32 Weeks

Sorry for the late post!  My mind has been on other things the last two weeks.  During the weeks leading up to the baby shower, I fought off intense urges to stockpile baby must-have necessities much like avoiding preparation for an impending zombie apocalypse; newborn baby edition.  What a blessing it is to have friends and family who want to provide for little David's early stages in life, but man... the delay of having everything ready-to-go was stressful!  It's a crazy feeling as a FTM (first-time mom) to be excited to meet and hold my baby but also desperately want him to stay in as I am totally unprepared for his birth and bringing him home.

And as soon as I got home from the baby shower my brain switched, as I knew it would.  There's still a lot to organize but the process has begun.  It's a little tough because fatigue has returned and there's only so much time I can spend standing-up before I need to sit down.  Also, for the last few weeks I've had trouble breathing while standing.  Doesn't happen all the time so my guess is it depends on his position and whether he's pushing heavily on my lungs and diaphragm.  Just feels like I can't take in enough air unless I sit down for a few minutes.

Remember those goals of mine?  Haha, I haven't mentioned them in awhile because I've lost sight of them!  I'm glad I established a few goals for myself as I planned to stay occupied while Trevor's away, except this pregnancy has changed everything!  A great benefit of pregnancy is it has taught me to listen to my body.  Sounds cliché, but really!  Before becoming pregnant, I pushed my body to the limits and recovered later.  However now out of fear of preterm labor, I err on the side of caution.  I rest when my body clearly needs rest and I cut myself some slack.

Well, I finished reading Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize.  It's been awhile since I picked up the book so I opted to reread the first half over again, but it was worth it.  To summarize, it's a real-life application of biblical promises as it pertains to childbirth.  As the story goes, the curse of a painful childbirth stems from Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden; however, because of Christ's death and resurrection, we have been redeemed.  It's by the gift of Jesus' sacrifice that, according to this book, we can receive a pain-free, natural childbirth.

Kinda interesting, huh?  In all honesty, if this book hadn't been recommended by moms that I trust, I probably wouldn't have read it.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not against receiving an epidural--in fact, I plan on requesting one but this book gives me a lot to think and pray about.  Thought I would share it with all of you lovely folks as well!

10 October 2017:  OB Appt #.... I lost count.
Dr. Friedman thinks baby boy was resting during the Doppler reading as his heart-rate was a little lower than his usual.  Typically after the OB prods David with the Doppler wand, I can feel him wiggling around and this appointment was no different.  His heart-rate started to rise during the reading so little boy was definitely waking up right then.

From this point on, the appointments will be every two weeks until we shift to meeting once per week.  Baby still measures a week ahead and the OB and I discussed the decision to circumcise, vaccinate and assignment to an LA AFB pediatrician--not a civilian doctor.  Around 35 or 36 weeks I'll have a cervical exam, group B strep test and another ultrasound to determine baby's position.  Dr. Friedman said he would not attempt to flip baby if he's breech as it's only a 50% chance of turning him, which bothers me a bit.  Hopefully this won't be an issue and David will be head-down when he needs to be.

14 October 2017:  Baby Shower for Baby David!  (more pictures to come!)

Saturday was such a blast, guys!  And I feel so fortunate to have such support surrounding Trevor, myself and our little boy.  It's incredible!  YOU GUYS are incredible!

Mom and my maid-of-honor Ashley put on the shower for Trevor and I.  We talked over a few dates in October but ultimately settled on the 14th of October to commemorate my Grandmama's (mom's mom) birthday.  As many of you know, dates hold special meaning for me and so it was an honor to include the memory of my Grandmama during the celebration.

Mom chose Hometown Buffet in Torrance as the venue and I'll be honest, at first I hated the idea!  We debated locations and it caused unnecessary tension in our relationship so I relinquished.   Quite honestly, the venue never mattered--I just wanted to have a good time with everyone and do the Indiana-Jones theme justice!  And we definitely accomplished that.

Chocolatey goodness!

My one regret is not getting more to eat--we were at a buffet after-all!  Somehow the time slipped away and I only had one plate full of food and one dessert.  Mom made chocolate hats to look like Indiana's fedora and placed them on several desserts for folks to enjoy.  Music from the 90's aired in the background as we played the Price Is Right (Baby Edition), Animal-Baby Matching, the Left-Right Game, What's Inside Your Purse?, and a few guessing games (size of my belly, how many socks and pacifiers were in a jar).   Mom generously gave $5 giftcards to the winner of each game and took time out of her busy workweek to go to different places so each gift card location was unique.

