Bump Update - Week 41

Hey guys... remember when I had a due date last week? That was funny wasn't it. :) So here we are, still pregnant and biding our time. Mom and Ed are doing their best to keep me distracted. 60% of the time I handle things pretty well and I am able to remember that things will happen as they are supposed to happen and everything is fine right now. The other 40% of the time I feel like I'm losing my mind. 

To clarify: it's not because I'm so uncomfortable (although I often am uncomfortable). It's because of hormones, which make me hyper emotional from the anxiety of waiting, and because everyday that passes, I worry I won't have a birth anywhere near the one I've been imagining (please refrain from telling me 'you never have the birth you want,' that is cold comfort and if that were really true I would've just eaten a million things, gained a million pounds, not exercised or eaten any prenatals because 'it's all out of my control' - sorry, I'm a bit keyed up). And then there's the guilt and pressure of not having your baby 'on time' when you have friends and family checking in everyday. Every night Ed, Mom and I go to bed thinking okay this might be it! And then we wake up and I'm still pregnant. It sounds crazy but I feel a bit embarrassed! I'm trying to be relaxed and upbeat, but it's quite hard. 

We've been walking in the nice weather, swimming, having delicious food, watching movies, dancing, reading... doing pretty much all we can to enjoy this extra time. (I know you can't walk a baby out but you can walk a pregnant lady away from going insane) I'm developing a bit of a tan, believe it or not. And by tan I mean a new layer of freckles. 

I can't say enough how wonderful Ed and Mom have been at trying to keep me on an even keel. This must be very frustrating and anxiety inducing for them as well and they've done an amazing job hiding it. There's not much else to say other than the wait continues, so here are some pictures!

My view!

There's always something new to put together it seems - this time it's an Ikea cart for extra storage

De-tagging party after our Ikea run

Come on in, the water's warm! 

The workin' man :)

The cookin' mom!

Lasagnaaaaaaa

Facetime with Kate and Omi!

The cats supervise my yard time from the windows

Huh, seems I have a growth on my midsection...

Our local park for a walk about

Our old local park in Campbell - we trained for the half marathon on this trail!

Family love :)

Stacks for breakfast! Best pancake place I've ever been to.

My cheery flowers from Trader Joe's and the farmers market

Bump Update!

Camera 1... (the glove helps my gestational carpal tunnel)

...Camera 2

How far along? 41 Weeks... how about that.

How Big Is Baby? Well my weight and belly size is the same so... the same baby size?

Sleep: Probably the most frustrating it's been to date. I'm either keeping the 'every 2 hr wake up' standard I've been having, or it shifts to 'every hr.' I'm not a fan of the every hr. I'm definitely taking more naps now.

Best moment this week: Too hard to pick one moment... we've had all these lovely excursions to local parks and enjoyed all the sunshine at the pool. Being outside really helps my mood. 

Movement: We're big fans of stretching out our pointy foot directly into my upper left side. I know I've mentioned it before but it's truly the most consistent movement coming out of this baby. Still squirming and doing our calisthenics in there.

Food cravings/aversions: Having to eat much smaller servings these days... Ed did bring home some girl scout cookies so that was pretty freakin' fantastic and basically all food sounds so amazing to me.

Symptoms: Heartburn came up again... it's been gone for awhile but I guess I truly am out of space now so I have to be careful about how much I eat.

Gender: Which gender is more shy and stubborn? That's the gender that is hanging on in there :)

Belly Button in or out? Totally flat with the occasional outie

What I miss: Right now I'd say I miss sleep. And my old clothes. I've been rotating the same 3 outfits and rockin' a bra and a swaddle at home for most of my days. Mom says I look like the new years baby. I can't wait to put on a pair of jeans again and never see a pair of leggings again. Well, at least until the next pregnancy I guess.

What I am looking forward to: ... Does it even need to be typed? It's gotta happen any moment now... and also really looking forward to Ken, Ck, Emilia and Joe coming into town. Hopefully there will be a baby here for them to see!

Funny moment of the week: Finally going through my pictures on my camera (Mom and Ed have been documenting things) and realizing that every time I asked if mom was taking a picture of me while I was pants-less and she would say 'no' - she was totally lying. There were none appropriate to post on here :)

Labor Signs: Lots of downward pressure, sometimes pretty intense... but other than that... I got nothing.

Weekly Wisdom: Kudos to people who can handle advice with grace, it is certainly a skill. I offer you this slot to insert your advice and wisdom for the week here cause I don't have much guidance on that note.

Milestones: Passing my due date? Is that a milestone? Getting one step closer to making it the 10 days past due date my mom made it with Ck!

