36 weeks!! Just one more month!

Honorable mentions/Updates: ;)

Swelling: Went shopping with a dear friend last week and was up and down out of the car and walking a lot for about 5 hours straight! And my feet did not swell! :) they were extremely sore afterwards but no swelling. And I made sure to stay hydrated! Got home, and sat down on the couch because even though my feet and ankles were not swollen, my feet were very sore haha! My toes looked a little chubby so I think they were a little swollen but not bad! :) so happy about that!

My belly skin has only just now begun to feel itchy. Probably because I haven't been as diligent with applying the cocoa butter belly cream that I usually put on at night. Need to get back to doing that! And maybe start putting it on in the mornings too. If I can remember... I usually zombie-ish in the mornings and stumble around. Even getting out of bed, I look like an unfortunate turtle on its back!

My mommy comes to visit very soon so she can be here for the birth! I'm so excited! She's never been here before and I can't wait to show her around! I am so excited to see her in that role of "grandma" and also have her with me as I labor and deal with the emotional side of childbirth. Because I'm really freaking out on the inside about it! She's a wonderful mommy to me. She has always been an amazing caretaker of her family. And she will be here to take care of me! I'm so blessed I get to call her "Mommy" and that she will be the grandma of our son! I admire her more than I let her know.

I finally got my Fall decorations out!! It's my favorite season and I want to take advantage of this season as much as possible before baby arrives and also before Christmas approaches rapidly because then the Christmas decor comes out :) As a kid, I always dreamed of having my own household to decorate in festive stuff around the holidays ;)

My in-laws will be here to spend Thanksgiving with us!! Really, they're just coming to spend time with their grandson ;) but we are kind of part of that "package deal" that they have to accept :D jk. We are so excited to be with family on Thanksgiving! We spent last year's Thanksgiving with our "Army family" but having real family will be so great too! And this is a great time for them to see "Harry" for their first time instead of having to wait until we go home for Christmas.

Daniel insists he has gained weight because of this pregnancy. Which might be true because I do make him eat when I want to eat lol which is more often than we are used to. But I feel like a big, fat pig if I'm eating alone so I make him want to eat something too and he's a sweetheart so he obliges me! :) but really, if you just look at him, he does NOT look like he has gained any weight! And I'm not just saying that because I love him! Even our pastor made a comment about how he looks like I don't feed him lol!

Daniel is now traveling more with his job, which has left me finding myself extremely unmotivated around the house, ha!

Hospital bags are a work in progress. At least I've started them...

It still does not feel real that we are going to be having a baby! That this baby is eventually going to call me "mommy". I definitely feel pregnant!! But the reality that we are going to have another human in our home is not real...yet.

How far along?: 36 weeks and 1 day.

How big is baby?: Big...jk! "Harry" is about 18.75 inches long - roughly the size of a Crenshaw melon. Weighing about 5.75 lbs!

Morning sickness?: Nah. Just bad heartburn at night. :/

Cravings?: Grapes! And blueberries. And honey graham cereal and cinnamon toast crunch cereal!

And I have been "craving" to go swimming...

Aversions?: Orange juice!!

Mood swings?: I've been grumpy. Knowing Daniel is leaving makes me grumpy... I'm really bad at this Army wife stuff.

Weight gain/loss?: 125.2! Hoping to keep it here! No more pounds to be gained. Please.

Eating?: Haven't been eating a lot because it's uncomfortable.

Wedding ring on or off?: On and off. I take them off some days...my knuckle is fatter but my finger is still normal size. I can tell, because there is no indent of where the rings sit on my finger ;)

I got a cheap set from Walmart for $8.88 to wear on "chubby-knuckle-days" ;)

Maternity clothes?: Yuppp!

Stretch marks?: Same two are still there! One of them is increasing in size and hurting really bad!! And sometimes, Tobalkai jumps on me and scrapes it because it is on the front of my belly :(

Still none on the sides of my belly :) *knocks on wood*!

Sleep?: Not so great...

Best moment this week?: Daniel came home from AZ :)

Movement?: Yes!

Labor signs?: No!

