30 & 31 Weeks!

Note to self: Blogging is way harder than I thought it would be. I literally cannot keep up.  I can't remember to write notes down nor can I even remember to take weekly photos of myself! I do not know how I am going to remember or try to take weekly photos of a newborn! Sheesh. I thought I would have been better at this. I am way behind on blogging as it is 'actually' week 33 but I just now writing about weeks 30 & 31... Who knew life went by so fast?

How many weeks pregnant?

30 & 31 weeks 

Which trimester are you in?

3rd, and it is KICKING my butt!

Baby’s size?

 Baby is gaining 1/2lb per week for the next 8 weeks! 

Baby is about 3.5lbs and 16inches long.

Have you started to show yet? 

The newest game is "how is Sarah carrying". I swear when I wear a dress or tunic that has a tie around the midline people say I am carrying very high and then when i wear black everyone says I look like I have a basketball under my shirt. It literally changes every day. I am definitely feeling the effects of the weight gain. I've gained more than I would have liked to but it is what it is. It will be harder to lose it after birth but I will make do! I am also developing a rounder face - ugh! Photos are so not flattering any more in my opinion!

What are some of your pregnancy symptoms?

Basically every time I read a pregnancy blog or read my "what to expect book" I am reminded that everything I am experiencing is normal and "to be expected". I am having on and off bad heartburn which thankfully I have tums stashed everywhere. Since this is my first go around at this, i really had no idea what to expect entering 3rd trimester and, wow was I fooled by 2nd trimester. I was feeling so good and energetic! Food has been so good and easy to eat. Now I get SUPER full after meals and want to die because I ate too fast! And i am soooooooooooo tired. Like I can barely get out of bed in the morning and then come home from work to take a nap before dinner. Its brutal! Also I just don't feel great any more. Everything is so much more difficult. I am slower moving, get in and out of my car is more uncomfortable and sitting or standing for long periods makes parts of my body hurt! I am also experience shortness of breath when I am have to give presentations. I have to pause, catch my breath and then continue, its kind of funny, kind of embarrassing! 

Found this comic on a blog called Pregnant Chicken:

Happy or moody most of the time? 

I am still feeling pretty happy, but when I am tired... I just want to be left alone and really appreciate any sympathy ;) I still have moments of stress where I feel like things just need to be done NOW when in reality they don't, but I swear they do! I also has stressful week at work recently and I just started crying about feeling so helpless and under appreciated. Normally I would NOT being crying but the hormones took over again. As my coworker reminds me, soon there will be a day that work is not as important as my little human who is so excited to see me when I get home :p

Any Cravings?

Chocolate and sweets are still needed daily... Nothing else too exciting. I did buy carnation breakfast powder and that has been a delicious treat here and there but seems so sweet to be drinking a milkshake for breakfast! ha. What I am actually craving a turkey sandwich and CANNOT wait for thanksgiving! Yumm! 

Any food aversions?

 Still having trouble with chicken. I am more open to bacon but prefer ham or canadian bacon. 

Sleep?

Well from being super exhausted, I am also experiencing a bit of insomnia. I can fall asleep but then I just wake up thinking about things that need to be done. Thankfully I haven't been up every night but when I don't sleep it really affects me and my energy level the next day at work. Also baby seems to be so active right when I fall asleep! It must be that when i finally relax baby starts moving. Jameson finally gets to feel some regular kicks right after he gives me my nightly injection or right before we go to bed. Also getting out of bed is pretty hard! Sleep positioning is getting harder. When I find myself on my back I sometimes feel like I am gasping for air... not a very good feeling in the middle of the night!

Highlight of the week?

The highlight of these last two weeks has been our child birth preparation classes. We have taken three classes for the last three Sundays. I went to nursing school and took quite a few classes on Labor and delivery. I also volunteered as a pregnancy clinic educator in college and post college worked with pregnant women in their homes, but being 10 + years out of school and now being the patient is much different. I think it was also very helpful to understand Jameson's role and the options that exist when you are at the hospital. The classes were fun and we met some interesting people. We were the only ones not finding out the gender and we were the only ones who didn't speak another language (thats what you get in silicone valley). Also everyone talked about how their mother's or mother in laws will be coming to live with them for months to take care of the baby! Definitely different cultures than what we are used to. I really enjoyed the types labor positions and massages from Jameson! One main thing we learned and will hopefully remember is how to time contractions and an acronym called B-R-A-I-N which stands for B=what are the benefits, R=what are the risks, A= any alternatives, I= trust your intuition, N= no or not yet. This acronym is to be used for trying to make a choice during labor or while in the hospital. Seems pretty helpful! We will just need to remember.

