Bumpdate- 36 Weeks

How far along: 36 weeks 5 days

Baby is the size of: a watermelon. way to make me feel huge!

Extra poundage: 23 pounds

Bump status: according to my doctor, i'm not measuring "out" so much anymore, because the baby is dropping. although from the look of my picture above, i would say i'm still "out there."

Favorite food of the week: my boss gave me a bunch of Korean snacks and i've pretty much eaten all of them. just a bunch of fancy crackers and Pretz, but still.

Heartburn worthy foods: none! hoping i've seen the end of HB

Favorite piece of clothing this week: boo maternity clothes.

Movement: i'm feeling  a lot of elbows and heels, thank you very much.

Sleep: awesome.
Pee trips in the night: i've been at a solid 4 times the last few nights. i'm so thankful the wee babe doesn't wake up when i get up and i can fall back asleep!

Guilty pleasure:  omg SLURPEES. they are beyond delicious and i had a huge on the other day. even though it was raining.

Baby purchases this week:  Little Wood will be so stoked that we bought her stroller this week! i'm probably more excited than her, but can't wait for it to arrive (today!).

Looking forward to: finishing my LAST WEEK OF WORK!

Showers for Olivia

the last two weekends have been super busy, but good busy, with two baby showers! i am super blessed to have both family and friends who were able to throw me wonderful celebrations for our Little Wood. My step mom hosted a shower at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Costa Mesa, Maggiano's. It was awesome to see so many family members and co-workers and be able to celebrate.  We received so many amazing gifts, including some necessities like our car seat and swing, and some wonderful homemade gifts too. here are some pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 and just yesterday some of my closest friends through me a wonderful shower for my Bible study and church friends. even more blessings! they hosted with an owl motif (which i can't help but be obsessed with) and i got some more more needed items, like swaddling blankets, clothes, and bath goodies. 

 

 

 

 

 

it goes without saying that i have a TON of thank you cards to do (and laundry)!  all of my showers have made me more and more excited to meet the wee babe.  i'm finally starting to feel prepared, but still want her to stay a-cookin' for a few more weeks at least. Dave and I are still enjoying these last few weeks alone together. even though it will be different after this month, we can't wait to share our lives with Little Wood!

Bumpdate- 35 Weeks

 

How far along: 35 weeks 4 days

Baby is the size of: still a large cantaloupe. i'm sad because i think i only have 1 fruit left!
Extra poundage: 22 pounds

Bump status: this week was the first week i'm not measuring the exact amount of centimeters as weeks. at my appointment i measured 34 CM instead of 35, but the doctor wasn't worried because she said at this stage the baby is starting to drop so i won't be growing out so much.

Favorite food of the week: cereal. and Target has an awesome sale going on for cereal too!

Heartburn worthy foods: none

Favorite piece of clothing this week: probably my last and final piece of purchased maternity wear, the blouse i'm wearing in the pic above for my baby shower.

Movement: i'm finally starting to experience my belly being totally lopsided at times. it's so bizarre!
Sleep: when i get comfortable, it's all good.  the key word here is "when."

Pee trips in the night: 2-3. i also just get up when i can't get comfortable and go. does that count?

Guilty pleasure:  soda. it is beyond delicious to me lately!

Baby purchases this week:  tomorrow i'm going to finally buy the crib mattress.

Looking forward to: Eight (8) days of work left!

Bumpdate- 34 Weeks

How far along: 34 weeks 4 days

Baby is the size of: a large cantaloupe. not just a cantaloupe, a large one.

Extra poundage: 21 pounds

Bump status: i'm starting to feel very "pronounced" if you will. i've hit my belly twice on cabinet doors this week.

Favorite food of the week: still cereal. i've had to eat it twice at 2am this week alone. little wood, gimme a break!

Heartburn worthy foods: none

Favorite piece of clothing this week: i'm beginning to stare longingly into my closet at my old clothes and yearning to wear them. i'm getting sick of wearing the same ole same ole! the only respite i have is that i only have 3 more weeks of work and can just wear sweatpants and T-shirts until this baby comes out.

Movement: lately i've been feeling like LW's movements are similar to the rollers on those massage chairs at the nail salon. she's had her rear end to the side of my belly button off an on all week!

