Thirty-Seven.

How Far Along: 37 weeks.  Well friends, this may be my last post while pregnant.  Samantha will be here by the end of next week.  Happy Birthday to me.  Boom.

Total Weight Gain: I gained 0 pounds this week - holding steady at 37. Let's see if I can keep it at zero for  the next 10 days and just transfer some saddlebag fat from my thighs to Samantha to chunk her up a bit.

Maternity Clothes: I know I'm going to be in stretchy pants for the next several weeks even after this baby is no longer in my belly, but the thought of having even a remotely flat stomach again has me jumping for joy.  Let's hope I can make my way-too-tight work pants work for the next 4 days of work without ripping them down the butt seam.

Sleep: I'm going to share a secret from this momma-to-be.  if you are 9 months pregnant the night before your birthday, and if you think it would be great to get a good night's sleep for the first time in 9 months, take two Benadryl.  You will sleep like a baby (wait...I thought babies don't sleep very well?).  Well, anyway, take two Benadryl.  I slept all night last night with only one potty break and limited tossing and turning for the first time in as long as I can remember. THANK YOU JESUS.

Sam's Things: Sam's nursery is finally totally complete.  Pottery Barn Kids sent our bedding (thanks to Maw Maw and Paw Paw Pubber) after having it on backorder for what seemed like ages.  Here is the finished product:

She will need some more books eventually to fill out the bookcase.
Right now, this is the entrance to her room.

The finished changing table with diapers and wipes galore.
I caved and decided to use a diaper pail.
Fingers crossed the Ubbi helps the poop smell stay away.

The finished crib with the adorable bedding.
I bought that huge dog on the floor from FAO Schwartz when I was approximately 12.
Who knew it would fit in perfectly in my first kid's nursery?

This is my favorite corner of her room.
The curtains and rocker are so fetch.  

And just because it's fun and a little bit creepy,
here's a panorama of her room from my iPhone.

Best Moment this Week: Hands down, without question, no holds barred, today's doctor's appointment was the best moment this week.  Doc is back from surgery (doing great by the way).  We thought maybe we would actually get to schedule my C-section this week since she's been breech for about 5 or 6 weeks now, but during my exam the doc thought maybe she had flipped.  While I strongly disagree (I can feel her moving her head around up by my ribs just like she has been for as long as I can remember feeling her move), he wanted to make sure that she hadn't flipped before we schedule anything.  The good news is this: no matter what, Sam is coming by the end of next week.  Because of my low fluid levels and her less than stellar growth (he said my stomach actually measured smaller than last Wednesday), there is no reason to keep her in my dysfunctional uterus up until 39 weeks.  You will not see this miserable pregnant lady arguing with you anytime soon, Doc!  If she's still breech during my ultrasound tomorrow, then he will call me on Wednesday when he's back in the office to schedule my C-section for the 26th, 27th, or 28th.  If she has somehow miraculously flipped and her butt is what's movin and shakin up by ribcage now, he will call me on Wednesday to schedule my induction for next week.  Yay for a 2012 tax deduction and one insurance deductible.  Hallelujah!

Movement: She has been quite active this past week.  We've finally seen a lot of rolls and kicks on my belly.  Several times now my belly has been completely misshapen because she moves her whole self to the right side of my uterus so it sticks out and looks like some kind of freaky alien.  As much as I love knowing she's okay, I will never get used to the feeling of an actual human being moving around inside of me.  It is miraculous, and totally weird.

Food Cravings: If you've never seen a pregnant lady on a mission to enjoy every last second of her pregnancy while she continues to stuff her face with every unhealthy item that she fears she will never eat again, please come hang out with me for the next 10 days.  I will a) make you feel great about your eating habits, b) entertain the hell out of you, and c) show you how to do holiday treats up right.  There's not a Christmas treat I haven't indulged in. All I have to say is: sorry for partying.

Symptoms: I limped around all day today on my birthday like an 85 year old woman in need of a wheelchair.  Sciatica SUCKS and I pray that no other pregnant woman ever has to deal with it.  I look like a beached whale trying to get up off the couch or out of bed in the morning.  I continue to grunt every time I move.  I will be so happy to not be pregnant anymore.  I can't even begin to describe my excitement.

What I Miss: Not being pregnant.  Is there anything else to say at this point?  I'm OVER IT.

What I am Looking Forward to: Because the blatantly obvious answer at this point in time would be "meeting my child next week", I'm going to go with the less obvious one.  My sweet, adorable, loving husband turns 30 on Saturday.  I think he's less than excited to not be in his twenties anymore, but I am excited to celebrate a pretty momentous occasion with him.  I hope his big day is super special even though I'm tired and boring and grunt all the time.

Exercise: I'm going to soak up these last 10 or 11 days of gluttony and laziness while I can.  There's no doubt in my mind I'll get back on the wagon a few weeks after Sam gets here, but right now I am so uncomfortable all I want to do is lay in my bed.

Noteworthy Items:

-Our friends from church had a couples shower for us on Sunday and the men's softball team all chipped in and bought us 3 months worth of diapers.  I cannot say how thrilled I am to not have to worry about purchasing any diapers until I go back to work.  Thank you thank you thank you for that wonderful gift!!  We got our first pack of our Honest diapers in the mail today and they are adorable.  I hope they live up to their hype.  (We recently learned that the cloth diaper service in Cincinnati was raising their rates by about $20/month, enough that I could no longer justify paying more for the cloth diapers.  A friend of mine told me about Honest diapers that are biodegradable, chemical free, and are delivered to your door every month, so we are going to try them out and see how they do!)

-My work also threw a shower for me on Tuesday and they got us our high chair along with some more really cute outfits for our little diva.  I have been so overwhelmed and humbled by the amount of support we have received from everyone in our lives, it's been incredible.  I feel blessed to work with such great people.

-Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap but good newborn photographer in the Cincinnati area?  I can't decide if I want to do them or not but if I hear about some sort of great, and ahem, cheap, deal with a photographer with a great studio and lots of newborn experience, then that might help me make up my mind.

-The crazy baby dreams have finally begun.  I had two dreams last week about nothing more than poopy diapers.  So now I guess I'll dream about them and change them all day.  Great.

-I can't wait to meet this little monkey.  I am still terrified out of my mind that I'm going to royally screw up as a parent, but I do think that Jake and I will be pretty good role models for her (toot toot my own horn).  If nothing else, I know we'll love her more than anything we've ever loved before.  I guess if you don't know what else you're doing, that's the best thing you can do.  

Thirty-Six.

How Far Along: 36 weeks.  THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...

Total Weight Gain: I gained 2 pounds again last week - 37 total. I have officially exceeded the recommended weight gain.  I'm going to blame my fabulous weekend for this week's weight gain, and I'm not even sad about it because it was so much fun.

