The Bean Bump: Weeks 34/35/36ish

{week 36}

Week: Welcome month 9!

Bean Size: You're a big melon! or soccer ball. Thanks to Justin and Karen, we've got your Mexico soccer outfit ready to go for the next World Cup. 

Total Weight Gain: At my last visit I was up to 31 lbs. So far, so good. I have another appointment next week, so we'll see where I'll be then. 

Maternity Clothes?: Yes. There should also be such thing as maternity shoes because I'd be all over those puppies. I guess sandals can probably fall under that category. 

Sleep: Lots. I've been sleeping great! I've got the pillows handled and I'm not getting up at all during the night. I do wake up thinking I might have to go, but I'm able to make it until about 8 am before my bladder tells me it's time to get up. I'm truly enjoying my sleep. 

Movement: The bean's favorite thing to do as of late is stick her booty on my right side with her feet stabbing/kicking me in the ribs on the same side. It's hard for me to get comfortable when she's doing this. I always pat her booty and kindly urge her to move over a bit. She doesn't always agree. 

What I Miss: Walking up little hills without losing my breath and sushi. The hubby and I already have plans to have sushi with daddy man once the bean arrives. Daddy man (my dad. Eric will be daddy man III since my brother beat him to the title of daddy man II) hasn't had sushi for at least a year since he's been in Guatemala and obviously I've been preggers. We're eagerly anticipating Baby J's arrival for many reasons!

Status of the Button: It's not going anywhere. I did recently notice the extent to which is has stretched because the part of my piercing that used to be in the inside of the button is now on the outside. But, the button is still IN!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Smelling my baby girl and dressing her in girly clothing. 

Best Moment this Week: Being showered with love from our wonderful friends! The bean received so many wonderful gifts. She's spoiled already. Someone giving up their seat for me on the train was very nice too. Completing our HypnoBirthing classes that we loved. We feel a lot more prepared and super duper excited to meet our little girl. Our friends having their beautiful baby girl (and our bean's bestie)! I can't wait to meet her in person. 

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: I feel wonderful! I'm a little swollen all over, but it doesn't bother me much. My hair has been so dry lately. I've tried four different products to help me control the crazy frizzy mess on my head. I just got a new one today, we'll see if it works. 

Bean Milestones: Sweetie pie, you are almost fully cooked! Your full-time job now is to pack on more of those fatty pounds. 

Food Cravings: The usual characters: watermelon, sugar, and iced tea. I'm back to berries, too. 

How's the Rice?: He's amazing! I'm so very fortunate. I can't wait for him to meet the bean because I know he's going to be a wonderful daddy. I have noticed his level of excitement growing and his interactions with my belly becoming more frequent. I think we're all ready to meet her...in a few more weeks. 

Tid Bits: The bean's nursery is basically finished! There were some things I needed like a changing pad, diaper pail, and random bits and pieces, but they are now in position. Last night I organized the binder with our paperwork such as the birth plan(s), scripts for relaxation, breastfeeding info, postpartum, and misc. things. The bean's hospital bag is ready to go and I'm still working on mine. There are still a lot of other things I'd like to get done and I know I have time, but I'm not a procrastinator and I rather have them finished in order to provide myself a sense of calm as the big day approaches. 

The Bean Bump: Weeks 32/33

{view from above}

{the Boo shot}

{week 33 = large bump}

Week: Making our way through week 33. 

Bean Size: You're a cantaloupe this week! That sounds smaller than what you were before. Either way, they say you're close to 20 inches and about 5 lbs. woo hoo. 

Total Weight Gain: 28 lbs. I'm hoping to not get over 35 lbs. So at this point, I'm good. Yet, if I did go over...eh, I don't care. It's all for the baby.

Maternity Clothes?: I'm soooo happy that it's finally warm enough to wear dresses. I've worn a dress almost every day this week. I had to buy some new ones at Ross. 

Sleep: The same as last time. I've got the pillows in place. I currently use 3, which includes the one for my head.  One of my hips still hurts every morning, but once I get moving, it quickly feels better.

Movement: Lots and lots of rolling. She especially loves to move while her daddy is reading her a story. 

