34 weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks and 6 days..36 days to go! I can’t believe it!

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about the size of a melon! She is measuring about 20 inches and weighing about 5 pounds! That might not sound like a lot, but I can sure feel it! her fingernails now reach the end of her fingers. She can also open and close her eyes..some research shows that her pupils are also dialating in response to bright lights. At this point she is just plumping up and gaining that baby weight!

Maternity clothes?  This cold snap we are having is really throwing a wrench in my maxi dress wearing plan.  I am still able to wear some non-maternity shirts here and there depending on how they fit.  I like stealing Matt’s t-shirts to sleep in, too!

Weight Gain? I am about 14-15 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight.

Am I Showing?  For sure!

Sleep?  I’m getting up about 2 times a night to use the restroom and sometimes it’s a little harder to fall back asleep.  My sleep a little more broken on the weekends cause I still wake up at 4 or 5 like I do during the week and can’t fall back asleep until 7 or so. But I am relishing this time where I am actually able to go back to sleep if I want.  I know it won’t be like that for much longer!

Exciting Moment? Our friends, the Winfrey’s had their gender reveal party this Saturday.  Candice is due in August and it’s nice to have someone nearby that is going through the same thing. They found out they are having a little GIRL, so Sophia will have someone close in age to play with. J

My two BFF’s, Nat and Val threw our last shower on Sunday and they did such an amazing job!

We made headbands for Sophia and both Nat and another friend of mine, Rachael were able to feel Sophia move around and kick!  I loved every little detail they did to make the shower special. 

Look at that amazing cake Val made…all from scratch! I might or might not be eating some as we speak.  She’s taking orders, so if you need any baked goods..let me know!

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? Still nothing..crossing my fingers!

What do I miss? Sleeping on my back or stomach comfortably, painting my own toes, and being able to bend over to pick things up without it looking like I’m going to hurt myself.

How have I been feeling? Pretty good this week. Every day really depends on how she is positioned.  When she pushes out right at my belly buttons, it’s a lot more uncomfortable. I think she’s dropped a little, but for being this far along I feel like she’s still moving around a good bit. She’ll drop and then the next day she is up high again crushing my lungs.  It’s also weird when I wake up in the middle of the night because when I sleep on my side, she kinda falls and burrows into one side.  So, when I get up my belly is totally lopsided and weird looking.

I’ve also been Burpy McBurperson lately and I have had some uncomfortable gas pains, too.  Not that I’ve been farting like crazy, but it just feels like extra air is trapped in my belly.  Pretty, right? 

Movement:  She is still a dancing machine!  She is still getting hiccups at least once a day, which makes my whole belly shake!

Food cravings:  Still loving my ice and berries.  This week’s new craving has been donuts.  Real healthy, right?  There is this small mom and pop donut shop down the road from us that I pass every day on the way to work.  I might have stopped by once last week…and maybe once over the weekend, too.

Food aversions: Nothing, really.

Labor signs: I *think* I have been having some Braxton Hicks contractions, but I’m still not really 100% sure. One day I had some random sharp pains in my lower belly…right above my pelvis.  They lasted for about an hour and I’m sure she was just hitting a nerve or there was some stretching going on.

Rings on or off? Still on..most of my swelling has been in my feet/ankles.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Our next dr’s appointment this Wednesday!

33 weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks and 6 days..43 days to go!

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about 17-19 in and weighs on average about 4.5 lbs...about the size of a pineapple!  By this point and she could grow up to an inch a week if she is on the shorter side right now. She could also double or triple her weight in the remaining 6 weeks. There is also more baby than amniotic fluid, which is why movement is so much stronger. She is acting more like a newborn, eyes closing while asleep and opening while awake. Her immune system is also developed at this point and will be able to protect her from infections once she is born!

Maternity clothes?  Yep…just trying to make do with what I have for now.  Jeans are still not working for me anymore and neither are my regular maternity pants, especially those with the underbelly panel. 

Weight Gain? Still about 13 lbs over pre-preg. weight.

Am I Showing? For sure!

Sleep?  Same ol’, same ol’…some days are good, some not so good.

Exciting Moment? We had our 32 weeks appointment this week..I know..I’m a little behind since I was 33.5 weeks. Everything looked great! We have another appointment next week and then it’s every week! The midwife was able to answer a few questions I have regarding how much over due they will let me go and some other stuff that randomly popped up in my head that I have now forgotten about. 

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? None yet..I got some Bio Oil this weekend, so I’ll be adding that into the rotation soon. 

