Week 32--Common Questions & Favorite Things

I feel like such a broken record, but I can't believe how fast time is flying by--today wraps up week 32 and tomorrow ushers in week 33!  On Friday, I had my 8-month appointment and all continues to go well.  I'm up a total of 17 pounds and my doctor is convinced I'll gain like crazy during the final weeks...baby's heart rate continues to stay around the 148-152 mark and she's measuring "perfectly."  The doctor still laughs every time I lay down because my belly REALLY disappears when I do that, but  he keeps saying all is well.  And that's what we've been praying for!

Tired!  In need of a nap and a break from the heat!   Allergies have also been crazy and my face has puffed up!

Smuggling a small pumpkin!

As my pregnancy has become more obvious to the outside world, I've started to find that I'm asked the same questions time and time again...I try not to make my answers sound rehearsed, but really, how much can you differentiate a response?!  Most of the questions and answers go a little like this (sometimes, language is edited or detail is left out!)

How do you feel?  Most of the time, pretty darn good and complaint-free.  Some days I wake up feeling like I've been hit by a truck, but hey, that wasn't uncommon before I became pregnant!

Does your back hurt?  Holy hell, it hurts.  So, maybe my answer to the previous question was a lie.  My lower back hasn't given me any problems--but my upper back, right along the bottom of where my shoulder blades meet, has caused tons of misery since about week 18.  Doc seems to think it's a pinched nerve--I seem to think it's a pain in the @$$.  Or, the fact that my back isn't used to supporting so much weight in my chest.  Either way, I hope it eventually disappears!

Do you have a name picked out? Justin and I have a list of names.  First names were pretty easy to come up with--middle names, not so much.  We have a few combinations that we like, but to be safe, we're waiting until we meet the baby to pick a name.  We're just not "sold" on the names and I'd hate to be the fool who "changes" the name once she gets here!  Months ago,  before we knew the gender, we came across a boy's name that we BOTH absolutely loved--if there's ever another child, and Justin's chromosomes decide it will be a boy, we won't have to spend months figuring out a name!

Do you have a birth plan?  Nope.  Last I checked, this little girl has the final say on how she enters the world, so we're just going to roll with the punches.  One thing I don't mind letting the nurses know ahead of time?  I'm totally okay with the use of drugs :-)

Are you scared of labor?  At this very moment, not one bit. 7 months ago?  Most definitely.  I couldn't even read the labor & delivery section of our insurance booklet without nearly losing consciousness.  I've since realized that our childbirth classes will give me the information that I need, I will be in the care of a great team and I'll have Justin by my side (hopefully, he just doesn't pass out!).  Now, coming home with a baby to care for???  THAT terrifies me!

Is the nursery ready?  Almost!  I am SO glad we started on it months ago.  We're just waiting for the rocking chair to come back from the upholstery lady and the room will be done!  Once everything's in its place, I'll be sure to do a "reveal" on here!

What kind of cravings have you had?  None!  For the first 18 weeks, it was more an issue of what could I eat, without making my nausea even worse.  Once I got past that, I waited for the cravings to kick in.  And they just haven't!  The only "staple" in our pantry (or, well, freezer) is a box of popsicles--each night, I lay in bed and munch on two of them so that I can get my kick-counts in.  And usually, baby girl gets her 10 kicks in within the first 5 minutes or so!

Have you had any heartburn yet?  Ha!  Heartburn?!  Are you kidding?!  If the old wives' tale is true, this baby won't be coming out with just a full head of hair--she'll be rocking an Afro!  See, for several years the doctors thought I had Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)...what makes GERD different from typical acid reflux is that I couldn't FEEL the heartburn, even though it was there.  After ongoing problems, we learned that I truly have what's called Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR).   Basically, and this may be too much information, my stomach acid doesn't just stop at my esophagus--it continues up into my larynx/voicebox.  Problem with that?  It causes episodes where I just can't breathe.  I'll wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air--I'll be driving in my car and suddenly, I can't take any air in.  The episodes are short and I'm always fine afterwards, but it's still scary.  If I take my medicine and avoid wheat, no problems.  However, add a pregnancy to the equation and I'm back to nighttime episodes--and now I FEEL the acid reflux.  The burning is atrocious, but I'm ready and waiting to pick out that baby 'fro!













