31 Weeks 3 Days Update

Well time is flying by!  Not quite sure how I feel about it - I'm definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore, and I'm so excited to meet our second little man, but boy do I have a LOT I want to get done before he arrives!!

Here's an update on my to-do list, with a few new items added. :)

1. Wash and organize all the baby clothes. I finished this! Yay!
2. Wash and put away the pacifiers, bottles, etc.  In progress.  The pacifiers and bottles are all together in a box, sitting downstairs, and I've selected the location in the cabinets where I'm going to put them.
3. Wash rocking chair cover.  Still not done.
4. Paint pictures for boys' rooms.  In progress.  I've started a painting for each of the boys' rooms, but I still have some work to do on both of them.  I really like how they're turning out - I'm excited. :)
5. Finish Besido Dos's growth chart.  Still not done.
6. Clean the insides of both of our vehicles.  Still not done.
7. Go through my baby registry list on my other blog to make sure we have everything we need.  Done, but added another item based on it (see #12).
8. Clean the carseat and install the bases.  Still not done.
9. Prepare for newborn photo shoot. In progress.  I've made a Google doc of poses, props, and planned setups I want to use.  Now I just want to rewatch some videos and reread some blog posts on newborn photo shoots.
10. Finish Krew's room.  Not done.
11. Clean the nursery very thoroughly.  Not done.
12. {New item.} Locate remaining baby items needed.  I need to find our Baby Bjorn carrier (hopefully in attic?) and confirm that we're getting a bouncer seat from a friend at Krew's daycare.
13. {New item.} Stock up on items that still need purchased.  We need milk bags, disposable breast pads, and an air purifier for the nursery.  Oh and I want to have some bags of frozen corn or peas ready in the freezer.  Of course most of these purchases can wait until last minute.
14. {New item.} Read about labor and newborn care.  In progress.  I figured I could use a refresher. :)
15. {New item.} Fix moses basket. I bought a moses basket for 5 bucks at a consignment sale, but there are a few places where the basket weave has come apart and I'd like to somehow fix it a bit.
16. {New item.} Put mobile in crib.
17. {New item.} Pack hospital bag.

Just 8 1/2 weeks until baby boy is scheduled to make his appearance.  60 days.  Crazy!!  I wonder if he'll be early or late.  I guess being on time is an option too. :)  I remember with Krew I kept thinking to myself that he could arrive any day during the third trimester, because I'd read so many stories about babies coming before their due dates.  Then I passed the 40-week mark and wanted to slam my head into a wall because I'd been ready for him to arrive for so long and I was totally losing my patience.  :)  This time I'm not expecting any early appearances, just taking it one day at a time and assuming he's not coming until August 3rd.  I do have to say, I hope he isn't a week late like Krew, but God's timing is best and I want the little guy to stay in there as long as he needs.

My belly is getting bigger and bigger.  I'm actually trying to slow down my weight gain by controlling my eating a little better (less sugar, putting down my fork when I'm full), and it seems to be working.  I haven't gained any weight over the last week (thank goodness).  I'm up to 26 lbs total gain, and can gain up to 35 lbs and still be considered in a healthy weight range.  With Krew I ended up gaining 38 lbs total.  And it wasn't hard to do - being pregnant makes me HUNGRY!  Still, I'd like to stay in the healthy weight range if possible.  So my goal is to not gain more than 9 pounds in the next 8 1/2 weeks.  Let's see if I can do it!

On the topic of my big belly, this little boy is STRONG.  Either that or my belly lining is much thinner and more sensitive this pregnancy.  Some of his jabs and rolls seriously make me catch my breath or jump.  It feels like he's trying to push right out of me.  Sometimes it keeps me up at night, and sometimes after a strong jab I find my heart pounding as I anxiously await the possibility of another similar jab.  The way it makes me catch my breath reminds me of when you drop suddenly like on a rollercoaster and your stomach jumps into your chest.  I seriously get anxiety when he starts moving a lot because I have no idea how many times I'm going to be jolted with movement before he calms down again.

I had a doc appointment last week, and everything looked good.  Blood pressure was good, 26 lbs total weight gain, baby's heart rate sounded good, etc.  Nothing too exciting.  My appointments are supposed to be every two weeks at this point, but I'll be in Indiana when the next appointment is due, so I'm actually going three weeks between appointments this time.  The doctor said that was fine.  And I don't mind since the appointments aren't every entertaining right now.

Lately I've been feeling very fatigued, and I've even had some returning nausea.  I don't remember feeling this way in the third trimester with Krew, but who knows.  I've heard it's possible for some first-trimester symptoms to return during the third trimester.  No fun, but I'll make it through. :)  Perhaps the fatigue is due to the acid reflux that's beginning to occur several nights a week, or the leg cramps that wake me up around ten times per night, or the fact that I can't roll over in my sleep without fully waking and doing a giant heave-ho to move my belly to the other side.  (The other night Dave woke up and asked if I was ok and did I need anything.  I replied, no, thanks, I was just trying to roll over.  Sigh.)

Swelling hasn't been too bad so far.  I can sometimes feel swelling in my legs (especially my right one), but it's not every day.  It's hard to get my wedding rings off in the evenings, so I've been on the lookout for a cheap substitute wedding ring (or set) to get me through the next two months.  I had no idea how difficult it would be to find such a thing.  Even Target let me down...yes, that's right, Target.  The most awesomest store in the world.

Alrighty, to finish out here are some pictures of me from last week and tonight.




30 weeks 4 days

31 weeks 3 days

front view :)