Maternity Clothes: Getting dressed has become a daily struggle.  I don't ever feel like doing laundry, so I have half of my limited wardrobe to choose from each morning before work.  While I'm still wearing heels, I am limited to about 2-3 pairs because my other pairs are just a little too tight on my semi-swollen feet to wear all day.  My boot selection is down to one old pair that still fits around my fat, non-defined calves.  My pants are too long to wear flats to work, so until I physically cannot wear my heels anymore, I need to save the bottom of my pants and continue to wear heels.  I can't afford giving up pants for 2-3 days to have them hemmed.  I have officially reached the point however, where I would prefer to be in sweats (and not just any sweats, Jake's sweats) 24 hours a day. 

Sleep: I wish I could report that this is better, but it's not.  I hardly find my obnoxiously expensive, state-of-the-art, I would have killed 10 months ago to have this mattress, mattress comfortable anymore.  I flop and roll around and grunt and whine all night.  My I can't sleep and I hate being pregnant noises rival Jake's snoring but somehow he continues to sleep through the night.  I have a feeling when Sam gets here and he is up all hours of the night, he is going to feel like he got hit by a semi-truck.  Maybe I will consider that the one positive of being the female in a pregnant relationship?  There will be no shock for me when I have to function every day on 4 hours of sleep.

Sam's Things: Our laptop decided the most opportune time in the world to break would be two weeks before Christmas which is also two weeks before the arrival of our little one. I am so pumped about spending $500 on a new computer I can hardly stand it!! However, this means no pictures this week because I'm writing this post from my phone. Blah.

Best Moment this Week: Any weekend that I get to see my college friends automatically becomes my favorite moment of the week.  We spent all weekend together hanging out, catching up, celebrating Christmas, and celebrating ENGAGEMENTS (congrats LR & PV!!!).  We also spent a lot of time eating, hence my 2 pound weight gain.  At one point on Saturday night we had 14 people on our sectional couch in our living room.  14 includes two fetuses in-utero, but they count too!  It was a absolute blast, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't exhausted from constant stimulation for 48 hours straight.  I can't believe the next time I'll see my bestest friends, I'm going to have a baby. 

Movement: She's still moving around quite a lot in here.  Sometimes I wonder what she is doing.  I kind of thought I'd be able to tell a little easier what kind of position she's in and what kind of movement she is making, but most of the time it just feels like a crazy dance party or some big stretching yawn.  For the life of me I can't understand why she hasn't made an attempt to stretch her body out and move her feet away from her head.  I keep picturing her coming out of my belly and being stuck folded in half for 2-3 weeks after she is born.

Food Cravings: We had "baking day" with my family Sunday afternoon.  I'm going to estimate I had about 1,500 calories in cookies and cookie dough during a 3 hour span.  I literally could not stop sticking my finger in the dough, and I hoovered 2 chocolate chip cookies in 45 seconds at one point.  I am a sick individual.  It's the first time at Christmas I haven't really felt guilty about eating whatever sweet treats I see, so I am still living by the mantra "enjoy it while you can".  In about 3 weeks this whole 3,500 calories a day is going to come to an abrupt hault.  It's quite a wonder I haven't gained 75 pounds the last 2 months of my pregnancy because I have really, really let myself go.

Symptoms: Pretty much every time I eat any amount of food, I am so uncomfortable for several hours that I just squirm around like a toddler in church.  I can't even lay in my bed and adjust the elevation of my feet or head to make me comfortable.  It's horrible.  It feels like Sam's feet are up IN my rib cage and have separated my lowest ribs on my right side.  I am just desperately sick of being pregnant and I am ready to meet this precious little babe who's been kicking me in the ribs the past few months.

What I Miss: While I was laying awake one night this past week, I thought of three things that I have disliked about being pregnant more than anything else. They pretty much encompass my attitude about the physical part of being pregnant.  So here they are, in no particular order:

1. I hate not being able to drink alcohol.  I realize I sound like some raging alcoholic when I say this, but it's true.  I am a casual drinker.  I like to have wine with dinner, I like to drink beer before Reds games or while watching any sporting event.  Water at 10pm while I'm out with my friends got real old, real fast.  I am legitimately sad that I can't have a glass of wine on my birthday, or celebrate with Jake in boozing style on his 30th birthday in two weeks.  I am sincerely looking forward to being able to have an occasional drink when she gets here, and I really don't feel bad about saying that.

2. I am sick of constant raging back pain/being uncomfortable.  Again, I realize I sound like a whiny biatch when I say I am never comfortable, but the truth hurts.  I feel like I have a pretty high pain tolerance, so I don't think I'm overexaggerating any of these symptoms of discomfort.  I sit at my desk at work all day in a constant state of discomfort.  I don't sleep because my back hurts so bad.  I can't eat an apple without feeling like I've eaten a 7 course Italian feast.  I'm at the point where several days I week I have shooting sciatic pain down both of my legs and I walk around my house like an 85 year old woman after double hip replacement.  I know I'm going to be tired when she gets here, but I will be happy to be able to lounge on my couch for more than 10 minutes without having to change positions because something is causing me pain. 

3. I hate having no control over my body.  I am an independent person, and not being able to lift things around my house because I might hurt my baby or send myself into pre-term labor has also gotten real old, real fast.  I don't like that it's difficult for me to carry laundry up and down the stairs because my belly is in the way of carrying the laundry basket.  I hate that my hips are expanding and my boobs are both the size of Mt. Everest and there's literally nothing I can do about it.  I don't like feeling like a hormonal nightmare who has no control over her feelings.  I have no idea what kind of mood each day is going to bring, and I am ready to feel normal again.

I recognize that things could have been a lot worse for me. I never got sick, I didn't gain 90 pounds, I didn't develop diabetes or preeclampsia, but these three things for me have been really hard to deal with and I'm sorry I'm not sorry for complaining about them!

What I am Looking Forward to: Meeting miss Samantha in the true live flesh sometime in the next few weeks!  It's so close I can taste it.

Exercise: The doctor at Christ on Friday said that I could still be exercising, so I really am going to make a valiant effort this week to do that pregnancy video 2-3 times when I get home from work this week.  We'll see how that goes.

Noteworthy Items:

-Sam continues to grow.  I am still going bi-weekly for BPPs until she gets here.  It's pretty cool to get to see her twice a week now, so I guess that's the one plus of having issues with your pregnancy!

-I need to pack my hospital bag.  That was a goal of mine for the beginning of December.  It's December 10th, I need to get on the ball.

-Although I have not done much more than complain about being how much I hate being pregnant over the last 8 months, I must say that the closer I get to having this baby the more excited I get about being a parent.  I am 150% terrified, but I am also 150% ecstatic.  I am ready to see her sweet face, and hold her in my arms instead of in my belly.  I want to dress her up in her bows and her cute little baby outfits.  I want my family to meet her.  I can't wait to see my parents be grandparents and my brother and sister be an aunt and uncle.  I want to see how Callie reacts to her.  I'm excited for all of our friends to meet her.  But more than anything, I want Jake to meet her.  I am ready to tackle parenthood with my partner in crime, and I can't wait to see him interact with her because I just know I'm going to fall in love with him all over again.

