"It was the oldest sound in the world. Souls flying away." The Secret Life of Bees

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Pregnancy Update: 37 weeks



How far along: 37 weeks and 3 days (2 weeks and 4 days until my due date - CRAZY talk!!!)

Development: According to The Bump, baby is the size of a winter melon. He weighs somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds and is inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping, and blinking.

Symptoms: ugh, here goes - my pubic bone feels like it's on fire, my hips are sore, my back aches, my boobs hurt, my ankles/feet/hands are swollen, I can't sleep most nights so I feel exhausted a lot of the time, and I'm emotional.  I really don't like to complain and I feel so happy and lucky to be pregnant, but it is what it is.  Some days are okay and some days are not very pleasant.  

Maternity clothes: I am pretty much rotating through the same outfits at this point.  I try to switch things up with different cardigans/accessories when possible.

Stretch marks: Well those little purple lines have turned into big purple lines and there are quite a few more now.  I'm over it at this point.  Small price to pay.

Sleep: Not great.  My midwife gave me a couple of things that help (magnesium citrate is one of them).  I've been averaging a couple nights of pretty good sleep, a few nights of mediocre sleep, and a couple of nights of terrible sleep per week. The days when I don't sleep well and then have to work all day are rough.  

Best moment of this week: Finally feeling ready in terms of having everything we need, washing all of the clothes and putting them away, prepping the diapers, etc.  After our shower, Ben and I both realized we didn't have much time left and we had a couple of weekends of what felt like frantic prep time.  We made of list of things we still needed and one day I came home from work to find that Ben had spent the entire day tracking down items from craigslist and consignment shops.   He had everything washed, set up, and ready to go!  I think we are both nesting a bit at this point.  I love seeing how excited he is:)

Miss anything: sleep, being able to roll over in bed, and being able to wear fancy shoes.

Movement:  He moves quite a bit.  The movements have gotten less intense in the past week or two (I think he's running out of room!), but are still pretty frequent.  He gets the hiccups at least once a day.  He is still head down and likes to push up so that his butt pushes into my ribs.

Food cravings: Orange juice, hot chocolate, and cinnamon rolls.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really.

Have you started to show yet:  Um, YES:)

Gender: Boy!!

Labor signs: Not yet.  My midwife had me start taking evening primrose oil about a week ago.  I can tell things are shifting a little bit because my hips are so sore.

Belly button in or out: Still in, but barely.  

Wedding rings on or off: On for now.

Happy or moody most of the time:  Mostly good, happy, and excited.  I am definitely more emotional some days though (especially when I don't get enough sleep).  I've had a few crying-for-no-reason episodes, which feels really strange.

Looking forward to: Experiencing labor and finally holding my baby boy!


I had to have another ultrasound at 32 weeks to check on my 'low-lying placenta'.  We discovered that my placenta was low-lying after I had some spotting in the first trimester.  I was told that 98% of the time the placenta moves up and out of the way as the uterus grows.  I was so hoping that this would be the case, but I guess I'm part of the lucky 2%.  My midwife is not too concerned at this point as it's just slightly low-lying (it's 1.5cm away from my cervix), but it is something we have to be aware of and monitor.

35 weeks
36 weeks
please excuse the work bathroom shot:)

Monday, December 23, 2013

gray and black

Happy Holidays!  I hope you all are having a wonderful week:)  I have to work part of the day tomorrow - after that,  I'm planning on doing some baking, watching Christmas movies, and relaxing at home with Ben and our pups.  Ben's brother is coming over on Christmas morning for brunch.  We are keeping things pretty low key this year as we prepare for baby to get here.

I wore this outfit last week.  I received 4 different comments from total strangers about how big I am.  One lady who works in the same area as me said, "every time I see you, I just can't believe you are still pregnant.  When is your due date?".  Ummmmm, I still have a month to go lady!  I told her my due date is 1/16 and she apologized.  Ha!  The other people were a little more tactful, but at the end of the day I was definitely wondering if I was looking especially huge in this outfit or maybe I just looked as exhausted as I felt.

On the bright side, I've noticed that most people are so much nicer to pregnant ladies.  People smile at me all of the time.  They open doors, hold elevators, and offer to carry stuff for me.  A random person in the elevator at work today told me I looked beautiful.  I think the good outweighs the bad most days.  




Dress:  Gap maternity
Tights:  Assets maternity tights
Shoes:  Born Raisa
Belt:  J. Crew
Necklace:  Anthropologie

Monday, December 16, 2013

stripes + maternity

I hope you all are having a wonderful December:)  I've been busy, busy, busy!  There is so much going on this month between the holidays, baby prep (baby is due 1 month from today!), and work, that it seems like I can't keep up some days.  All of that on top of growing a baby makes for one exhausted lady.  I'm trying very hard to prioritize and take good care of myself in the midst of the chaos. I just got home from a prenatal massage and a chiropractor visit.  Ahhhhhh, I'm feeling very relaxed and hoping that I will actually be able to sleep tonight.

Here are a couple of outfits I've been meaning to post. The first one is from 6 weeks ago, and the second one is from a week or two ago.  This striped skirt from Gap maternity has served me well.  I found it on sale for about $10 bucks.


Skirt:  Gap maternity
Top:  Gap maternity
Cardigan:  J. Crew Jackie
Jacket:  J. Crew
Necklace:  Anthropologie
Tights:  Assets maternity tights
Shoes:  Dansko


Skirt:  Gap maternity
Top:  Loft maternity
Tights:  Assets maternity tights
Necklace:  Anthropologie
Boots:  Born Raisa 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Baby Shower!

My friend Jessie threw me the loveliest baby shower this past weekend.  I was blown away by how much thought and effort she put into everything and by all of our friends showing up to support us and celebrate with us.  It was such a special day for Ben and I.  My heart is overflowing and I feel so lucky that our little guy will have such awesome people in his life.


I'm sure you could have guessed the theme!
Isn't this cake amazing?  I cannot even tell you how much I love it!  It made me so happy.  I didn't want to cut into it, but I guess people expect cake at a baby shower:)  It was vanilla with raspberry cream filling.  LOVE!
Hot apple cider and mulled wine.  
Ben and his brother compete in a diaper changing race.  I'm happy to report that Ben won all 4 rounds.  I think he's ready!


And of course I have to show off my outfit!

Dress:  Motherhood Maternity
Cardigan:  J.  Crew
Belt:  J. Crew
Shoes:  Anthropologie
Necklace:  Betsy and Iya
Brooch:  Bhldn