We also had a couple weekends to work on cleaning out the nursery and getting things organized. We also purchased a glider for the nursery. That was one thing I was advised multiple times was to have a comfy chair to nurse in. So hopefully it gets used!  

Another BIG highlight is that I started prenatal yoga and really enjoy it! I enjoy the yoga, being in the room with all preggo ladies and the relaxation part of it. So glad I finally went and tried it! Ive been trying to go at least once per week. 

Are you wearing maternity clothes yet?

 Because the weather has been so wacky I have been trying to make more of my older non maternity clothes work. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Thankfully I don't work in the same location two days in a row so at least if I wear the same thing twice in a row no one knows! 

Have any stretch marks or skin changes?

Stretch marks - still ugly...

Skin changes - I swear anything that touches my skin leaves a red/purple mark. My legs are covered in weird spots. I am not sure if it is worse because I am on blood thinners or if its just part of being pregnant. Also my arm hair is SO long! Thankfully it is blonde hair but I am not used to it!

Has your belly button popped out?
I would call it a very flat innie

Feel any kicks? 
My pregnancy books and apps are telling me that because Baby is growing so fast and getting so big, the kicks will be less often, but stronger. I have not noticed a change yet. I think they are still pretty often! Also there is a very distinct bump to the right of my belly button that does not go away. Either it's baby's bum or knee or something very round. I still have lots of pressure on my left hip area... I am so interested to see the 36 week ultrasound and find out where baby is!

Gender prediction:

Still feeling like its a boy, only because I love boy clothes, boy nursery decorations, and boy names... we also have not decided on a girl name. I can't wait to find out!

Week 30

Week 31

I am blocking the nursery chair. I will add more pics next blog of the additions to the nursery.

28 & 29 Weeks!

Super late but better now than never!

How many weeks pregnant?

28 & 29 weeks

Which trimester are you in?

Made it to the final stretch! 3rd trimester!

Baby’s size?

Baby is approx 16 inches, 2.5-3lbs 

Have you started to show yet? 
Again, I am beyond showing. I basically look like I am about to pop... except I have 10 weeks left. My belly looks so weird to me now because the bottom half has hardened and fully filled in. 

What are some of your pregnancy symptoms?
I am SO tired! Like back to 1st trimester tired! I starting coming home and taking naps again. I don't need to nap every day, but everything seems so much harder. Walking fast is difficult and getting out of bed or my car with  my hands full, or changing positions in bed is really slow and difficult. I keep having heart burn on and off. I am also having issues with eating too much. I eat the normal amount I have been eating and then all the sudden I am SO full and its so uncomfortable. 

Happy or moody most of the time? 
Week 28 - Moody. Tearful and overwhelmed... 
Week 29 - Happy! I am so excited to almost be in the 30's (weeks).

Any cravings?
Nothing too crazy these last two weeks. I realized that I was not eating enough protein and now have been trying to eat protein with every meal or snack. Such as instead of just eating cracker or an apple I have been adding cheese or peanut butter. The most consistent thing I have eaten and wanted are peanuts. My craving of Almonds has slowed and now I have been eating a lot of peanuts! I also started eating canadian bacon on my breakfast sandwich and that is an easy way to add protein with low fat.

Any food aversions?
I still do not like bacon much. Started to eat a little more of chicken. 
String cheese - yuck!

Sleep?
Sleep is still glorious and the best part of the day, haha. I am trying out pillows and positioning. Each night I change my mind on what feels best. Pregnancy pillow or not. I am also back to taking naps here and there. I am just so tired!

Highlight of the week?

Week 28: Annual Redwood City Octoberfest. Lucas (brother in law) hires us (our group of friends) to work the food booth at the Octoberfest event. This event has seatings Thursday, Friday, Saturday (2 seatings), and Sunday (2 seatings). Each shift lasts about 5 hours of standing or walking on your feet. I am not exactly sure why I signed up this year. It was a lot of work on my feet. Also my whole body was super sore. Hopefully we ended up making pretty good money, and it was a good time with friends. A couple pictures below.
**Oh I also passed my glucose testing! I was sooo worried I wasn't going to pass because I love sugar so much I did not want to have to change my diet... thankful my numbers looked great. Fasting BG 83, one hour post drinking sugar juice bg 150, 2 hours later bg 84.

