Week THIRTY Updates

Okay, so this week's picture was hard to take. First, I normally take them at night after I'm dressed up for church. That didn't happen this week so we had to quickly take a picture after a long day of work. There were lots of weird shadows so it took a million different tries to get this picture. So that's why my face looks really unergetic. Plus, it's a weird angle of my belly...but the bump is very there.

Finally, before I get on with the questions...there's no letter this week. It's been another one of those busy weeks at work that I wasn't expecting so I haven't had the time!!

Weekly Questions

How far along? 30 weeks! Only 10 more to go. CRAZY.

How Big Is The Baby? BabyCenter says he weighs almost 3 pounds and is 15.7 inches long.

Total weight gain: Today I’m at 152.2. So that's 11.2 pounds so far.
Maternity Clothes: Yep. I'm wearing them. The entire outfit above is maternity...including the tank top sticking out of the bottom. The length is really important because my baby likes to sit low, so my belly has to stay covered. Except of course when I'm home. Then I wear t-shirts that barely fit before I was pregnant and walk around pretending that I look cute with a giant belly hanging out. Haha, Mom and Amanda got to see a little of that when they came over....

Sleep: Every night I find something else to add to my list of helpful sleeping tips so it's getting better. Warm baths relax my back, pillows propped under my back help the heartburn and allergy problems (the allergy problems aren't pregnancy related, but it's nice knowing what to do after the baby gets here to help me sleep through wonderful San Antonio allergy season!). Basically, it's not as bad as it's been.

Food cravings: Cheddar Cheese Cup of Noodles. Probably the grossest thing to crave because their super high in sodium, and it's cheddar flavored noodle soup. Not really the classiest thing to eat. But for 29 cents, I give into that craving and look forward to eating all of the noodles out of the styrofoam cup...and I'm not kiddnig when I say I'm a little sad when it's all gone. Maybe that craving will quickly go ahead because it's so disgusting.

What I miss: Nothing really this week. Oh...except I really wanted to go to Six Flags today. And then I got sad because I wouldn't be allowed to ride the rides and had a pity party for myself. The whole scenario was ridiculous. It's like 55 degrees right now and the park isn't even open. I'm not sure why I got so wrapped up in that thought. Haha..

What I am looking forward to: Tonight is my breastfeeding class. 3 hours of talking about nursing should be super interesting. Plus, Tyler's Mom and Des and Casey are coming to San Antonio this weekend! I finally get to meet that little boy :)

Milestones: Mom and Amanda came over and helped me finish up the nursery! Well, it's not finished, but everything is finally hung on the walls and we got a lot of little things put away. Once I have my 2 showers I'm sure I'll have a lot more to do in there. But for now, everything has a place and his wall hanging are up. It's a cute little room! Tyler and I watch my belly every night and watch how much Cohen moves around in there. Seriously, he's very active and we really don't even need a TV right now...he's our entertainment! I have a doctor's appointment Monday...I'm now at the stage where I'll see my doctor every 2 weeks!

Letter To My Little Bun

Dear Cohen-

Hey little boy!

Well this week your bones are starting to harden and your brain is developing even more! You're such a little boy now....you've come such a LONG way since you were the size of a teensy poppy seed!!

We haven't hit any huge milestones this week that we need to talk about, so I thought instead, I'd prepare you for the life you're going to be born into in the next 11 weeks or so (10 if Mommy has her way).

Your Daddy and Mommy are very involved in church. We love God so much and we love working for Him. Because of that, we're in a few different ministries at church like Music, Sunday School, and we even lead the Youth Group. I'm just giving you a warning: you're going to be a busy little boy. But I promise, no matter how much we seem like we're having meetings, or going to class, or having parties, you will love it. Your Mommy and Daddy love it so we know you will too. Mommy has done this her whole life, ever since I was a very little girl, and I don't know any other way of doing it. If I'm not busy with ministries, I feel like I'm not doing enough for God.

When you're a smaller baby you'll have to be with Mommy a lot at youth things since I have to feed you, but once you're older you'll be able to stay with Poppy and Nana on those nights so you don't have to worry about sitting for so long. But let me give you fair warning-Poppy and Nana also do a lot at the church, so unless it's youth stuff, you'll probably be there right alongside all of us. You get to go to Youth Congress in August when you're just 4 months old! You're very lucky because it's a pretty amazing conference and most don't get to go until they're about 15 years old! You're already super cool.

We want you to always live for God, little boy. You  have so many people praying for you on both sides of the family. You can't give up on God. Sometimes, it may seem hard, but you have to know that you always have God to turn to. He has done a lot for your family, so we can't give up on Him now!