Happy or moody most of the time?: Moody. Mostly because of Daniel's job taking him away :/

What I miss?: Lack of heartburn.

What I am looking forward to?: No more heartburn ;P

Milestones?: Making it into my "4th trimester" as Daniel likes to call it ;) lol!

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Having heartburn makes me queasy and I feel like I'm going to throw up any minute!

Saturday, I woke up feeling very sick - sore throat, runny nose, nauseous.

Upcoming appointments/events?: Chiropractor appointment on Thursday!

A program on post called MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) is available to mommy's on post from the time of conception! We meet every Thursday morning for fellowship and last week was the first week for this season :) I'm excited to meet more mommies and fellowship with them all. Getting to know them better and making memories together.

Bump picture?:

35 week update!

How far along?: 35 weeks and 1 day.

How big is baby?: Measuring about the size of a honeydew melon. ~18 inches long and ~5.25 lbs! And it sure does feel like it. ;)

Morning sickness?: Nope :) just feeling pain in my abdomen in the mornings but no nausea. Threw up last night though...had the chills and back pain.

Cravings?: Sour patch kids...

Aversions?: Nope.

Mood swings?: Mer! Maybe...

Weight gain/loss?: I'll find out on Thursday at my OB appt. Update: 125.2 lbs!!!! Holy lots-of-pounds. I am at my heaviest of my life! And with the holidays closely following the arrival of "Harry", it's going to be double the work to get his baby weight off! But I'm soooo ready :)

Eating?: I've been eating a little less this week. Probably because I'm more uncomfortable because I'm bigger, therefore, I feel full sooner.

Wedding ring on or off?: On. But they got tight one day and then fingers went back to normal :)

Maternity clothes?: Uh, yes!

Stretch marks?: Still two :(

Sleep?: Nights continue to not be great so I nap during the day, if I have time.

Best moment this week?: I had a pretty uncomfortable weekend and Daniel took great care of me :)

Movement?: Yes, of course!! :) one of these days, I hope to get a great video clip to post.

Labor signs?: No!

Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy but emotional. Daniel and I were joking around and he poked my toes, which are very sensitive, and I told him to stop because it hurt. Mind you, I'm laughing this whole time which is making Daniel laugh! I started to cry......yes, cry. He stopped immediately and asked why I was crying and all I could do was say, "I don't knowwww!!...I shouldn't be crying!" And I continued to laugh uncontrollably! Definitely a funny pregnant moment - poor Daniel! Haha! 

What I miss?: Having room in the house...baby stuff continues to take over!!

What I am looking forward to?: Seeing Daniel be a daddy :)

Milestones?: Less than a month and a half to go!! Unbelievable.

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Was sick last night. Really sick!

Upcoming appointments/events?: OB appointment on Thursday but Daniel is going to miss it :(

Bump picture?:

34 weeks. 6 weeks to go...

This past week, we've enjoyed being a little more lazy than usual.
We attended childbirth and breastfeeding classes.
And, we have gotten a few things done around the house.
But only a few...
My mommy will be coming into town next month and we are so excited for her to visit for almost a month and be here for the birth of baby "Harry"! :)
Along with my mom's visit, my dad will fly in for a few days as well!

Emotionally, I have been terrified of the birthing/labor process.
But with the childbirth and breastfeeding classes, I feel that the knowledge the instructors shared have begun to make me a little more comfortable! A little.
I am still scared and anxious, but I am also excited. I'm excited to see how I do (haha!) in labor, and I'm excited to have my mom and Daniel by my side through it all! I'm excited to see Daniel in that role of being my labor partner/coach and, then, becoming a father! And, duh, I'm so excited to be holding our baby boy!!

Questionnaire originally written on Thursday but completely forgot to post :/

How far along?: 34 weeks and 3 days.

How big is baby?: Weighing about 4.75 lbs and measuring about 18 inches long, "Harry" is about the size of a cantaloupe!!!!

Morning sickness?: Yes!! I have been nauseous almost everyday this past week...

Cravings?: Juice and/or popsicles.

Aversions?: Nah.

Mood swings?: Yupp!