What do I miss? Being able to wear my normal clothes!

How have I been feeling? Pretty good the end of this week.  I was able to work from home on Friday since I had my Dr’s appointment, so I didn’t have to wake up at 5:30 like I normally do and we had a pretty low-key weekend.  I think the extra rest helped! Plus, I move around a lot more during the weekend than during the work week. 

Movement:  She is dancing like crazy in there! I love feeling her knee/elbow/foot/whatever it is on my side and her butt/back near my belly button.  Sometimes she pushes out SO hard against my belly button I feel like I’m going to see her giving me stretch marks right then and there.

Food cravings:  Still loving any kind of baked goods, berries and ice! Matt went and picked up a bag of Sonic ice for me, which is just as good as Zaxby’s! Now I have a bag at home and I don’t have to bug Matt to stop at Random Zaxby’s for me.

Food aversions: None really, although I am not as excited about food anymore.

Labor signs: Nope, not yet!

Rings on or off? Still on…the swelling that I have had has been in my legs/feet, so I’m still wearing them.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  This week I was pretty moody towards the beginning.  I tried to reign it in as much as possible, but I was just so uncomfortable..hopefully week 34 will be better! J

Looking forward to:  Our last baby shower is this weekend and I can’t wait!

Week 32...8 months!

How far along? 32 weeks and 6 days..50 days to go!

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about 4 lbs now and 19 inches long...the size of a jicama?? and she is running out of space! At the last dr’s appointment the midwife confirmed she is head down and based on where I feel hiccups when she gets them, I’m pretty sure she hasn’t flipped or anything. She is still gaining fat, which helps her regulate body temperature and her skin is turning more opaque. She could also be growing hair right now!  I came out with a head full of hair and Matt was a baldie, so we will see who she takes after.  She’s also working on 20-40 minute long sleep cycles right now!

Maternity clothes?  Of course…I have boycotted pants and plan to wear dresses from here on out…namely maxi dresses…hopefully the weather cooperates!

Weight Gain? 13 lbs over pre-preg. weight.

Am I Showing? It looks like there is a legit basketball under my shirt, so I would say definitely!

Sleep?  Always tired and fall asleep fine, but still waking up multiple times during the night.  Some nights its more difficult for me to go back to sleep than others…especially when she gets hiccups in the middle of the night!

Exciting Moment? My mom threw us a baby shower this weekend! Sophia stocked up on some awesome and well-needed goodies! I’m sure I’ve said it before and I will say it again, we have been SO lucky and SO blessed by the love we have been shown.  I never would have imagined that this many people would want to come and celebrate with us and it makes me very, very happy. J

Baby daddy!

Cousins!

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? Still ok here..

What do I miss? Getting off the couch like a normal person and being able to wear anything in my closet…not having to think about whether or not something will fit.  Good sleep, too.

How have I been feeling? Really pregnant! I’m not quite in the “miserable pregnant” stage yet, but I’m definitely not very comfortable right now! Each day is different though and I’ve noticed it really depends on her position.  My ribs hurt, my back hurts, my hips hurt…typical pregnancy pains!  I noticed that I am beginning to swell a little bit, too, mostly in my feet.

Movement:  Yes, she is always going crazy in there! She’s got some sharp little knees that she loves to poke into my side and she loves pushing her butt out on the left side of my belly button. 

Food cravings:  Still loving Zaxby’s ice! Fruit, expecially berries and my morning smoothies are still a daily thing, too. Trying to get in as much water as possible to help with swelling, but it’s really difficult for me for some reason. 

Food aversions: Not really…just no spicy stuff cause that gets the heartburn going like crazy!

Labor signs: None yet…still no Braxton Hicks or pre-term contractions and I am a-ok with that!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy …uncomfortable, but happy! J

Looking forward to:  We have our 32 week Dr’s appointment this Friday…another one down, just a few more to go!

31 Weeks!

How far along? 31 weeks and 6 days…57 days to go! Time is really flying by, especially now that I am going to the Dr every two weeks instead of once a month.

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about 18 inches long and almost 4 lbs...as big a 4 oranges? Random... Her brain is developing at a super fast pace, with speech and language centers in the middle of development.

Maternity clothes?  Yes, although I am starting my strike against pants.  I wonder if I can get away with dresses and leggings for the next 8 weeks? Although most of my dresses have turned into tunics now..

Weight Gain? 12 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight.

Am I Showing? Oh yea…the other day I looked down at my belly and it was all lop-sided because her booty was poking out!

