33 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 33 - April 22-28

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

This week I'm in the hospital, if you haven't checked it out, please run on over to my last blog post to get a little update. Some of this week's post were written prior to the hospital, some afterwards.

At the hospital:
I don't have any new news really, essentially this is all just a waiting game. My doctor says as long as I don't go into labor on my own and I don't get an infection, we're waiting as long as we can to induce. He is very positive and nice and I'm very glad we came to this hospital and have him for our doctor, I just feel in my heart that if we hadn't chosen to come here, perhaps Calvin would have already been born. It worries me so much that he'll have to spend a long time in the NICU.
So our doctor tells me that typically they would automatically induce me if I made it to 34 weeks. He doesn't want to do that, he'd rather wait as long as possible. So far things are going well and he sees us making it past the 34 weeks mark. However, it seems like these things can change in an instant, so I'll keep praying that Calvin stays all safe and warm in my belly for awhile longer.
For a couple days there they had me hooked up to an IV and were giving me antibiotics to help prevent any infection and magnesium sulfate to prevent contractions. The magnesium definitely made me tired and when I woke up the next day I was off-balance and my vision was kinda blurry and sucky for the day. When they had me on the IV I literally needed to pee every hour because of all the fluid they were putting in me and it was a big ordeal to get up to the bathroom because I was attached to everything.
I've since been taken off the magnesium and am taking oral antibiotics, so I don't have to be hooked up to the IV anymore. They are also only monitoring Calvin for a couple hours per day, instead of all the time. So essentially, I am free! I'm not attached to anything except for the little while when they want to monitor him. So this is great. I can get up to pee without making a big extravaganza about it.
We've had visitors. My sister works at this hospital so she's come to see me on her lunch. My parents have brought me food and come to visit. Justin's dad and stepmom came by, my aunt, my other aunt and uncle, my other sister and her fiance. It hasn't been too terribly lonely so far. Justin's able to come by during the day every day. He works in the city and drives around a lot, so anytime he's nearby or doesn't have much to do, he comes to hang out with me. He's been spending every other night at home. I know this little couch in my hospital room is uncomfortable for him, plus the nurses come in a couple times per night to check on me or give me medication. So, I know Justin needs his rest too.
Everyday the doctor comes in and does an ultrasound to check my fluid levels, they have been great each time. He makes it sound like we're looking at the 35-36 week range for delivery if all goes well until then, my doctor even mentioned getting to full term! And if we can get to that time, it seems as though there's a pretty good chance our little Calvin could come home with us in reasonable time. :) So, that's our goal! It's just a sucky situation. Of course I'd love to make it to 37 weeks and have perfectly healthy little baby boy, but in the meantime, that's over a month in the hospital!

the lopsided bump

Bump:
Friday, day one of the week, Calvin was sitting up super high and my belly felt soo gigantic.
Maybe the belly is going through a growth spurt because it is sooo itchy lately! Even when I definitely remember to apply lotion.

I don't feel like my belly is significantly smaller even after having lost some fluids though.
The doctor had me go in for an ultrasound and Calvin is measuring big, as usual. Although I was advised that weight estimates get more and more inaccurate as time goes on, it still looks like he's going to be a good size even if he shows up much earlier than expected.

Maternity Clothes:
I hate pants and shoes... and about to hate regular shirts too... so let me whine a little bit...
The full panel pants are too tight around the middle of my belly and the low under the belly ones just stab me under the belly.
Of my entire shoe collection, we're down to literally a handful of shoes that work. About ready to give up entirely on laced shoes though, so that's gonna cut back one more pair.
Regular shirts, like the ones I wear to work, are getting too damn tight around the belly! I have to pull them down to cover the bottom of the belly, but that makes them too tight in the space between the belly and the boobies, so I have to pull it back up a tad, just back and forth all day!
I really just want to wear only dresses. 

And being in the hospital, not having to look civilized, I can wear much more comfy stuff. One bonus I guess lol.

Emotions:
Oh no guys, I can feel myself getting more irritable as the days go on... Not good! And I must say my physical comfort can play quite the factor in this as well. If I'm super uncomfortable and even one little thing else goes wrong, it's the end of the world, no doubt.

But I must say I'm proud of myself once getting into the hospital. At least so far, I think I've got a pretty good demeanor.

Food:
Appetite is similar to pre pregnancy. I just don't feel starving and I don't even feel like snacking usually either. I don't eat as much as I have been previously, both before and after entering the hospital. 

