38 weeks

Christian is 20 inches long
and is almost to his final weight!

How many weeks? 38  weeks and 5 days

Total weight gain: 53 (I lost a pound last week!--weird)

Maternity clothes? Duh ;)

Stretch marks? Still no....hoping and praying it stays like this!

Sleep: Tossing and turning a bit more, but my sleep is okay

Best moment this week: Have a doctor appointment on the 31st, hoping to have a better idea when we can expect Christian! Finished his growth chart last night :)

Miss Anything? Christian's sweet tiny kicks... now they are "knock a motha out" kicks=brutal
Movement: Still active. I feel bad for him because I know he is running out of room in there!
Food cravings: Ok, so I'm starting to crave my Ice Cream and Chocolate! I'm happy it's coming at the end! I want Vanilla Ice Cream and Fudge... so odd.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nada
Gender: Daddy's little fishing buddy ;)
Symptoms:  Large and in charge! My swelling is calming down (knock on wood) but my backacne (sorry gross I know lol)  and hot flashes are in full force. Poor Tyler... 
Belly Button in or out? It's pretty much out. Looks funny
Mood?: Anxious, Happy, Sleepy, Worried, Excited & Blessed
Looking forward to: My 1st contraction! Everyone has asked me 100 times if I have had any, and I still have not. I'm just curious to know what they feel like.
I know I'll regret this one later, but I really want to know! Also, my cousin Caty (Aunt Caty) is coming to spend my final weekend before his due date with me! I'm SO excited to see her!

 10 Days!!

So sweet :)

This morning I was thinking that I wanted to see if there were any books with Christian's name in the title that we could read to him. After a few searches on Google, and trying to modify the search to the name Christian and not the religion- I came across this story.

First I found the book, then I came across the YouTube video.I had to share because it will seriously melt your heart... <3 

Click on the link to watch the video :)
A Lion named Christian

36 weeks...almost 37, tomorrow :)

Christian's lungs are almost fully developed!
(So is Mama's belly!)

How many weeks? 36 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain: Refer to note at bottom....you'll understand in a minute

Maternity clothes?  Yep, finding the lose fitting pants to my best friend right now. No longer wearing heals to work

Stretch marks? No...trying to stay strong here!!

Sleep: Considering my belly is huge and Christian likes to move at night, I will say I'm sleeping better than I thought I would.

Best moment this week: We are officially under 25 days to our countdown! We are all ready for our baby boy to get here! He had hiccups Sunday night before bed again which makes me giggle because they are so sweet! Had a doctor appointment Tuesday (15th) and everything seems to be on track. I am not dilated yet so no real progress, but I still have plenty of time. I am now going to the doc every week :)

Miss Anything? Sitting comfortable on the couch, in the car, at work....anywhere really
Movement: He is an active boy! At times I seriously wonder if he is going to tear out of my skin
Food cravings: MILK and I did have a moment this week where I had to have Avocados, so Tyler took me to our local Mexican restaurant :)
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No
Gender: Sweet Baby Boy
Symptoms:  Swelling! It's definitely kicked in....BOO
Belly Button in or out? Hanging "in" for it's dear life
Mood?: Excited! It's getting SO close!
Looking forward to: Soaking up and taking in our final days before our life is truly changed forever. I am beyond anxious to meet Christian, but can't believe it's really almost here! So I want to really enjoy these last days with Tyler :)

CONFESSION:

OK, so I'm coming clean with my weight gain. I've only been going up a couple lbs a week as I blog because 1. I truly haven't tracked my exact week gain 2. It's one of those things you'd rather just not know. But after my M.D. appointment yesterday, I realized I have been a little too "generous" to myself  and it's time to confess....uh oh ;)

I'm sharing this for those women who are self conscious about their weight and worry about what people think as they gain (pregnant or not), it's not a fun thing to face period. Either way I've always been one to be open and honest with this topic as I feel like there is so much pressure on how much a woman weighs and not has she feels.

So, with that said here are my numbers...

Starting weight: 148-150  

Preggo as of 1/16/2013: 202  

Total Weight Gain: Around 52lbs

WOW. I thought for sure I would be a "fit" pregnant chick but the reality of it is- I'm so far from it. I have not eaten the ice cream, cookies, and pizza everyday like you hear with pregnancy or had insane cravings. But I also haven't eaten "clean". I've wanted carbs, meats, veggies and have indulged in foods I wouldn't typically: Ribs, Ramen Noodles, Chicken Wings...the list goes on. All of this with the mentality of, "You know what, I'm pregnant...I can do this" then others around me reminding me "I'm eating for two".

I learned a valuable lesson...that's all a bunch a nonsense. 

I've come a very long way in learning and understanding my body. This journey itself  has been the biggest life changing event I could ever go through and I'm so grateful I have. But ladies, please do not have the mentality of "Eating for two" because truly you aren't adding that much more to your diet. I think I took this and ran with it because I'm always trying to watch what I eat and this was my guilt-free ticket to eat whatever, whenever. And when the doctors told me I couldn't lift more than 20#'s total, I was so discouraged to continue with my weight training that I ultimately just stopped. Terrible idea. Next time around I'm doing things much different and just staying true to my body.
 