My brother-in-law Dustin donning the Indy hat

Marilyn, a family friend, made a stunning flower headdress for me to wear that matched my dress!  She also created an Indiana-Jones-esk banner to welcome Baby Coles!  We had burlap, lace and mason jars everywhere and large gold balloons that spelled "BABY" over the head table.  My mom's hilarious friend Cindy entertained us while she MC'd the event and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

Before I knew it I was opening gifts and man, I felt a little misplaced at first.  During our Colorado Baby Shower, Trevor and I opened gifts together and we took our time because we had a small gathering of friends surrounding us.  This time I sat by myself with 35+ people around and I rushed through it because there were a ton of gifts to open and the evening was ending soon.  I'm overwhelmed with all of the sweet, thoughtful gifts we received.  It's a joy to have relationships with others who are genuinely excited over Trevor and I becoming parents and my mommy becoming a Grandmama.

After I opened all of the gifts I stood up to thank everyone for coming and celebrating our little boy with us.  The crowd of guests clapped as I finished speaking so I reached for my mom's surprise gift and announced I had a little present for the Grandmama as well.  She was shocked!  She kept repeating "You're not supposed to do this!" but she ought to know by now, I do what I want!  ;)

Tears welled up in her eyes as she read the handmade card which caused me to fight back tears of my own.  I glued a copy of one of David's first ultrasound pictures to the inside of the card and I tried my best to describe in words how incredibly important and special my mom is to me--and how lucky our son is to have her as his Grandmama.

A friend of hers pointed out that I left her speechless so I'm guessing the words I picked did the trick!

We gifted her a Grandmother's Journal so she can share all about herself, her life and her family heritage.  A book like this will surely be a keepsake for our family as my mom has an incredible story to share!  Along with the book we gave her a custom-made onesie which reads "Grandmama's Little Cubby" with the Chicago Cubs logo on it--her favorite baseball team.  And lastly, I found a onesie commemorating last year's championship win.  After the baby wears both onesies she says she wants to frame them, haha.

All-in-all, it was a great day.  Thanks to everyone who joined us!  It was made even more special because you were there.  And Ashley, thank you for ALL of your hard work!  From maid-of-honor to auntie-of-honor!  ;)

Everyone's favorite Trevor joining us during the baby shower!

Week-in-Review Photos

Washed baby's clothes for the VERY first time this week!

Baby Shower Prep:  Beth decorating signs

My favorite sign. <3  Thanks to everyone who filled out a card!

Baby Shower Prep:  Making a Belly-Progression Board!

After the shower, my girlfriends and I walked around Manhattan Beach and found this Halloween gem.

Found my canvas for handmade ornaments.

Books from daddy!  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Quackers, and a few others!

Week 32 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  Baby measures 16.7" long and weighs 3.8lbs, about the size of a squash!

2.  What's developing this week?

3.  Current weight? 140.  -1lb; last week.  +23lbs; pre-pregnancy.

4.  Movement?  Movin' and groovin.  Clicking/popping sound still ongoing.  Here's an example of what it sounds like although the sound from my belly is not as loud.

5.  Sleep?  Piriformis pain on and off again.  I'll be seeing a new PT this Wednesday.

6.  Symptoms?   

• Shortness of breath when standing for too long.
• Stress.  Stressed about family issues has occasionally caused stress over baby's well-being.
• Peeing frequently.  
• Brain fog.
• Occasional fatigue.
• Lower-back pain.
• Clicking/popping sound from belly that I hate.
• Waddling; I can feel myself waddling a bit at times...

7.  Cravings and Aversions?  Subway sandwiches that I can't have.

8.  Best moment this week?   Seeing my mom's face as she opened her card at the baby shower.

9.  Prayer requests? 

• Please pray that God would provide support for me during childbirth through his Holy Spirit and through those surrounding me.  
• Also that Trevor would feel involved during the birth; as much as possible, that is.
• Please pray in these last few weeks that my body would continue to stretch and strengthen as I prepare for labor.

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  PT on Wednesday, I suppose.  Organizing baby room, diaper bag, etc.  And hopefully sending off a box to Trevor now that my focus is not on completing tasks for the baby shower.

Week 32 Photos

Feeling big but I still get told I look tiny for how far along I am.

31 Weeks ///\\\/ 7 Months!

We're seven months pregnant and with only 9 weeks left until December 10th, we're now counting down the weeks by single digits!  And I gotta say, a part of me feels like he'll come sooner than expected.  A few gals from my December birth group, along with a first-time momma who reached out to me via Instagram because we share due dates, have given birth already!  These little ones are spending a few weeks in the NICU while their tiny bodies continue to develop and grow.  It's incredible to see them and to think of David being the same size as them.  So far all of these littles are doing well, although a few babies that were born several weeks ago sadly did not make it.

