36 Weeks

Sorry for the gross pic, but this is basically what I just look like now. And yes, I had to Google what a crenshaw melon is. It's this: 

And no, I've never had one. Sometimes Jose and I laugh at what they have to compare the size of the baby to for each week. Like when he was the size of a cucumber... is he, like, skinny and stretched out, or...??? 🤔 Anyways...

How far along? 36 weeks

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes + comfies Jose's comfies

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleep has been okay. It still comes and goes, but I've found that taking a nice, long bath before going to bed definitely keeps me sleeping a bit longer. I've also turned to baths when I have cramps. Basically I live in the bathtub now. 🐠

Best moment this week: Lots of excitement around here this past week, now that I think about it. Jose has finished all the painting and re-trimming/re-baseboarding in the nursery (You'll see what I mean when I post pictures!), light fixture has been installed, all the furniture has been put together. We're just waiting on a few other decorative items and then it should be complete. Seriously, I'm so freaking excited for this room! Also, some of my co-workers threw me a surprise shower at our meeting on Friday... They seriously are the sweetest, and I'm so lucky to work with such an amazing group of people!
Miss anything? Just the usual.... Btw, a few of you reached out after my last post, saying that you were in the same boat as me as far as how I've been feeling about pregnancy, and I so appreciate that! It's so nice to know I'm not alone! Honestly, that is probably my favorite part about blogging and reading other blogs is finding a common ground that you can connect with someone on. ❤️

Movement: Still growing a ninja!

Food cravings? Of course, I spoke too soon last week, when discussing the little man's craving... Popeye's shrimp boxes were a limited time special and they just stopped selling them last week. Go figure! They do have popcorn shrimp boxes which are still really good, but just not the same. 

Anything make you queasy or sick? I've been feeling better in the mornings, as far as nausea and headaches go, so hoping it stays that way!

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Not being able to get comfortable [laying, sitting, standing, you name it], Braxton Hicks contractions

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? Off! I'm not sure if this is due to swelling because of pregnancy, or swelling from my hand getting burned, but they've been off for a few days now. 

Mood most of the time: Pretty good, in terms of feeling more positive than negative. It still comes and goes, but this past week has been good!

Looking forward to: Meeting this sweet baby boy!

Total weight gain: ~38 lbs.

35 Weeks

Messy hair, way to pregnant to care.

How far along? 35 weeks

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes + comfies

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleep hasn't been great. I've been waking up with really bad cramps [I think those are the Braxton Hicks contractions, right?] and unable to fall back asleep or even get comfortable enough to just stay laying down. The bath tub has been my BFF lately!

Best moment this week: I got to spend lots of time with my mini this past weekend, which is always so bittersweet when Jose's working. I love, love, love my time alone with her, but also hate that the three of us aren't together. On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market which was insanely busy. Then we went with my parents out to a local garden center that has all sorts of things for kids to do around Easter. Aurora's favorites are the petting zoo, the gem stone mining, and swinging for days on their swing set. [Last year we got her a trampoline for her birthday, this year it might just have to be a swing set.] Saturday night I wasn't feeling so hot, so Jose played Easter Bunny and set out the baskets and hid the eggs. I so regret not getting any pictures of his set up! I'm all about the presentation when it comes to setting out the gifts, etc. and his was spot on! Yesterday, Aurora and I went to church and then out to brunch with the family and then I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging while she played with her bestie.
Miss anything? Okay, I've been a little hesitant to put this out there, because, well, shamers gonna shame. But, if I'm being completely real here, this pregnancy has made me realize how much I do not enjoy being pregnant. Please don’t misinterpret that as any type of relation to how I feel about being a mother. Because, honestly, there are days where I feel like my sole purpose in life is to be a mom [& wife!]. It’s what I live for. Striving to be an okayer mom [again, & wife] every day is, sometimes, the one thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. But pregnancy itself is just something I’ve never really enjoyed. Even with as smooth as my pregnancy with Aurora was, I just never felt like myself. Anything that felt different about me, I could never figure out if it was just me, or something pregnancy-related, or what. This time around, I have those same feelings, but the added morning sickness I had in the beginning, low energy throughout, constant discomfort, and even some added anxiety. It’s just not fun. That being said, every little flutter this guy makes reminds me of why I’m so willing to go through this and why I would, hands down, go through it one [maybe two??] more times. There is absolutely no amount of pain or discomfort that would make it not worth it to have the gift you get in the end. So. The short answer here would be: I miss feeling like myself. I miss having some energy. I miss being comfortable. Basically the same as it has been in previous weeks. Also, I miss sushi and… cold lunch meat [weird?]. Like, I really want a Jimmy Johns Beach Club. 

Movement: Still growing a ninja!

Food cravings? So I have one month to go and I have finally figured out what it is that this little dude cannot get enough of. Popeye's shrimp boxes! I seriously had it for dinner three times last week and can't seem to get enough! The funny thing is, I hadn't had Popeye's in, like, 7 years. But I've always liked their biscuits [with grape jelly - it's the only way to go] so one night last week we stopped there, I got a shrimp box to go with my biscuits, and I've never looked back!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Still feeling some nausea in the mornings, and headaches have been pretty frequent too. 

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Not being able to get comfortable [laying, sitting, standing, you name it]

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Honestly, pretty good. While energy has still been on the lower side, I swear that the lemon + honey water in the morning really is making a difference. I started it last Wednesday, while my cold was still going strong, and by Thursday I swear it was completely gone! While my body still gets tired from being up and around too much, I feel like my mind is a bit more alert. I'm interested to see what I feel like once I drink it when I'm not pregnant. Also, I have hyperthyroidism, so my energy has always been a bit on the lower end anyway and anything that can give me an extra boost helps!

