35 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:  Sorry for the delay, guys! Week 33 my computer was broken, and week 34 I was in Texas! So here I am. week 35. One week away from being full term! Five weeks (roughly) away from meeting my baby girl! Wahoo!
 How Far Along: 35 weeks!

Weight: 130lbs

Total Weight Gain: 20lbs. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would to see this number! I've also stayed at it for the last two weeks or so. Even if I continue with a pound a week, it will put me right at my 25lb weight gain, which is where my doctor wanted me. My goal all along was 135 or less, so I think I can do it!! 

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: My sister sent me a TON of maternity clothes! So that's all I wear now. So comfy!

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth

Movement: Lots of movement, as always! This past weekend we had a bit of a scare. I woke up really sick and with a high fever. I noticed Reese's movements were down, too. I quickly emailed my doctor and he said to do kick counts and keep him updated after two hours. Thankfully, Reese decided to wake up! 39 counts in two hours. My doctor was very happy!

Sleep: I feel like something MUST be wrong, because sleep has still been BEYOND GREAT. Everyone always complains about sleep in the last few weeks, and I do feel like I qualify being in the "last few weeks". I know it can change any day, but right now I'm loving all this sleep I'm getting!

Exercise: I've been super sick this week. Exercise has not existed. And it's COLD. And dark. But I NEED to get back in to the habit.

Symptoms: Heartburn up the wazoo, oh my word! Some hip pain (not much), pelvic pain, and now that little Reese has dropped I feel much heavier. I'm really still feeling great though!

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings: Nothing really. My appetite has felt pretty normal the past few weeks. Although with a super sore throat, I've been loving an ice cream sundae. :)

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: We got a dresser! And a bassinet! And more pacifiers! And I've washed most of her clothes and all her bedding. Now it's the little things. Pack my hospital bag. Install the car seat. Put away the rest of her clothes. Train the puppy to sleep out of his crate (that will be fun). Be patient!

Best Moment this week:  Probably finding out Reese has dropped at my doctor appointment! I know it's not a HUGE thing, and it doesn't mean she's coming early or anything like that. But it DOES mean there's progress. And my baby is doing the right thing, as is my body! I LOVE that!

Looking Forward To: Every week that passes. Each day is so precious right now! Filled with such anticipation and excitement! Of course, I'm looking forward to meeting her! And Christmas! And getting our Christmas tree!
Belly Pic:

I am measuring a bit small right now. 33 weeks instead of 35. My doctor is confident it's because Reese has dropped, so I am not worried!

32 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:  I can NOT believe I'm already 32 weeks. Time is FLYING. Each week I am still so thankful to be progressing, but I'm beginning to feel like the weeks could be a bit longer. I know I may bite my tongue in a few weeks, but for now I'm like.. woa. Slow down there. We don't have much longer!
 How Far Along: 32 weeks!

Weight: 127lbs.

Total Weight Gain: 17lbs.

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: I guess kind of whatever I want. Today I'm wearing maternity jeans but a pre-pregnancy shirt. Yesterday I wore regular jeans and a regular shirt. I can fit both, which makes me happy. Usually, though, maternity clothes are more comfortable.

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth

Movement: She's been a busy girl lately. Lots of rolling and moving and being in more than two places at once. Jumping jacks? Sure feels like it!

Sleep: Sleep has been wonderful. I woke up with nearly excruciating pain in my hip one night so I just rolled over (once I figured out what it was) and stretched it out and went back to sleep. I wake up feeling SO rested. I am so thankful because I worry sleep is going to get worse soon.

Exercise: Exercise has been better this week! A few walks when the weather has allowed it. I realized I can't walk both dogs at once anymore. They're too crazy together and I end up getting BH. Not a big deal, it's just uncomfortable. I've also been doing squats.

Symptoms: Regular stuff for me; pelvic pain, some hip pain, etc. I'm surprised I haven't been overly tired. Everyone always says the third trimester is just as exhausting as the first. I find it waaaay easier than the first! There may be a day or two where I'm really tired, but if I just keep myself busy I find my energy picks right back up.

What I miss: Not gaining weight. I know I shouldn't complain, but it's like... when will the numbers stop climbing??? I know I have eight weeks left to gain weight, it's just harder to see some weeks than others.

Cravings: Candy! But I haven't given in. Although I've been very close.

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: Find a dresser. Wash all her clothes/bedding. Buy more pacifiers, blankets, a changing pad to take places, and waaaaay more diapers. Figure out where she's going to sleep in our room for the first few months. We're seriously considering a padded dresser drawer at this point.

Best Moment this week:  My baby shower! It was GREAT and so much fun. We were blessed with so much stuff! I think I can say Reese really doesn't need anymore newborn clothes! Hopefully she won't grow out of them too quickly. ;) Oh and we LOVED our birthing class. Jake really enjoyed it!