You may be born with your tiny little feet already running, but at least you'll be running towards God!! And learn this scripture now: Colossians 3:23: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Okay, enough of that from me.

I love you so much little Mister. So, so much.

Love you,

Mommy

Week 29 Updates

Haha, this week’s picture just makes me laugh. How tight is my shirt?

Weekly Questions

How far along? 29 weeks!

How Big Is The Baby? BabyCenter says he weighs 2 ½ pounds and is 15 inches long.

Total weight gain: Today I’m at 151.2. So that's 10.2 pounds so far. And we're not going to discuss the stretchmarks I found on my boobs. That's just depressing.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely more comfortable at this point because of the length. Obviously, that’s not what I’m wearing in that picture. Well the skirt is, but not the shirt. But clearly that was the last time I’ll be wearing that top for awhile!

Sleep: I’m not going to complain about my non-sleep habits again this week. I will say that my sleep has improved some, but I’d still like to wake up without back pain.

Food cravings: Nothing really. I mean I prefer some foods over others, but I don’t crave anything to the point where I have to have it right then.

What I miss: No back pain.

What I am looking forward to: Next week I have a breastfeeding class, so that’ll be cool. PLUS, I’ve almost hit 30 weeks. That’s a pretty big deal.

Milestones: Mom bought Cohen his dedication outfit and I cried. The crying isn’t the milestone, just the outfit. The crying happens often (thanks for the airport story Mom, every time I think about it, I get all misty-eyed). Other than that, no big milestones this week. If there were any, and I forgot, well I’m sorry, my brain is mush right now. It’s not my fault.

My Eric Carle Library

We're currently working on building Cohen's Eric Carle Library and since I'm neurotic and love to make lists, I made a list of all the Eric Carle books! This way, as we find them, we can cross them off of the list and know which ones we're still hunting for. These aren't listed in order of publication, and some of them I've never even heard of, but it's a fun list to look through! Also, he's not the author of all of these books, sometimes he just did the illustrations. This is a very, VERY long list that will take a very, VERY long time to complete, but you know me, always up for a project!

((I know this list is missing a few, but after I searched some of them, I found that with some books he was just an illustrator for a collectors edition and those books were super expensive and not at all interesting looking. SOOOOO, I took them off the list. Don't judge me.))

My Eric Carle Library

-Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?--Illustrator
-1,2,3 to the Zoo--Author
-The Very Hungry Caterpillar
-Pancakes, Pancakes!
-The Tiny Seed--Author
-Feathered Ones and Furry--Illustrator
-Scarecrow Clock--Illustrator
-Do You Want to be My Friend?--Author
-Rooster's off to See the World
-Secret Birthday Message--Author
-Walter the Baker--Author
-Do Bears Have Mothers Too? --Illustrator
-Have You Seen My Cat?--Illustrator
-I See a Song--Author
-My Very First Book of Numbers--Author
-My Very First Book of Colors--Author
-My Very First Book of Shapes--Author-My Very First Book of Words--Author
-Why Noah Chose the Dove--Illustrator
-All About Arthur--Author
-The Hole in the Dike--Illustrator
-The Mixed Up Chameleon
--Grouchy Ladybug
-Watch Out! A Giant!--Author
-Mister Seahorse--Author
-Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
-10 Little Rubber Ducks--Author
-The Rabbit and the Turtle--Author
-The Very Lonely Firefly--Author
-Little Cloud--Author
-From Head to Toe--Author
-Flora & Tiger: 19 Very Short Stories from My Life--Author
-Hello, Red Fox--Author
-Very Clumsy Click Beetle-Author
-Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?
-Dream Snow
-Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth--Author
-Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!--Author
-Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
-Honey Bee and Robber--Author
-Otter Nonsense--Illustrator
-What's For Lunch--Author
-Chip Has Many Brothers--Illustrator
-Very Busy Spider--Author
-Foolish Tortoise
-Greedy Python--Illustrator
-The Mountain that Loved a Bird--Illustrator
-All Around Us--Author
-Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me
-A House for Hermit Crab
-The Lamb and the Butterfly--Illustrator
-My Very First Book of Sounds--Author
-My Very First Book of Foods--Author
-My Very First Book of Tools--Author
-My Very First Book of Touch--Author
-My Very First Book of Motion--Author
-My Very First Book of Growth--Author
-My Very First Book of Homes--Author
-My Very First Book of Heads--Author
-Eric Carle's Treasury of Classic Stories for Children--Author
-Animals, Animals--Author
-The Very Quiet Cricket--Author
-Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
-Dragons, Dragons--Author
-Draw Me A Star--Author
-Today is Monday--Author
-My Apron--Author

28 Weeks Update

I never feel like I look quite as huge as these pictures make me look. Who knows…But the point is, my belly is growing bigger every week (obviously, I’m growing a human, it would be weird if it wasn’t growing at this point). I apologize in advance if this blog entry is snarky, crabby, or not really all "Yay! I'm so happy this week!" Honestly, I'm just tired and I need some sleep (insert Friends Quote: I need some Richard). I'll figure out the sleep thing soon, I have to!!

