36 weeks

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 36 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a watermelon!  Hubby says I'm looking more and more round every day.  Of course he says this in a  nice way.  Otherwise he'd be in trouble :)

Total weight gain: Remember how I lost those 2 pounds last week?  Yeah...definitely gained those back.  Plus another one.  So I'm up to about 28lbs total now.  Bleh.  I've given up understanding pregnancy weight gain. 

Stretch marks:  Nope nope.  

Best moment of the week:  No "best moment" I don't think.  Hubby started classes and work this week, so I've been trying to keep myself busy with cleaning and baby preparations during the day.  During in the evenings hubby still sits with me and chases baby's feet around on my belly though.  Our little guy already loves playing with his daddy. 

Gender:  Boy.

Movement: Yep, this little guy is always on the move.  I swear he's perfected them moonwalk already.  

Have you started to show yet:  Clearly.  

Belly button:  An outie?  The top part is definitely an outie.  The bottom part is very flat.  Basically it can't decide what it wants to look like.  I'm just praying it goes back to normal very soon after birth.  

Mood:  Overall very happy.  And also anxious and tired at this point.  

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.  Not easy to do when you have a basketball-sized ninja occupying your front.  

Symptoms: 

Tired-I'm seriously impressed with how much sleep my body is craving lately.  I'm still sleeping about 9 hours, but it's like I'm exhausted all the time.  I don't have much trouble falling asleep, but for the last week I've had a more difficult time falling back asleep after all the times I have to get up to pee at night.  I'm not sure if my body is going through some pregnancy insomnia thing or if my sleep troubles have anything to do with hubby suddenly fancying my side of the bed when I'm trying to get comfortable.  Either way, I'm grateful I'm still getting the sleep that I am.  

Sciatic Pain-Getting worse!  It doesn't happen every day still, but when it does happen, boy oh boy is it painful! I've been trying to do certain stretches to help relieve the pain.  

Funny dreams-I think I dream about baby every night now.  I had the BEST dream the other night.  I got to meet our little guy and he was seriously BEAUTIFUL!  I woke up utterly in love.  But of course it was only some crazy pregnancy dream, because aside from the little guy's beautiful eyes and adorable face, he also had a mouth full of teeth...as a newborn.   

Signs of labor: Nothing too definitive.  Having contractions now and then, but nothing really regular.  Mostly just a lot of wishful thinking at this point. 

Looking forward to:  We have our pediatrician interview on Monday (praying it goes well, because I do NOT want to have to find another pediatrician this late in the game).  We also  have another appointment with the midwife next week and we have our last birthing class as well.  I still can't believe everything has gone by so fast.  I'm just ready for my little guy to be here and in my arms.  And just a warning to family...once he's here I may not be letting him go for quite some time.  :)

35 weeks

Pregnancy/Baby Stats:

How far along: 35 weeks

How big is baby:  The size of a large cantaloupe! I'd guess he's probably somewhere just over 5lbs now, considering he was about 5 lbs at our last ultrasound a week and a half ago.

Total weight gain: 25 pounds total.  I've lost 2 pounds since last week.  Not sure why, but I'm sure not complaining.  Baby's healthy.  I'm healthy.  We're happy.

Stretch marks:  Nope.  And still praying they don't come.  I can tell my skin is getting thin though.  My sides are looking vein-y.  Not so cute.  But 

Best moment of the week:  This isn't actually a moment, but more so a bunch of moments I guess.  Every night hubby and I have been cuddling up on the couch watching a movie or something and hubby always puts his hand on my protruding belly and plays with baby.  Baby is at his most active time during the evenings and hubby suddenly loves feeling all his "earthquake-like movements."  Not that he didn't like feeling baby's kicks before, but I always had to grab his hand and put it on my stomach.  Now that baby's movements are so strong and consistent, hubby is the one always initiating it.  And if baby isn't "awake and ready to play" hubby has no problem waking the little guy up haha. 

Gender:  Boy.

Movement: Still LOTS of movement.  I think he must be getting pretty cramped in there, because some days I swear he's fighting to get out.  My poor insides must be bruised.  I finally caught some of his funky movements (and hiccuping) on video this week though.  He's usually camera shy, so this was a big accomplishment.

Have you started to show yet:  Very much so. 

Belly button:  It really depends on where baby is sitting.  Sometimes it's really flat and other times it's very much an outie.  Either way, it's not so cute anymore...

Mood:  Very happy still! And always a tad stressed and overwhelmed.  But still very happy.  

What I miss: Being able to sit up straight when I'm laying down.  At this point I often feel like a turtle trapped on my back.  I have to roll myself this way and that, just to be able and pull myself up without feeling like I'm going to rip my poor abs apart.  

Symptoms: 

Tired-Still sleeping like a champ these days.  I guess I'm lucky I don't have trouble sleeping this late in pregnancy.  I seriously sleep 9.5-10 hours every night though.  And I swear my body needs every minute of it to be able to function.     

Sciatic Pain-Still comes and goes.  Catches me off guard every time too.  Luckily it doesn't last but for a few seconds at a time usually.  

Funny dreams-Can I say that funny pregnancy dreams are a symptom?  I think they are.  So far I've had dreams with my baby in it (though he was very Taiwanese looking), I've had dreams about the exact day that I'm supposedly going to go into labor (we'll see if that one ends up being true or not), and I've dreamed about being a mom to a grouchy toddler who had the exact face of one of my friends and wanted nothing but their pacifier (though I'm not saying which friend this was). 

Looking forward to:  Another appointment with my midwife on Monday and an upcoming "meet and greet" with a potential pediatrician the following week.  I start having midwife appointments once a week now.  Can't believe I'm that far along already.  

A little look at our lives...

So, what have we been up to lately?

Well, quite a bit and not too much all at the same time.

We left Hawaii on June 1st and up until the middle of July we were bouncing around visiting family.

We stayed with hubby's family, my family, and my grandparents.

Before we met up with family, we took a short stop in New Orleans though. 

I was there for about five days, presenting at the National AIR conference for work.

Hubby unfortunately was only able to stay in New Orleans for a day.

He had to fly out early to go to Nashville for a fellowship interview at Vanderbilt.

The good news?  He got the fellowship! Meaning his graduate tuition is being waived.

SUCH a blessing for us.

While being able to visit with family was great, we were eager to have our own space again.

In the middle of  July we moved into an apartment in Nashville.

Hubby starts school at the end of August (next week actually), but we wanted to be settled beforehand.

We wanted time to get comfortable with our house/location and also with my new doctor.

Since I'm well into my 3rd trimester, we didn't want to risk moving too late.  

It's been more than nice having our own place to live again.

I think we've gotten everything unpacked now.  

The nursery is set up too.  Just missing a baby now.

I'll do a separate post all about the nursery later though.

Now that we finally feel like our lives have settled down a bit, I hate to say it, but we're actually getting kinda bored.

We love the area that we're living in, but we're on a tight budget, which doesn't leave much for us to do. 

Plus we still don't really know anyone, so we're just hanging out together these days.

And between the crazy hot/humid weather we had and the now, rainy weather, we haven't really been dying to go outside.

Good thing the Olympics kept us plenty busy the last two weeks.

One more week until hubby starts classes and work though.

Sooo, not too much happening right now.  

Mostly just waiting.

Waiting for hubby to start school/work.

Waiting for baby to make his arrival.

And waiting to see just how crazy our lives are gonna become.

We're really happy though.

Happy to be together. Happy to expand our family soon.

And happy about all the many ways our little family has been blessed lately.

So for now, we're content to have uneventful lives.

Because I have a feeling things are about to change pretty soon.

In a good way of course.

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.