And of course, the sweetest kleine Erdbeere:

Bump Update - Week 37

Mostly a good week here! Only downside was someone keyed my car. Boo. First time that's ever happened to me. At least it's a smiley face? :-/

Trying to look on the bright side here. But we also had a company holiday party to attend in San Francisco which was amazing. I've never really been to a party like that. Where I worked before, they had a really nice event at a Caps game which was kind of fun, but it was much smaller scale compared to this. This party was at the Exploratorium and was just... immense. A fantastic band to start, then a great DJ. We could play with all the exhibits during the event. The food was amazing, it was a little bit like being on a Top Chef episode. Cocktail attire was suggested so the outfits really ran the gamut as well, full gowns to dresses that I swear women could only be sewn into and cut out of! I didn't get to take many pictures because I was trying to really enjoy our time there, but here are a few highlights:

As dressed up as one gets 9 months pregnant :)

Makin' good use of that wedding suit :) I approve!

The Exploratorium at Pier 15

This was actually after the event, the rain was coming down allll night long

I can't even remember what this was for but we couldn't resist a picture. If I could've lifted myself up there I would've done the same!

A 'mood lighting' experiment. This blue color made me soooo sleeeepy!

The distortion room

One of the desserts... a truffle space pop? With some sour cherry insides

Clockwise from lower left - a lemon bar, some sort of creme pot with golden raisins, and a peanut butter cup with a chocolate container and crunchy gold topping

I really wish I had taken more food pictures. There was this short rib dish with a side of mashed sweet potatoes. I have been in love with sweet potatoes this pregnancy, so I sent Ed back a couple times just for more servings of that.
Other than that, I finished another 2 books, still working on Dragons. I've got a couple other books I'm working on but nothing is grabbing me yet.

This week we've got lots of exciting stuff on tap - our last birth prep class, my birthday, Valentine's Day, and theoretically, our last group prenatal session before baby comes! Next week's post should be a very good one :) To celebrate Valentine's Day a bit early, treat yourself to the Pentatonix cover of Jesse Ware's "Valentine" (they put out a video but I can't figure out how to load it from youtube - it's on their facebook page currently!):

For now - bump update!

How far along? 37 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 19.25 inches, as long as a bunch of swiss chard, and probably 6ish lbs

Sleep: More of the same here, waking every two hours or so and consistently waking at 3am almost every single night, staying awake for at least an hour and reading my kindle. My midwife said the consistent waking at 3am sometimes indicates when things might go down in the future!

Best moment this week: Hands down the company party. It was just such a fanciful, elaborate event and was nice to revel in being just the two of us, hanging with coworkers and enjoying the evening in the city.

Movement: These days we're still just as active in there, but we've apparently decided that it's more fun to make it hard for me to eat, kicking and punching my insides when I try to eat my meals.

Symptoms: I've been a little irritable... Sometimes it's out of discomfort but most of the time it's out of sheer lack of patience. I feel like all of a sudden my fuse is super short for no reason at all. Otherwise things are about the same with the carpal tunnel and some belly pain from the weight of this little one.

Food cravings/aversions: Meat! This munchkin has me craving bloody steaks and pretty much all kinds of animal products. Unfortunately, I'm still out of room for eating and this baby starts to dance when I eat, which then makes the eating uncomfortable. Bah. 

Gender: I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this with you guys. Counting down the days :)

Belly Button in or out? Half an innie? All of a sudden I've got a little belly button hood going on... does that count as an outie yet?

What I miss: Being without all these aches. They went away for awhile after adding in some magnesium over the past few months, but they seem to be kicking up again. I know it's just late pregnancy woes and I just have to roll with it.

What I am looking forward to: My birthday! I'm a sucker for birthdays. I have no idea why, we're not doing anything crazy this year, but I just enjoy celebrations so much!

Funny moment of the week: Realizing all of the women were the dd's for the holiday party while the men enjoyed the sake and sushi pairings. :) Can't wait to partake in stuff like that again!

Labor Signs: Not really. I did drop a significant bit of weight (nothing scary, just a bit more than what one would consider the normal 5 lbs fluctuation in a day). I looked it up online and several moms said they had that happen in their pregnancies and that labor followed 2-3 weeks after...

Weekly Wisdom: I wish I had more new words here, but just to enjoy the moments because they go by so quickly. I still wake up surprised I'm so far along. I try to envision what this baby will be like and it still feels like I must have more time... that it can't possibly be only 2ish weeks away or so! 

Milestones: Last holiday party? Nothing big this week, I think all our milestones are coming up this week!

