Week 34

{sneak peek from our maternity photo shoot}

Baby Size: large cantaloupe (I'm getting more and more confused by this fruit-size guide...I've been following the fruit guide on my "What to Expect" phone app, but I swear a cantaloupe is smaller than a pineapple (week 33)!  Hmm...

Maternity Clothes: maternity tops, shorts, dresses, some regular maxi dresses mixed in

Food Cravings: Haagen Daz salted caramel ice cream bars, banana milkshakes (but pretty sure I would crave these kinds of sweets normally...)

Food Aversions: pho

Symptoms: sore hands/knuckles and bottoms of feet, sore hips after sleeping on my side

Sleep: Sleeping upright feels better these days, I usually wake up about once, sometimes twice a night

Movement: Feeling rolling, moving, poking, I love feeling her move!

Belly Button: popped out 

Gender: GIRL!!!

Best Moment of the Week: our maternity photo shoot

What I'm Looking Forward To: family in town for our upcoming baby shower

What I Miss: high impact sports, sushi, a cold glass of white wine 

Wedding Rings: Took my rings off over the weekend, but jammed them back on for our maternity shoot, now I'm pretty sure they're not coming off until afterward.

Currently Reading: I checked out On Becoming Babywise, but have yet to really crack it open

image via mikefiectner

Happy Weekend

Happy weekend!  It's going to be another hot one here in Seattle.  We've been blessed with glorious sunny weather for pretty much the entire month of July, it's been excellent!  You won't find this pregnant girl complaining too much about the heat, I'd rather have sun than downpour any day, and luckily I've been fortunate enough to feel cool and mostly comfortable in spite of the climbing temps.

Tomorrow marks 1-month from our due date!!  I can hardly believe it, our last few months and weeks of pregnancy have flown by.  The nursery is pretty much ready (sans a little cleaning to organize some clutter), we're over halfway through our 6-week childbirth class series, and today we toured the hospital where I'll be delivering.  Aside from adding a few odds and ends to our hospital bag, I'd say we're ready to go.  CRAZY!?!  

Also - tomorrow is our big family baby shower.  My sisters, cousin and her family, aunt and uncle all flew up from Southern California to celebrate with us, and join in the baby festivities.  It should be a good time soaking up the summer sun with family and close friends.  

Have yourself a sweet weekend - stay cool!

image/bbb 

Birth Announcements

As a teacher, I am blessed with the luxury of summer break, which truly is a pregnant girl 5-weeks out from her due date's dream come true!  Ample time to do...whatever!  My most recent endeavor has been researching and perusing birth announcements for our little babe.  With the plethora of options available, I'm finding myself quite smitten with the selection of birth announcements over at Tiny Prints.  Aren't these adorable?

I am currently torn in picking a favorite...in addition to the all the other darling announcements to choose from on their site! I love all the details; curly fonts, pinks accents, and all!  Now all we need is a baby girl to fill in the guest of honor spot - and send out one of these to our nearest and dearest!  

Sooo excited!!

Which one is your fave?

images/tinyprints

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things: Pregnancy Edition

Meet the Snoogle, the body pillow of body pillows, this little pillow has become my best friend while pregnant.  Many of you might know that it's recommended that pregnant women stop sleeping on their back at 20 weeks, if not before, because of the additional weight on your spine and primary arteries.  And, since at that point, you can't sleep on your stomach, the option that remains is side sleeping. Now, I've always been a side sleeper, but sleeping on my side while pregnant is a different story.  In addition to backaches, I have often woken up with achy hit joints. Also, despite my best intentions to sleep on my side throughout the night, unless you surround yourself with a border of pillows, it's difficult to ensure that you stay on your side for the duration of a sleep.  

This is where the Snoogle comes in.  I admit, I was very skeptical, even despite rave reviews from friends.  Most because, I've never slept with a body pillow before, nor ever saw the need.  The snoogle is curved to be shaped like a "C" so it wraps underneath your head, and between your legs, and can tuck right underneath your growing bump.  When curled around you, it's quite secure and comfortable!  In my opinion, the best part of this pillow is that it curves, essentially hugging your body to provide consistent back support. You can lean  against it without any fear of rolling onto your back.  It's AMAZING!

My husband even likes it (much to my surprise).  Though it's not exactly romance-inducing being wrapped in a giant pillow all night long, he's borrowed it for a weekend nap or two, and proclaimed it's greatness, commenting that "it's like being spooned all night long."  