What I Miss: Nothing right now. I'm a very content pregnant lady. 

Status of the Button: Totally IN! 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Finding out who the bean looks like once she's born. 

Best Moment this Week: The super sweet baby shower thrown by my friends and co-workers and knowing that the school year ends on Friday, sorta. I have some textbook training and planning time scheduled next week. But, no teenagers! Oh, taking our maternity pictures with our awesome photographer. She was so wonderful and very creative. I absolutely love the sneak peeks. See below!!!!

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: I feel great! Aside from the swollen feet and ankles there is absolutely nothing terrible going on with this pregger. I have the back pain and the somewhat uncomfortable sleeping, but I am extremely thankful there is nothing worse going on with me. I've still got lots of energy and I enjoy long walks (on mostly flat surfaces) in the afternoons. The bump is BIG. No stretch marks!

Bean Milestones: Little bird, the books say you're growing and growing and are now limited on space. There's less amniotic fluid in there and more baby! I can tell because it's no longer jabs, kicks, and punches. It's now rolls and tumbles.  Hey, there you go. 

Food Cravings: Watermelon. I cannot get enough. I wish I had some right now. I think a walk over to Whole Foods may be in order the next hour. 

How's the Rice?: He's great. At the baby shower thrown by my co-workers we received many new books (since we're the English department!) and the hubby and I have been so excited to read a different one every night this past week. One of our favorites is a beautifully drawn book with short stories about a little wombat. It's very very cute. During one of our nightly walks I mentioned that we were in the "single-digits" and the hubby was very confused by this comment. He asked me what I meant and I explained that we've been under ten weeks until we meet the bean. He replied with a simple, "Oh." and a surprised look on his face. It may be sinking it for him now. 

Tid Bits: Here's a sneak peek at our maternity session!

{I had to edit this one a little. She has a name, but we're not telling...yet.}

The Bean Bump: Weeks 30/31

{week 30}

{week 31}

{the toes. I had to put the camera pretty far out to capture this one}

Week: Movin' and shakin' in week 31! 

Bean Size: This week chiquita, you're the size of a large head of lettuce. It says you're about 18 inches and 3.2 lbs. Keep going! 

Total Weight Gain: I'll find out for sure on Tuesday. I haven't weighed myself since my last dr. visit 5 weeks ago, so I'm sure I'll be in for a surprise. 

Maternity Clothes?: How can it be that my maternity tops are getting tighter in the chest and shorter. They must have shrunk. I've been forced to do some more shopping because I can't look like a slob or a pregnant hooker at work. 

Sleep: I believe my body is getting me ready for the long nights with the beanette. I'm waking up often (pretty much any time I switch sides) or when I get a cramp in my leg. I also feel like an old lady getting up in the morning; my hips hurt and I have to roll back and then quickly push myself forward in order to get out of bed. nice. There's also some grunting involved. sexy.

Movement: Most definitely! The past few weeks she's been getting the hiccups a lot! I can feel them down really low and they sometimes tickle me. We like to play games like, "I poke you, you poke me back" and "This feels like daddy's hand, I'll stop moving like crazy now." 

What I Miss: Not visiting the toilet every half hour, or at least it feels that way. Every liquid I drink feels like it's passing right through me and my itty bitty squished bladder. I wouldn't mind so much if I could get up and go to the restroom whenever I please, but I can't. I'm looking forward to the end of the school year just so I can relieve myself without a time limit. Only 14 more days!

Status of the Button: It's still definitely in. I don't think this one is coming out. 

What I'm Looking Forward to: Kissing and snuggling my baby. I cannot wait to meet her!

Best Moment this Week: Picking the red ring out of a box at the children's store and thus getting 40% off the Ergo carrier I was buying! score! My brother texting a message telling me that he can't wait to meet our daughter because he's looking forward to being an uncle. How cute is that!? 