David seems to be thriving in his little home and he's as active as ever.  When he's most active I can hear a clicking sound, as I mentioned last week.  The best way to describe it is it's like the faint sound of one fingernail flicking off of another, if that makes sense.  The first time I noticed it is when I was leaning forward while working on the baby shower invitations and he was moving a lot.  Since then the scenario seems to be similar.  Whenever my belly is a bit compressed and he's moving a ton, I'll hear it.

My doctor commented this was an unusual occurrence and didn't know what could be the cause of it.  After typing the symptoms into google, I felt a little comforted in knowing other mamas have heard this sound too.  And even some who say the clicking is so loud it wakes them up at night, which is not the case with David--thankfully!  There's not any research on this and as other OBs have mentioned, this should comfort moms as there seems to be no correlation to anything bad happening to baby.

A few thoughts of what the sound could be:
1.  As David gets bigger and more cramped, his joints are cracking.
2.  Amniotic fluid is being swished around and thus causing the noise.
3.  My ligaments are stretching.
4.  Baby is smacking his lips.  (I highly doubt I would be able to hear this so this one is a miss in my mind).

When I first heard the clicking, I thought it might be his joints--which bothers me because I worry the cracking is hurting him.  And, of course, I want him to have strong, healthy joints.  A few moms commented they heard the clicking noise with their first babies and the babies still had clicky joints after birth.  Others say they heard the noise but baby had no issues post-delivery.  I told Trevor about the clicking along with my concerns and his only response was "You're going to be a great mommy!" which he further explained as he recognizes I'm concerned over our little guy.  I was not expecting him to respond like this.  In fact, I was anticipating him joining-in on the worrying, but we both know how pointless that would have been.

It's hard not to worry and I hate hearing that sound.  It happens maybe once or twice a day, depending on how active he is and the position I'm laying in at the moment.  The reality is we're both cramped!  He's stuck in an itty-bitty living space and my belly is expanding in an effort to keep-up with his growing baby body.  Every morning I pray my belly would stretch and expand to meet his needs and that my body would provide him with the fullest amount of nourishment possible.

9 October 2017:  Baby Kicks Computer While Editing Blog 

Week-In-Review Pictures
 

David's Grandma onesie proudly displayed in mom's office at work!

Another clearance find I couldn't resist!

One of my favorite little shirts for David.

Week 31 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  Baby's about 16.2 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds, about the size of a bunch of asparagus!

2.  What's developing this week?

3.  Current weight?  141.  No weight gain this week.

4.  Movement?  Yes, occasionally accompanied by a clicking noise.

5.  Sleep?  Oversleeping quite a few days this week.

6.  Symptoms?

•  Fatigue has returned.
•  Feeling especially emotional this week.  Like, highly sensitive.
•  Bit of lower belly cramping, lower belly pressure and lightning crotch towards the end of the week.
•  Left eye sensitivity on Saturday.
•  Shortness of breath, although less problematic than last week. It's the new norm, I'm sure.
•  Right nipple straight-up looked like a pacifier on Sunday morning!  Later on in the evening, only my right boob hurt.  Telling ya now, I think my right boob is going to be my good-nursing boob.

7.  Cravings and Aversions?  Apples and the orange juice from Solvang.

8.  Best moment this week?  Time spent with my mom getting stuff for the baby shower.

9.  Prayer requests?  

• Please pray over David's joints--that he's strong and healthy.

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  OB appointment on Tuesday and baby shower on Saturday!

Week 31 Photos

30 Weeks

*Apologies to those who have had trouble viewing the blog the last few weeks!  New invitations for viewing have been submitted.  Please let me know if the issue persists!*

3-0!  T-minus 10 weeks (or so) until David's birthday and now I'm starting to feel the pressure!  Pressure on my pelvis and pressure to get things ready for baby boy.

It's true, depending on how he's positioned, I waddle a bit.  Even though I have been feeling more kicks around my ribs, he feels so low to me.  We've got 10 more weeks left but it already feels like he's running out of room in there.  He's still pretty darn active and is quick to apply counter-pressure if I lay my hand on my belly.  When we get lucky, friends are able to see his kicks just by looking at my belly, but it's always more fun to have them feel him directly.

Towards the end of the week round ligament pain and indigestion made a return back into my life and I had quite a bit of pain on my right side after the 3-hour drive home from Solvang.