SO- if you've made it this far- THANK YOU for listening...I'm almost done here.

My goal now is to figure out a healthy and constructive weight loss program post-baby. I plan to track my progress and hope to share it with everyone. It will help me hold myself accountable and maybe, just maybe...help someone else.

 22 Days!

 

One Month!

Yesterday marked exactly ONE MONTH until our sweet baby's due date! Hard to think we are already to this point and here before long we will get to see, hold, and kiss our little boy for the 1st time.

The past 8 months (really 9) has been a journey that has changed my life forever. Going into pregnancy I truly had NO IDEA what was ahead. I read all the books and blogs I possibly could to try to "prepare" myself- little did I know I would I create my own experience.

I remember around week 7 (because this is what the books told me I should expect this to happen) I would walk into a restaurant or open my fridge...and smell anything and everything I could to see if that would be the item to make me "nauseous". To my surprise nothing ever bothered me. Now, I'm not trying to brag here for those of you who nothing settled well with! My point is at that moment I should have taken into consideration that just because the Book says so or the Blog tells me this, does NOT mean it will happen. Don't get me wrong- there are definitely things that I read and was warned about by my brutally honest friend (thank you Sarah Packer) that I was SO happy I was prepared for, but I truly have been blessed with a smooth pregnancy.

It's bittersweet thinking about how it's quickly coming to an end. As much as I have complained at times and been a grump (sorry Tyler)  I will miss the bond I've shared with my sweet boy. From the moment I took the test, seeing his little pea body wiggling around at our 1st ultra sound, hearing his itty bitty FAST heartbeat for the 1st time, finding out that he is really a BOY, feeling his little flutter kicks, seeing his tiny hiccups move my belly, and now feeling his strong "I'll kick your rib out" Kicks...ALL OF IT. I'm going to miss. He has been so safe in my belly, but now it's almost time for him to face this big, scary, crazy and fun world. 

I think about what he will look like and who he will be like everyday. I try to picture the feeling I'll have when Tyler and I get to meet our son for the 1st time, and it makes my heart melt. Although, this journey is quickly coming to an end...our story and Christian's is just beginning :)

Now that I'm crying and SWEATING horribly-it's time to stop! Thank you all again for following me throughout these months and reading my nonsense. I know I've said it before, but we couldn't have done this without the love and support of our AMAZING family and friends. We love you.

30 Days!

34 Weeks

Christian could be as long
 as 20 inches and weighing 5lbs!

How many weeks? 34

Total weight gain: 37

Maternity clothes?  Can I just say that I'm not sure if I'll EVER go back to regular "civilian" jeans...EVER. Maternity jeans are the BEST!

Stretch marks? Not yet...hope this stays! 

Sleep:  Pretty good!  I feel like a RHINO when I go to lift myself up in the morning- but I'm very happy about my sleep at this point.

Best moment this week: Last week (Christmas Eve to be exact) I felt Christian have the hiccups for the 1st time! It was SO cool! My belly literally moved for each one! Also, Tyler and I made more progress on the nursery! Hanging pictures and Tyler gets to cut a gutter -yes, a real house gutter (thank you Pinterest) for book shelves for Christian's room! Also, working on project # 2 (again thank you Pinterest) Tyler is making a growth chart for the baby as well. Tyler didn't know it was "Productive Parents" week! ;) I'm still going strong! Yee haw!

Miss Anything?  Getting dressed without sweating, hyperventilating and being depressed when I've outgrown MATERNITY shirts. Can't wait to be able to tie my shoes without having to "prep stretch" beforehand.
Movement: So now that my little cub is feeling more like a grizzly in there. His once, sweet, cute little "kicks" feel like I'm getting  a cheap shot in my ribs, side and bladder. So yes- he is moving!
Food cravings: Meat- all day- everyday. Beer (it's a food-today.) Also,  I'm officially coming back to my old self. I was on a Ramen Noodles kick but those days are O-V-E-R! What the heck was I thinking?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Mama's boy :)
Symptoms: Shortness of breath, difficulty bending over to put my shoes on and some swelling in my ankles and feet! (Dreading this!)
Belly Button in or out? in...barely
Mood?: Bipolar- Yes, I said it. I'm really beginning to act and think like a crazy preggo. One minute I'm happy, the next I'm irritated for WHO KNOWS what reason. I just need to make sure everything is done and ready for the baby, then (hopefully) I'll come back to earth ;) Tyler is SO lucky! haha!
Looking forward to: The New Year! We have one more shower hosted  by Diane and Morgan this weekend and then it's the final countdown for Christian's arrival! We are so EXCITED to meet our little baby boy!

Let the countdown begin!

1 Month 7 Days