Looking forward to: Meeting this sweet baby boy!

Total weight gain: ~38 lbs. (I skipped weighing myself for a few weeks, so I was a bit surprised when I was weighed at the doctor the other day and had gained a few lbs!)

Warm Lemon + Honey Water

Totes not my pic. Photo cred here.

Mix hot water, juice from half of a fresh lemon, and a teaspoon of organic, raw honey.

Okay, so I know I'm totally late in this game and most of you have already heard about the amazing benefits of this little concoction. The truth is, I tried drinking warm lemon water about a year ago and it just tasted so awful that I couldn't stick with it. However, yesterday, Pinterest told me to try adding raw honey, which I did this morning, and it's a total game changer! I drank an 8 oz. cup this morning and already feel way more alert than I have the past two days. I know being preggo sucks the energy out of you, but this week I've literally had days where my main focus is on not falling asleep at my desk, so alertness right now is amazing. Also according to Pinterest, other benefits of this drank include:

• Boosts your immune system
• Improves digestion
• Regulates bowel movements (Woohoo!)
• Soothes sore throat
• Slows progress of a cold
• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps improve liver function
• Reduces wrinkles and blemishes

I'll be sure to report back to let you know if I find these to be true, but I know I've read them from multiple sources, so I'm hopeful!

That's all I got for today!
Xoxo

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks - Also known as the week I officially became I waste of space.

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes + comfies

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleep has been good, with the exception of the past two nights, as I've caught a cold that's acting like it wants to stick around for a while. Pregnancy colds = death, basically.

Best Worst moment this week: For the sake of this week, I've re-worded this question. So I came home from work early Friday because this cold is seriously that bad. I made myself some soup, oranges, tea + honey, and slept for a few hours. I finally felt okay enough to sit outside and enjoy a bit of sunshine around 7 pm-ish. Unfortunately, after a crappy night of sleep, I woke up Saturday morning feeling even more awful than the day before. I drank some more tea, lounged around a bit, and decided to make myself some more soup. You guys, I poured the soup into my bowl, went to walk away (apparently too fast) and spilled my CNS all over my hand! No big deal except for the second-degree burn! Seriously, from freaking soup! So, naturally, I had a meltdown. [Which I'm sure Jose found extremely attractive, since crying hysterically while you have a man voice and can't breathe sounds something like a grunting rhinoceros.] As if I wasn't feeling useless enough, being 8 1/2 months pregnant and not being able to breathe, I now have one less hand to use. Pretty sure all I'm capable of at this point is warming up the couch... Except that I can't even get comfortable enough to sit in one spot for that long. Great. I can't even keep the couch warm. All the "poor me" emojis.
Miss anything? Funny that my answer from last week was "Energy! Being comfortable and just being able to breathe!" Little did I know. This cold has taken the whole not being able to breathe thing to a whole other level. Geesh!
Movement: Most current picture of my son:

Food cravings? Still trying [and pretty much failing] at the whole eating healthy bit.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nothing in particular, but still a little nausea in the mornings.

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Still having a hard time getting comfortable, no matter what I'm doing. 

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Aside from this weekend, things have been good. Looking forward to sunshine + warmer temps this week!

Looking forward to: Meeting this sweet baby boy!

Total weight gain: ~30 lbs.

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes + comfies

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good!

Best moment this week: 3-day weekend since Aurora is on Spring Break! Saturday we took her and her bestie to Chicago for a Kid's Expo, and then to IKEA for a few things. I really wanted to go to a zoo on Sunday, as we're trying to squeeze in a few more adventures as a family of three, but any of the zoos I wanted to go to were still closed (or not all of their exhibits were open yet). We went and saw Beauty and the Beast at the theater with the comfy seats, so we all snuggled up together and it was absolutely perfect. On the way home, we stopped at Target and picked up a few hospital bag items, as well as some outfits for our little guy. Then we rented a few more movies and Jose brought down an extra mattress we have, so we spent the rest of the day lounging around. Yesterday, Jose did some serious work in the nursery, while I sat and "managed the project" [which basically consisted of throwing my two cents in every now and again], and Aurora played with the bestie all day. And today is feeling quite like a Monday.

Here's a few pictures from the Kid's Expo. I love the friendship these two share so much!

Yes, those snakes are real and no, I would not go near them. Jose took this pic. I was at least 15 feet away!

Miss anything? Energy! Being comfortable and just being able to breathe!

Movement: Bunches and bunches! [The part of pregnancy that I absolutely love!]

Food cravings? So I taught myself a sneaky little trick this week that I'm pretty proud of. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back. I started keeping a bag of mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels in my desk. This way, whenever I'm tempted to go grab some of the mini Reese cups or any of the other junk that's undoubtedly available in my office at any given time, I eat a few of those and it seems to curb my hankering for sweets. I'm not sure if consuming 2,348,573 mini semi-sweet morsels is much of a win over 10 mini Reese cups, but I like to pretend this pushes me one step closer to a healthy lifestyle.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nothing in particular, but still a little nausea in the mornings.

Gender: Boy

Labor signs: Still having a hard time getting comfortable, no matter what I'm doing. 

Belly button in or out? Out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Mood most of the time: Meh. ⟵ We'll leave it at that. 

Looking forward to: Basically this...

Total weight gain: ~30 lbs.