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: I feel like the belly is much bigger than what it looks like in the pictures. My back hurts...not fun. But, I found that sitting and rolling my hips around on the exercise ball really helps.  My uterus is making it's way up to my chin. So that may be an exaggeration, but for the first 29 or so weeks, my bump was pretty low. I definitely had a gap (or a look at my normal stomach) between my breasts and my bump, but I feel that is almost no longer there. It's all bump now and it's still really far down. I could never really wear low-riding jeans during my pregnancy because my bump is soo low. I'd need some special super-duper-low-riding-hide-the-poody-and coin-slot-pants. I don't think those exist.

Bean Milestones: Baby J, they say you're running out of room in there and that you're fattening up for momma. You're also working out that bladder in preparation for all the diapers daddy and I will be changing. Keep growing little one!

Food Cravings: Sugar! My goodness. I've always been good at allowing myself only one sweet treat a day, but it has gotten really hard to do that lately. I am so weak. I'm blaming it on Baby J. 

How's the Rice?: Soo cutie and busy. We both felt like the past week went by sooo slow, especially since the hubby didn't get much of a weekend last week. He had to work almost all weekend. boo. We're looking forward to a three-day weekend and time with friends by the pool. 

Tid Bits: We saw the "Babies" movie today and I really enjoyed it. It was super sweet. cute, and funny at times. It was a nice contrast to the hubby's pick from last weekend, "Iron Man: 2." I don't think the bean enjoyed Iron Man at all. She would not stop kicking and punching me throughout the entire movie. I think it was all the loud noises that were scaring her and preventing her from taking her nap. 

Our maternity photo session is coming up this week and I'm elated! Nicole and I have shared some ideas for the shoot and I think they are going to be really cute. I may be biased though. =) There are 4 outfits I'm contemplating right now, but I think I'm going to narrow it down to 2. Oh, I also finally got my hair done after not having anyone touch it for 7 months! It looks so much better now. 

This is one of the jean options I'm considering.

{anthro sweater}

with

{gap maternity jeans}

accessorized with some cute heals and jewelry.

I've actually got some Old Navy maternity jean slacks that I'm probably going to wear instead of those skinny jeans, but we'll see. The slacks are longer and will probably look better with heels.  Another outfit option is a purple dress with yellow flats, there is also a fun red dress with blue heels, and the other is the skinny jeans above, a white fitted tee, an olive green ruffled sweater vest thinger with some tweed heels (they have the same olive green, yellow, and a bit of orange in them) or some other flats. Which one sounds good? help. 

Only 10-ish, or less, weeks left!

The Bean Bump: Weeks 27/28

{Week 27}

{growing!}

Week: Welcome to Trimester numero 3!!

Bean Size: My girl, you are an eggplant, but much much cuter.
Total Weight Gain: I'm sticking to 20. But, probably closer to 25.
Maternity Clothes?: Can we call it super hot mama clothes instead? It might make me feel better about my options.
Sleep: It sucks. I wake up a lot throughout the night. Every time I turn to the other side I wake up for a few minutes and get a work out just getting into a comfortable position again.
Movement: Our little girl is going to be a dancer. Sometimes she's practicing ballroom dancing, sometimes it's tap dancing, and most often it's interpretative dancing.
What I Miss: A normal sized left foot and ankle. Yup, only one ankle and foot tends to swell. Luckily, not very much at this point and it goes back to normal over night. I call it my granny foot because it looks like one to me. The hubby points and laughs.
Status of the Button: It's in, but it's working on opening up as wide as possible. I don't like what the inside looks like and I'm happy that weird looking thing will go back after the bean arrives.
What I'm Looking Forward to: Summer! Sweet smelling baby with lots of dark curly hair (this is currently what I'm imagining on our babe). I just can't imagine her having light hair. I will be surprised if this does occur. Little feet. Hubby with a baby in pj's. He's a big fan of baby pj's. So far, they seem to be the only article of baby clothing that get him excited and oooh'ing and ahhh'ing. Cute.
Best Moment this Week: Walking the doggies in the sunlight after work every day. Finding a children's boutique that sells used gear and clothing. I bought an ADORABLE little leopard print sweater, an Ipood onesie (this is for my Apple-employed hubby- for the baby to wear, not him), and a few other pieces.
Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: The granny ankle...not so good. Still having lots of energy and my hair looking pretty good...yes! Workin' the Zoomba...good. My arms looking kinda fatty....not good at all. I've kept using weights at the gym, but not nearly as much. I'm sad about the bad changes.
Bean Milestones: My dear little girl, you are soo talented! You can open your eyes and turn your cute head around if you notice a light shining in. I think daddy and I will have to play with a flashlight. Your bones are also almost developed. How exciting!
Food Cravings: Ananas! I can't get enough pineapple. Oh, and watermelon. I think the bean is ready for summer, too. We also love sugar. I.can't.stop.eating.sugar!
How's the Rice?: Wonderful. He's busy as a bee at work. He did such a great job of massaging my back during our childbirth prep class. I think he's got a new job.

