33/34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 Weeks.  

Size of baby: Pineapple (20 in; 5lbs)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still just 12 as far as I know.  I'm convinced at least 3 of those are sitting in my ankles.  :)

Maternity Clothes: Do they make maternity socks??  I'd be allll over those if I could find them.  To quote Jacob, "I think your feet are too large for your socks now..."

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: Still all the time.  She's gotten quite forceful in movements too.  I guess she's running out of room.   

Sleep: Sporadic.  Some nights are better than others.  

What I miss: Having energy.  Being able to walk more than 50 yards without seriously contemplating taking a sit down rest break.  

Cravings: Weird things these days...

Symptoms: Fatigue, itchiness (weird...), low energy.  You know, typical for being 8.5 months pregnant.  

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: Going for our 34 week doctor's appointment.  We go back at 36 weeks for an ultrasound to measure weight and position.  Little miss Avery Grace sure does love to sit up high and breech.  Although- I've had 3 nurses at work tell me that I've "dropped".  I've noticed more pressure in my lower abdomen and movement has definitely been more frequent there.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Ultrasound next week!

32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 Weeks.  

Size of baby: Honeydew mellon (19 in; 4.5lbs)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: We've charted into new territory...total gain of +12 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I found a couple of maxi skirts in my closet this week and they are fantastic- and a regular size!  It's a win-win situation. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: All.the.time.  I've grown to enjoy the multiple rounds of hiccups she's been having recently.  It lets me know where she is.  This morning they were down low and to the right, now they are up high and to the left.  Apparently she's still got room to swim around in there.   

Sleep: Sporadic.  Some nights are better than others.  

What I miss: Having energy- still.  Daylight savings time kicked my rear end this morning despite having gone to bed an hour early to get ahead of the game.  

Cravings: Nothing earth shattering.  I've gotten into this weird stage where I don't crave anything and have nearly no appetite at all.  I know I need to eat, so I do, but nothing makes me go out to CVS in the middle of night to get because I have to have it right then.  I'm thinking that this little experience is for the better.

Symptoms: Fatigue, fatigue, and fatigue.  Oh- and then there's the heartburn that literally makes it hard to breathe.  I read where Jessica Simpson told Ellen that her preferred snack of choice is Tums.  I whole-heartedly agree.  The berry flavors are my current bedside table staple.

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: Going to "Baby Care Basics" class and watching Jacob change a diaper on what could only be described as a doll the size of a 5 year old.

What I'm Looking Forward To: My work baby shower this coming weekend!

Weekly Instagram Randoms:

This is my new friend Justin.  His last name happens to be Osmond.  As in.....Donny and Marie's little brother.  :)

Weird pregnancy eating habits at their best.

How I survived TSHA this weekend.

30/31 Week

How Far Along: 30/31 Weeks.  No pictures of balancing items on the belly yet...it's been a hectic week.  They're coming...just you wait.  :) 

Size of baby: Head of lettuce (19 in; 3.9lbs)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Unknown....or more like I'm choosing not to know.  I'll be forced to know on Wednesday at my 32 week appointment.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity scrubs are the bomb.  Seriously. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: We've gone from sporadic hiccups to 4 rounds of it in the past 24 hours.   

Sleep: Sporadic.  Some nights are better than others.  

What I miss: Having energy. 

Cravings: Sweet tea- big time- still.

Symptoms: Fatigue, appetite like a sumo wrestler, and leg cramps.  New this week is the frequent urge to go to the bathroom thanks to Avery's new "head-down" position.

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: "Graduating" from childbirth class.  I think we learned a lot.  Jacob sure can ramble off statistics.  Ask him...dare you.

What I'm Looking Forward To: 32 week appointment on Wednesday!  One final girls trip with Staci this week to go to our state speech convention in Dallas.

For your enjoyment.  This is how we closed out our child birth class.

28/29 Weeks

How Far Along: 28/29 Weeks....she's "popped" again.  I'm making a new personal goal to balance various items on my stomach.  Don't worry- there will be pictures.  

Size of baby: Butternut Squash (17 inches, 3.1 lbs)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still just +8.

Maternity Clothes: Normally everything but I hit the jackpot a Target (shocker....) and found flowing tops that totally work- and will continue to until little miss makes her arrival. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: Only one additional round of hiccups that I noticed over the past 2 weeks.  Maybe she's like me and doesn't get them that often.  Maybe.  Other than that, she's pretty active.  Kick counts have not been an issue.  My doctor says to count 10 kicks within one hour at the same time every day since she's most likely already in a makeshift sleep cycle. Well, our little over-achiever gets to 10 kicks between 5 and 10 minutes after I start counting.  

Sleep: Back!  We got a new mattress a couple of weeks ago and it has literally been a gift from God.  Seriously.  

What I miss: Having energy. 

Cravings: Sweet tea- big time- still.