Sleep & Dreams:

I'm sorry to my sweet husband for my snoring. He leaves for the couch in the early morning hours probably 75% of nights. :( And once at the hospital, he's only spending every other night with me, I know he needs his good rest as well.
Hey, why haven't I been having strange pregnancy dreams? I dreamt a lot of strange stuff in the very early days, but there's not really anything to talk about for awhile now.

Energy:
Crappy but I'm in the hospital so there's not really much to do anyway.

Exercise:
No longer applicable. I did some small weights exercises on my yoga ball Friday night before all this went down.

Physical Symptoms:
Sciatic nerve pain down my right leg. At least I think that's what it is. Sometimes it's like right in my right butt cheek, but more often it's like way down in the outside of my upper calf. And it's not horrible, just kind of annoying.

Heartburn and indigestion has been acting up again this week. I sure hope it's true that it means Mr. Calvin will have lots of hair!

Movement:
His hiccups are getting more intense these days. He is moving around just like usual even though we're in the hospital, so that's good, it's like he doesn't even know what's up. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Hearing good news from our doctor each time he visited. People coming to see us. Hearing that people have been calling to check on us.

Baby Purchases:
The baby shower is this weekend! You'll hear all about it in next week's post. I think they still plan on having it without me physically there. Justin's going to try to have me on Skype.

What I Look Forward To:
Seeing Calvin! I can't wait to hold him and love him. Up until now, I've only envisioned this whole pregnancy thing ending in labor. But recently, I've started to switch my thinking to after the labor part where we actually get a precious little baby! I couldn't get myself past labor before. I couldn't imagine our lives with a baby. I was just stuck on the idea of pushing him out! By thinking more about being a mommy and having a little family, I think it's helping me get through the scary thoughts about what labor's going to be like. However, I don't want to just ignore the fact that it's gonna be hard and sucky either. I think I'm in the process of finding some balance here with the idea of labor.

Random Thoughts:

I tell myself every day I'm here in the hospital is hopefully one more day our little Calvin won't have to be here once he comes. One of the nurses said the equivalent was more like everyday I'm here is two days he won't be, so that's even better. 

Sitting at the hospital all day, a lot goes through your head. I'd be lying if I didn't say, "how much is all this going to cost us in the end?" never came to mind. And Justin has good insurance. It disgraces me to be one of the only major countries on earth where this is an issue. And let's not get into my unpaid maternity leave that is now going to be quite extended from our original 8 week plan. We have so much already on our plate in this entire situation, insurance and finances should be the last thing we're worrying about. I never planned to be political in my social media career or here on the blog but I'll just leave you with this: something needs adjustment in this country. 

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

32 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 32 - April 15-21

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Here's a little explanation of this week's picture. I went in to the hospital Saturday morning (usually the day that we take our weekly pic). If you want to hear about what's up and why I'm in the hospital, click here. 

Doctor Appointment:
This week's appointment went so much better than the last one, thank goodness. My uterus measured at 37 cm (still huge, but doctor's not concerned anymore). Calvin's heartbeat was at 138.
My doctor did tell me I was gaining too much weight, she asked me what I typically eat, said I was eating reasonably, and then pretty much said that's just how it is sometimes. Lol. So that's that. I know I've been gaining a ton of weight this pregnancy, but at this point, what can you really do about it? Calvin will be here in two months.
She went over the ultrasound a little bit with me again and said Calvin was in the 67th percentile for his size and she said they don't really even worry until they're in the 90th, so she isn't calling him a big baby anymore. He just must have had a big ole growth spurt from 28-30 weeks. She did say my fluids were on the high end of normal, but she isn't concerned about that now. So everything looks pretty good at this point, so yay! :)

Bump:
Woke up Monday morning and said, holy crap, this bump is getting big. Lol. Some days it just feels like he's sitting so high up and my belly is uncomfortably close to my boobies, and other days he's being a good baby and laying low. 

Maternity Clothes:
So you guys know I've been hating pants for awhile now, well I got a new hate this week: shoes. Yep, these chunky little feet can hardly fit into anything haha. I don't feel that they are bigger in terms of how long they are, but they are definitely swollen and just plain chubbier on top lol. I am down to one pair of slip on shoes I bought mid-pregnancy in a half size bigger than usual (that are comfy, but definitely not cute), my converse (they're more flexible in the laces area than my other tennis shoes), flipflops, and just about two pair of slip on flats that are still working (problem is, they're brown moccasins or leopard print, nothing black to just match everything haha). I can still tie my laces, although it's totally not comfy to do so.
As of Tuesday, I'm saying, "yep, I'm done with these pants" about the Old Navy ones. Since I also abandoned the Target under the belly pants last week, I'm now down to one official pair of jeans to last me two more months.