Sleep?  I miss you! Come back! I have gotten to the point that anytime I have to roll over on my other side I have to hold my belly up and help support it as we make the 5 minute-long move.

Exciting Moment? We spent Thursday through Sunday of last week in the mountains of Blue Ridge with three other couples.  If was so nice to get away from everything for a while, sleep in, and relax! Originally we wanted it to be a babymoon before Sophia gets here, but I’m glad we invited everyone else and spent some time with them as well.

We also had our 30 week dr’s appointment on Thursday before we left for our trip.  Everything is looking great and we now go every two weeks until 36 weeks.  The midwife confirmed that Sophia is head down, so hopefully she will stay that way for the next 8 weeks!  For the longest time, I always felt kicks and jabs on my right side, but after the appointment she twisted around and I felt kicks on my left side for the first time.  The midwife we saw was the same one we had at our first two appointments and definitely our favorite.  She spent a lot of time with us answering random questions that popped up.  The way our insurance works is all of our appointments are done by midwives (there are 3 total in our office) and whoever is on-call the day we go into labor is who will be delivering us.  We are hoping it’s our favorite one!

Gender:  Sweet baby girl!

Stretch marks? Still good here…for now.

What do I miss? Feeling comfortable, sleep, my regular clothes, not having indigestion…the norm!

How have I been feeling? Pregnant..in every sense of the word! I guess that is to be expected this late in the game and I try not to complain about it too much because I know I have had a pretty smooth pregnancy so far.  Some days are a little more uncomfortable than others..today is a pretty good one!  I am trying to make sure I get in as much water as I can because I have started to feel a little bit of swelling in the morning and in the afternoon if I am on my feet too much.  Nothing too bad yet and I am still able to keep my wedding and engagement rings on.

Movement:  She’s getting super strong and moving all the time. Some of the stronger knee and elbow jabs are starting to getting uncomfortable, though!

Food cravings:  Still loving the fruit, smoothies in the mornings and making my daily Zaxby’s run during lunch for their ice…it’s the best!

Food aversions: none

Rings on or off? Still on!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Our next baby shower is this Sunday at my Mom’s house.  We have been so blessed with having people offer to throw us showers and celebrate Sophia with us, so I am super excited about seeing everyone this Sunday and spending time with them.

Week 30!

How far along? 30 weeks and 6 days…64 days to go!

Baby's Development:  Sophia is the size of a head of cabbage at just under 16 inches and almost 3 lbs!  She is gaining lots of brain wrinkles this week because of an increase in brain tissue and some brain monitoring studies show that when she is sleeping, she could be dreaming, although her sleep cycle isn’t aligned with mine.  Her  bone marrow is also taking over the production of bone marrow and much of the soft, downy hair covering her body is beginning to disappear because she is able to better regulate her own body temperature.

Maternity clothes?  Of course! Unless I find a random non-maternity shirt in the closet that is long enough..

Weight Gain? About 11 lbs over pre-preg. weight.

Am I Showing? For sure..there’s no hiding this bump! Just for fun...bump progression..

Sleep?  Could be better…could be worse!

Exciting Moment? I passed my 3 hour glucose test this week! Woohoo! The first hour was the worst! I was so hungry and irritable and dizzy after drinking that sugar-y drink on an empty stomach, I wasn’t sure that I was gonna make it for 3 hours without passing out! But I did… and Matt and I went and ate a huge lunch at Cracker Barrel when it was all over and done with! Why have I never had their pancakes before?  They were amazing!

We got our maternity pictures back and I am OBSESSED with them! Jess did such a good job and they turned out awesome! Although I am sure most of yall have seen them on FB, I’ll do a separate post with all of them so I can have it for the blog...sneak peek below!

We also had our second baby shower this past Sunday.  Matt and I are so blessed that we had so many people there to come celebrate Sophia with us! So much love and hard work went in to putting everything today and we are very thankful to everyone that helped out and came to hang out with us! We got our matress and our diaper pail, so we are very excited to be able to put some more of the big pieces in the nursery and get it put together! We are definitely stocked up on bibs, receiving blankets and onesies, too!

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? Nothing yet..no longer feeling the itchiness, either.  I wonder if she just had a random growth spurt or something last week?

What do I miss? Oh geez…I miss my regular clothes, being able to paint my own toes, not having heartburn 24/7 and not feeling the hip/lower back pain all the time. 