Thirty-Five.

**Disclaimer: this post has not been proofread.  My sincerest apologies for all of my grammatical and spelling mistakes but I'm tired and I don't feel like proofreading**

How Far Along: 35 weeks.  Five more weeks WOOO!

Total Weight Gain: I gained 2 pounds last week - 35 total now.  Hopefully some of this weight gain will start making its way to my small child!

Maternity Clothes: Still no shopping.  Still sick of my maternity clothes.  My black work pants are so tight that I would prefer to wear them about 10 times before washing them so they can get nice and stretched out.  However, that's disgusting.  Also if I eat lunch anywhere remotely smelly (see: Skyline chili) it's a requirement that I wash them immediately.  This is cause for rotating more dresses with leggings into my weekly work wardrobe.  I will be so happy when I am at home for 3 months and can wear yoga pants all day every day and only put real pants on when I leave my house.  I will also be happy when I can catch some after Christmas sales on regular people clothes.  #shopping

Sleep: I find it ironic and extremely annoying that on Saturday and Sunday when I could sleep all day if I wanted to, I wake up at 6:45.  On Monday - Friday when I need to be out of bed at 6:30, I can't drag my lazy ass out of bed until 7:15.  Also - Jake likes to snore on Sunday night through Thursday night, but come Friday and Saturday - he is quiet as a church mouse.  COME ON MAN.

Sam's Things: I have been in major major nesting mode the last week and had no time to take any pictures of anything.  I have been so focused on getting our house completely put together in time for baby.  I want to enjoy the clean and organized while it lasts because I know when she gets here, picking up my house is going to be a low priority.  

Best Moment this Week: Non-pregnancy related best moment this week was finishing our basement on Sunday night.  It is finally a functional room that I am not embarrassed to have people to hang out in.  Our house is now being used to its fullest extent and I feel like it's worth paying a mortgage for my whole house instead of just the first floor and our master bedroom. 

Movement: Little Miss is moving around a lot in here.  She doesn't really have a schedule anymore.  Sometimes it's at night, sometimes it's in the morning, but she normally moves around for a little bit every time I eat.  Over the weekend Jake and I watched my belly do all kinds of waving movements for about 10 minutes straight.  It was so weird.  I'm glad she is active, but seeing my belly move is creepy.

Food Cravings: Ice cream.  Reese cup trees.  Half-baked cookies.  Boom.

Symptoms: Inability to pull my boots or shoes on and off without grunting.  Inability to sleep through the night.  Inability to walk without waddling or whining.  Inability to breathe after consuming food. 

What I Miss: I'm having trouble thinking of anything new this week that I miss more than usual.  I'm going to go ahead and assume that the next few weeks with all of the holiday *cheer* I'm going to be back to missing booze again.  I would love nothing more than a glass of wine at the end of most days. Sigh...

What I am Looking Forward to: Reunion party and ornament exchange with my bestests this weekend!  I can't wait to spend a full 48 hours with my college favorites.  And most of us are fully expecting to gain 10 pounds during this 48 hour period.  We love to eat, and I'm pregnant so that doesn't help mine or anyone else's cause :)

Exercise: As much as I miss running and a really good ass beating at the gym, I'm feeling extremely lazy and in no mood to exercise recently.  I'm still going with the "my baby is small and I don't want to burn any calories that could be going to her" excuse.  I think I'll probably stick with that for the next few weeks until I deliver.

Noteworthy Items:

-Still wearing heels. And people are still surprised.  I might actually make it to the delivery room in these things...especially if I have a scheduled C-section.

-Good news: Sam has been growing!  She weighed about 4lbs 11oz on Friday.  She is pretty small still, but the growth and progress is what's good.  I am going to be going back for these Bio Physical Profiles twice a week until I deliver.  She is still breech (still folded in half I might add).  My doctor is out recovering from surgery of his own until the 17th.  When I go back that week to see him, he said if she is still breech we will go ahead and schedule a C-section at that point.  My initial reaction to the scheduled C-section was disappointment, but the more I think about it and the more I have time to accept it, the more I don't really care how she gets here, I just care if she's healthy.  There's a part of me that will definitely be sad if I don't get to experience the whole going into labor experience, but I'm sure it would turn out nothing like I have always imagined it would be anyway, so I guess I just don't really care.  Just make sure my baby is okay and I'm alive and healthy enough to meet her when she gets here, okay!?!?

-At this point in my pregnancy, with how crazy things have been at work, I'm really starting to wish I lived in Canada where they get a full year of maternity leave.  I'd definitely be taking advantage of that before she gets here.  I am more than done with getting up zombie-eyed every morning to go deal with the stresses of my job every day and would love nothing more than to spend these last few weeks relaxing and doing things around my house.  But unfortunately that's not an option for me, so I'll bite the bullet for a few more weeks and suffer through some long work hours.  Knowing I'm going to have a little monkey to snuggle sometime in the next 33 days is definitely getting me through it.  I just can't wait to meet her!!

Thirty-Four.

How Far Along: 34 weeks.  (How did this happen?  Where did the time go?)

Total Weight Gain: Only one pound this week for a total of 33 pounds.  I guess another piece of silver lining about this small baby and piss-poor placenta performance is that I'll have less pregnancy time to gain weight.  High five to that!

Maternity Clothes: Still no more maternity clothes.  I must say that I am getting very very sick of the clothes I have available to me, and I will be really happy when I have the whole plethora of my wardrobe available to me again.  I feel like I wear the same 5 things over and over again.  I also have a piece of advice for any pregnant divas out there with large ta-tas: I have found that layering makes me feel like my boobs aren't the center of attention when people look at me.  I try my best all the time to wear at least two pieces on top, whether it be a shirt or tank with a cardigan, or some kind of top with a scarf.  I really think it takes the attention away from my big boobies and puts it more on my big belly.  I will remember this when I am ready for child #2 and I think I want to have a summer baby.  Layering options are minimal when it's 95 degrees outside.

Sleep: I don't sleep.  No funny Jake stories to share.  Monday night after we went to the doctor I slept about 4 hours because I was up all night worried about little bitty Sam.  I will be thankful in 25 years when I get a good night's sleep again.

Sam's Things:

Button canvas from Jake's big sister, so cute!

My Pinterest inspired masterpiece that needs more decor around it.
Why do my nursery walls look green?  They are gray... 

Yes those are pink sparkly baby Uggs and yes I am obsessed with them.
Thanks Aunt T and  MAJ :)

Diaper cake with a tutu - so adorable!
Thanks to Aunt T and MAJ again :)

Cute homemade hat from Jake's aunt and cousin!
Love the polka dots!

