31 weeks.

How far along? 31 Weeks
Total weight gain: 19 pounds... holding steady at a pound a week, so if all goes well I will have gained 28 pounds my whole pregnancy: perfect! Keep your fingers crossed
bought some this week!! I can still fit into my old pants, but shirts are few and far between.
Stretch marks? none yet, but my belly is so itchy!
Sleep: sleep is still good although I am having to get up in the middle of the night to pee every once in a while. I am also more tired than I was a few weeks ago.
Best moment this week: Last night Rick said to me "Babe, you look exactly how I had hoped and pictured you would look pregnant. Tiny with a big belly." I almost cried.
Miss Anything? moving around, getting up and down without huffing and puffing. I actually miss running. And sandwiches.
Movement: more like shifting, rolling and grinding her/his legs around my insides rather than kicking ...but hiccups are cool- like a little heartbeat!
Food cravings: still craving sweets... chocolate, magic bars, eclairs!
Anything making you queasy or sick: not much
Gender: Still a SURPRISE!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, out of breath every now & then, starting to have a little swelling in my calves after doing lots of walking, sore back and sciatic shooting pains. But otherwise, great! Haha!
Belly Button in or out? top is starting to pop out! but it's still in limbo
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: finishing the nursery & organizing all of the clothes and supplies. We have so much already! Rick and I love looking at all of them!! He will sometimes just stand in the doorway of the nursery staring....we are so, so excited.

this past weekend...

We headed up to Phoenix, yet again to celebrate some birthdays!!! August is a busy month for birthdays around here: our friends Travis, Joe, and Kevin all have birthdays, as well our next door neighbor Katie. Plus, Rick's sister and Grandfather, as well as my sister in law Carissa, and her son Bladen also have birthdays. Phew!

Friday night we headed up to Phoenix and loaded up at Ikea. I hate going to that place, but we got so many things for the nursery, it was pretty awesome. Then we met Ann and Marcel for dinner (Annie ordered three things, yes three, off the menu and neraly finished it all. She is nothing short of amazing), and went to my parents' house to relive their recent Italian vacation. It was nice to see everyone.

Saturday morning we went to Rick's parents' house where I met up with his Mom and sister for a girls' day of fun to celebrate Samantha's birthday!

First we headed to Drybar. I love love love this place. What an indulgence. They had champagne and mimosas, and I had cucumber water. The deep conditioning treatment and scalp massage were to die for! Here are our before and after pics:

They did an amazing job! Worth every penny! And I am still rockin' my blowout 4 days later.... gotta love thick hair.

After that we went to True Foods for lunch. We all shared the vegetable crudite, artichoke pizza, chicken salad sandwich, and kale salad. It was sooooo good. We finished up the day with some shopping at Giggle, Lululemon, and H & M.

That night we all headed out to Copperblues for dinner, and Lucky Strike for some bowling. They did not have any lanes, so we went to a bar close to home. They drank, we all laughed. It was such a fun day!

The next morning I woke up early to meet a friend from college for breakfast.... it was so nice catching up with Shylah, and she gave me crib bedding and all the baby hangers I could ever need, as well as a learning toy for my little babe. It's amazing how people you haven't see in five years still can be so generous and thoughtful!

After breakfast my brothers and their families came over for a pool party at my parent's to celebrate Carissa and Bladen's birthday. It was fun, albeit short, party but it was nice to get everyone together. I do love those kids. My little niece is so so delicious.

We quickly headed back to Tucson so Rick could do a fantasy football draft. I should hang a sign that says "We interrupt this marriage, to bring you football season". No truer words have ever been spoken.

That night I had a little meltdown trying to pick out my outfit for work the next day. Even the "go to" shirts that I thought would last me my whole pregnancy were not fitting, and I got upset. Rick is always so good at consoling me when I get sad, and he convinced me to go get some new things the next day. I have really only bought a small amount of maternity items, and was determined not to by anything. I think it is such a waste of money, and I really do not like shopping. I am an online girl all the way, but he was right, it was time. And he left me this the next morning: 

My blessings are not lost on me, I assure you. Oh, and I got loads of maternity clothes yesterday, and I am so happy I did...

30 weeks.