Insider tip: I originally purchased just the Snoogle pillow (sans cover), but realized that like an ordinary pillow, there's definitely potential for it to easily get dirty (eye make-up, etc.).  I ended up buying a cover separately.  If you're considering purchasing, I'd recommend buying the  pillow + cover together to save yourself some money.  

image1/teaforjoy

image2.3/amazon

Week 33

Baby Size: pineapple

Maternity Clothes: maternity tops/shorts/jeans, maxi dresses

Food Cravings: Caffeine free coke, dessert and sweet things

Food Aversions: pho, chicken

Symptoms: back pain, and I think (?) I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction this week

Sleep: my back usually hurts by morning, so I'm up and at 'em around 6:00 AM most days. Usually waking up 1-3 times, depending on the night

Movement: Feeling strong movements, elbows and limbs, can see her moving across my belly

Belly Button: popped out 

Gender: GIRL!!!

Best Moment of the Week: cleaning/organizing our baby's room (we added a bookshelf to house all her books and picture frames), started our childbirth class, and attended a friend's baby's 1-year birthday party.

What I'm Looking Forward To: maternity photo shoot this week, and family visiting for our upcoming baby shower

What I Miss: running, spinning class, and other high impact sports. An example of my lack of mobility these days; I got locked out of our house this week, and was tempted to climb through an open window when I realized that might be a tad harder with a big belly.  I called my husband to propose this idea, to which he sped home, obviously he did not agree this was a suitable idea...

Wedding Rings on

Currently Reading: just checked out On Becoming Babywise from the library

Pie on the Grill

Have you ever eaten pie grilled on the BBQ?

Next question - did you even know that you could grill a pie on the BBQ?

An acquaintance of mine posted on facebook yesterday, "Delicious apple pie straight from the BBQ, yum!" or something to that accord.  I read that and thought...WHAT?!?!  Consider my mind blown!  So, naturally, I did some research and yes indeed, it's possible!  I found a few recipes vouching for variations of "grilled pie," using the BBQ to bake instead of a conventional oven, as well as some helpful how-to of some grilling tips to ensure the dessert turns out as it should. I'm so interested in this technique, and wonder if grilled pie tastes different from baked?  Somehow I think the smoky barbecuey flavor might really jazz up a fruity pie.  Personally, I'd love to try apple or peach.

What do you think?  Have you ever tried this before?  If so, please share your insider information!

+ grilled apple pie

+ old fashioned grilled peach pie

+ grilled caramel pecan pie

+ chocolate pecan pie on the grill

image/maryruffle

What's in a Name?

Let me tell you, it is no easy task to name another person.  Knowing that the name you bestow upon your child will forever be interwoven into their identity for their entire life.  It's a challenge to select a name as a couple, one both you and your partner like equally, meanwhile, taking care to ensure that the chosen name isn't too trendy, too popular, too ordinary, too boring, or too unusual.  All the while knowing that this name will forever be a part of your lives.  It's a big decision, for sure!  My husband and I decided early on that we'd keep our baby's name a secret.  We agreed upon two first names, including our current name, at about 4 months into my pregnancy.  We have since narrowed that down to one name, though we're still torn and debating back and forth about a middle name.

I can't say it's been easy to guard such a large secret.  Our families are very eager to know the name, especially our moms.  My mother in law must've asked us 5 times while we were back in Michigan for a wedding, "Is it a traditional name or a modern name?  How many letter is it?" to which my husband playfully and consistently replied, "Twelve" just to tease.  One of my sisters begged us to disclose just the first letter of her name, "What does it start with? I promise I won't tell!" My friends too have urged me for hints of any kind.  And of course, we've denied all their requests, and kept our lips tightly sealed.  Perhaps I've been scared into secrecy by stories of unsavory and unsolicited comments made to friends of mine who chose to share their potential baby names early on.  It's surprising really, why some people feel it's appropriate to share their personal distaste for a certain name with an expecting couple.  

Why did we decide to keep our baby's name a secret, you ask?  Well, honestly, I've always loved the moment of discovery in finding out that a long-awaited baby has been born; their height, weight, time of birth, and delight in learning his or her name.  Since we already made the decision to learn her gender, and shared that news, we wanted to be able to keep one sweet surprise to ourselves and then once she arrives, be able to enjoy that magical moment of celebrating her birth and sharing her name with our loved ones the minute she's born.  

I can't wait!

P.S. A hilarious clip, Friends' Ross & Rachel picking baby names!

image/homesweethome