'm religiously rubbing my belly and everything else with creams and lotions, desperately trying to keep my skin hydrated.  

Best moment of the week:  Realizing I'm almost halfway done!

Gender:  It's a.....BOY!!!!  To be honest I wasn't surprised at the gender ultrasound.  I've been saying from the beginning that he was a boy.  Hubby was of course saying girl just to go against me.  Silly husband, doesn't he know I'm always right?  Just kidding...  :)

Movement: Baby has become and active little thing!  I felt my first kick a little over a week ago, and then didn't feel much.  But the last couple days I've felt his little kicks every night before going to bed. I never imagined I would love the feeling of those little kicks so much.  Sometimes they take me by surprise and I literally laugh out loud.  I can't wait til hubby can feel them too.  

Have you started to show yet:  Well, you tell me.I..am I showing?  I think I have a disappearing and reappearing bump.  I guess I honestly don't have much of a distinguishable bump yet, but my mid-section has definitely gotten thicker!  It's so weird to me.  Not that I've always been teeny tiny or anything, but I'm definitely a lot thicker than I'm used to.  

Belly button:  Still quite deep.  Hopefully it'll be awhile before that thing decides to poke out, if ever.

Mood:  HAPPY!

What I miss: I miss sushi.  Groupon has been taunting me lately, advertising deals for my favorite sushi place.  Oh how I miss me some good rolls.  All worth it though.  

Symptoms: 

Hunger-I'm seriously hungry all the time these days.  If I don't eat every couple of hours I start to feel nauseous and sick.  Bleh.  

Skin-For awhile my face was breaking out like crazy. That's finally cleared up, but the past week or two my face has suddenly become SO dry!  And nothing is helping it.  

Looking forward to:  Our 20-week appointment next Tuesday!

kahuku farms

I had the BEST lunch today.  It was delicious!  

Beau and I have been meaning to go to this local food place forever and finally got around to it today. 

Well, I am a a HUGE fan now.  

This little place, called "Kahuku Farms" is nestled on the North Shore of Oahu, just about 5 minutes from my house.

They grow all their own food on their farm land and sell it in farmer's markets and use it to make their lunch food.  

So everything you eat there is local and super fresh.  

We ordered some delicious veggie lunches and a haupia pineapple smoothie, made with local bananas, coconut, and pineapple.  

If you're ever on the island of Oahu, it will be totally worth your time to stop by this little treasure of a lunch place.  

Eggplant-tomato bruschetta pizza with macadamia-nut pesto and a side salad

Veggie panini

We will definitely be visiting here again. 

Perhaps the next time we go we'll try some of their delicious-looking grilled banana bread...

Oh, and more details to come about our little baby-to-be.  

So fear not, that post is coming soon.

More big changes