How far along? 30 Weeks

Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: all of a sudden sleep is not so great - The babe has been waking me up by moving around at 3 am and 430 am the last couple of nights, let's hope this gets better!!!
Best moment this week: Finding out my brother is having a boy!!! And also seeing all the movement on the outside of my stomach- it looks like there is an alien in there!
Miss Anything? Sandwiches! I will not chance it though- a friend of a friend got listeria from Subway last week at 18 weeks pregnant and is in the hospital! There is no messing around with that, people!
Movement: Pretty much constant rib shots- thanks little baby.
Food cravings: still loving sweets, desserts, and the Carmela's Caprese sandwich from Beyond Bread. YUM!
Anything making you queasy or sick: seafood in general ...bleh!
Gender: SURPRISE!!! Although the string test said BOY.... who knows, I think it's just a whole lot of hubaloo...
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, rib pain, and sciatic nerve pain. WHY doesn't anyone tell you about all this??
Belly Button in or out? still flat
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: so very happy, we love this baby so much already....
Looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!!! We are ALMOST there!!

it's the little things.

So, the babe has been waking me up the last two nights at 3 am and 4:30 am, respectively. Needless to say, that makes for long days... it does, however, make everything easier if you have a thoughtful hubby that leaves you notes in the morning like this:

He really does rule, doesn't he?

29 weeks.

How far along? 29 Weeks

Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: still sleeping great
Best moment this week: I passed my glucose test, 116!!! No 3 hour test for me, thank goodness, and the test was not bad at all!
Miss Anything? being able to shop/walk/clean for hours without getting out of breath, sore back and swollen toes... fitting into all of my summer clothes from last year... sandwiches.
Movement: lots of movement still, some pretty painful rib shots, but I still love feeling the baby move around!
Food cravings: sweets of any kind - chocolate, peanut butter, sugary treats, and really good Mexican food. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: homemade salads and seafood
Gender: Surprise!!!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn, non-stop pain in my ribs, and that sciatic nerve should just be removed it gives me so much trouble!
Belly Button in or out? still flat,becoming a bit of an outie!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: The fall weather, finishing the nursery, and all the other babies that are growing in my friends' and family's bellies!!!

28 weeks.

How far along? 28 Weeks- 3rd trimester is officially here!!!

Maternity clothes? mostly my regular clothes with a few maternity items mixed in, like a tank top and a pair of jeans.
Stretch marks? no, thank goodness!!
Sleep: still sleeping great, more tired these days, maybe because I am working longer hours being back to work, and private clients every day after school.
Best moment this week: The crib came!!! And sitting in a back to school meeting with three of my best girlfriends being able to feel the baby rolling around. They had never felt a baby kick before and it was cool to see their faces light up. 
Miss Anything? Not really! I definitely don't miss my hair shedding! Being prego has kept it from really ever falling out- it is so thick I can go a long time without washing it!
Movement: all the time, mostly when I am sitting down resting.
Food cravings: I may or may not have eaten my body weight in chocolate this week.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still homemeade salads are not my thing- seafood: no way!
Gender: Still a surprise!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Just lower back pain. My sciatica will sometimes shoot a pain from my back all the way down my leg, and my leg kind of gives out. It is really pathetic.... But as long as I take it easy I am ok.
Belly Button in or out? can't decide, but it sure is funny looking
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!!! It is seeming more and more real, and I am so excited!!!
Looking forward to: The Fall weather! Can't believe it's only a short time away! Sometimes I feel as if I've been pregnant forever... but right now I'm thinking where has the time gone?!

27 weeks.

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total weight gain: 11 lbs gained
Maternity clothes? Wearing mostly skirts and dresses & the hair tie trick still allows me to wear my old jeans and shorts! 

Stretch marks? no, knock on wood!
Sleep: still sleeping great, rolling from side to side is getting difficult, but I don't even wake up to pee! Yay!

Best moment this week: Registering for baby stuff and already getting some gifts from sweet coworkers. It is amazing how generous people are!

Miss Anything? Deli sandwiches and a weekly cocktail... but my sweet husband has not been drinking much since I got pregnant so I don't feel so left out. What a great guy :)

Movement: all the time, starting to get the rib shots. But every movement is super cool!
Food cravings: More candy than normal, and I have been baking more than normal. We also ordered Lou Malnati's pizza all the way from Chicago- which may become a regular occurrence until my delivery.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Homemade salads, weird I know.

Gender: Still a surprise!!! I copy this questionnaire from another blog, and forgot to change this part last week. No we did not change our minds: we still have no desire to find out until delivery!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Heartburn/Indigestion all the time... tums help, but I try only to take them if I really need them at night. Lying down makes it so much worse! Other than that, I still get pain in my lower back, but as long as I take it easy, it's not so bad.

Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!
Looking forward to: finishing up the nursery and getting closer and closer to my due date! It is getting so exciting!!!