It seems that with every change in life, you find "favorite things" that usher you through the new period.  For J-Money and I, expanding our family happened MUCH earlier than we thought it would and I will never forget how overwhelmed I was by the news.  We had had so many changes in 2012 and were really looking forward to some stability in 2013.  But now, we were going to have a baby?!  How would I ever deal with the changes that were bound to come in the next 9 months?!  Fortunately, there were a few little things that sure made the changes much easier to deal with!

Somehow, I got signed up for weekly emails from multiple companies.  Most of them sucked (hey, just being honest here!) or their links took you to totally different articles.  The one weekly update that I actually appreciated came from Everyday Family.  Soooo very informative and easy to navigate.  Before too long, I actually looked forward to receiving their emails and Justin even enjoyed them, too!

One change that I noticed right away in my pregnancy was the texture of my hair.  It went from being fine and silky to COARSE and dry!  Pre-pregnancy, I could only condition every-other-day...now, I have to use a deep conditioning mask EVERY night!  It will sure be interesting to see what happens to my hair texture after the baby is born...and I'm already mentally preparing myself for the dreaded hair loss!

One of my biggest worries was having to buy a maternity wardrobe.  I've never had an easy time finding pants and now I was going to have to accommodate both a long inseam AND a swollen belly!  Fortunately, GAP's maternity line offered my 37" inseam in some of their pants--and some of their "Tall" section had maternity options, too! 

A lot of the (affordable) GAP maternity pieces bordered on being too casual for work, so I was excited when I discovered that Ann Taylor LOFT had a maternity line...AND they had Tall options, as well!  I just had to make sure to catch one of their sales so that I could actually afford the items!!

I also quickly learned that when it came to dresses and tops, I could score some REALLY cute Pea in the Pod pieces if I surfed eBay or waited for their end of season clearance sales--and, had an internet promo code ready!  I absolutely love everything Pea in the Pod--style, quality, you name it--and would have loved to have my wardrobe be 100% from this company, but I'd have to sell quite a few more houses to make that happen ;-)  And while I'm thinking of eBay--I found quite a few great deals on there, too!  With the help of my tailor, we could make various pieces fit like they should, but at the fraction of retail cost.

When it came to the basic pieces (layering tanks, regular tees, etc), I've had really good luck with Old Navy...for whatever reason, a lot of the stuff from Target fits me funny, but Old Navy has been pretty reliable and oh, so very cheap (again, gotta love those promo codes)! 

As my belly has grown, I've become a huge fan of the Mama Bee Belly Butter by Burt's Bees.  When it comes to lotions, I'm really particular about how they feel going on...and I love the way this belly butter FEELS going on and as it absorbs into my skin.  Oh, and the smell is pretty lovely, too!

One thing I wanted to maintain during my pregnancy was a work-out routine.  My work schedule has never allowed for a "true" routine, but I would try to work out when I could...being pregnant, I try to squeeze in some activity whenever I'm not working 10-12 hour days.  One video that I really do enjoy is the Prenatal Pilates workout by 10-minute solutions.  You have a choice of 5 different 10-minute workouts, so you can do as little or as much as you want.  And the instructor makes great use of the 10 minutes--while doing legs, you're still using your arms, core, etc...and it certainly gets your heart rate going, too!

This next video took my a while to try.  It had GREAT reviews, but looked kinda cheap and weird.  When it arrived, Justin asked if the instructor on the case was a pregnant dude...really?!  You're going to make fun of the video before I even try it?!  The gal is a professional acrobat and yes, is pretty darn buff!  I finally tried the video and I LOVE it!  I can totally see why it had the reviews that it did.  Only downfall?  It takes about 45-minutes to do, so I don't get to use it as often as I'd like to.  But when I do have the time, it's totally worth it!

And the final thing that has made my pregnancy easier and more enjoyable is this guy...

Today, we put together the bassinet that the grandparents ordered for Baby Williams.  Well, not we--Justin.  After putting together the crib and changing table, I realized any furniture assembly needs to be a one-person task!  There are days where Justin drives me absolutely crazy but he's been great during my pregnancy (especially since I have 9 months to drive him nuts!!).  He was a huge help during the first trimester, worked his butt off during the second trimester to support the expense that comes with a baby and now that we're in the home stretch, he's constantly talking to the baby and doing everything he can to prepare for her.  When we meet 7 years ago, had someone told me "that basketball player" would be so enthralled with being a father, I would have laughed at you!  And I would have laughed even harder had you predicted we'd be married and raising a child together!  As we all know, life is full of changes and some of the best changes are those you least expect!!