WEEK 36

I have been a fire breathing dragon the past few days.  Like indigestion 24/7 and nothing helps! I kept thinking I was out of the woods of having bad indigestion because it hadn't reared its ugly head yet, but it's here now....and it blows! I get it when I don't eat and I get it when I do.  It's just there. All. The. Time!  I hope this means that baby girl's going to have a full head of hair like little miss Kenzoid did!

And for fun, here is a comparison of my 36 week preggy pics! It's nice to see that my face isn't so fat this time around! hahaha

Any Cravings?  Honeycrisp apples and donuts. Not together but that doesn't sound too bad either.  Even Kensie has jumped on the donut train.  Just the other day she said "Mama, I want a pink donut.  We probably should go buy one".  Umm okay kiddo. If you insist.

Weight Gain? Up 35lbs

Maternity Clothes?  I have very few items that still cover my belly.  Good thing there's only 3 more weeks left, otherwise I might be wearing a bathrobe.

Movement?  So much movement!  Baby girl is so cramped in there that you can actually see her body parts protruding out of my stomach.  I looked in the mirror the other day and I literally saw her knee cap. 

How are you feeling? Honestly, pretty miserable.  I was put on temporary bed rest this week, so that was interesting.  I've been having some lower abdomen pain on and off for several weeks now, but the other day it got really intense.  Luckily it was during Kensie's nap time so I was able to lie down for a while and it went away.  However, the next morning the pain returned and it was worse than ever.  It got so bad that I could barely stand and I had to call Ian home from work.  Any weight on my right foot would send me to tears.  I called the doctor and he wanted me to come in and get checked out.  It turns out that my right round ligament that attaches the uterus to the pelvis has stretched to capacity and is now starting to tear.  Luckily it isn't affecting the baby in any way.  However, as you can imagine it's extremely painful and my doctor wants to avoid further damage, so for a few days following the appointment he told me to stay off my feet.  Luckily this happened on a Friday so I had Ian home to help care for Kensie.  Our wonderful neighbor also came to the rescue in caring for Kens while Ian had a quick trip to Chicago.  She has been such a blessing!!  After about three days of basically doing nothing but sitting/laying down, I'm feeling much much better.  I got a belly sling to help support the baby's weight and that also seems to be helping.  I still have to be conscientious about keeping off my feet as much as possible, not lifting Kens, and resting when I feel the pain coming on, which is easier said than done, but I'm feeling a million times better.  I'm pretty ready for this little girl to come out though. 

Stretch marks?  Uh huh. The doctor said we're having another "big one".  He's guessing that the baby is over 7lbs now and will probably weigh top 8's or low 9's when she's born.  No wonder my skin is stretched to the max!

Best moment of the week?  Our sweet neighbors threw us a neighborhood baby shower/potluck.  This is actually the best and saddest moment of the week.  Unfortunately, the shower was the same day that I had to go to the doctor for all of my pain.  I had been crying all day and was still in so much pain that I was unable to attend the shower.  Luckily Ian and Kens went and had a great time but I was so sad that I wasn't able to go.  I'd been looking forward to it for weeks.  It was so sweet and generous of our neighborhood.  Everyone here is so wonderful.  We're really blessed to live in a community surrounded by such caring people.

 
Sleep? Sleep is still good while I'm asleep.  However, I'm waking up every two hours or so with aches and pains and need to get up and walk around.  Usually a quick trip to the bathroom does the trick and I can get another two hours of sleep.  I think my body is just getting geared up for feedings every two hours.


Miss anything? I've never craved booze before but I really could use an ice cold margarita! Or some Cupcake Moscato wine.  Mmmmm  I guess you crave booze when you are the size of a whale running around chasing after a two year old! HA!

Belly button in or out? Can you say "gross, discolored, alien nub?"

Wedding rings on or off?  The time has come this week that I've had to remove my rings.  Sad day! They still fit fine until I try to take them off.  Then there's no budging them.  So to be safe, I have removed them until after D-day!

