32 Weeks

How Far Along:  32 weeks

Baby Size: A squash.

Total Weight Gain: 17lbs at last appointment.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity and non-maternity.

Stretch Marks: Nope.

Sleep:  I get up to pee at least twice a night so that’s a little disruptive.  Nothing like what the baby will be like in the middle of the night so I guess it’s not too bad.

Best Moment of the week: 3D/4D Ultrasound.  It was so cool to see her moving around and making faces.

Miss Anything?: Not really.

Movement:  She had hiccups for the first time J

Food Cravings: No.

Anything Making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs:  No.  I keep waiting for Braxton Hicks contractions but nothing yet.

Symptoms: I’m getting some aches and pains now at work.

Belly Button in or out: Flat.

Wedding Rings on or off: On.

Mood:  Pretty good.  Just a little tired lately.

Looking forward to:  My shower this weekend!!

Exercise: It’s getting hard to workout and work in the same day now so I try to do one or the other.

Pregnancy Must Haves: Update for 3rd Trimester

1. Tums
Heartburn can pop up out of nowhere so I keep these on me at all times.  Doctor says they are just calcium and totally safe.

2.  $25 massages
These places have been popping up all over the place in the last few years.  Shop around because they are not all equal.  Also, make sure they are comfortable working on a pregnant person because usually they are doing reflexology massage and some spots (on the foot) can trigger uterine contractions.  I for one can not afford a bunch of prenatal massages as I prepare for this baby but a 60 minute, fully clothed, reflexology for $25 is totally do-able and you can just walk-in anytime.

3. Hospital Classes
I can not stress enough how much I recommend taking classes, whether at your hospital or elsewhere.  Baby classes have really boosted my confidence in bringing this baby home.  I have felt so clueless about everything from bottles to bras to bathing my child once I get her home.  They really can help you out and answer all of your questions about products and baby care.  We are only part of the way through our classes (we are taking breastfeeding, baby care, and childbirth) and have already learned so much.  Advice from friends and family is valuable but can vary widely and can sometimes be outdated.  The internet can be overwhelming.  I'm not saying that the teacher of my classes does everything right but it's a great start with all the info in one place.  Then, once we get her home and see how she is, we can decide what is best for us and for Blake.

4. Water, water, water
So far I am not all bloated and puffy and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible.  Staying comfortable is key to surviving these last few weeks.  I am drinking a ton of water and trying to keep my salt intake down.

30 Weeks

How Far Along:  30 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of a cucumber. (really? This is bigger than an eggplant?)

Total Weight Gain: Don’t know.  I have an appointment next week.

Maternity Clothes: Squeezing into what I can.  It might be time for a few new summer items.

Stretch Marks: Still no.  Apparently she is going to double in height and triple in weight in just a few months so we’ll see.

Sleep:  I’m sleeping well but Cody has been getting me up a few times a night. I don’t know what this new thing is about, maybe just too hot for him right now.

Best Moment of the week: Kyle was laying his head on my belly, talking to Blake and she put her hand/foot/head/butt/?/some body part right up against his cheek and held it there.  So cute.

Miss Anything?: No.

Movement:  She is so strong now.  My belly gets so lopsided and I can see kicks and rippling across my belly.

Food Cravings: No.

Anything Making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs:  No.

Symptoms:  Calf cramps at night that are really not a big deal.  I just stretch them out and they go away.  My limbs also go to sleep much quicker than they used to.  If I sit too long in one position I get all tingly.

Belly Button in or out: Flat.

Wedding Rings on or off: On.

Mood: Fantastic.  I keep saying I love being pregnant and how I feel so great and people just shake their heads and say…Just wait.  Ok, ok I get it.  I will become more uncomfortable as time passes but, you know what? Maybe this pregnancy just agrees with me.  Maybe, since I’ve made it to almost 2 months out and I still feel good, it really won’t be that bad.  Even if I wake up tomorrow and feel terrible I got 7 ½ months that were great.

Looking forward to:  My shower.  I got a sneak peek when I saw the invitation and it is going to be so adorable.  I have such talented and creative ladies in my life J

Exercise:  I have been taking long walks and doing light resistance and weight training.  I feel so much better on the days that I work out.  I have so much more energy for work.  It’s worth it just for that because I’m getting to be a little bit slower at work.  Funny: The younger (teenage) boys at work are cracking me up.  I swear they walk behind me in case I might fall.  The kitchen floor gets slippery and they are constantly salting it so I won’t slip.  If someone even nudges me they flip out.  It’s cute but I keep trying to tell them my baby is fine and even if I fall it will most likely be okay J.  On the flip side, (some) customers don’t even notice I’m pregnant and have no problem impatiently waiting/sighing when it takes a minute for me to bend over and pick something up that they dropped.

Master Bedroom

Slowly, we are getting the new house together.  We really have to work with what we have and get creative since we don't have a lot of extra money.  Here is where we are with the master bedroom and I think it will be staying like this for a while.  I really like the calm soothing quality it has.