Week 29: Soo many highlights to this week. Last minute we received free tickets to a Maroon 5 Concert at Shoreline on a Thursday. This was super exciting except it took way too long to get there and way too long to get home and we only saw about 50 minutes of the show. It was great while we saw it but my feel were sore from walking and standing! This year on the weekend of September 30th, I made sure to stayed busy. Even though this is year 7, Spencer still has a special place in my heart and I will never forget the events that happened on 9/30/10.  9/30 is also my brother's birthday so we invited Justin & Megan & Sam to our house (second time they have come to visit which is really exciting!) and we went to Salsa Festival. This is an event in down town redwood city that we (our friends) used to work at but this year we got to just visit and hang out.  It was so nice to have J&M and Sam at our house and our town! Sam loved the nursery and really enjoyed hanging out with our other nephews Everett & Weston. I love seeing them all together. Melts my heart! Lastly, the highlight at the end of the week was finally meeting Cary (SIL) baby #3. She as well did not know the gender so we are so happy to introduce our newest niece, Baby Holland Lorraine Wilder born 10/4/17, 7lb 12oz and 20inches long. We are in love! It is still very exciting to be an auntie to 7 nieces and nephews without having our own yet. So special. 
**pictures below!

Are you wearing maternity clothes yet?

Yep! Now that there has been a few days of colder weather I am getting nervous on what I will be wearing. Maternity jeans are SO uncomfortable and restricting! I prefer leggings and will be looking into some tights as well. Again I recently went through my closet to pull out things that don't fit to make getting ready in the morning easier. 

Have any stretch marks or skin changes?

Stretch marks - Man these things are such a drag. They are SO purple there is no hiding them now :(

Skin changes - my skin is SOOOOO dry and itchy. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to find myself scratching. Then my skin gets super raw and painful. 

Has your belly button popped out?

I would say its almost an outie while still being an innie. It's not popped out but you cannot stick your finger in it.

Feel any kicks? 
The kicks are SO strong. Sometimes at work when I am sitting with poor posture and leaning on my belly I will feel a jab in my right lower belly. I guess its just baby telling me it needs some space! I also notice in the early morning when Jameson's alarm goes off, baby starts moving immediately even if I am still sleeping. It literally wakes me up!

Gender prediction:

No recent gender prediction changes. 
I still think it is a boy because we can't decide on a girl's name. We will see... 
I did recently have a very vivid dream that baby was breach position and I had to have the external manipulation done to try and turn the baby. It was painful in the dream!

How has Dad been this week?

Dad is adjusting to working and commuting. His commute is now longer than mine which before was super short. He is also in intensive training at work so his brain is a but fried when he gets home. He has continued to put our nursery items together and things around the house. 


Lots of pictures below!

Week 28 - Redwood City Octoberfest

Maroon 5 Concert - 9/28/17

Weekly Bump Photo - Week 29

 Bubble fun with Sam at Salsa Festival

Jameson and I bought these "light up balloons" that we had been saving to use.
The Boys loved them!

Nephews below: 
Everett stretched out in the stripes, Weston sitting on the navy blue star and Sam standing/jumping.

Making themselves comfy on our baby's nursery rug, Jameson was also tickling them to get them to stay for a photo.

These photos below were taken 3 days before Cary went into labor! I am so glad we took them! It was really nice being pregnant with a friend and a friend who is also family! Cary answered SOOO many of my everyday pregnancy questions! I am sure I will still have questions once baby arrives!

We both forgot how tall/short the other one was! Haha. I said "wow my my butt is completely above your butt!" Perfect photo of how you can never tell how pregnant some one is because everyone comes in all shapes and sizes!

And just like that... three days later Baby GIRL!!!! made her appearance! 

Introducing our newest niece, Holland Lorraine Wilder, born 10/4/17 at 12:39am weighing in at 7lb 12oz and 20 inches long. She's perfect! 

I still can't believe she is here and how small they are at birth. (had to get a picture of the toes :) The whole experience of being pregnant and an auntie again is surreal. I know my own is coming, but to be holding a brand new baby and have one in my belly was so cool and just a reminder of what a miracle each life brought into this world is.