Weekly Questions

How far along? 28 weeks!

How Big Is The Baby? BabyCenter says he weighs 2 ¼ pounds and is 14.8 inches long. Holy cow, I’m growing a giant already. And when he stretches out using my bladder as a foot stool, I totally can feel all 2 1/4 pounds of him.

Total weight gain: Today I’m at 150.2. So that's 9.2 pounds so far.
Maternity Clothes: Definitely more comfortable at this point because of the length.

Sleep: Sleep? People actually sleep? I don’t believe it…It’s sure not happening here…Do I sound cranky about that? Well, I am. If you know me but at all, you know to have a happily functioning Ashley, she needs to sleep, and to sleep well. This waking up every 2 hours to roll, then to turn on the fan because I’m hot, then to pee because I’m already up thing is KILLING me. I miss sleeping through the night. I guess I have to give that up for awhile huh? I’m sure that sentence was supposed to be hyphenated but today, I can't care less. I sure am a pleasant blogger today.

Food cravings: No real cravings. Except Snicker Bars. I could eat one 2-3 times a day. I don’t, but I really could. And I’m trying hard to work past this chicken thing, but man, every once in awhile in sneaks up on me and I gag.

What I miss: Did I mention sleep?

What I am looking forward to: This week I have a 28 week appointment and I get my regular doctor back! She’s back from maternity leave and I have missed her!!

Milestones: Braxton Hicks started this week for me. I get probably 2-3 a day and they don’t hurt, just uncomfortable at times. Also, random strangers ask me about when I’m due, so I clearly look pregnant now. I passed my glucose test! And our registries at Babies ‘R Us and Target are completed (thanks Mom for really helping us figure that stuff out!). And I now pee sneeze. It’s beautiful. I should’ve been practicing my kegals. Better get started on that before it gets worse.

Oh and look how I stick out so much more from the front now too:

Week 27 Updates

First, ignore my booty in this picture. It looks rather large and I’m convinced it’s just because my back is arched. Haha, yes, I know, I have a large rear, but not THIS huge.

Weekly Questions

How far along? 27 weeks!

How Big Is The Baby? According my doctor and the website I use, he’s 14.5 inches and about 2 pounds.

Total weight gain: Today I’m at 149.6.8. I’m now 8.6 lb past my pre-pregnancy weight. I really don't want to discuss that. Blah.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely more comfortable at this point because of the length.

Sleep: Just okay. My hip nerve/sciatic is killing me so it makes it more difficult to sleep.

Food cravings: Eh, no real cravings this week. But I love spicy food…Not a craving though. And some of my food aversions are a little strong this week, creamy, saucy foods and melted cheeses kind of gross me out. Maybe that’s just temporary this time!!

What I miss: Not having back pain.

What I am looking forward to: Nothing too eventful this week. Just a regular week with no appointments!

Milestones: I hit third trimester!! Woohoo! Also, he know kicks me in the side which is totally new. It’s cute because I can feel his little body through my sides.

Letter To My Little Bun

Dear Cohen-

Hey sweet, sweet little boy. How're you this morning?

I'm thinking you're doing really well since you've been squirming and kicking around since about 6:00 this morning. I don't mind though, I like feeling you move! After Daddy and I went to bed you started moving around so much that I couldn't sleep. I had to just put my hand on my belly and smile as I pictured you in there stretching and moving around. You're so cute.

BabyCenter says that you're now sleeping and waking up at regular intervals and I definitely agree. You are really awake at night and during the morning, but right around noon, you stop moving and I think you're in there sleeping away. You're also opening and shutting your eyes now and man, I cannot wait to see those little eyes of yours!

We only have 13 weeks until we meet you little boy. I cannot wait!

You did awesome at our last doctor's appointment. You beat your heart so well and I think you were doing it to show off for your Nana. She loved hearing it.

Can you do one teensy, tiny favor? You know that nerve in there where you think it's so fun to play? Could you please lift off it and move? I love you and I love feeling you move, but you are on this part of my nerve that is giving me terrible hip pain and it's killing me. That's all I ask of you this week.

I love you my sweet, sweet little Mister.

Love,

Mommy