Beyond the physical pressures, I feel pressure to get things ready for David's arrival. He has quite a bit of clothes and I love imagining him in them.  In my moments of I-need-to-have-everything-ready-now I remind myself that our baby shower is in less than two weeks and to wait until then to buy anything else.  With that said, we've purchased (or been given) a lot of what we need so things are looking good.

My main concern is setting up the hospital and diaper bags so I'm ready to go when the time comes, and arranging his temporary co-sleeping space for inside the cabin.  The basic model of this co-sleeper is the one I'm currently liking, but there are others of interest.  And, of course, baby needs a car seat!  I love this convertible option that baby can use from 4-50lbs rear-facing and up to 65lbs forward-facing!  With this type of car seat we will not be purchasing an infant seat but I might acquire one for free through the VA.  My mom's friend gifted me a few high-end luxury diaper bags to try out but honestly, I'm in love with this one from Skip Hop.  Call me plain Jane (and albeit, I am), but I love the clean, gender-neutral look of the solid gray and it has a ton of great pockets.  So once I get the diaper bag I'll be using I will fill it with a few essentials and call it good.  And I haven't packed a hospital bag yet but a running list of what-to-pack is in the works.  If you have any recommendations, text me!

And eventually we'll need a baby monitor and a highchair. 

Babies arriving before 40-weeks is not unheard of so a part of me is feeling a bit panicky.  Mom and I are setting up my old bedroom to use as the nursery and I'll be washing all of his clothes this week.  Can't tell you how excited I am to fold and hang all of little clean outfits in preparation for him to wear.  Ah, it makes me giddy!  

Speaking of clothes, here's my best attempt at showcasing all of his little outfits.  A few "TBD" placeholders are on the list.  If you're interested, please check back next week as I'll have those filled in properly.  He's got more in bigger sizes (and a few others that were given to me after these pictures were taken:  thanks Anna & Ashley!) but other than those, here's the jist of it!

Newborn
Short-sleeve onesies:  4
Long-sleeve onesies:  9; 8 cotton, 1 jean
Footsie pajamas (zipper & snaps):  3
T-Shirts:  1
Shorts:  0
Pants:  3
Jackets:  2
Mittens:  TBD
Socks:  TBD
Shoes:  2

If it has "Champ" or a Jeep on it, I'm buying it.

3 Months
*New Parent Tip:  When I worked at Carter's I learned "3 months" really equates to "0-3" and vice versa, and same goes for the larger sizes.*  
Short-sleeve onesies:  22
Long-sleeve onesies:  11
Footsie pajamas (zipper & snaps): 8 
T-Shirts:  2
Shorts:  1
Pants:  6
Jackets:  3
Mittens:  TBD
Socks:  TBD
Shoes:  0

6 Months 
*(aka "3-6")*
Short-sleeve onesies:  6 
Long-sleeve onesies:  1
Pajamas (zipper & snaps):  7, although 1 without footies
T-Shirts:  6 short-sleeve, 1 long-sleeve
Shorts:  4
Pants:  4
Jackets:  1
Mittens:  TBD
Socks:  TBD
Shoes: 0

Aside from clothes, we have a slew of newborn and size 1 diapers from Pampers and Honest Company, a bunch of pacifiers, an endless supply of books (as we've been collecting them for years!) and a few sensory toys.  Target has a great selection of teaching materials in the dollar section so even though it's early to be learning his ABC's, I buy it anyways.  One day I would like to have a designated playroom/classroom.

Other Worthwhile Mentions:  Thrifty Finds + Registry Gifts
Crib:  Trevor found this beauty at Target on clearance for $43! We will eventually need a mattress for it.
Stroller #1:  City Mini GT; Trevor chose the green color and got it on sale for $160.  So excited to someday use it!
Stroller #2:  Not quite the version we have and we weren't going to invest in more than one stroller initially but, unlike the GT, this one is a proper jogging stroller.  And, as you may have guessed, we got for a steal at $27 on clearance.
Stroller #3:  Being that I'm only out in California for a few months post delivery, I didn't bring any strollers with me as I planned to only baby-wear.  However, mom gifted us this stroller and it's a pretty versatile one as the seat morphs into a bassinet and can face forwards and backwards!
Swing #1:  Another Target clearance item we purchased for $25
Swing #2:  As you may recall, Trevor found this for $14 at the Goodwill and we fixed it up.  Overall cost was $48.  Not too shabby!
Bassinet:  Another familiar item, I picked up the deluxe model at a SoCal consignment store for less than half of the retail price.  I kept my eye out for one as I plan to have baby sleep next to me for the first few months.
Rock n Play:  We registered for this one to match our swing, haha.  We've also heard great things about rock n plays and our sweet friend Noelle gifted it to us!
Pack n Play:  We have a basic model from Burlington that Trevor excitedly bought last year.  He's been eager to become a daddy for a long, long time.
Muslin Blankets:  If you're interested in these check out your local thrift stores before paying full-price.
Boppy Nursing Pillow:  We have two of these plus an extra cover.  My mom and Anna each gifted us one and I love them both.  Having two will come in handy so I don't have to carry one from room to room.  So excited to use them!
Playmat:  A hand-me-down gift from Anna.  She highly recommends it as both of her babies loved it.