Symptoms: Fatigue, appetite like a sumo wrestler, and leg cramps.  Have you ever experienced a simultaneous calf, arch of foot, and toe cramp in the same foot?  I have.  It'll make you want to take drastic action about relieving it....like contemplating an at home amputation.  :)

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: Getting the nursery painted!  We're one step closer to getting everything ready for sweet Avery to get here!

What I'm Looking Forward To: 30 week appointment on Friday!  We've started going every 2 weeks until 36 and then we'll start going every week!  Talk about a reality check!

27 Weeks

How Far Along: 27 Weeks  

Size of baby: Head of lettuce (15 inches, 2.5 lbs)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still just +8, although I'm feeling larger this week.

Maternity Clothes: Everything now. I'm still enjoying normal sized shoes....although some of those are pretty tight now.  Example- I've been really wanting those tacky nursing clogs to wear at work.  Today was a scrub sale at the hospital and they had those shoes on sale there.  Too bad I couldn't even think about squeezing my foot into the largest size they make.  So it's confirmed- I've got amazon woman sized large, swollen feet. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: I experienced baby hiccups for the first time.  I wasn't sure at first what it was, but after some quick googling, found out Little Avery was indeed hiccuping.  She's gotten quite "violent" in her punches too.  I was singing at church on Sunday and apparently she wanted to remind me she was there and gave me a real good strong punch in the diaphragm before the song started which resulted in me being unable to catch my breath through the entire first verse.  I'm going to remember this and we're going to have a talk about it in about 12 weeks.  :)

Sleep: Still gone.  I'm reminded of a Montgomery Gentry song at this moment, "Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday, gone like a soldier in the Civil War, bang bang.  Gone like a 59 Cadillac, like all the good things that ain't ever coming back, it's gone."  Hopefully the purchase of new mattress helps this situation.  I'm tired of the "Ricky & Lucy" sleeping arrangement going on in this household.

What I miss: Sleep. 

Cravings: Sweet tea- big time.  I finally wised up and bought tea to make at home.

Symptoms: Fatigue, appetite like a sumo wrestler, and Braxton Hicks.  The whole BH thing is new for me.  It's a weird sensation to say the least. I'm sure it's just as uncomfortable to see.  From my view from above, it looks like she scrunches in a ball and moves to either side and just stays there for a few seconds and then returns to her favored position...under my ribs and diagonal. 

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: The "bump" getting noticed by strangers.  One of the frequent patient's at work asked me "When are you due?"  Well, he'd joked around with me before so I figured I'd return the favor and responded, "What are you talking about?"  I've never seen a man's face so stinkin red before.  All he could say was, "Oh man, oh man, oh man."  I finally told him my due date and told him that asking that question is risky business.  He agreed. :)

What I'm Looking Forward To: 28 week appointment on Friday!  Avery's due date may change....we'll see!

26 Weeks

(Aside from feeling like I look like a busted can of biscuits, this bump picture really shows the little Miss Avery Grace)

How Far Along: 26 Weeks  

Size of baby: Cucumber (15 inches, 2.2 lbs) 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +8.  Avery Grace is packing on the pounds.  :)

Maternity Clothes: Everything now. I'm still enjoying normal sized shoes....although some of those are pretty tight now. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: More predictable now.  I can tell where she's positioned by her movements.  She loves to be breech, feet at my lower left side and head in my upper right side....nestled right under my diaphragm.  

Sleep: Gone.  My ability to sleep is still gone.  Although, in the course of the past week I've gone from waking up every 45 minutes to every 2 hours as of last night.  I called and got advice as to what I can take sleep aid wise to help and the doctor recommended Unisom.  The first night I took it I'm pretty sure I had my first episode of sleep walking.  Actually, I'm more than pretty sure, it happened.  We'll just leave it at that....just know that funny things did happen.  And it involved cereal.  And sweatpants.

What I miss: Sleep. 

Cravings: Sweet tea- big time.

Symptoms: Fatigue.  I hit a wall of exhaustion around 1:30pm every day.  Not sure if it's from lack of sleep or I'm really just that tired.

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: Avery Grace's first shower!  We are extremely blessed to have some wonderful Godly ladies that were willing to pour into our lives and host this wonderful shower!  I only hope Avery understands when she's old enough how much she is already loved by so many precious people.

24-25 Week Update

How Far Along: 25 Weeks  

Size of baby: Eggplant 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +6 still.  According the doctor at my most recent appointment, I'm nearly not gaining enough weight.  I don't think I've ever been told such news in the history of, well, ever. 

Maternity Clothes: Everything now. I'm still enjoying normal sized shoes. 

Gender: GIRL!  Avery Grace has already stolen our hearts!

Movement: Avery is a night owl.  She loves the hours of 9pm to 3am.

Sleep: Gone.  My ability to sleep is gone.  :(  

What I miss: Nothing this week...surprisingly. 

Cravings: Orange juice, sweet tea, and milk.

Symptoms: Fatigue and occasional headache.

Best Moment/Most Interesting Moment this week: Going to my follow up appointment this week.  Avery is growing so fast!  She's all legs (like her mama).  Next appointment is at 28 weeks!