Just wanted to showcase the amount of clothes this child has even before she's born.

She is definitely going to take after her Momma.

Yes, her closet is fuller than mine and Jake's combined.

She is ready for Santa if she comes before Christmas!!

Best Moment this Week: Despite the fact that we received mediocre news at the doc last week, we had a fantastic holiday week together and with family.  Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, Jake and I went to the Festival of Lights together.  12 years ago the night before Thanksgiving, we went on our first date there after a bunch of friends bailed on us for a group outing to the zoo.  God only knows why neither one of us bailed as well, but I'm sure glad neither one of us did.  Since he is the sweetest, most adorable husband I could ever imagine, he popped out an early baby present for me while we were watching the light show at the pond.  Thanks for the second wedding band babe, you are the greatest.  Even though I probably won't be "pushing" for this present, I think going through a pregnancy in and of itself warrants something nice from your husband :)

We also really enjoyed Thanksgiving with our families on Thursday and on Saturday.  We got to see some high school friends on Friday and catch up.  Saturday Jake's sisters threw me a wonderful baby shower where we got some really really cute things from all of Jake's families.  Considering the fact that Monday started off the week making us feel pretty down in the dumps, it ended on a really good note.  I feel truly blessed by love and support from everyone in our lives and I am so thankful that live the wonderful lives we live each day.

Movement: This is a topic that has sort of changed for me over the course of the past week.  Last week I felt sort of freaked out and inconvenienced by the midnight parties she was throwing in my belly.  Now, I am more than happy to feel any movement I can.  Doc said that the movement is a good thing and that I need to let him know if it decreases.  So far, so good.  Keep partying in there during the wee hours of the night, Sam, Momma doesn't care.

Food Cravings: Now that we're nearing the end of this fabulously uncomfortable, somewhat miserable, but very exciting journey, I'm a little bit sad I never craved pickles and ice cream or some other bizarre combination.  None of that for me, just plain old sugar, sugar, and more sugar.

Symptoms: My belly button legitimately hurts when it's touched because it's so stretched out.  I'm developing a rash under my boobs because they are basically sitting on my belly.  I made some progress last week and I only had one emotional breakdown on Tuesday after work.  Although I do feel that was somewhat warranted considering how the doc went on Monday.  Maybe my hormones are calming down?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

What I Miss: Everything about not being pregnant.  I have reached the point where I need Jake to help me get up off the couch because my center of gravity is so out of whack that it just takes a lot of effort for me to move once I've sunken into a seat.  I miss wearing most of my boots because my calves are too fat and swollen to fit in them.  I miss my wardrobe.  I miss sleeping.  I miss my old normal sized bras and not having a rash under my boobs.  I miss shopping.  I miss having a flat belly.  I miss not feeling like an emotional, hormonal nightmare on a regular basis.  I actually miss working out - like a good ass kicking, sweat dripping, makes you sore for days workout.  I miss eating a meal without feeling like I've just erased any possibility of breathing.  I miss looking down and seeing my pretty shoes instead of a big belly.  I miss not having to pee twice an hour.  I missed having wine on Thanksgiving.  I miss not being pregnant.

What I am Looking Forward to: Hopefully we will finish all of our home projects up this weekend so we can have our house completely put together when Little Miss decides to make her appearance.  We are nesting machines over here at Casa de Donelan.  I hope we decide to stay here for a while now.

Exercise: Now that I know that my baby is small, I feel like I shouldn't be working out at all anyway.  I was a little overwhelmed at the doctor on Monday and asking about going for a nice long walk wasn't really the first thing on my mind.  I'm going to ask this week if I'm allowed to do any workouts.  I'm thinking it might be good for me to do my video a few times so that recovering from surgery is a little bit easier.  I guess we'll see.

Noteworthy Items:

-I would just like to note that I'm still wearing heels.  And no, they don't hurt any worse than they did before I got pregnant. 

-I have been saying this whole time how much I hate being pregnant and how I would like her to come a little bit early.  However, now that my time to prepare for this monkey has been virtually cut in half, I feel like I have a billion things to do and no time to do it.  If she comes 3 weeks early, then I have 3 weeks from today to get all of my ducks in a row before she gets here.  I have a lot of work to do at work and at home in order to feel remotely ready for my life to be taken over by a newborn child.  Better get crackin'.

-I am feeling completely overwhelmed by Christmas shopping.  If there was one year that I should have tackled this shopping task early, this was the year.  Too late for that.  Now I'm scrambling trying to think of good gift ideas that I can purchase sometime in the next 3 weeks.  I hope my creative juices start flowing sometime soon!

-I am seriously kicking myself for not thinking this whole Christmas baby thing through.  With my birthday on the 17th and Jake's on the 22nd, I feel like I have done my child an extreme injustice by basically guaranteeing her a birthday within a week of Christmas.  Not only that, but it's making this year's holiday season seem a lot more stressful than normal.  I just hope if we do have to schedule her appearance that we can do it on a day that's not my birthday or Jake's birthday, so she can have her own special day.  Add to the mix that this year is Jake's 30th birthday, and we have one stressed out momma who is hoping and praying that somehow everything works out and everyone can have their own little special time at some point this holiday season.  Mark my words: no more sexytime for me and Jake in March or April ever again!

-In case this Monday after the holiday sucked as bad for you as it did for me, here's a picture of my dog looking mighty special in Sam's tiara from her diaper cake.  Enjoy!

Thirty-Three.

How Far Along: 33 weeks.

Total Weight Gain: Ironically, I forgot to weigh myself last Monday and then got on the scale on Tuesday to find I had gained 5 pounds in one week. I spent Tuesday sulking about my fat ass and a 5 pound weight gain. How is it even possible for a human being to gain five pounds in one week? Wednesday I got on the scale and had lost 3 of those pounds. This week I am up 4 pounds from 2 weeks ago, but really that's only 3 pounds from 3 weeks ago, so if my weight hadn't been fluctuating all over creation the last few weeks, I'd have gained a pound a week. Confused yet? I have gained 32 pounds total. I guess there is hope I will keep it under 40 by the time I deliver. However, the closer I get to the realization that pregnancy eating doesn't last forever, the more I resolve to indulge myself in sugary treats every chance I get. The upcoming holiday season doesn't bode well either. Oh well.

Maternity Clothes: I have still refrained from clothes shopping.  I'm so proud of myself.  Also, if you see a pregnant chick and think she looks cute, you should tell her.  Since I have been pregnant, every time someone has told me they like my outfit or think I look cute in my lame-snausage maternity wardrobe, it makes my day.  Keep that in mind next time your knocked up friend is rocking some super fetch sweater and boots.