Tid Bits: We also had our first childbirth prep class this weekend, just like our friends, Lawrence and Elizabeth. Our instructor (nurse) was really entertaining and very informative. We both felt like we got a lot of good information out of it and we're looking forward to next weeks session. We did the whole ice in the palm of your hand thing and I felt like the breathing really did make a difference in the pain. I've been looking into hypnobirthing and we are considering going through the training with a doula, but we haven't make a decision just yet. From what I've gathered, it's a lot of meditating and I feel like this is something I've had a fair amount of training in. Didn't know this about me?! Yeah, I've attended trainings, meetings, and such for transcendental meditation and other methods. I've even got a mantra just for me! I'm thinking I'll just brush-up on my skills and practice more often. Anyone ever heard of someone utilizing that technique?

The Bean Bump: Week 25/26

We are coming very close to the end of the second trimester!

Week 25

{no more feet from my point-of-view. rosco loves the bump.}

{these jeans make me look tiny}

Week 26

{i bought myself a fresh gardenia while downtown shopping.}

{that fresh gardenia smelled soo fabulous.}

Week: Are we really at week 26?!

Bean Size: Mi niña, you are about fourteen inches.

Total Weight Gain: I'm up 20 lbs. ahhhh. I guess it's expected. It's a bit shocking to see my weight go up so quickly while not changing my eating habits very much and still working out. I feel bad for a bit, but then realize I've got the very important job of keeping my baby girl healthy and it makes it all worth it. It's definitely all out front.
Maternity Clothes?: Is there anything else?
Sleep: It's alrighty. I feel like I've been waking up a lot more because every time I turn from one side to the other I wake up. I've also started getting some hip pain from sleeping mostly on my left side.
Stretch Marks: Nope.
Movement: Mucho!
What I Miss: Moving easily while sleeping.

Status of the Button: It's opening up, but not popping out...yet. 
What I'm Looking Forward to: summer time with my summer baby
Best Moment this Week: Getting to see my baby girl squirming around inside. My wonderful doctor said she was putting on a show for us. =)

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: My bump measured perfectly according to the doctor this week- 25 inches top to bottom. The bump is definitely inching up towards my chest. I can feel my solid uterus about two inches above my belly button. I drank that yummy orange beverage for the gestational diabetes test this week! I passed. No diabetes for me. woo. 

Bean Milestones: Hi Sweetie- you've opened up your eyes and can check out that exciting uterus of mine. The books also say you've probably reached 2 lbs. Good thing because I at least have that to blame for all these pounds I'm gaining. During our appointment with the doctor this week she said you're looking great. I was lucky to get another sonogram and see those cutie legs you're always kicking me with. You're still a girly! No boy parts and you love keeping your legs crossed like a proper lady. 

Food Cravings: I'd like some chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream with my main course of sugar. We recently discovered a new-to-us Ben and Jerry's flavor and I cannot get enough. I'm usually not a fan of chocolate ice-cream, but this bean has made an exemption on this one. 

How's the Rice?: Amazing! He finally felt our little bean kick. He hasn't seen the crazy punches that make my tummy stick out in random spots, but I'm sure he will soon. Our little girl is a crazy one. 