Looking Forward To: My doctor appointment next week! I can't believe I start doing weekly appointments that soon! My birthday next week. Going to Texas in a week and a half (yikes).  Reese being here!
Belly Pic:

My husband and I both agree that Reese had a major growth spurt this week!

31 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:  My sister had her baby this week! She had a pretty easy labor (as far as they go, I guess) and Paige is beautiful! That's been the big thing this week. It makes me SO excited to have Reese! I am still content to wait 9 more weeks, though. :) I also had my doctor appointment yesterday. It was the first time I didn't get an ultrasound and I was little bummed, but I got over it. Overall things are still looking really good. When they tested my urine they told me I had low keytones (is that the right one? I get it confused with keynotes. Haha) so I needed to be drinking more water. That discouraged me because that's what I've been struggling with this whole pregnancy. They said it's not a big deal, but to be trying to aim for over 64oz during the day, and that has always been my goal. So far today I've already had 32oz and the day isn't even half over, so hopefully I can get back to where I need to be!
 How Far Along: 31 weeks (1 day)

Weight: 126lbs.

Total Weight Gain: 16lbs. Not doing too bad!

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: Always maternity shirts, and now that I have another pair of maternity jeans I think I'll probably be living in them for the remainder of the time. Even though I still fit in my pre-preg jeans, maternity jeans are WAY MORE COMFY. 

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth!

Movement: Lots and lots. I'm beginning to distinguish her pattern. Ali (my sister) told me to pay attention, because so far her daughter has a very similar pattern outside of the womb as she did inside! Reese also hurt me for the first time this week. It was actually shocking how painful her kick was. It wasn't even in the ribs, just in the side. Since then she's been a good girl though. :)

Sleep: Sleep has been great! The night Ali was in labor I was up from 2:45am until 7am, so that was a pretty long night. But I've been able to get caught back up! My hips still hurt VERY badly sometimes, but I just start stretching them and they calm down.

Exercise: Thanks to hurricane Sandy, we've had four days of rain. So it hasn't been great and it NEEDS to get better.

Symptoms: I've had quite a few braxton hicks this week. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was normal, as long as they don't become painful or more intense. I think they've calmed down for now though. I don't like them, they freak me out!

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings: Nothing much. My stomach gets so full so quickly these days that eating is jut not exciting!

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: Lots. Biggest thing is find a dresser! We need a place to put all her clothes! My brother and sister-in-law blessed us with some of their old baby clothes. So exciting!

Best Moment this week:  My sister having her baby! AND finding out Jake has a negative blood type also! No rhogam shots for me! It is SUCH a blessing from the Lord.

Looking Forward To: My baby shower tomorrow! Starting birthing classes on Monday! Going to Texas in 2.5 weeks (although I'm also rather dreading that)! My birthday in just under 2 weeks. November is a busy month!
Belly Pic: 

Oh and by the way, when my doctor measured my uterus he said "perfect!". So I'm assuming I'm right on track. To all the people who say I'm too small... psh! I'm not. So ha. :)

30 weeks! Ten weeks left!

Pregnancy Highlights:  Hitting the 30 week mark feels GOOD! I'm so excited! 10 weeks left! Jake is officially freaking out. Knowing she could potentially be here earlier is almost more than he can handle. I am glad for the 10 weeks. :)
 How Far Along: 30 weeks
 Size of baby:  This little section, to me, is ridiculous. Call it pregnancy hormones, but I hate it. The charts are ALL different. One site said 15.7in long, one site said 17in long! That's a big difference, people! I'm nixing this section next week.

Weight: 124lbs

Total Weight Gain: 14 pounds. I think. The scale was going crazy. At first it said I weighed 120, then 122, then 124, all within thirty seconds. It depends on where I put the scale. So I guess I'll go with the highest number. ;)

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: Loving my maternity shirts. I hardly wear anything else now, they're so comfy and I like the way they make my belly look. Still fitting in to both kind of jeans.

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth!

Movement: Lots. She's such an active little thing. :)

Sleep: Sleep has been good this week, even with a cold! My hips have still been hurting but I've found a way to stretch them out at night that will ease the comfort enough for me to sleep.

Exercise: Not good. :-/ I came down with a cold and apparently colds + baby are not a good mix because I'm just exhausted. Hoping to get back on track soon though, this is not the time to stop!

Symptoms: A little bit more discomfort than I'm used to, but overall nothing extreme. Few nose bleeds, some pelvic pain, a little back pain. Nothing to complain about!

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings: Heartburn makes food way less interesting. I still love it. But now I'm forced to limit my intake because I hate heartburn! So no strong cravings. At all.

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: The Lord blessed us with a mattress for the crib this week! I'm so excited! Still have lots to do.