Sleep: Last Thursday I spent 10-10:45 laying in bed crying my eyes out for no apparent reason.  By 11pm when Jake came to bed I had finally calmed down but of course his coming into the room woke me up.  Around 11:30 I was still wide awake and he was snoring.  I tried my gentle nudging for a few minutes until he woke up and said "JESSICA, I am not snoring, I'm not even asleep!"  After an hour and a half of unsuccessful sleep, I was not a happy camper.  I groaned and grabbed my pillows and stormed out of the room as he said "if someone's going to go downstairs it should be me."  Well Jake, you're damn right about that!  Did he follow me downstairs?  No.  After some serious sobbing I came back to the room to grab a book and found that Callie had taken my place in the bed.  That completely knocked me over the edge.  Jake woke up again and said "JESS!" but of course I stormed back out of the room.  He did not follow.  Around 2am I finally came back upstairs and snuggled Callie-bear for about 20 minutes and she calmed me down.  I woke up furious with Jake (duh).  We obviously worked it out on Thursday after work and I love him just as much as I did when I went to bed on Wednesday night.  However, I think he is fully aware that from now on if I'm nudging him in the middle of the night, he is to keep his mouth shut and roll over.  MEN, ugh!

Sam's Things:

Our adorable and super comfy glider and ottoman.  I decided to get the ottoman because I figured I'd rather have it and not use it than not have it and miss it!

The cutest coming home outfit I've ever seen.  I'ts from Magaby's shop on Etsy.
I can't wait to put her in this and bring her home!

Yes, those are tu-tus with matching bows.
Thanks to one of our softball players and her Momma for making these from scratch!
*sighs from adorableness*

Tunic and JEGGINGS from Aunt WM and Uncle KM.  Love!

The sweetest, most precious curtains I have ever seen.

Best Moment this Week: We have been killing house projects lately.  This is going to be a blog post full of pictures, but I just have to document how awesome things are looking now so that in 2 years when there are toys all over the place I can remember how nice our house once looked. For now, the bar area in the downstairs:

Movement: Miss Samantha likes to have a party in my belly from about 9pm-11pm every night.  It's really special.  I really hope she continues to do that for the rest of my pregnancy.  SIKE.  Over the weekend was the first time we actually saw my belly moving from the outside.  I cannot handle it.  I think it is so weird.  Just as I predicted, the feeling of her moving around in there, while comforting, is just way too creepy for me.  But hey, for health reasons at least she's active.  And the other plus side is that most of my family members have now felt her move from the outside.  My sister was completely creeped out by the rolling body part across my belly too.  At least I'm not the only one.

Food Cravings: Saturday morning I went to the grocery store to buy Hostess powdered donettes (do not get me started on this topic).  While I was there I bought the donettes, a roll of cookie dough, biscuits, and 2 half gallons of ice cream.  Can you say sugar overload?  God, I am disgusting.

Symptoms: I am obviously still an emotional nightmare per my Wednesday night sleep story.  My back seriously hurts so bad all day that there is not a single position I can sit in for more than about 10 minutes without feeling pain.  I am so sick of it.  My boots are getting a little tighter, and my rings are getting harder to take off in the morning, so I guess I'm starting to swell.  Gross.

What I Miss: What has changed?  Nothing.  I have nothing nice to say so I guess I shouldn't say anything at all?  Being pregnant sucks.  End. Of. Story.

What I am Looking Forward to: Thanksgiving dinner and a 4-day weekend.  What is duh for $1000?

Exercise: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.  Does painting and organizing your basement count as exercise?  My arms are officially Jell-O.  Next year is going to be reallll fun getting back into shape. 

Noteworthy Items:
*And now for the not so stellar news we got today after I wrote the majority of this blog post*

We got one more sneak peak at Sam today before we get to meet her in person and unfortunately it wasn't exactly the news either of us had hoped for.  You know when you are pregnant, no news is good news.  You just want to walk in, have the doc say "everything looks great kids" and then walk out and go about your miserable pregnancy.

From the ultrasound we had today, it looks like Sam isn't exactly growing as well as the doc would hope.  Her head is measuring normal sized (thanks, Grandpa Milt for the big brains and big head to go with them), but her other measurements aren't quite up to par with where they should be.  Doc says that my placenta (which was low before and is still low but isn't in the way) just isn't quite functioning the way it should be.  It's starting to calcify, which is what it's supposed to do, but not at 33 weeks.  I'm also low on amniotic fluid, which accounts for my seemingly small-ish belly for this point in my pregnancy.  At this point in the story I would like to point out that this means that my 32 pound weight gain can now all be attributed to my ass, thighs, and jugs.  Also, Little Miss Priss is actually sitting on my bladder.  She's breach, and with the small amount of fluid she has to work with, the chances of her flipping herself around before the time of delivery aren't very high.  Doc has prescribed bio-physical ultrasounds once a week for the rest of my pregnancy to check on her overall well-being inside the womb.  If she's not progressing the way they would like her to, then at that point they will assume she would grow better outside of the womb and probably take her out early.  And by take her out, I mean that Doc says that I should expect to deliver her 2-3 weeks early via C-section.

The irony of this whole situation is that I've been saying all along it would be great if she would come on December 31st so we could get a nice tax deduction.  But when I was saying that, I wanted it to be on Sam's terms, not because she's not growing well enough.  Also, I've always kind of thought that a C-section wouldn't be the most horrible thing ever - hello two extra weeks of disability pay, no chance of tearing my lady parts to shreds, and a lot less pain during labor.  But as soon as the vast possibility of a natural birth seemingly flies out the window and becomes a chance that's slim to none, it's like I don't want her to come any other way.  Funny how life works that way.

While this is by no means the worst news I've ever heard, it's not exactly the best news I've ever heard either.  The good news is that Doc said he doesn't think anything is wrong with her and that she'll probably be just fine.  Her aforementioned party in my belly is also a good sign that she is healthy and kicking around in there like she should be.  But Jake and I are pretty bummed today just knowing that our little babe isn't as healthy as she possibly could be.  So keep the little monkey in your prayers if you have any extra to spare :)

Thirty-Two.

How Far Along: 32 weeks.  Seems like 10 years.

Total Weight Gain: I forgot to weigh myself this morning.  Honestly I really did.  I will try to remember tomorrow.  I'm kind of past the point of caring...I'm going to have a lot of work to do after baby comes so whether it's 38 pounds or 50 pounds I'm not sure it matters.

Maternity Clothes: No more maternity shopping unless I absolutely cannot fit into my clothes anymore.  I am crossing my fingers that most of what I own now will continue to fit through December.  Hopefully I have enough stretchy clothes that I'll have at least 5 things I can rotate at work so I'm not the girl who's wearing the same thing twice in one week.

Sleep: If I could sleep, it would be a miracle. 

Sam's Things:  I just don't have the energy tonight to take pictures and post them on here (my belly pic is going to be a day late too).  We have been running around doing stuff in the basement all night.  I might have more energy tomorrow to get some things posted!