Current mood? Extremely happy, but getting anxious, nervous, terrified, etc...You name an emotion, I'm sure I've experienced it today.  I've been told that I'm also quite irritable.  I haven't noticed it, but someone that I live with may have hinted that I am.  Sorry babe! :)

In other news.....Kensie is still cracking us up on the daily.  Her word this week has been "probably" and she is definitely getting some good use out of it.  Aside from her desire to get a donut, here is our favorite conversation this week:

Me:  "Oh no!  Look Ian, someone scratched our car door."
Kensie:  "Oh nooooo!  We probably should get a new car daddy."
Ian:  "WHAT?!"
Me:  "I swear I didn't teach her that!"

Loving her gift from Aunt Katy, Uncle Tom, and Cousin Lex

Going for a ride in the cow train at Oktoberfest

Enjoying a nice October night in the backyard

Maternity/family Picture Day!

A few weeks ago we got together with Lune De La Rouge, a local photographer, for our maternity/family pictures.  It was something we both weren't sure if we had the energy to do, but in the end I'm SO glad that we did.  We went to a local wildlife area and found an amazing sunflower field.  I can't believe some of the shots that she captured.  Kensie was such a trooper.  Especially since this was at her bedtime and of course, she skipped her nap that day.  I can't believe that in just a few short weeks, our little family of three will become a family of four!!!

WEEK 32

Can you say "Holy Huge Belly?!"  Life has been getting crazy around here!  I'm currently 36 weeks while writing this 32 week update.  Enjoy!

Any Cravings? Nutella and banana's on EVERYTHING!!  Also, I can't get enough peanut butter banana sandwiches.  Mmmm.  Clearly my body is seeking out potassium.  Luckily I don't mind because I love bananas.  AND I haven't had any bad leg cramps (as of yet).  Knock on wood, would ya?  Those were brutal during my last pregnancy.  I still remember one like it was yesterday.  What is this crap about women forgetting what pregnancy and child birth is like?  That's a lie!  I remember almost everything about last time like it just happened. 

Weight Gain?  Up 30lbs.  I'm starting to see some chub accumulate but I really feel like most of the weight this time around is mainly baby, fluids, boobs, etc...I honestly feel bigger this time around but  it feels like its all belly and less bootie.

Maternity Clothes?  They're starting to get snug.  I have some medium maternity shorts that I think I'm going to have to say goodbye to in the next couple of weeks and just say hello to my large ones. 

Movement? Lots of wiggles, jiggles and full on karate kicks! 

How are you feeling? Still feeling good overall.  I'm starting to get some discomfort in my lower abdomen but nothing too bad.  I rest when I feel it coming on and it seems to dissipate. 

Stretch marks? Oh so many stretch marks.  And they're starting to itch.  Fun times!

Best moment of the week? We've had a great and eventful couple of weeks around here.  We've transitioned Kensie out of her crib and into her big girl room and big girl bed.  I truly thought it was going to be a train wreck but it has gone so much better than I expected.  We put a child lock on her door thinking we would need it to keep her in her room, but she doesn't even try to come out.  She talks daily about her BIG bed and is now even referring to her old room as the baby's room.  About a week after she was settled into her new room we decided it was time to try and potty train.  Again, it went SO much better than either one of us expected it to.  We stayed home for two days and just let her run around in panties.  The first day she had a few accidents.  The second day she started to get it, and by day three we were pretty much accident free.  Since then, she hasn't had any accidents in over two weeks!  She still wears a diaper during nap time and bed time but she is officially "day trained".  I think night training is still a ways off but I'm so happy with her progress!

Sleep? Sleep has been awesome!  I get up a million times a night to pee but other than that, I'm sleeping like a rock.  I love that we have an adjustable bed.  The bed itself isn't very comfortable, but the adjustable feature makes sleeping while pregnant so much more enjoyable!

Miss anything?  A nice cold margarita!

Belly button in or out? What belly button?  It looks like some sort of weird hernia or something.

Wedding rings on or off?  On! Which is so strange that they still fit.  Especially with the heat, I fully expected to have taken them off weeks ago. 

Current mood? Very happy, content, and proud! 

Here's a few pics of the last four weeks.....