How have I been feeling? So/so this week.  I was pretty uncomfortable this weekend, especially Sunday..which was a bummer cause that’s when our baby shower was.  I don’t know if she was just in an awkward position, or what, but it was definitely difficult for me to get comfortable between my back, hips, and lower stomach…I kinda felt like my uterus was stretching some! I also felt some swelling in my legs Sunday, too…I’m trying to get in some extra water today!  I tried out my prenatal yoga DVD Sunday morning, but it didn’t do much.  I am feeling a little better today, though. :)

Movement:  Tons and tons! I will definitely miss it once she’s here!

Food cravings:  Still loving fruits!

Food aversions: Nope!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Thursday morning officially starts our bi-weekly dr’s appointments, which we will have until 36 weeks when I will start going weekly.  Also, Matt and I are heading to the mountains for a long weekend with 3 other couples this weekend.  We leave Thursday morning after our appointment, so that means a 3 day work week for me! We plan on turning off our cell phones and just unplugging for the weekend and I can’t wait!

Sophia is 29 weeks!

How far along? 28 weeks and 6 days..just 71 days to go!

Baby's Development:  Sophia is about 17 inches long and almost 3 lbs…the size of a butternut squash! No wonder I am feeling such strong movement! Fat is depositing under the skin and her skin is becoming less wrinkled. Although the buds for her baby teeth formed earlier in the pregnancy, now permanent teeth buds are forming. Her bones are starting to harden and store iron, phosphorus and calcium, but they will still remain soft enough to accommodate birth. Ovaries are also well-developed at this stage…they are producing hormones and already contain millions of eggs.

= 

Maternity clothes?  Yep! My belly is starting to feel uncomfortable in some of my early maternity pants, though.  I am counting down the days until it gets a little warmer so I can just live in dresses!

Weight Gain? About 10 lbs over pre-preg. weight.

Am I Showing? Oh yea!

Sleep?  Sleep has gotten a little better.  I am still waking up a few times a night to find a new position or use the restroom, but since we got the new humidifier, I think we are both sleeping better.

Exciting Moment? We did our hospital tour yesterday.  I thought we were a little behind but there were other couples there that were due in like..2 weeks! I thought I had a big belly until I looked around and realized it was going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better! Haha I couldn’t wait that last minute, so I am glad we can make that off of our checklist.  Speaking of checklist, I made Matt a “Before Baby Gets Here” list, which I am sure he is super excited about! ;) We also finally found a frame to go around Sophia’s name in the nursery and are planning on getting some things painted and hung up on the walls in the nursery this coming weekend.

We went to Fogo de Chao this weekend with another couple as a late V-Day celebration and it was so yummy, but I think everyone left feeling a little miserable.  It’s not very fun going when you get full super quickly! But I did make sure to try a little bit of everything that came to the table…except the lamb, I can’t do that one.

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? Still none yet, but my belly and lower back has been super itchy lately. I have been putting on coconut oil and my Burt’s Bees belly oil on in the morning and at night.  I know that they ruled by genetics and blah blah blah, but it feels like I can actually feel my belly stretching more and more each day, so it makes me feel better in my mind. J

What do I miss? My normal clothes fitting, being able to bend over without it feeling uncomfortable, not having heartburn 24/7, and painting my toenails…it’s the little things.

How have I been feeling? Still pretty good…I’m definitely doing the pregnancy waddle..or “pregnancy swag” as I saw it being called the other day.  Random aches and pains and uncomfortable-ness here and there but nothing I can’t deal with.

Movement:  Oh yea..she’s dancing like crazy in there! Her little feet are always poking my right side and I can feel her little bottom around my belly button.  She gets hiccups pretty often and I always feel them really low, so I that’s what I am assuming I am feeling everywhere else. I was able to get some of the movement on video and I sent it out to everyone…it's a little dark, but check it out below!

Food cravings:  Still loving the berries…every morning my snack is a bowl of strawberries and blueberries.  I was craving chocolate pretty hardcore this week, but I think that has subsided some.  My newest thing is ice…especially from Zaxby’s.  I know some of my iron levels were a little low last appointment and that craving ice can be an indicator of that, so either it’s all in my head or they are related.  I have never in my life been an ice chewer, so it’s new for me.

Food aversions: Nothing…just gotta make sure to eat little meals often.

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Baby shower this weekend and working on the nursery!

Baby Whitman is 28 weeks!

How far along? 28 weeks and 6 days..78 days to go! Seriously!? Weren’t we just in the 100’s? Tim is flying by right now!

Baby's Development:  Sophia weighs in at about 2.5 lbs and is almost 16 inches long…the size of a Chinese cabbage!  She could be dreaming at this stage in utero, as well as blinking, coughing, and better breathing

Maternity clothes?  Yep and loving them!