Emotions:
Not gonna lie, I felt on the edge of a breakdown Tuesday. I was so freaking uncomfortable it's not even funny. And I was stuck at work, Justin brought me and I had no car and I just felt like shit. I just wanted to lay down but there's nowhere to lay at work. I hated Tuesday, it was super shitty.

Food:
As I've said before, I seem to go through spurts of starvation all the time, and less starvation all the time. This week seems to have been a less starving feeling. I almost feel like I can eat "normally" again and still feel full. Except for Tuesday. I felt like crap on Tuesday and I felt better when I was snacking, so I snacked a lot that day. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Justin told me he dreamt that right before I went into labor the doctor told us we were having twins!
I typically get my 8 hours and usually a little more, but this week, I've been right at the 7 1/2 hour mark most days. I do feel less comfortable, but overall sleep is still good. Last week must have just been a weirdo off week.
I'm going to describe my sleeping position as best I can here. I like to sleep with one leg straight on the bed and the top leg angled with knee sticking out to support the belly, usually with a pillow or the snoogle under my knee. I've always loved sleeping like this when I sleep on my side, even before pregnancy. However, this week we have hit a milestone, the belly is officially getting too big for this to be comfortable. :(

Energy:
Woke up Monday super easily and ready to go, but perhaps that had to do with the fact that I woke to Yuna the cat on the bathroom counter reaching up to the shelf on the wall to steal my hair bands! I could hear the little dish where I keep them moving about. So I had to holler at her before she knocked everything off that shelf and then I said, well I might as well get up now.

Exercise:
Went for about an hour long walk Saturday yay! My back didn't hurt either! And that's as good as it gets this week.

Weight:
So far this entire trimester I've tried extra extra hard to eat well and not snack all the damn time on junk, but that is not helping. Seriously?! I know this is all "almost" over and there's not much I can do about the weight gain overall at this point, but holy crap guys, it just sucks trying so hard to behave and eat well and it not even making a difference from snacking and eating whatever I want all day long. :( I'm still gaining about two pounds per week, like I have been since the start of the second trimester. I snack on fruit and veggies instead of chips and cookies, but I'm still gaining the same amount.

Physical Symptoms:
Pelvic pressure has begun. It's not constant, but when I sit certain ways I can definitely feel some pressure down there some days.
My back was good for the majority of the week.
I've had a suspicion of this for a few weeks now, and after reading a little article about surprising pregnancy facts, I am convinced it is true! My nose is even chubbier! Yep, my nose is bigger than usual. Not cool, pregnancy, not cool.
Had a middle of the night calf cramp again, haven't had one of those in several weeks since I started taking magnesium. It wasn't nearly as intense as the ones I've had previously, but it still sucks to awaken to that in the middle of the night!
I just realized that I can no longer touch my thumb and middle finger around my wrists! I haven't checked this in awhile, so I don't know when it happened, but that's definitely a tell tale sign of the weight gain.
My legs look all purpley and pale and weird sometimes. Maybe I should try to go outside and get a teeny bit of color to them!

Movement:
Tuesday I woke up and just knew it was going to be an uncomfortable day. It felt like Calvin was as high up as possible, like he had snuggled up into my rib cage. And on that same day, it's like he was having a party in there too. He was moving around soo much! This week he is definitely moving the entire belly a lot when he moves. And I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I watch him and it makes me feel queasy haha, it kinda has begun freaking me out, if I'm being totally honest with you guys. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
I snuggled up next to Justin with my belly pressed on his back so he could feel Calvin going nuts. Later on, Justin said he thought I was going to kill Calvin by squishing him. I wasn't even pressing on him!

Baby Purchases:
Just gathering stuff for the shower (May 1)! Thanks to my older sister Lindsay for stepping in and helping me plan. :)

What I Miss:
I feel like this section should be becoming "what I look forward to" because we're getting close to the end here. Anyway, I look forward to my skin hopefully returning to normal once Calvin comes. I have always had oily skin but holy freaking crap is it oily now!? It is literally, definitely twice as oily as before. Didn't know that was possible and cannot wait to get my "regular" oily skin back. Haha.
And this is probably TMI, but Justin mentioned how he looks forward to having regular sex again. Not gonna lie, pregnant sex can be awkward. Lol.
I can't wait to sit with my legs crossed or just sit without my legs open!
Can't wait to lay on my belly, duh, that one is the big one!
Can't wait to not be carrying all this water weight and not be swollen everywhere all the time. To wear my rings again! To wear different shoes!