Weight gain/loss?: Probably more than I want!...haven't been to the dr this week to find out.

Eating?: Same as last week.

Wedding ring on or off?: On. Had to take off once this week because my hands were hot and swollen from this Texas heat.

Maternity clothes?: Well definitely.

Stretch marks?: Two! Right by my belly button......

Sleep?: Still loving naps ;) I have a difficult time getting comfortable and falling asleep.

Best moment this week?: Daniel bought me a special gift :) A Silhouette Cameo!

We are going to be able to use it together and I'm very excited. While gift-giving is not our love language, this gift is very exciting because it is going to present many fun projects we can do together which will be great quality-time!

We also took Toblakai to an event that our community was having, called Puppypalooza. It was held at a park and they opened up the pool for just the dogs! Toblakai LOVES the water. And he certainly loved the day at the park and he was exhausted even before we left!

We also went to Home Depot to get some cheap PVC piping to make a little obstacle course of the sort, in our backyard. Toblakai does great at it and he gets really excited when we take him out there to "work".

Movement?: Yes, of course!! :) one of these days, I hope to get a great video clip to post.

Labor signs?: No!

Happy or moody most of the time?: I think Happy :) 

What I miss?: Chili's raspberry margarita.

What I am looking forward to?: Bringing home baby :)

Milestones?: Hmm...not sure.

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Laying down makes me very queasy. And I get heartburn.

Upcoming appointments/events?: Events? Daniel leaves on business next week :(

Appointments? One next week while Daniel is gone :(

33 week update.

How far along?: 33 weeks and 3 days.

How big is baby?: 17 inches! About the size of a pineapple. Mmm, now I'm craving pineapple. And weighing about 4.25 lbs.

Morning sickness?: Nope :)

Cravings?: Oreos and popsicles. And really cold drinks!!

Aversions?: Nah.

Mood swings?: Yep...

Weight gain/loss?: 122.8! Oh gosh...

Eating?: Eating fine. And watching my sugar intake more closely, for the most part.

Wedding ring on or off?: Still on. Got a little tight the other day but then the swelling went down after about 30 minutes. It was kind of weird.

Maternity clothes?: Majority of the time, yes! Especially pregnancy pants.

Stretch marks?: None...yet!

Sleep?: Same...uncomfortable almost all night!

Best moment this week?: We got a lot done around the house :)

Movement?: All the time!! :) Right now, as a matter of fact lol.

Labor signs?: Nothing new to report, at the moment.

Belly button - in or out?: Very much out. And this question can now be taken off, seeing as how the belly button is not going to go back in until "Harry" arrives lol!

Happy or moody most of the time?: Pretty moody :/ Sorry Daniel...

What I miss?: Laying down being the most comfortable. Now it is closely the least comfortable position, ever.

What I am looking forward to?: Birthing classes and breastfeeding classes I will be attending this month! Hope I don't forget before October comes around ;)

Milestones?: Making it to September!

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Laying down.

Upcoming appointments/events?: Childbirth classes and breastfeeding class this week and next week.

Bump picture?:

This is the closest thing to a "bump pic" that I took this week:

I was sitting on the couch and realized just how much it was poking out!! And then I "sucked it in" to see the difference, ha!

Other updates:

• Feet haven't swelled up yet.
• I can still run. But I don't...
• The discomfort is often but it is not daily, so I'm thankful for that!
• Braxton Hicks are sometimes so uncomfortable that I walk with a hunch. But they do not last long. Daniel laughs at me every time.
• I've started going to a Chiropractor, whom is also pregnant (and cute as a button, I might add!). And she will adjust baby for free for his first year :) The sciatica on my left side has decreased significantly!
• My left lower back has really started to hurt. When I sit for long periods of time and/or standing and walking. Also, the pain sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night. But visiting the Chiro has really helped already!
• When I flex my "abs", my belly moves. When I laugh, my belly moves. When I do anything, my belly moves. And people wonder why pregnant women feel fat!
• I'm terrified of the water breaking process. Also terrified of labor. Childbirth classes are great but have scared me half to death at the same time.