33 Weeks Down, 7 to Go!

DATE:  November 21, 2014

HOW FAR ALONG? 33 weeks and 5 days

GENDER:  We’ve made it this far, we aren’t about to cave in and find out now!

BABY IS THE SIZE OF A: Pineapple and roughly 4-5 pounds!

TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN:  At my last visit, I reached a milestone….hitting the 200+ pound mark!  I am so glad that Chad could be there to share in the special moment. ;)

MATERNITY CLOTHES?  I might be pushing the limits of wearing yoga pants to work, but I just don’t care these days!

STRETCH MARKS? Not yet….lotion morning and night, repeat, lotion morning and night, repeat…

MOVEMENT: Baby Hansen has been head down luckily for the last two doctor visits, but the movement is so much stronger these days as the room in my belly gets more and more cramped.  It is so fun to watch my belly absolutely roll and shake!

SLEEP:  Arg, I do miss sleep that lasted for more than 2 straight hours.  I get up easily 3-4 times a night these days.  I go to bed pretty early since Chad is on the morning shift, so at least I am getting a lot of sleep even if it is only in increment of 1-2 hours at a time. 3ampinterest viewing just might take place in our bed on some nights.

SYMPTOMS: I feel very fortunate that I don’t have back and hip pain or heartburn as many people complain of those issues around this time.  I feel pretty good minus some pregnancy insomnia and general feelings of fatigue.  I can deal with those!

FOOD CRAVINGS:  Hmmmm….not really.  I am trying to eat healthy, but it is so nice to indulge in a chocolate milk shake every now and then.

ANYTHING MAKING YOU SICK? Luckily, no!

WEDDING RING ON OR OFF?  On, but it is most definitely getting tighter and harder to get off and when I do take it off there is nice mark left from the rings.  I hope I can keep wearing it.  I don’t feel super bloated, but my fingers are obviously getting a bit bigger these days.

BELLY BUTTON IN OR OUT?  Out and proud!  Chad says that my belly looks like Snoopy’s nose.

WHAT I MISS: I miss feeling like I had plenty of time to get things done.  The clock seems to be ticking on Baby Hansen’s time in my warm and protected uterus. 

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO: I am looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  I love this time of the year and its festivities so much and it is even more exciting this year with the thought of Baby Hansen’s arrival in (hopefully) January!  It will be fun to celebrate both holidays with all of our family and for everyone to be in the same city to celebrate them! 

MILESTONES: We put the car seat in this week.   It was not an easy task!  Our car is not new enough to have the nice latching clips, so we have to use our seat belt which is much harder to use.  I think after multiple attempts (at least 10) and a lot of frustration, we finally figured it out and have it safely installed in the car.  So crazy to see it in there!  We also had our home visit with Lauren, our doula.  It was fun to have her over since we had gone to her house for class so many times before.  We went over our preferences for labor and delivery and it definitely made it feel even more real that this is really happening – this baby is going to need to come out eventually!  The next time that Lauren comes over to our house it will be because we are in labor.  So crazy to imagine!  Luckily our bags are almost completely packed and ready to go!

BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: The best moment this week was yesterday.  I officially went over all of my maternity leave details with my work, confirmed everything with my principal, and completed the checklist of activities that my sub and I needed to go over. I officially feel ready for December 19^th to come and for me to go on Christmas break with the knowledge that I may or may not be back in January.  I am so relieved to have everything squared away. Now Baby Hansen can hang out and prepare for what I hope is an early January arrival.  I still have my money on January 10^th!

*Photo from our Northwest Hospital tour! It was great to familiarize ourselves with the hospital and to get all my questions answered. Be back soon...not too soon though!