Random Thoughts:
I feel like I'm never going to get my body back to normal after Calvin comes. I know I'll have to continue eating plenty while breastfeeding in order to keep up my milk supply. I even read that you will need more calories to breastfeed than you did during pregnancy. I'm super excited to see what my body does naturally, but I keep feeling like I'm going to be disappointed in the end. I've read too much about ladies losing all the weight by doing nothing, but I've gained a ton of weight, and I just know I won't be the same as these ladies. I shouldn't let this get to me, I shouldn't focus so much on my body, but looking back at pics and my YouTube videos from just a few months ago makes me so sad. Sometimes I look at pics of me from last summer and think, holy crap, I thought I was getting chubby? I was so skinny. Sometimes I even feel like I was too skinny, like my face just looked so thin. Haha. And I look at myself pregnant from just a couple months ago, and I felt big then! But then I look in the mirror now and it's like crap, I still have two months. :( It makes me sad, but honestly I feel like my body is just built to gain a bunch of weight. However, I really do want to work harder next time to stay active throughout my pregnancy. I didn't exercise at all in the first trimester, kept a decent little schedule for the second, but now here in the third, I'm just like f this, I feel too tired and achey most days to do anything (and I know some of that stems just from pregnancy, but the other half has to be because of all the extra weight too!). And I know in my heart if I had kept up on exercising throughout, I wouldn't be so uncomfortable here at 32 weeks, right? That's the idea anyway. As far as food is concerned, I know I snack a lot! Haha. I do eat a lot, but I feel like I'm starving to death if I don't snack on something every couple hours. I try to keep those snacks whole foods though, like strawberries, grapes, watermelon lately. Anyway, perhaps there are things I'll change next time around.
Reading through some boards on various pregnancy websites, I came across this quote "the stretchmarks aren't cute but baby will be!" and that made me laugh. Something to keep in mind when you're feeling down about the stretchmarks. I hated them at first and they've only gotten worse and I know the excessive weight gain is to blame, but I am trying my best not to let them get to me. :)

Why Tuesday Fucking Sucked:
I apologize for the language, but it sure gets my point across. Tuesday sucked. Justin took me to work and picked me up, so that there tells you I'm stuck at work all day and no escaping. I honestly think I would have gone home halfway through this day if only I had a vehicle. On the ride in, it felt like Calvin was literally all up in my rib cage, just as high up as he could possibly be. I felt like all my insides were being squished right up into my boobs and my lungs. I felt miserable just an hour into the damn day. My Old Navy jeans were freshly washed (aka tight). The belly band on those pants gets so uncomfortable halfway through the day, even the second day I wear them and they've had time to stretch a little. I was fucking itchy as shit because I forgot to apply lotion EVERYWHERE, like seriously, the belly was bad, but just my whole torso was itchy too. I think Calvin gained five pounds overnight because I needed to pee every half hour! How he was all up in my lungs and pressing on my bladder at the same time, I don't know, but that's the case. Restless legs popped back up again, perhaps being caused by the pants being too tight. My back was hurting after like 3-4 days of it being really good. And I felt like I was getting sick, my stomach didn't feel great and I just overall felt yucky. And lastly, Calvin was having a damn party in there and moving around like twice as much as he normally does. So overall, Tuesday just felt like everything was fighting against me, trying to make me miserable. And it's days like that that make me want to fast forward to June. Holy crap. Pregnancy has been so great, but those days make everything suck! If I felt like that every single say, I would totally understand everyone who says being pregnant sucks. For those of you who feel like that every day, I am so sorry.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

Important Pregnancy Update

Well it looks like our Calvin Lee will be joining us much sooner than we anticipated. I am currently 32 weeks, 1 day pregnant and this morning (Saturday, April 23) I headed in to the hospital.

I woke up with my 6 am alarm on Saturday morning and as soon as I stepped out of bed I felt a gush of water leaking. I walked to the bathroom and noticed it was totally clean and I even smelled my underwear to find that it had no real scent and definitely didn't smell like pee. My first words honestly were "no, no, no, no, no."

Justin was at a friend's overnight and wouldn't be returning until late Saturday, so I was all on my own. I called my doctor's office after hours line and was instructed to have someone take me to the hospital. Now thank goodness my sister lives right down the street from me and my mother in law lives right around the corner too. So I immediately called my sister, but she didn't answer. Then I tried Justin and he also didn't answer. So I called my mother in law, her husband answered, gave her the phone, and she was on her way over to get me. Thank goodness one of them was able to pick up!

We went to the hospital I had planned to deliver at, but they would only keep me if I was over 35 weeks and needed to deliver. They did however do a test to see if the fluid indeed had been amniotic fluid. That came back positive. But I was also checked for dilation and my cervix was closed, so that was good news. They put me on an IV and gave me antibiotics and a shot of steroids to help Calvin's lungs mature.

