32 Weeks - Luda Bean Edition

Well, well, well, Luda Bean and I had quite the day yesterday. I'm not sure if it was something I ate or a little late onset morning sickness, I've been waking up nauseous every day for about a week, but I spent the morning in the bathroom starting at 0530 and was unable to keep anything down for most of the day. Thankfully Em was such a sweet girl and sat and played with her toys and watched Disney so I could rest as much as possible and try and drink fluids. I woke up this morning and was still pretty dehydrated, but I was able to make it to an OB appointment and the baby and I are both doing great.  My blood pressure was perfect, Luda Bean's heartbeat was nice and strong, in the 130s, and I measured right on track at 32 weeks. Needless to say I am glad to be back to my normal self and do not recommend a GI bug to anyone, let alone someone who is nearly 8 months pregnant! I know there were several people praying for me and I am so thankful because the prayers were heard and the Lord had me up and moving like normal by mid-morning, enjoying time with friends this afternoon and evening, and is continuing to keep our sweet boy or girl safe and growing healthy in my belly.

Along: 32 weeks, 1 day

My round belly makes the perfect seat for big sister!

Size: Over the last two weeks our baby has been growing, growing and since we will be hitting a growth spurt here soon, things are not going to slow down. Luda Bean can now move his/her head from side to side and those arms and legs are plumping up which explains all the strong movements we have been feeling. All the kicks and rolls are just signs of a healthy growing baby, so with each one I am thankful that everything seems to be going just as expected in there. Baby is weighing roughly 3 3/4 pounds and measuring 16.7 inches long and should gain about 1/2 pound a week from here on out. Baby has toenails, fingernails and could even have a full head of hair or peach fuzz already!

I'm really pulling off the whole, "smuggling sporting equipment," look. (32 weeks, 1 day.)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Real talk - I've gained more than I wanted to at this point in my pregnancy. With that being said I am up 26 pounds and will more than likely gain at least a pound a week from here on out, putting me at a total of 35 pounds give or take by the end. This is of course still considered a healthy number. If anything it just means that I am going to have to work harder to get back to where I started, but I'm hoping with double the motivation I will be able to get there, slowly maybe, but surely. Staying healthy for me, my hubs and my kiddos!

Gender: The anticipation is building! I really would not be surprised either way, which I think is a good thing. If I go in with that train of thought there will be no shock or let down. Not that there would be anyway. We just want a happy, healthy baby and Mommy at the end of delivery day!

Movement: I feel like Bean is kicking it up a notch. I pretty much can feel him/her moving at any given time throughout the day and I have woken up in the middle of the night only to feel our little Miss or Mister rolling around in my belly. I guess he or she is getting me used to those early morning wake-ups already!

Sleep: I've been pretty tired these last two weeks. Em has been on a kick of waking up at 0530 every morning. I keep hoping that it is a phase, but she seems to like the early morning wake-ups. Thankfully she has continued to be a good napper and is given me 2-3 hours in the afternoon to rest; most of that time I have spent napping myself here lately. 

Cravings: I love sweets and I need more coffee. Confession: I have been drinking coffee this pregnancy. With Em I was proud of myself and I cut it out completely in the first trimester and then slowly reintroduced it back into my diet. This go around, I have been allowing my self the guilty pleasure 3-4 times a week. I try not to drink it everyday, but it has definitely been hard because I have  been more tired than I was with Em. I've also started to get headaches when I don't drink it and I feel like I'd rather had a cup of coffee in the morning than go to bed with a headache and wake up with the same headache. 

Symptoms: My right leg is still giving me trouble. Between the spider vein/varicose vein that is forming on my shin and then occasional shooting pains of sciatica, this baby is definitely showing love to the right side of my body. Trying to rest, put up my legs and wearing compression socks are all on my list of things to do to help alleviate these symptoms, but rest and having a lovable, squeezable, ball of energy for a toddler, just don't mix. So I rest when I can and enjoy the chaos when I can't.

Best Moment of the Week(s): We had our BabyQ the Saturday before the holiday. It was a rainy day, but everything went perfectly; a small get together to celebrate our growing family. We are so blessed by all the love and support we have from family and friends. Luda Bean, you are one loved little guy/girl. Here are a few pictures from the "shower" day. 

The rain came down, but thankfully our party planners were prepared! Plus our girl knows how to dance in the rain!

Just over 30 weeks pregnant here.

"Prep" for # 2: Well Em has a big girl bed! Sleeping in it has not been successful, yet, but it is in kids room and it is so cute when she does decided to snuggle with her stuffed animals in it. The first night we put it in her room we tried to lay her in it for bedtime and it was a disaster! She screamed like we were leaving her alone in a foreign country. However, a few nights later she fell asleep in her car seat on the way home from a friend's house and we were able to successful transfer her to her big girl bed and she slept in it all night. Shawn, however, did not sleep. His remark was, "I feel like she is a newborn again. I'm so worried about her." Needless to say, we left the door open and set up roadblocks in the hallway as well as a nice safety cushion around her bed in case she fell out. She looked so little in that big girl bed and it was just another reality check, that time is flying by! We've also reorganized the kiddos clothes and I've washed and put out all the gender neutral apparel that we already have for Luda Bean to reuse. I was shocked at the amount of clothing we had accumulated in just 19 months! If Bean is a girl, there will certainly be no need for clothes, that is if we can make the seasons work!

Goals for the Next 2 Weeks:

Finish thank-you notes from our BabyQ.

Stay as active as possible with out overdoing it; hoping for 10 miles a week.

Finish reading "Sacred Marriage" and start "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters." 

 (Shawn read this book a while back and asked me to read it too.)

Finish up the Kiddos room. 

Watch, "The Happiest Baby on the Block" as a refresher for what's to come. 

Enjoy time, just the 3 of us.

Happy Friday and a Happy Early 19 Month Birthday to our baby girl!