Best Moment this week:  Hitting the 30 week mark, obviously. :)

Looking Forward To: My baby shower in just over a week! My next dr. appointment in a week! Getting my hair done in 6 days! Going to Texas for Thanksgiving to see my family.
Belly Pic: 

I feel really small for being 30 weeks, so I am eager to be measured by my doctor next week. I feel her everyday so I'm not really worried. I just want to make sure I'm on track.

29 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:  I can't believe I only have one week left until I'm in the 30s! That's insane to me. 11 weeks does NOT sound like much time at all!
 How Far Along: 29 weeks
Size of baby:  Oh goodness, I just looked this up and I still can't remember. It ranges so much. Over 2.5lbs and around 15in maybe? Haha.

Weight: 123lbs

Total Weight Gain: 13 pounds. Still no change from last week.

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: I can still wear both. I just bought some long sleeve maternity shirts and I plan on buying a few more today. I was planning on buying another pair of jeans, too, but I don't know if I should bother with only 11 weeks left. I still fit my other jeans just fine with the help of a belly band or hair tie. I'm sure eventually they will stop fitting, so maybe when they do I'll just lounge around in Yoga pants. :)

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth!

Movement: Lots of movement. I can feel when certain body parts drag across my stomach. I can also see it and watch it. So weird! Jake is still weirded out by it. :)

Sleep: This week started out AWFUL. My hips were hurting sooo badly I could not fall asleep. But the last four days have been Heaven. Wonderful, wonderful sleep! I think my trick may be not falling asleep on the couch beforehand. That always makes me feel achy. When I go to bed without napping on the couch I tend to sleep way better. And the dogs are NOT allowed on the bed during the night anymore. I need my room!

Exercise: It's been good! Walked the doggies and staying active!

Symptoms: Nothing extreme this week. Typical pain, and I think maybe one braxton hicks contraction. I've also been a little crampy, but nothing that has me concerned.

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings:  Eh.. food is just food again. Nothing special. And I get full way easier, so I have to stop myself before I even feel full or else I will be miserable.

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: So much, it's getting overwhelming. We need to find a way to store her clothes (hopefully a dresser), I want to continue to decorate her corner with wall decals and such, Jake wants to paint the room her corner is in. She needs more clothes! Hopefully that'll be resolved after my baby shower though. There's A LOT left to do. It's just finding the money to do it. The Lord will provide!

Best Moment this week:  Being so close to 30 weeks! Feeling her move! My sister-in-law had her baby this week so the Baby Boom has started. Next up is my sister (in two weeks or so), then my other sister-in-law (end of Nov) then me!!! It's going to be so baby crazy.

Looking Forward To: My baby shower in two weeks! Also figuring out my whole RhoGam fiasco. I need RhoGam because I am RH-, so when I went to go buy the shot the other day I was told it was going to cost $110!! Now we never believed having a baby would be cheap, but SERIOUSLY?? So my doctor, who is very understanding, and I are trying to figure out any cheaper alternative. Jake may get his blood drawn to see if he is negative. Or I'll just bite the bullet and get the shot. Who knows!
Belly Pic:

28 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:  So I am officially in the third trimester!! Although according to my super smart friend who's going to med school, most OB's count the 27th week as the beginning of the third! Oh well! I'm definitely in it now, and it's so exciting! Home stretch. 12 weeks left. Unbelievable!
 How Far Along: 28 weeks
Size of baby:  Around 14.5inches and just over 2.5pounds, according to babycenter. Every baby is different though, and for some reason I have a hard time thinking my baby is really that big. She's healthy though and that's what matters! As she continues to grow she will really start packing on the pounds!

Weight: 123lbs

Total Weight Gain: 13 pounds. No change from last week, and that is okay with me!

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: This week I have worn mostly regular clothes. My maternity jeans are dirty and while doing the laundry yesterday I realized I forgot to put my maternity jeans in the wash! Stupid. So it'll be another week 'till I wear those again. Thankfully my pants are still comfy with the help of a rubber band or a belly band. Makes me pretty proud. :)

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth!

Movement: Lots of movement! Last night she did a big kick in something that hurt. It took my breath away and I said out loud, "Reese!" I was sleeping so it was surprising. Poor Jake was terrified for a second. Haha. But it's still mostly fun, wonderful movement. Nothing painful! She hasn't made it to my ribs yet. :)

Sleep: It has been okay this week. My hips have really started hurting, so that's made sleeping hard. If I can get comfortable with a pillow between my legs then I'm set. But if not, it's a pretty long night.

Exercise: It's been good! Walked the doggies and staying active!

Symptoms: Two nose bleeds a day. And I'm talking about SERIOUS I-look-like-I-was-just-beat-up nosebleeds. They make me laugh. I find them hilarious. Pelvic pain, some round ligament pain.