Now Justin's mother was with me and we still could not get ahold of Justin. I had texted him a couple updates so he'd have an idea what was up once he got to his phone. She had called him 9 times. I was actually supposed to attend a church event with my other mother in law, Justin's step mom, that morning and I had to message her to cancel. So Justin awoke to a missed call from me, 9 from his mother, and one from his dad. Apparently his phone was on silent lol.

So finally, after a couple hours, my husband walked through the hospital room door. He looked so handsome, not gonna lie lol. But the look on his face was just like "holy crap, what's happening?" I did get tears in my eyes as soon as I saw him. I was just so worried for our baby boy.

So due to the fact that I was only 32 weeks, I had to be transferred to another hospital, and I chose one where my regular doctor did not deliver. I would get a new doctor. Once meeting with him and having an ultrasound, I think Justin and I are pretty happy with the way things are sounding at this point. It looks like Calvin's doing well, moving properly, good heart rate, practicing his breathing. His fluids are good and I'm not in labor. If all continues to go well my doctor wants to keep me pregnant for as long as possible, it sounds like 2-3 weeks right now. That puts us in the 34-35 weeks range. Although he'll still need to be in the hospital once he comes, our doctor really made me feel optimistic about the whole situation, much better than my "no, no, no" moment this morning.

In the meantime, I'm on bedrest in the hospital until Calvin comes. So you're not going to see videos from me for awhile now and I do apologize for that. But if you follow the blog here, you'll know what's up. I am praying for our little boy and I hope he's in your thoughts and prayers too. Thank you all so much for your love and support.

Love,
Alaina and Calvin

31 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 31 - April 8-14

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Bump:
I feel like the bump reaches all the way up to the boobies, even first thing in the morning (previously I didn't feel so uncomfortable until the end of the day). I feel like my ribs are so strained some days, like they're stretching. I keep getting things on my bump, like food. I'll look down and see a dribble of something or crumbs or whatever. Lol. :)

Maternity Clothes:
Why do my pants keep getting tighter and tighter?! And the belly portion of my Old Navy pair start to feel so tight on the center of my belly about halfway through the day. It's slowly inching its way down my belly lol. This band is annoying me, maybe it's time to try the under the belly pants one more time? O maternity clothes, why isn't there a one size fits all for all nine months? Haha. Well, that's where dresses come in! Trouble is, I don't always feel comfortable wearing super girly stuff like dresses to work. I am the only chick at my workplace and most of our customers are dudes too, so I always feel awkward in a dress.
But, I was thinking, at first (when I was stockpiling maternity clothes before I even had a real bump) I thought I picked up too many "winter" maternity things like a couple big sweaters and a sweater dress and I thought, "I'm not gonna get my fair share of wear out of these items!" But in reality, the weather has been strangely cooler than usual and I feel like I've actually gotten decent wear time out of these items, so that's awesome! However, I only have one pair of Bermuda jean shorts and one pajama pants shorts that fit now lol.
Anyway, I made a couple purchases this week. Went into my local Ross and they have greatly expanded the maternity selection, which kicks ass because it was freaking tiny before. So I had to take advantage. Got one pair of black capris that are super comfy and feel like pajamas, and a white tank top with black polka dots and a red bow on the back. So cute, couldn't pass it up. :) Tried on some shorts, but I'm just not a fan of my legs and thighs at this point, so I think I'm just gonna avoid the shorts and hope that May and June don't get miserably hot.

Emotions:
Everything's going good.

Food:
Craving broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots mixed frozen veggies with Parmesan cheese. I'm just so over salads, so I guess I gotta get those vitamins elsewhere. Also still love fried rice. I've been very into that a lot this pregnancy. Still love flavored drinks, I'm currently a tea lover this week. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Dreamt that a Youtuber I watch all the time was pregnant. Haha.
In other news, sleep may be getting stupid. Sometimes I'm uncomfortable, but mostly it's because I just can't turn off my brain. And it's not like I'm worrying about Calvin or anything directly related to the pregnancy or becoming parents. It's just that I can't stop thinking and shut off my mind. It doesn't feel like it's worrisome thinking, it's just thinking in general. And that has happened all too often this week. Didn't fall asleep until 11 one night, midnight the next, 10 the next (I'm usually passed out by 9 at the latest). Tried sleeping in all directions, tried the couch, and let me just say, the cats are super annoying at night lol. They have to lay right up in my area, as I toss and turn, and they bug the crap out of me! Haha.