Best Moment this Week: Our weekend was awesome.  Friday night we hung out with WM and KM and watched the UK game (accompanied by pizza and cookies/ice cream).  Saturday we picked up our glider and started on organizing our garage (gotta make room for all of the toys and strollers that are about to overtake our lives).  Saturday afternoon our softball girls threw us a shower and it was so great to see all of the girls.  I am going to miss them terribly next year!  Saturday night my mom and I bought a fabulously cheap bookcase at Target and put it together while Jake and my dad built shelves and hung cabinets in the garage.  Sunday we painted the bar room in the basement and finished organizing the garage.  It was nesting nation in our house this weekend and I loved it!

Movement: She is still moving around a lot.  I think sometimes she turns her head or sticks her butt out toward the front, because it feels like she is stretching my belly out and it becomes disfigured.  I still have yet to see any external movement though.  Jake's new favorite thing to do is push on my belly and try to figure out which body part he is feeling.  I'm sure she loves him cramping her style in there.

Food Cravings: I am still on food restriction because I feel so full after such a small amount of food that I have to watch myself.  On Sunday we went to Wendy's for lunch and when I told Jake my order he said "please take this in the nicest way possible, but are you sure you want all of that?"  I said yes, and then luckily they forgot my chicken nuggets.  I was full for 3 hours from a jr cheeseburger and a baked potato.  HA!

Symptoms: Next time I go more than 5 days without having a complete emotional breakdown I'll be sure to broadcast it.  I had such a miserable day at work on Friday that I came home and sobbed for a good 30 minutes in bed.  My pillow case is virtually ruined from all of the makeup stains, but I couldn't get out of bed to get a tissue instead of using my pillow case.  The funniest thing about all of these breakdowns is that I give myself a good cry and then when it's over, it's over and I move on and I'm perfectly fine.  I will be so glad to feel normal and not-hormonal again, whenever that may be.  Also, I have rancid gas (sorry Jake) and I can no longer comfortably put my shoes on.  Jake had to pull my boots off after church on Sunday because it's just too hard for me.  I am like a grunting groaning old man when I try to do anything involving any kind of physical activity.  I'm not trying to be rude, but I have a new appreciation for how morbidly obese people function on a daily basis.

What I Miss: I miss everything about not being pregnant.  I'm having one of those weeks where I can't pick just one thing because I have reached the point of being so sick of this I can hardly breathe.  The funny thing is I literally can't breathe.  Sam is crushing my diaphragm.  Today my back feels like I got hit by a semi-truck.  Most days it just feels like it got hit by a pick-up truck.  I miss the pre-pregnancy days where it felt like I got hit by a Smart Car.
 
What I am Looking Forward to:  Am I the only one who is already looking forward to Thanksgiving and my mom's stuffing?

Exercise: Maybe we have reached the point where I no longer care about exercise.  That's two weeks in a row with only 1 workout.  Yikes.  I am going to try really hard to get motivated to do something this week.  We'll see how that goes.

Noteworthy Items:

-I showed my mom my belly last night and even she was skeeved out by how stretched my belly button is.  She was jumping around and squirming about it.  It was hysterical.  I am so glad that my mom hated being pregnant and turned out to be a great mom, it gives me hope.  It also gives me someone to commiserate with.

-My grandma told me last night to "enjoy the rest of my pregnancy while I can" and I said "what is there to enjoy".  I still feel like I'm in a limbo stage, but I hate being pregnant so much that I am really starting to lean toward no longer being in limbo and just ready to be a parent to a screaming newborn.  The fact that I can't sleep, I am in a dull pain pretty much all day from my back, and I'm already sick of not being able to breathe really does make me wonder how anyone has ever enjoyed this in their life!

-Before I got pregnant, I kept saying I was too selfish to be a parent.  I still kind of feel like I am (hello, I love shopping more than most things in this world and I'm still not sure I'm ready to devote my weekends to feedings and t-ball games instead of nice dinners and day-long tailgates).  My saving grace at this point is that I feel like I've already let go of some of those things.  I obviously haven't partied since April.  The fact that reasonably priced maternity clothes are some of the most heinous things on the planet has helped curb my shopping addiction.  I've had to limit my caffeine intake, make sure I'm not eating anything harmful to the babe, and given up some of my favorite workouts so I don't cause any harm to her.  I guess some Big Man upstairs knew what he was doing when he determined how we would bring new little people into this world.  He's currently training my selfish ass to hopefully be a good momma!

-I have always made a conscious effort to not stare when I see someone missing a limb, or in a wheelchair or with some other sort of physical attribute that doesn't look the same as "everyone else".  After being pregnant, I will certainly make sure I continue to make an effort, except I might try even harder.  I feel like everywhere I go I am on display for the world to view.  One of these times when I'm in a really bad mood I'm going to end up going off on some poor unsuspecting old lady who just wants to know about my baby.  But really people - I am still a human being - I'm just growing another one in my belly too.  I can't imagine what it must feel like to walk around looking "different" your whole life.  I have a new appreciation for everyone who doesn't fit other people's definition of normal.

-I'm going to end by saying I AM SO PUMPED THAT UK BASKETBALL HAS STARTED!!!  I have been feigning for some good sports since the Reds sucked up the postseason and now I finally have something to care about.  GO CATS!!!

Thirty-One.

How Far Along: 31 weeks. Nine weeks to go - WOOO!!

Total Weight Gain: Well, by some weird grace of God, I lost a pound last week.  I've gained 28 pounds total.  Somehow between lack of exercise and eating the leftover Halloween candy (we got 2 trick-or-treaters so there were plenty of Twix to be consumed), I lost a pound. Can someone please explain this to me? It's like I'm being rewarded for bad behavior.  Doesn't bode well for ever trying to lose weight...

Maternity Clothes: I bought two sweaters at Gap on Saturday.  I figured I'd need a sweater or two for the winter, so I got a gray one and a tan one.  Now, unless my ass and thighs continue to grow, I'm going to seriously refrain from any more clothing purchases until after this baby gets here.  I can't begin to say how many times I have filled a shopping cart up at loft.com or rosiepope.com when they are having massive sales and then said to myself no Jessica it's a waste of money don't do it.  Then somehow some will power from deep within kicks in and I exit off the site before I have time to type in my memorized credit card number and buy clothes I don't really need.  Phew.

Sleep: Sleep is just ish at this point.  Some nights are better than others.  If I wake up having only woken up to pee one time, with less back pain than normal, and with 6 or 7 hours under my belt, I consider that a success, no matter how many times I roll over throughout the night.  This time change on the other hand is not welcome.  No thank you to 5pm darkness!