And to top it off, a little Emilia and Carolyne cuteness :)

Bump Update - Week 36

These weeks are flying by. It's amazing. It's not even like we're very busy, which is usually when time feels like it's going faster than usual. I'm feeling very pregnant these days and Ed is being more and more helpful. He'll take over when I just can't be on my feet anymore because my back siezes up. He'll have my teas ready when I'm up in the morning. And sweetest of all, he hasn't complained once about all my crazy tossing and turning and waking every two hours. I couldn't be luckier really.

He's holding up really well. I think we're both getting more anxious. Work is going well and so is his health. I think he's ready for this baby to get here to start feeling out our new routines. Last night, I was thinking about how this past year has been the most regimented of my life and how much having a routine has really benefited me. I have to give Ed credit for that. Hopefully, he'll be able to instill some order to the insanity I've heard parenting can be.

Anywho, it's been quiet on the homefront. I've finished a couple more books. None that I'm in love with but I had no idea how deeply entrenched Billy Crystal is in Hollywood, so I enjoyed learning new things about him in Still Foolin' 'Em. Still working on Dance With Dragons, and I've also started up with The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer and Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes. 

 

I've read two of Haynes other books, only one of which really gripped me, but I'd still recommend them for anyone that likes dark thrillers, very much in the vein of Gone Girl, Dark Places, and Sharp Objects. 

Mom is still visiting with my favorite sister and niece and I'm enjoying every facetime session. She's growing so faaaaaast. It's amazing. I keep saying she seems like a 'real' baby now. Noticing more things and really interacting.

Never ceases to get me excited for the coming months. :) Now for the bump!

All black again - this is what 'dressing up' looks like now. Essentially, I just blow dried my hair...

How far along? 36 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? A canary melon, about 5.75 lbs

Sleep: Some nights I'm getting really lucky and only getting up 3 times and still falling back asleep. Some nights I'm up at 3am. On the bright side, I'm getting a lot of reading done in these wee hours.

Best moment this week: Our homevisit from the midwife. Imagining where things may take place and preparing all the last little things. Discussing when to call to say things are happening. Starting to feel verrrrry real.

Movement: This baby feels mighty pointy these days! All elbows and knees or something, always getting my on the soft sides of my belly. No rib kicks, just side activity. And there is certainly no decrease in activity - still as nutty as always.

Symptoms: This carpal tunnel stuff is no fun. I'm glad it's not painful but boy it's annoying to have my hands go all tingly when I'm driving or sleeping or trying to read or even holding my phone up to text.

Food cravings/aversions: Just eatin' less still. No huge cravings. I am really excited for Indian food for my birthday though. 

Gender: My cousin Kate asked me what I would do if the baby came out a different gender than what we're expecting. I said we'd be great because so much of the stuff I have is gender neutral and all the colors of the rainbow. The only pastels I have are hand me downs from Ck. And since we have both names picked out, it'd be an easy accommodation.

Belly Button in or out? I guess we won't be having an outtie here. Just a very shallow innie. No outtie and no linea nigra either.

What I miss: Nothing really this week... Maybe a feeling of calm? I've been a bit more anxious as we get closer and closer to this baby being here with us.

What I am looking forward to: My birthday! I love birthdays :) This will be my last birthday sans baby so I intend on living it up - as much as a giant pregnant lady can... going out for dinner and getting a massage!

Funny moment of the week: At the potluck for the Chinese New Year, two of Ed's coworkers (who are the sweetest), took turns rubbing my belly and yelling at it: "hello baby!" So the baby would recognize their voices when he/she comes out :)

Labor Signs: Nope nope nope. Haven't even had braxton hicks in awhile... all quiet there.

Weekly Wisdom: No big lessons this week. I did find a quotation from my binder of materials from my midwife: "The contractions cannot be bigger than you because they are you." I have no idea why that's speaking to me this week. I'm of two minds about what is and isn't 'you' in terms of your physical being. But when it comes to labor, that's just resonating with me for now. We'll see when the big day comes!

Milestones: Found a pediatrician! I hate phone calls and talking to strangers so I'm proud of myself for sitting down and making progress. I know that will be a big challenge for me as a parent - actually putting myself out there. Gotta do what I gotta do though.

And with that I leave you with a little Emilia for the day! I love to facetime with this cutie :)

Bump Update - Week 30 & 31 on the East Coast!