29 September 2017:  Vandenberg AFB
Along our drive to Solvang, mom and I ventured to Santa Barbara and spent the night in temporary housing at Vandenberg AFB.  Our room was like a little one-bedroom apartment.  The living room came complete with a pull-out couch that mom graciously offered to sleep in.  Usually whenever we go on trips together we share a bed so I hadn't imagined this visit going differently but mom insisted.

30 September 2017:  Santa Barbara + Solvang
We slept in until 7 and then drove into town--Vandenberg is a bit outside of Santa Barbara.  Santa Barbara is so pretty!  Trevor and I have already discussed visiting SB together someday.  Truth be told, initially we planned on having our babymoon in Santa Barbara but ultimately decided on San Diego because we had tickets to Sea World.  I think he would enjoy the energy and scenery of SB and we're thinking of heading up there for a few days after he returns--with David of course!  It might not happen for a few weeks but perhaps we'll make the drive up there before we leave California.

While in the city we stumbled upon a farmer's market so mom picked out a zucchini for this week's belly photo.  After we browsed a few shops and walked around a bit, we packed up our things and finished the trek towards Solvang.

Solvang is an adorable quaint Danish town near Lake Cachuma.  Mom use to frequent the town once per year during her annual camping trip with a few of her friends.  A few years ago she planned a trip for us to go there together and we had a blast!  Back then, mom rented a two-person bike for us to get around town in--as the town is small enough to bike/walk everywhere and finding parking can be tough.  This year, because I'm pregnant, we opted just to walk where ever we set to go.

We had to hit up our favorite spots!  There's a place that sells fudge that is so good!  Trevor, who knew we were planning a trip up North, requested two blocks of fudge and has been asking about them every week!  So yes, we bought a milk chocolate and dark chocolate block of fudge for him.  And get this, because the fudge is authentic, it won't melt during transit!

During our last trip, mom bought me a grapefruit spoon which I sadly somehow lost in Colorado.  So we swung by the same little shop as we had visited before and I picked up 3 more, haha, just in case!  As a sovenier of our trip I bought a cool magnet in the shape of a Danish-style house.

The breakfasts are so good!  Honestly, I'm craving the Danish pancakes even now--granted, I've been craving pancakes for weeks, haha.  Danish pancakes are like crepes, but thicker.  And every restauant in town serves fresh hand-squeezed orange juice.  It's so tasty!  I'm salivating.

As we usually do, mom and I had a great time together.  I'll forever cherish this little mother-daughter getaway that she planned for us to enjoy before the baby arrives in a few weeks.

Week-In-Review Pictures

Skyping with Uncle Trev!

Temporary housing unit at Vandenberg AFB.

Santa Barbara!

"Picking out the baby" at a Santa Barbara Farmer's Market

Her selection.

Fudge.

51 cents x2 = ...

2 Solvang keepsakes that I will turn into fridge magnets.

The long line to order aebleslivers!

A la mode.

Mom's Danish breakfast.

Miiiiiiiine!  ::drool::

Hats Mom picked out.  Blue one is her favorite. 

Santa Barbara Pad Thai!

Our little motel room.

In the middle of nowhere.

Week 30 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  2.9lbs (omg!) and 15.7inches long!

2.  What's developing this week?

3.  Current weight? 141.  +1lb from last week, +24lbs pre-pregnancy.

4.  Movement?  Less active than previous weeks but still rambunctious at times.  He gets hiccups every so often.

5.  Sleep?  Rolling around like it's my nighttime job.

6.  Symptoms? 

• Shortness of breath.
• Some back pain.
• Return of heartburn, round ligament pain and foot cramps.
• Odd clicking noise from belly once in a blue moon.  Going to call Dr. Friedman about it tomorrow morning.

7.  Cravings and Aversions?   Nope.

8.  Best moment this week?   The entire weekend trip to Solvang with my mom!

9.  Prayer requests? Please pray that baby stays in the womb as long as possible.

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  Making and sending off another care package for Trevie.

Week 30 Photos

I miss this face.