Sam's Things: We got some great stuff this weekend at the shower my momma and sister threw for me and Sam.  Check it:

Love this burp cloth.  Thanks MS :)

Love the monkey cuddler too - thanks again MS :)

Sweet little dress purchased by Grandma Peg

Finally got our changing pad, a little diaper caddy,
some cloth diaper covers, and  the monitor.
The changing table is coming together!

I will definitely get some more pictures of some more presents next week, but I need to learn to spread this out so that I don't end up like I did last week with no pictures to post of her stuff!  One of the best things we did at the shower was make some cute onesies for Sam.  My mom has all of those pictures with the artists themselves, I definitely want to get them posted on here so I can remember who crafted which onesie!  Maybe next week...

Best Moment this Week: The shower on Saturday was definitely the best moment this week.  I continue to feel so humbled by the outpouring of love and support that close friends and family have shown to us while we prepare to welcome this new little addition to our family.  I've said it before, but I am just so happy to be bringing her into a world where although there is turmoil, I know she will be so loved and surrounded by good people.  It's a reassuring feeling for a scared-out-of-her-mind 27 year old diva who does not feel prepared to be a mom!

Movement: Sam loves to kick me in the ribs.  She also loves to kick my bladder.  She also loves to be awake at night while I'm getting ready to go to sleep.  This is not news, but things haven't changed.  I think I have also felt some Braxton-Hicks contractions.  They are usually on the left side of my belly.  It just feels like this weird tightening for about 15-20 seconds and then it goes away.  It's not painful, just kind of uncomfortable and bizarre feeling.  Let's just say I won't be making Jake rush me to the hospital any time soon if I continue to feel them.

Food Cravings: I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, the lack of room in my belly for food is the reason for my one pound weight loss this week.  I simply cannot eat as much as I could a few weeks ago.  My small bowl of cereal in the morning fills me up for a good 2-3 hours.  I go to dinner and eat a normal sized meal and I'm uncomfortably full for hours on end.  It's forced me to cut down on snacking and ice cream intake.  Maybe this full/bloated feeling will be my saving grace these last two months.

Symptoms: Emotional basketcase.  For the past few weeks I have had a pretty severe emotional breakdown at least once a week.  This week it happened around midnight on Saturday.  Jake was in Lexington and I was home by myself.  I couldn't fall asleep because my mind was racing about God knows what, so I got out my pregnancy book and started reading, hoping it would put me to sleep.  Could. Not. Have. Been. More. Wrong.  After reading about the possible swelling of my ankles and legs (and lady parts - EW), I entered a state of full-on sobbing.  Black tears all over my pajamas, snot all over my tissues, Callie slobber all over my face (she loves those salty tears) and heaving shoulders made up the next 30 minutes of my life.  I'm not sure what eventually calmed me down but I did end up getting some sleep.  Although I understand the first three months of baby life will be an emotional rollercoaster as well, I'll be more than happy to have my normal hormones back sometime next summer and feel like a functional human being again.

What I Miss: Shopping.  All of the stores have their fun winter sets out and it makes me sad to not participate.  The maternity section at Gap is just plain pathetic.  The sweaters I bought are gray and tan (boring!).  At Destination Maternity all of the cute clothes are $150 or more for a dress or a top (no thanks!).  I will be so happy next spring when I can go back to my favorite stores and buy normal people clothes.  I am sick of feeling so blah in drab colors almost every day.  My mom said it best "you are a captive audience with limited selection".  She is so right.  The companies who actually make cute clothes know they can charge outrageous amounts for clothes because there is no competition for other cute clothes.

What I am Looking Forward to: Another shower!  This coming weekend our high school softball girls are throwing a shower for us.  We are both so excited to see all of the girls and the parents again.  I know this upcoming season is going to be really hard for us not seeing them every day.  It was hard enough when our seniors would graduate every year, so I know this season is going to be even harder.  I can't wait until Saturday.

Exercise: This was not a great week for me for exercising.  I did Pure Barre on Tuesday and that was it, unless you count walking around the mall with my mom and sister on Saturday night.  I don't.  The freezing cold weather has not helped my cause.  Also not helping my cause - I hate walking.  I can't wait to run again!

Noteworthy Items:

-My belly button has not officially popped, but it's basically flat as a pancake so I'm now awaiting the day when it pops out and looks like a weird tumor on my belly.  I am not looking forward to that.  Boo.

-Tuesday is election day.  I'm not going to get political, because if you know me, you know my thoughts on politics.  I will say two things though: 1) I am so glad I don't have to listen to stupid and dumb political ads anymore after tomorrow, including the ignorance all over social media.  I'd rather read about your awesome time at the gym or your baby's poopy diaper than your stance on politics!  Most of the people I surround myself with are pretty set in their ways, and somebody spewing their political opinions on facebook or twitter is not going to change their opinion.  Therefore, I can't wait for it to stop.  And 2) please exercise your right as an American Citizen by educating yourself on the issues, choosing a candidate that jives most with your core beliefs, and vote!  One of my biggest pet peeves is people who complain about things that are going on in the country who then divulge that they didn't or don't vote.  A girl I went to college with (who lived in Ohio by the way) complained the day after Bush was elected in 2004 about how much she hated him and then told me she didn't vote.  If you live in a swing state and you didn't vote and you don't like the outcome of the election then you can kindly keep your opinion to yourself!  Stepping off soapbox...

-And stepping onto another one.  I got the most ridiculous email the other day from Everyday Family.  Look, I get that my body is probably never going to be the same.  And I get that it's going to be a lot of hard work to look remotely close to what I looked like before.  For my sake, Jake's sake, and Sam's sake, I hope I'm up for the challenge.  By the same token, I also know that what I don't need right now is an email from a national magazine with this picture in it:

First of all, I feel like a fat cow as it is.  The last thing I currently need from a random publication is a reminder that my naked body is never going to look the same.  So thanks for that.

Secondly, this is not my child.  So actually NO, this baby is not worth not wearing my bikini again.  It's not Samantha.  It's a baby model.  Nice try. 

Third of all, who are you to say I'm not going to wear my bikini again?  What if I decide I want to walk around with my stretch marks and cellulite hanging out for all of the world to see?  What if I am Giselle Bunchen and I don't get stretch marks and cellulite?  What if I'm 16 and the chances of my body looking the same after baby are about 100 to 1?  What if I'm a freakshow athlete who ran a marathon when I was 7 months pregnant and there is no doubt in my mind I'm going to look the same after baby?

This is a major, major WTF moment for me.  The person who distributed this email from Everyday Family should be punched in the mouth.  And then spit on.  And then forced to walk around in their underwear.  For 9 months.  Screw you.  Stepping off second soapbox...

-Taylor Swift's new album "Red" is muy fabuloso.  So is Jason Aldean's "Night Train".  I would highly recommend both to any country music lover.  They have been on 24 hour repeat since I purchased both of them.  Sorry, Jake.