Tid Bits: We got a family car! We're both very thankful that whole ordeal is over. It was a lot of work to do research (thank you hubby!) and find the best car for us. We ended up with a super sweet Honda Civic. It has everything both of us wanted in a new car. I wanted a black car with tinted windows and power windows and doors. The hubby wanted an affordable, secure car with power everything and a moon roof. We ended up with all those things and more. We're really stoked! I think we also decided on a middle name for the beanette! Oh yeah, I also got my maternity leave figured out. yay!

The Bean Bump: Week 23/24

Week 23

{bump before bed}

{bump exposed}

Week 24 

{pregnant or not, i love stripes.}

{Rosco loves to get in the pictures. he loves the bump}

Week: what up week 24?
Bean Size: Chiquita, you are working on creating those wonderfully unique fingerprints and your taste buds are fully developed. I think I know what you're favorite food is.
Total Weight Gain: 14 baby loving pounds and 38 1/2 inches around. I decided I'm going to measure the bump from this point on every week. I'm up 11 1/2 inches from my regular waist size. wow.
Maternity Clothes?: Why, yes. I stocked up on some more basics at the Gap. They really have the cutest and most affordable maternity clothing (on clearance).
Sleep: Pretty good. I am finding it harder to turn from one side to the other in my sleep, but it's not preventing me from sleeping just yet.
Stretch Marks: Not that I can see.
Movement: LOTS! She's moving right now. I feel her most often after I have a snack or lunch and when I'm sitting or lying down. Last night she was doing some crazy tap dancing. It was constant movement in one area for a few minutes. She loves to tickle me with her dancing.
What I Miss: wine
Status of the Button: Way in.
What I'm Looking Forward to: snuggling my baby girl in her room
Best Moment this Week: Picking a first name for the beanette! We'd originally had this name on our list, but it somehow disappeared. It came up on Thursday and by the end of work on Friday we were both totally in agreement and in love with the name. It's not Olivia, although I really really love that name. But, I think the name we decided on is much more original. We just need to pick a middle name. We're keeping the name a secret until the bean arrives. 

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: Growing feet! I feel soo great. I love being pregnant. I've been doing some running/walking on sunny afternoons and it feels so good. I also am having so much fun doing Zumba at the gym. Our gym has a CRAZY Zumba class! It is sooo much fun. It is THE class to take and they pack that room really well. I have to get there 15 minutes early just to make sure I'm not stuck way in the back. I'm very proud of myself for keeping up with the endless and super aerobic dancing for an hour. I wish I could do it every night. I'm looking forward to class tomorrow!

Bean Milestones: Hey baby girl, you're got eyebrows and lashes! How cool is that. They currently don't have any color in them yet. We'll find out once we meet you!

Food Cravings: I'm a bit surprised at my lack of strong cravings. I've always had cravings for certain foods and I don't think it's changed that much. I definitely still crave meat, citrus, and berries, but nothing weird. I want at least one weird craving. 

How's the Rice?: Wonderful! He says he can't believe how fast it's going. Last weekend we spent time looking at cars which happen to be on the same block as Babies R Us. We decided to stop in and complete our registry. Although he was tired and wasn't really in his element; the hubby did extremely well. It went smoothly and we were out of there in about an hour. 

Tid Bits: I cannot believe I'm almost done with the nursery. I'm sad. I've been having so much fun. 