Energy:
Not the best, but that's probably caused by the whole not sleeping thing. I've hated waking up in the morning this week.

Exercise:
Terrible. I think I got zero workouts in this week.

Physical Symptoms:
Heartburn and indigestion at bedtime (not helping with the whole not being able to fall asleep thing).

Movement:
I think he gets hiccups pretty much daily now. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
My sister Ry got to feel him for the first time. She's the only other person besides Justin. She described it like if you had your hand on your cheek and moved your tongue along the inside of your mouth lol.
I hung out with Justin while he replaced some parts on my car and it just got me thinking about once Calvin arrives. I think about how smart and lucky our little Calvin will be. He'll be raised by and with the two awesomest guys I know: my husband and my dad. They're both so handy and smart when it comes to fixing things and street smarts, being reasonable. They have all of the qualities that I think are essential for dads to have. Not to mention Justin's stepdad Tony, who lives right around the corner from us. These guys are going to raise up the best little dude ever! It makes me feel so proud and blessed to know these are the male role models our little Calvin will have in life. I can't wait to watch him and Justin in the garage fixing things and building things together. It will be so sweet to see him hanging out with his daddy like that, and watch him year after year learning more and more. The image of the two of them like this is something I look forward to soo soo much.

Baby Purchases:
Got a cute teddy bear for Calvin. I think I want to take his monthly pictures with it, perhaps in the rocking chair in his room. You know, just some more Pinterest inspo. lol.

What I Look Forward To:
Sleeping normal.
Getting to wear my rings again! I feel so nakey without them. Not to mention the fact that I totally feel like a heathen walking around pregnant without any rings on, people always assuming I'm younger than I am. They probably think I'm a pregnant teen. Great.

Random Thoughts:
I wonder if/when Justin or myself will have a freak out moment before Calvin comes. Like one day, we'll just stare off into nothingness and go,"holy shit, we're going to be parents!" Lol.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

30 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 30 - April 1-7

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Thirty weeks! Holy crap, we've only got "10" to go! I put 10 in quotations because our baby boy could come early or late, who knows when he's gonna decide to make his arrival! :)

Bump:
I'm pretty sure this bump cannot get any higher. It is literally right up to my boobies and I don't know how all my insides are still fitting in there. Haha. It's usually like that in the afternoons and evenings, but this week, it's like that all day from the moment I get up, so that's sucky.
Holy crap, I know I've said it before, but looking back at weeks past remembering how big I thought I was makes me laugh and laugh! Haha. That bump was nothing! It's growing humongous every week now! I know in ten weeks I'm gonna look back and say the same thing about this 30 week update haha.  

Maternity Clothes:
This week was undergarments week lol.
New bra! Thank goodness. And it's convertible with the detachment in the front straps so I wonder if I could also kind of make it work for breastfeeding too. It has no underwire, has just enough padding, and still gives the boobies decent shape while still being comfortable, so yay!
Finally caved and got new underpants too. Although I must say I should have done this sooner and I'd have been more comfy, but wearing size large does not make me happy, especially seeing as I was wearing size small at this time last year! :(

Emotions:
Still happy to say it's going good, guys! Just one funny incident this week. My sister was moving into her new house this week (which is located on the same street as our house!) and she created some cute decor to hang in her kitchen. Well, apparently one of these canvases was broken on the way to her house. My husband saw it in the trash can. He told me about it, and although I did not cry, it made me very upset. I was like so sad that she made this artwork, then it just got destroyed. All of her hard work for nothing! I don't know what was wrong with me but every time they mentioned it, it just made me so sad. Haha. It's not even like she was very upset about it either, I just felt so terrible for her.

Food:
No real cravings or aversions this week. I do feel like I felt less hungry toward the end of the week. I've had these back and forth super starving all the time feelings, then the next day not so much. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Still sooo happy to report sleep is going good.

Energy:
I think my energy has been alright this week. Perhaps, I'm more lazy this week? I haven't made our bed for like three days in a row this week, which is crazy! I honestly don't think I've ever not made our bed since we moved in together (up until now). (Not that I make it all cutesy everyday, but I at least don't leave it in a big ole pile of pillows and blankets lol)

Exercise:
I did learn that using the elliptical at the gym doesn't hurt my back like simply walking on the treadmill, so that's awesome. And I must say, it really is incredible how much effect this extra weight has on me, I breath heavy and my body aches just simply from walking for a period of time.