It would be really silly to try and elaborate on how amazing it was to visit the east coast. There just aren't adequate words for how perfect it felt. I'm just going to post some pictures and hope it captures how grateful I am to be able to visit home, to have Ed in great health, to have such an amazing family and to have friends who are so generous with their lives and share so much time with me. I came home feeling very humbled and thankful for all the moments I had with those that mean so much. I know, I'm a huge sap, and I wish I could blame it on pregnancy, but no, I'm just completely in love with my friends and family! :)

Dinner in Alexandria, picture stolen from Michelle :) 

Emilia's first visit to Omi's house

Next photographable moment was the baby shower. There were several pictures of me opening presents and of the group but I feel like this one present represents my general struggle to open gifts with my belly and the table in the way. It was a wonderful brunch. My friends are way, way too generous. I'm very thankful. Also, I may or may not have had three servings of french toast. We are talking small plates here... but still... I could've eaten another 2 plates. :)

 Ken's birthday was up next! He got some fun things, one of the best being a book for him to read aloud to Emilia and my baby. We were all singing along when prompted, of course.

And then Christmas was upon us before we knew it...

Somebody loooooved her uncle. If ever I felt her fussing, I just walked over to Ed and had him say nice things to her. He seemed to know exactly what to do. Bodes well, yes? :)

Those pictures leave out so many other wonderful moments: karaoke, dinner with Carolyne's close friends, dinner with Ed's close friends in VA, a massage from Laura, Ken's birthday lunch, lunch with Lizzy, dinner with Michelle.... just little moments that didn't get the camera out but were unforgettable nonetheless. I could go on, but this would be the world's longest post. So let's skip to the baby stuff and leave the pictures with a huge, ginormous thank you.

Bump updates! Two weeks in one... 

How far along? 31 Weeks today

How Big Is Baby? Baby feels huge! Simultaneously bumping the top of my belly and my hip joint. Last week we were a 15.7 in cabbage and today we're a 16.25 in group of four navel oranges. I have no idea how they come up with this stuff. My midwife said baby is due for a growth spurt. I don't know where the room is gonna come from....

Sleep: Still waking pretty regularly thanks to bathroom breaks and joint/muscle pain, but I'm mastering this whole zombie functioning in the middle of the night. Guess this is sleep training. May need to invest in a biiiiig body pillow. Poor Ed is getting less and less space as I get bigger and acquire more pillows!

Best moment this week: Just being with family, seeing friends and having people feel my belly. It never happens here so I love when I get my belly rubbed. Seeing Carolyne's face when the baby moved around was just amazing - but seeing Omi's face when she met Emilia was 10 times as amazing.

Movement: What a wiggly worm! Seems the visit home was well timed, because this baby was really ready to show off for everyone. It took awhile at some points but mostly baby was plenty happy to show everyone wiggling talents. All arms and legs in there apparently.

Symptoms: Heartburn has taken a break! Yay! Other than that, I'm just really tired, very frequently. I'm swelling a bit for the first time. My feet were like hot dogs on that flight home. I've been instructed to take more epsom salt baths which should help, and to generally rest. I can get behind that protocol!

Food cravings/aversions: Ice cream. Ice cream of all kinds. All the time ice cream. No aversions anymore but I'm still mostly avoiding pickles and 'stir fry.' 

Gender: Can't believe how soon we'll all find out. 9 weeks is not very long, especially when you consider some women give birth around 38 weeks. That'd be the week after my birthday. Yeesh!

Belly Button in or out? Surprisingly, no developments here. I thought for sure we'd be out by now, but it's still pretty normal looking until I'm on my back.

What I miss: Being able to sit quietly. Lately, no matter what I do, this little one is active all the time and makes it hard to just sit and zen out. If the constant waking during the night is sleep training, this is definitely life training.

What I am looking forward to: Our childbirth prep class starting this week. I feel pretty ready and positive about the whole birth experience, but I also feel like there's an experience worth having in taking a prep class.
 

Funny moment of the week: Walking into moms house with Ed and all my high school friends... so weird to think of us all doing the same thing some 10 years ago for game nights and random get togethers.

Labor Signs: Very infrequent braxton hicks. So weird when those come up... it's like my belly turns into cement!

Weekly Wisdom: If you're lucky enough to have an amazing family and a loving group of friends, do your best to thank them and tell them how much you care for them. Hug them often and never take for granted they know how you feel.  

Milestones:  Ed returns to work this week! He'll be taking it slow but I know he's very eager to try to get back to normal. Most of the visit home felt good for him, aside from standing or sitting for elongated periods, but now he knows he'll need to be aware of that when he's at work and manage his energy accordingly. I'm very happy for him but sad to lose my company here at home. The kitties and I will miss the companionship... and help getting off the couch. :)