Summer BBQ Recipes

I saw these recipes on TV the other day and quickly wrote it all down.  I'm not sure if I got all of the ingredient amounts correct but it turned out great so I guess it doesn't matter.  Here's what I made:

Shrimp Skewers
Marinade:

• 1tbs lemon juice
• 2tbs chili sauce
• 2tbs honey
• 1/3c vegetable oil
• 1/4tsp of Chinese 5 Spice
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 2tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 2tbs green onion, finely sliced

Mix all ingredients of the marinade together and stir in peeled and deveined shrimp and let them marinade for an hour or two in the fridge.  Soak wooden skewers in water while shrimp marinade so that they don't burn on the BBQ.  

Throw on the BBQ when you are ready to eat because these cook in about 2 minutes on each side.  Be careful not to overcook because shrimp will get rubbery. 

Corn on the Cob with Ancho Chili Lime Butter
Oil the corn and put directly on the grill.  These take the longest of anything to cook so put them on first.
Ancho Chili Lime Butter:

• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 3 big pinches of Ancho Chili Powder
• a few drizzles of honey
• zest of one lime

Stir together and spread on the warm corn when it is finished cooking.  This is sooo good :)

**I don't have a picture of this one.

Grilled Veggie Salad

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: 

• equal parts white wine vinegar & olive oil
• about 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• about 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper 

Shake together and taste to see if you need to tweek any of the ingredients.

Roughly chop veggies to grill on the BBQ.  I used red onions (cut in discs), asparagus (whole), corn (whole), zucchini (cut in half), red bell pepper (quartered). Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper and put on the grill.  They cook pretty fast so keep an eye on them.  When they are done, chop into bite size pieces (cut corn off the cob) and add to spring mix greens.  Toss with honey mustard dressing and serve while the veggies are still warm. 

28 Weeks

The 3^rd Trimester.  WoooHooo, I’m in the home stretch now.

How Far Along:  28 weeks

Baby Size: About the size of an eggplant.

Total Weight Gain: 13lbs at last appointment but I’m in between right now.

Maternity Clothes: My selection is getting more limited now.  I can’t squeeze into some of the things I could last month J

Stretch Marks: Still no.

Sleep:  I’m sleeping well but I get heartburn at night so I have to sleep on 2 pillows.

Best Moment of the week: Getting the all clear on my glucose test.

Miss Anything?: Sushi.

Movement:  She’s kicking me in the ribs lately.  It might be getting cramped in there for little Blakey.

Food Cravings: No.

Anything Making you queasy or sick: No.

Gender: Girl.

Labor Signs:  No.

Symptoms:  Nesting like crazy.

Belly Button in or out: Flat.

Wedding Rings on or off: On.

Mood: Good.  I’m still feeling great.

Looking forward to:  Completing the nursery.  Putting it all together has been so fun J

Exercise:  Lower impact now but I’m still working out as much as I can. Scary Moment: About 10 days before my last appointment I found a breast lump.  I have never had anything like that so I didn’t know what to think.  I called the doctor to see if I should come in sooner or wait until my appointment.  They said “oh it’s probably nothing, you can wait.”  At my appointment, my doctor said “well it’s probably just a cyst but let’s have an ultrasound just in case.  It won’t be anything, don’t worry.”  I made my appointment at the breast center and they took me into the room and the tech said “ok the doctor will come in to do the ultrasound but don’t worry, it’s probably nothing.”  The doctor came in and did the scan for about two seconds and said “well it’s not a cyst, it’s a solid mass. Do you mind if we do a biopsy today?”  I said “no but can you go get my husband in the waiting room?”  She says, “well ok I guess I can allow it but some husbands make things worse and I don’t want him fainting.”  WTF? My husband is an EMT.  He sees blood and guts daily and I would like to take a breath for a minute and talk to him.  They did the biopsy, which isn’t too invasive but does include a titanium clip/marker being permanently inserted and a big hole and bruise left behind.  Mostly, it is the overwhelming feeling of HOLY SHIT what am I going to do if this is cancer and I’m pregnant.  I can’t treat it the way you normally would, I can’t take care of this baby and be sick, I can’t leave Kyle with all of this burden on him.  After the doctor was done and bandaged me up she said, “ok we should know in about 2 days so just don’t think about it.  Needless to say, Kyle and I had a long night and they actually called me the very next day with the results.  It is a lactating adenoma.  Basically a pregnancy related, tumor in the milk duct and it is benign.  They are not normal, but they aren’t exactly rare either.  My OB called me a few days after to see if I got the results and she sounded surprised by the whole situation.  I love that once she heard about it she called to check in and see that I was ok.  I really do love my doctor.  On the other hand, if I did turn out to have a malignancy, I would have been shopping around at the breast center for another doctor.  In the end it turned out ok and Kyle and I had the best possible anniversary weekend with extra things to celebrate J

Our 1st Anniversary

I can't believe it's been a year already!  They say the 1st year is the hardest and if that is true, we are in for for a pretty amazing life.  I am so lucky to have found the most loving, supportive, generous, handsome man to be my best friend and partner for the rest of my life.

We have had the most fantastic newlywed year.  It's been busy and exciting and we feel so fortunate for everything we have been blessed with this year.  Most of all Baby Blake who we can't wait to meet this September.  Kyle is going to be such a great dad!

To celebrate, we are headed down to Del Mar for a weekend getaway at L'Auberge Del Mar where we were married.  I can't wait to get down there and relive all those wonderful memories we made the last time we were there.