What I miss: Nothing!

Cravings:  Nothing really... my appetite has been pretty normal this week, hallelujah! I've wanted Dr. Pepper a few times but never had any. And I've really been loving milk. But nothing extreme (although don't get me wrong, if someone tempted me with a donut or other type of carb I'd be ALL over it)

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: So much, it's getting overwhelming. We need to find a way to store her clothes (hopefully a dresser), I want to continue to decorate her corner with wall decals and such, Jake wants to paint the room her corner is in. She needs more clothes! Hopefully that'll be resolved after my baby shower though. There's A LOT left to do. It's just finding the money to do it. The Lord will provide!

Best Moment this week:  Officially being in the third trimester! I'm kind of dreading the energy level going way down, but so far it hasn't been awful. I have a 16 week old puppy, I need all my energy! I still LOVE feeling her, obviously.

Looking Forward To: My baby shower in three weeks! Also totally random but getting my hair trimmed. My mother-in-law bought me a hair cut/color for my birthday (in a month) and I can't WAIT to get it done. It's been over 8 months since anyone has touched my hair. I will feel so pampered. :)
Belly Pic: 

27 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:  This was another "slow" week. I felt like I had been 26 weeks pregnant forever, and that 26 wasn't an exciting number. Now that I'm 27 weeks I feel much further along! Silly, I know. But still!
 How Far Along: 27 weeks
Size of baby:  According to babycenter, she is about 14inches and anywhere between 1.5 - 2.5lbs. I forgot to ask my doctor to take a guess at her weight yesterday. Oh well, not a big deal to me. :)

Weight: 123lbs

Total Weight Gain: It looks like I gained three pounds in one week. But really, I didn't. I weighed myself last Thursday morning and was shocked to see 120, because it was always at 121. By Friday morning I was back to 121. The only number I didn't see this week, much to my dismay, was 122. Just jumped right on past it. But, all in all, from my last dr. appointment to the one yesterday I only gained four pounds. Perfect. Painful for me, but perfect.

Stretch Marks: None

Maternity Clothes: I can comfortably wear both maternity and regular clothes. I usually choose maternity though, unless it's cold then I have to wear older clothes.

Gender:  Girl!

Names: Reese Elizabeth!

Movement: So much movement every day, and I love it! I know, kind of, where she is positioned after my ultrasound, so I am able to find feet a bit easier. This morning I felt a foot and kept poking it, and she kept poking back. It was the BEST way to wake up!

Sleep: It has been bad most days this week, beside the last two. I'm hoping it's not the start of the awful sleep everyone says you'll get. Since the last two nights have been great, I think I'm safe for now.

Exercise: It's been okay this week. We've had one sunny day, so I made sure to walk the dogs that day. I'm making sure to keep active while in the house too.

Symptoms: A couple braxton hicks contractions but less than normal. Some pain in my pelvis, which my doctor was able to describe for me. 

What I miss: I miss my flat stomach this week. I know, it's SO selfish and awful of me, because I am SO grateful for this little girl. And I would rather have a baby bump than a flat stomach! But I'm getting excited about working out after Reese is here. I'm thinking of buying a bikini for next summer and hanging it up as motivation. Ha!

Cravings: I still want to eat everything! Obviously, I don't. But I so wish I could. Right now, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are my fave! I love them and could easily eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Aversions: Nothing!

Things to do: So much, it's getting overwhelming. We need to find a way to store her clothes (hopefully a dresser), I want to continue to decorate her corner with wall decals and such, Jake wants to paint the room her corner is in, blah blah blah. I keep freaking out no one will buy us anything for our baby shower and leave us to get other things on our own too, like a breast pump and car seat cover (obviously not a need, but REALLY handy for a Jan. Maine baby!), all those type of things. Just gotta trust in the Lord that He will provide!

Best Moment this week:  Seeing her on the ultrasound! She looks great. She had her head smooshed into my pelvis and refused to move, and she was sitting cross legged. She had one of her hands up on her chin like she was having a serious thought. My doctor showed me her eyes, then her eyelids. We saw her precious heartbeat, of course. Even her tongue! She stuck it out at one point. It looked VERY weird. I loved it!

Looking Forward To: Hitting the third trimester NEXT WEEK! My baby shower in a month! Seeing her in three months. :)
Belly Pic: No belly pic, sorry. I'll get one next week. And my doctor finally explained why he hasn't sent me any ultrasound pictures. His machine is broken. If he were to just take them off like he normally does to email the pics, he'd lose all the pictures. There'd be A LOT of unhappy mamas out there. So, he's figuring out a way to transfer the pics without losing them. Poor guy. He said there were some pregnant women that were very upset. It made me feel bad, and grateful that I had decided to just be patient and not push the matter!