-I had a 31 week check up today at the doctor's office and everything still looks fine.  In two weeks I'll go back to the doctor for an ultrasound to check the location of my placenta (I sincerely hope it has moved upwards so that I don't run any major birth risks from a low sitting one).  It's funny how Jake and I are both looking forward to that appointment so we can get another little sneak peak at Sam.  We love her already and we can't wait to see what she looks like in real life!  Yay!

Thirty.

How Far Along: 30 weeks.  I cannot believe we have reached week numbers that start with "3".

Total Weight Gain: 2.5 pounds this past week - AGAIN.  My body really hates me.  I even felt like I ate less this week because every time I eat I get so full that I can barely move.  It's like I eat an apple slice and I can hardly breath because I'm so full.  Sam is taking up way too much room in my belly for me to put a whole lot of food in there.  Ughhh...29 pounds total.  I now have cellulite on the front of my legs.  Vom.  If nothing else, I guess I will be more than motivated to train for a half marathon next year!

Maternity Clothes: I should look back on my blog and see how many weeks ago it was that I had to buy new, bigger pants, because I'm there again.  Maybe this time I will just buy 2 sizes bigger so I don't run the risk of my ass and thunder thighs outgrowing that size too in the next 2 months. 

Sleep: At this point I'm really wishing we would have bought the mattress 3 months ago.  I think I've reached the point where it doesn't matter what I'm laying on, I just don't sleep for more than an hour at a time.  Saturday morning I woke up at 5:45 to pee because Sam was kicking my bladder and I couldn't fall back asleep because my back hurt so bad.  I laid in bed and cried for about 15 minutes thinking "how am I going to do this for 10 more weeks?  It's Saturday morning and I'm awake before 6am for no reason."  I didn't want to wake Jake up so I went down to the couch and cried some more and tried to fall back to sleep for about an hour until I just gave up.  Silver lining - at least it wasn't 3am.  I woke up and cleaned a little bit until Jake woke up around 7:45 and we started our day.  I guess I can kiss sleep good bye for the next year or so.  I will be a functioning zombie until this time next year when (hopefully) Little Miss is sleeping most of the way through the night and I don't have a large belly causing enough back pain to make a Marine cry.

Sam's Things:  No showers or gifts this week, and I haven't been shopping, so here's a picture of Callie trying to look so fetch in my fake Burberry scarf.  Happy Monday!

Best Moment this Week: Most definitely my parents' Halloween party was the best moment this week.  There is nothing I love more than seeing 20-somethings all the way through 60-somethings dressed up in ridiculous costumes and doing shots off of my parents' island in their kitchen.  Although I had to refrain from any adult beverages this year, I was highly entertained for a good 6 hours.  I can't lie, I'm already looking forward to next year.  Here we are as a disco dancer and a disco ball (I'm loving the sideburns):

Shout out to my Jessica H's: what it do baby, it's the ice man Paul Wall, got my BUMP lookin somethin like a disco ball.

A close second best moment this week would have to be our tour of Christ Hospital on Saturday morning.  The RN that did the tour was really great, the birthing center is really nice, and just being there and hearing her go over everything really calmed some nerves.  Not to mention the fact that just being in the hospital and thinking about the fact that the next time I'll be in one of those rooms we'll be meeting our babe for the first time made us both a little emotional.  I definitely needed that after the emotional breakdown I experienced earlier that morning.

Movement: Everything I read says that I should be tracking her movements and that there should be "active periods" throughout the day, but tracking movement just sounds like way too much effort.  Until my doctor tells me to track them, I'm just going to go about my business letting her kick me in the ribs and bladder for the next 2 months.  I have to admit it's really weird when we push on the upper part of my belly and can feel a child, and then down low by my bladder I can feel pressure inside of my body, like it's obvious we are pushing her down. 

Food Cravings: Like I said before, I've kind of reached the point where I really can't eat too much in one sitting because Sam is taking up too much room in my abdomen for me to really fill up my stomach a whole lot.  It's Halloween this week, I imagine I'll probably eat a few hundred Twix and Reese Cups before the week is over.  See previous rant about fat ass and thighs for clarification of this disaster that is my diet.

Symptoms: Word for word from my BabyBump app: For many women, as your due date approaches, it's a common and very normal time to feel more emotional than usual.  You'll experience more frequent mood swings, and very likely some anxiety over the coming baby and the new responsibilities that lie ahead.  Your body is working hard to carry oxygen and nutrients to your baby and your diaphragm will be pushed up by your still expanding uterus, causing you to feel short of breath.  That pretty much sums up my last week: Can't breathe. Want to cry all the time.  Moving on.

What I Miss: Sitting in the same position for more than 20 minutes without feeling uncomfortable. 

What I am Looking Forward to: My momma and sister are throwing a shower for me and Sam this weekend, so I'm really looking forward to seeing a bunch of family members and close friends.  Besides, who doesn't love cake and shower food?

Exercise: I did okay last week.  I walked on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Tuesday I did Pure Barre with my sister.  I would just like to note that I am not a walker.  My legs get all itchy and tingly and my hands swell like the Pillsbury dough boy.  People say all the time how much they hate running, well I hate walking for exercise as much as those people hate running.  I'll continue to do it until I get unpregnant so I don't gain 5 pounds a week instead of a whopping 2.5, but know that I am doing it begrudgingly and that I miss running SO MUCH.  The only thing that makes it tolerable is that I'm usually walking with a good friend or family member, so the company is always enjoyable.

Noteworthy Items:

-I have reached the point where I am completely OVER being pregnant (as if I wasn't over it the first week I found out I was knocked up).  However, I am in this limbo state where I'm done being pregnant and I want this baby out of me, but I do not feel prepared to be responsible for another human being.  I repeat: I DO NOT FEEL PREPARED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.  Yikes.

-On that note, I hate being pregnant so much that I am already concerned about how the hell on God's green earth am I ever going to do this again.  Can I get a surrogate?  I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get there.

-My legs are so fat and I am so uncomfortable, that I can no longer cross my legs.  I have been crossing my legs as long as I can remember (I have the spider veins to prove it - if you buy into that sort of thing).  So every time I sit I try to cross my legs but then realize that I am far too swollen (if that's what you want to call it) to do that.  It sucks and adds to the discomfort factor by a whole buttload.

-While I am not excited about the "Frankenstorm" that is currently pounding into the northeastern part of the U.S., I am so glad it's not 80 degrees anymore.  My growing self does not enjoy wearing short sleeves and baring my cottage cheese, ahem, I mean legs.  Now if we could just do mid 50s to mid 60s instead of 45, I would be happy.  Mother Nature is a sad, sorry, whorebag.

-The mother of one of my dear friends is in the hospital because of some crazy reaction to her flu shot and they are having trouble figuring out what's going on, so any extra prayers that can be offered up for her and her family would be much appreciated.  Love you JH!