Physical Symptoms:
Back aches continue, even when I'm not really doing anything. It sucks when my back hurts and it honestly is the only thing that makes me say, holy crap I'm so done being pregnant (at this point at least).
Peeing has become a constant and urgent thing, almost painfully so.
First belly stretchmarks. I have hip and thigh stretchmarks for awhile now, but this week they appeared on my lower belly. If they're anything like the others, they may look little now, but they're only going to grow from here on out. Lol.

Movement:
It's funny how one day he will be a little less active, then the next day he totally makes up for it and is extra crazy lol. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
Went through the Dairy Queen drive through and the young lady working, who had a beautiful face of makeup on, she hung out the window to take my card, she just stopped and said "wow, you're gorgeous!" Now, that made my day. :)
And on a couple random occasions this week, Justin just randomly kissed my belly. :)

Baby Purchases:
Nothing purchased this week.

What I Miss:
Not peeing all the time, man!
I might confess I'm already tired of being pregnant some days. I can't wait to not be pregnant in a couple months, but then I think to myself, do I really want to do this all over again in a year or two? Lol. Being pregnant is hard man. I must admit my being tired of being pregnant stems from the back pain issue. I can deal with the swollen feet, the overall fatness, the belly that's all up in the boobies' personal space, the peeing all the time day or night, the heartburn and indigestion, the creaky hips and knees, but the back pain? No, that sucks. I hope he decides it's time to come at 37 weeks, just to spare me! But my family has a history of babies just chillin' in the womb for awhile longer, so we'll just have to see how this goes! Haha. Not gonna lie though, I'm pretty much already counting on him showing up a little earlier than 40 weeks because I keep referring to it as only being two months away (when in reality it's more like 2.5). I do pray he makes it till June though, I just can't imagine him having a May birthday, he was supposed to be a June baby! :)

Random Thoughts:
Over the weekend I seriously could not shake the urge to just hold our baby boy finally! I know he still has so much growing to do, but I just wanted him to be here already so bad! And on the other hand, there are still days when I just simply cannot imagine what life's gonna be like once he comes. I literally cannot imagine how hard it's going to be to get used to. Justin and I have been together for nearly seven years now, we can take care of ourselves, but what about another human being?! Are we really capable of taking care of another tiny little helpless person? I fear that we'll leave the house without him or something, not being used to hauling around another person. I know it's crazy, but those are just the mixture of feelings I've had lately.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin

Lemon Blueberry Loaf Cake Recipe

I had a lemon flavored greek yogurt in the fridge that was about the expire and I just didn't feel like eating it, so I started looking for recipes to use it up. I love lemon blueberry flavored stuff, so a loaf cake like this sounded appealing.

This is based on a couple recipes I found on Pinterest. I kind of took tips from each recipe and added a little bit of my own twist on this. In the recipes I saw on Pinterest, they didn't use any lemon juice, and they also just used plain yogurt. To me, that didn't sound like enough lemon flavor, so I kicked it up a notch. Even still, I do not think it's too lemony at all. The only alteration I'd add to this is perhaps next time I'll use more blueberries, some slices were just right, but others seemed to be a bit lacking in blueberries, in my opinion. :)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon (about 1/2 tsp)
juice of one lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup/pkg lemon greek yogurt
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup/small pkg blueberries

Mix the dry ingredients well, then start adding in the wet ingredients gradually. Don't mix too much once you add the blueberries because they can start to create streaks of purple in the batter, or you might squish the berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes in a loaf pan (8x4 in. or similar).

Enjoy!

Love,
Alaina

29 Weeks Pregnant : Third Trimester Pregnancy Update, Symptoms, etc.

Week 29 - March 25-31

Our baby boy Calvin Lee is due June 17, 2016!

Glucose Test Results:
I just had to start off this post with this awesome news: my one hour gestational diabetes test was normal! Yay! I am just so happy about that. Since my uterus is measuring big and last week we discovered Calvin is measuring big too, plus the fact that I've gained like a million pounds this pregnancy so far, I thought for sure I'd be diabetic. So... I guess Calvin's just big for no good reason? Lol. We'll see what my doctor says about it all next week. Permission to treat myself to a bag of candy corn? I've been wanting candy corn all week...

Bump:
Last week I measured 36 cm, so it's gigantic. :-P

Maternity Clothes:
I can't wait for the weather to get warm and stay warm so I can just live in dresses. Some days I just don't even wanna look at pants. Especially days I shower in the morning and I just put on a gallon of lotion. Pants are pretty much impossible at that point.
And, once again, bras are proving to be one of the suckiest things about maternity clothes. I have none that are comfortable, yet flattering. The ones I've been wearing are similar in style to sports bras and they feel awesome, but honestly they just make me feel and look frumpy overall, they just aren't going anything positive shaping or anything like that. But, on the other hand, should I really buy a new bra right now not knowing how long it's going to fit and work for my changing body? They say your rib cage can stretch out and you'll never be back to the same band size after pregnancy. But that's not the case for everyone. I know I've gained weight and plan to lose it, so that will also affect the band size. Plus not to mention what the cup size might do! I could be pretty much the same, bigger, smaller, whatever, by the time my milk comes in and sticks around. So who knows at this point... Hopefully though, next pregnancy I'll have a nice little collection of bra options.