Sleep: pretty stinkin' good still. thank you Jesus.
Pee trips in the night: 2-4. yes, 4. lately i'm finding it's REALLY easy for me to get dehydrated so i've been trying to drink more, even before bed. i don't like waking up parched and crampy.

Guilty pleasure:  my mom's butter cookies that she brought all the way from Arizona!

Baby purchases this week:  it's safe to say the wee babe got a lot of goodies this week at my shower! no purchases by me were necessary. there will be a baby shower post to follow this week.

Looking forward to: a 2nd baby shower on Saturday

Bumpdate- 33 Weeks

How far along: 33 weeks 4 days

Baby is the size of: pineapple

Extra poundage: 21 pounds

Bump status: this picture is doing a good job of hiding my bump, but what you can't see is that the shirt is ready to bust open! i put two pics because one just doesn't do my size justice. at my appointment this week, i was measuring 33.5 centimeters, which is right on track for my gestational "age." i'm still confused why everyone says i'm "so small" when in fact i've been right where i should be. does that mean everyone else carries big?

Favorite food of the week: nothing really. i haven't been super hungry all that much. though i have consumed my fair share of cereal!

Heartburn worthy foods: none this week!

Favorite piece of clothing this week: none. i'm just glad that there are still some non-maternity shirts/tank tops i can squeeze myself into.

Movement: yes. the doctor said i should still be feeling the same amount of movement, but that it just might feel different. there will be more stretching feelings, as opposed to somersaulting- of which i haven't felt much of anyways.

Sleep: with the exception of the 1 night where a neighborhood dog barked ALL THE LIVE LONG NIGHT, i have been sleeping rather well. little wood and i seem to be on the same schedule, and she doesn't wake me up when i change positions.
Pee trips in the night: 1-3. but it's been so dry out with the weather that i'm trying to drink more water- hence the extra peeing.

Guilty pleasure:  coconut cream pie that i had twice at work!

Baby purchases this week:  no clothes for the wee babe, but i did buy 5 baskets for her closet and changing table. i also bought my first pack of diapers and wipes so i would have something for when she arrives! I've been told not to "stock up" on too many diapers because some babies aren't "compatible" with all types of diapers and can have allergies.

Looking forward to: my baby shower next Saturday!

the Happiest Baby on the Block

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2013, and that i will have a child born in this year.

i've discovered i love reading books on babies and parenting much more than pregnancy. i'm "living the dream" right now being pregnant, so i guess that's why i don't feel the need to read about it. in all seriousness, i have had an absolutely wonderful pregnancy and can say that i will miss it dearly when Little Wood is here. of course i will be more thrilled holding her, but there's something almost holy about being with-child. i know i will forever long to feel her kick within me. anyways!

i received "The Happiest Baby on the Block" for Christmas and once i finished my 50 book challenge of 2012, was very eager to start this book. i've heard from several people how wonderful it is, and couldn't wait to start preparing for the wee babe (who will be here in approximately 7 1/2 weeks!).

this book is based mostly on handling a baby's "fourth trimester," aka, the notion that  most babies need an extra 3 months to truly adapt to being outside the womb, because much of their calming reflexes/abilities aren't fully developed. The author, Harvey Karp, M.D., explains his tried and true method of getting newborns and parents to survive the first 3 month's of life, crying, and sleeping. He breaks down the 5 "S's":

1. Swaddling
2. Side or stomach laying
3. Swinging
4. Shushing
5. Sucking

He goes into a TON of detail on each of these, as well as explains some background on how these methods have been used since the dark ages.  It was kind of surprising to see how Americans have tried again and again to change the way babies behave- typical. we think we can get anyone to do what WE want them to do . i would say the only thing that lagged a tad in this book was the repetition. he says the same thing over and over again. it was almost like reading someone's thesis, the way there was a topic sentence, historical context, testimonial, and then research for every section of the book. there are some appendices that i haven't read yet, but plan to once i get through my next book first. i'm running short on time here people!

regardless, i highly recommend this book and am looking forward to having the knowledge in my arsenal, should Little Wood be anything but a complete angel ;)