The Bean Bump: Week 22

{There they go}

{The bump}

{The bump snug as a bug}

Week: hola week 22
Bean Size: Chiquita, you are now the size of a spaghetti squash or about 8 whole inches! They also say you are one entire pound. Keep packin' on that fatty!
Total Weight Gain: I was right, although I was freaked out when I went to the doctor and came up with 7 lbs. more than my last visit. My doctor appointments are usually in the morning after I've only had a small breakfast. This last week it was in the late afternoon, not too long after I'd eaten my afternoon snack (or meal?) and had sipped tons of water. The next day I weighed myself after my breakfast and the scale went down by 3 lbs. Phew! I'm officially at 14 lbs. added to my original weight. I brought up the weight with my doctor because it surprised me and he said it was nothing to worry about. He complimented me on the bump and he thought I looked healthy and great. Why, thank you doctor. He reminded me I'm over halfway and that it's not bad.
Maternity Clothes?: Si. I went to Nordstrom's Rack this past week and found some cute non-maternity tops and a fun dress. It wasn't much cheaper than the real maternity stuff, but it was definitely more stylish. I love jersey. Oh, I also bought some maternity leggings from Target. Love them!
Sleep: Fabulous! The feather pillow and I have a bond no one can break right now. nancy + feather pillow 4 eva'
Stretch Marks: Nope. I shouldn't be worried, but I am.
Movement: LOTS and lots and lots. She's getting stronger too! Sometime I can tell she's stretching because I feel her on both the left and right side of my bump. She's dancing right now! I think her favorite time is after I eat; that's when she tends to move around the most.
What I Miss: wine and not having this awkward sagging crotch thing with my pants because they're always sliding down. How is it that teenage boys can walk around looking like they took a big dump in their pants and feel comfortable?!
What I'm Looking Forward to: holding my sweet babe, of course! I'm definitely trying to enjoy the whole pregnant thing, but I get so excited about meeting our little beanette. I wonder who's she's going to look like. Curly hair? Dark or light hair? Light eyes like her daddy or chocolates like mine? What a wonderful surprise! Right now I'm very excited about finishing the slipcover for the glider.
Best Moment this Week: I have two juniors in my Spanish Lit. class that are just soo nice to me. They always ask to help me do things like pass out papers, stamp the kid's agendas, pick up papers, and read things on the board. They're just plain sweet. I already had good rapports with these two boys before they were in my class this year, but they've been especially considerate since I told them about my pregnancy. 

Preggers Bod-New and Exciting!..maybe: My bump is getting bigger and higher! I still am carrying pretty low, but it's making it's way up. After eating, my stomach fills in and then my bump really looks like it's up close to my chest. 

Bean Milestones: Making meconium by sucking up all that fluid and special stuff floating around. Sweet girl, you can make out all kinds of sounds; like my voice, my heartbeat, my gurgling stomach, and my circulating blood. How cool is that?!

Food Cravings: This beanette is consistent in her cravings. Nothing new...again. Yet, I have noticed that when I want something, I really want it. 

How's the Rice?: He's wonderful. He stopped reading Pinocchio because it was depressing and surprising terrible. We both feel Disney did a great job of interpreting and reworking that story. We've moved on to something lighter and more bump-friendly. This week he tried to feel the bean kicking  several times, but she just happens to stop whenever we position his hand on the bump. Last night, we waited longer for her to move again and I felt a big kick and the hubby thought he may have felt something. I think he's probably expecting a big kick to get him, but this girl is not big enough for that yet. 

Tid Bits: Last Friday I started to feel like my allergies were starting up again for the season. Itchy nose? Check. Scratchy throat? Check. Watery eyes and dark circles? Oh yeah. I thought I'd be able to avoid them this year since our environment is very different than the Petaluma fields and cows. No such luck I thought. Well, the watery eyes and the itchy nose disappeared and the scratchy throat got worse...and worse. Then, it became a terrible phlegmy cough. I've got the runny nose back and a full-blown cold...again. I went to work today, but left early and I'm not planning on going in tomorrow. I've got to rest up for the bean and for Angela's party on Saturday. I'm really excited about getting together with the girls. Our friends from Santa Barbara also visited yesterday (HI Brian and Andrea!!) It was super duper nice to see them. We loved having them over.This past weekend I worked/sewed a fair enough to get parts of the glider slipcover finished. I also started another one of the art series in the nursery and hung up some the bird houses. I'm in love. 

{3 out of 4 parts finished! I just have to sew the part that goes over the entire chair. 

That's the easy part. Please excuse the mess}

{The bird houses are hung}

{the vintage alphabet}

I bought this set of alphabet cards about 3 years ago. They're by Martha Stewart for Michael's. I saw them there not that long ago, so they may still be for sale. I loved them as soon as I saw them and imaged them in a future nursery. We weren't even married then! I hung them up using a somewhat complicated method, which, I will explain later. They are on little clothes pins. Aren't they cutie? Oh yeah, and you can see our crooked ceilings. That's what you get in an old Edwardian home in the city. Thank goodness that molding is straight.