Emotions:
Things are going good. I'm getting super excited to meet Calvin, even though I know it's still so far away.

Food:
Some days I still hate salad, but I can do one at least every other day, so at least it looks like I'm being healthy. Some days I can't decide if I should go home and bake some cookies or workout. Haha. I've been on a baking spree this week. 

Sleep & Dreams:

Sleep's still going pretty good. Sometimes I feel like I wake up more often, but I haven't had any issues falling back asleep recently. Once again, I am super grateful for the awesome sleep that I'm getting! I know I'm still snoring and it's bugging Justin and I hope it goes away quickly once Calvin arrives.

Then this week the "thin skin" dreams began. I had a dream that I could seriously just feel Calvin's head up on my left hand side. It was really defined, like I could feel his eye sockets and such. Haha. Creepy dream. And another night I dreamt I could feel his little hand up on my right side, I could almost hold it, I could feel his fingers perfectly through my belly. 

Energy:
When I get off work, I just want to nap. I feel like I'm back in the first trimester where napping is literally just all I want to do. But I know I should be making dinner or working out. That's a tough decision.

Exercise:
Did some legs and arms exercises over the weekend. Actually woke up Sunday morning to sore legs haha, that hasn't happened in awhile. Went for a half hour walk with Justin during the week and did a little bit of weights working out too. So I succeeded at the 3x per week this week! Yay! Gotta be honest, for two days after our walk my back was killing me. I can't say it's necessarily due to taking that walk, but it sucked. My back has been weird, it's usually only sucky every few days, and this was the first time it hurt for two days back to back.

Physical Symptoms:
Just an update on things, I've been taking a magnesium vitamin for a few weeks now. This, combined with a little ottoman under my desk at work to prop my legs up on have both really helped my restless legs and calf cramping. Of course, I asked my doctor before starting this extra vitamin, but I'd highly recommend looking into it for yourself if you're suffering with the same leg issues.
General discomfort. I just feel uncomfortable a lot. And I'm sure my sweet husband is tired of hearing it. Some nights I'll just crawl all over the living room trying to find a comfortable way to sit or lay haha. I'll sit on one end of the couch, lay, move to the other end, sit on the floor, lean on the couch, roll around with my yoga ball, then just sit there and say "I'm so uncomfortable" over and over again.
Back pain has been pretty crappy this week. :(
Round ligament pain sucks, I'm afraid to ever stretch my back because of those stupid ligaments (okay, I know they're not stupid, they're just doing their job here, but they hurt!).

Movement:
He's been avoiding my rib cage this week, which is nice. Thanks Cal. 

Favorite Moments of the Week:
At work one day I hummed Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles when it came on the radio and I guess it woke my Calvin, I could feel him lightly squirming around in there. It made me excited to see what kind of music he'll like and if he'll be partial to my music choices instead of his daddy's lol since he's spent all this time with me and my music. :)

Baby Purchases:
No new purchases, I'm getting excited for the shower though. It feels so far away, but it's about a month from now, I know it will be here before we know it! :)

What I Miss:
Being comfortable. Sleeping, sitting, walking, laying comfortably.

Random Thoughts:
Holy crap, we're getting there! Next week will be 30 weeks! That sounds like sooo many weeks! Haha. He'll be here in no time!
I've been on an organizing/cleaning/rearranging things kick this week in my makeup room, my personal space. It's the room where we keep the computer and my makeup and filming setup and all the good YouTubin' stuff. I just wanted to declutter some stuff in there. It's only a matter of time before I get the urge to do the rest of the house! Haha.
But hey, side-note, yet also somewhat related: I really want someone to clean my bathroom. It's pretty dirty and needs to be done. But getting on my knees to clean the bathtub at this point is just not appealing to me in my 36 cm pregnant belly. Man, that bathtub really needs to be done. Haha. I use this "measuring big" belly as an excuse for a lot of things. I consider myself just as uncomfortable as someone who is already 36 weeks pregnant. According to my doctor, this is pretty justifiable. Lol.

Thanks so much for reading!
Love,
Alaina and Little Calvin