Weight Gain? About 8 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight according to my scale and about 10 lbs over according to my doctor.

Am I Showing? Yep! It looks like there’s a basketball under my shirt!

Sleep?  Sooo sleepy.  I miss good sleep!

Exciting Moment? I had my dr’s appointment this Friday.  From now on until 36 weeks, my appointments will be bi-weekly instead of once a month.  Once I hit 36 weeks, they will be weekly.  Like I said…time is flying by! I had my 1-hour glucose test, which I somehow failed.  I am waiting to hear from the dr’s office to schedule my 3 hour and crossing my fingers I pass that one! I was pretty disappointed about not passing, especially since I don’t fit the “profile,” but I am trying not to worry about it too much.

I also got to eat lunch with two friends from high school on Sunday.  Danielle is due exactly one week after me and Melissa is due exactly one week after Danielle.  It was nice to sit and chat pregnancy with them because there is only so much that not pregnant people want to listen to before they get bored. Haha  I am interested to see when we all give birth.  Wouldn’t it be wild if it’s all on the same day? Totally possible!

Danielle, Melissa, and I

Gender:   Sweet baby girl!

Stretch marks? Not yet! I am still slathering on the Burt’s Bees and also coconut oil and crossing my fingers!

What do I miss? Just sleep right now!

How have I been feeling? Pretty good for the most part! I had one day last week where I my back and belly were hurting pretty bad.  It wasn’t cramps or contractions or anything…I was just very uncomfortable on my way home.  It was probably something silly like gas! I felt better when I woke up the next morning.  Still super tired and heartburn/indigestion like crazy!

Movement: She’s a dancing machine in there! I think she flipped or rolled around yesterday and then went back to being head down today.  I’m feeling pokes, jabs, and rolls all over the place!

Food cravings:  Grape slushes from Sonic right now! And fruits…back to grapefruits, strawberries, blueberries, etc.

Food aversions: None

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Matt’s mom is throwing us our second shower on Feb 24^th so I am super excited about that!

Week 27

How far along? 27 weeks and 6 days..85 days to go!

Baby's Development:  My uterus is about the size of a basketball and Sophia is just over 2 lbs and about 15 inches from head to toe…the size of a head of cauliflower! Her hearing is also improving and she might be able to recognize her Mommy and Daddy’s voices by now. Baby’s taste buds are also more developed and she can taste the difference in what I am eating, although she gets it about 2 hours after I eat it. Spicy foods may also trigger hiccups at this point and although Sophia gets them at least once every day or two…hers aren’t from spicy foods because I haven’t been eating them!

Maternity clothes?  All pants and most shirts.  I know it’s still a ways away, but I am excited about the weather getting warmer so I don’t have to worry about pants and just throw on a dress!

Weight Gain? 7 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight, but we will see what the Dr. says this Friday. 

Am I Showing? Yep! A lot of the people that came to the baby shower haven’t really seen me since I “popped” majorly and I got a lot of surprised faces and fun comments about the growing belly.

Sleep?  Meh…still more of the same.

Exciting Moment? Our very first baby shower was this past weekend! We had a blast and loaded up on some awesome goodies for Sophia! It was so funny…as we starting opening up our first gift, Matt all of the sudden say “Oh wow, it just hit me, I’m having a kid!” It was a surreal moment to say the least.  Our hostesses did such an amazing job with the decorations and the food was delicious! We are so thankful and so blessed!



My lovely hostesses



Me and hubby

Jamie and I have been friends since we were 6!

BFF's!

Sunday we braved the cold and wind and took some maternity pictures in the little downtown area of our town where we also took some engagement pictures.  Our friend Jessica took them for us and we saw a few sneak peeks on her camera as she was taking them.  They looked awesome and she is so talented, so I can’t wait to see them all!

Gender:   GIRL!

Stretch marks? None yet!

What do I miss? Nothing really this week

How have I been feeling? A few aches and pains..feeling a little more tired than usual, heartburn, etc. but nothing crazy! Just normal pregnancy symptoms I guess! She loooves to push on my bladder with her little head, so I am back to feeling like I gotta pee alllll the time!

Movement:  Yep! I am feeling hourly movement now.  Sophia is always super active right after I eat anything…especially strawberries!

Food cravings:  Blueberries! Any brunch foods, too.  I made crepes for breakfast this weekend and they were delicious!

Food aversions: None, really.

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to:  Our dr.’s appointment this Friday and getting to see the pictures that Jess took this weekend!