LIFE

To say these last few months have been stressful would be an understatement. Aside from the pending arrival of our baby, Ben has been looking for a new job since the holidays. His long work hours and travel schedule among a few other things were taking their toll and despite loving the company he works for - we knew it was time for a change. He isn't one to pull the trigger quickly on anything (hello, engagement ring, hello babies ;-)) so once this decision was finally made and finalized it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off our shoulders.

I tried my hardest to remain strong and supportive throughout the whole process but now that everything is finally in place I feel like I can breathe and relax a little. Changing jobs a month before your baby is due, especially when I'll be done work in a few short weeks, isn't something I'd suggest for the faint of heart but we knew it had to be done for the betterment of our family in the long run. His commute will be so much shorter, no more out of state travel and of course more growth opportunities for his career! It sounds silly, but I am probably most excited about the shorter commute. Before he was leaving before 7 AM and getting home between 7:15 and 7:30 most nights. The days were LONG but Ivy and I could entertain ourselves. Now with the baby coming, it's really important to us that he has as much time at home with us as possible. I'm so thankful his bosses at his old company completely agreed that this is what needed to be done for his new family.

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TO DO

I guess all of this was weighing on me more than I thought because now that the job change is finalized, I realized just how much I've been pushing off baby stuff and now my list is looming! With just 6 weeks left we have a ton to do and the majority of it can happen after my shower this weekend so March is going to be a whirlwind:

• wash, organize and put away all baby clothes, blankets and burp cloths
• open and put away all other baby gifts 
• put together baby gear (crib, pack and play, swings/rockers, etc...)
• send shower thank you's
• install car seats and get them checked
• buy toiletries and misc items for hospital bag and then pack hospital bag & baby's bag
• buy anything we still need after shower (this will probably be stuff like diapers, wipes, nursing pads, etc...)

I know there is more baby-related stuff I'm forgetting, but I also plan to make a bunch of freezer meals with my girlfriend Leah and deep clean the house (with some help).

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34 WEEKS 

Aside from all of that, there is not too much to report on at 34 weeks. I had a belly check on Wednesday and everything looks good. I go back in two weeks and from there, my appointments will be weekly until baby is here! Baby still gets the hiccups almost daily and it's jabby movements have been replaced with squirming around in the same position. I feel and see lots of feet and what I assume are elbows. The movements are almost always around the same time each day so baby is definitely on a sleep/wake schedule which is really cool. We have been getting lots of gender predictions lately, with most of them leaning in the direction of girl. We'll have to wait and see :)

I'm feeling really good this week which I chalk up to extra sleep, taking it easy and looking forward to a weekend away. At this point, the weeks are sort of running together because not  much is changing besides baby packing on the pounds and kicking away (ouch my ribs!). I feel like my belly finally dropped a little the last week or two so that's helped in the breathing department, but it still takes a Herculean effort to get out of bed most mornings.

I've also been feeling pretty nostalgic this week and (as always) telling myself to slow down and enjoy the rest of this pregnancy because baby is going to be here before we know it. Unlike the panic I felt in the first and second trimesters about how "nothing is ever going to be the same", I now can't picture life without a baby coming in 7 weeks. We talk about him/her so much and I know the bonds we'll grow once they're here can't even compare to how we feel now, but we love this baby so much already. The excitement and energy we feel from our family and friends is contagious and I know this baby is going to be showered with so much love. Speaking of, my shower is next weekend and I can't wait! I always said that's what makes it feel real - all these people in one room celebrating this baby's impending arrival.

Some 33 week pictures:

We're off to Lancaster for a family wedding this weekend, most likely our last trip before baby comes!

Playing a little bit of catch up here.....

at 31 weeks we decided to check off a bunch of boring to do list items apparently!

• picked our pediatrician
• signed off on some insurance stuff 
• ordered my breast pump

32 weeks:

• Ben put together the car seat and stroller combo we received as an early gift from his mom and step-dad. They're stored in the nursery until we have time to get the car seat installed, but that will probably happen over the next couple weekends.
• I had my bi-weekly belly check last Wednesday and everything looks good. I only have two more bi-weekly appointments and then I move to weekly!!
• I am feeling good despite some hip pain but I read that could be due to baby dropping into position more. I've upped my sleep too which seems to make everyone happier :)

33 week update coming at ya tomorrow. We have a half day for a wedding out in Lancaster which will most likely be our last getaway before baby....unless we get the okay from the Dr. for a local babymoon :) 

I am so excited to be in the 30s! It's always surreal pulling up my baby app and seeing double digit days left. I'm at the point where people are saying "soon!" and "not long now!" and I guess in the grand scheme of pregnancy they're right, but the last trimester is definitely dragging for me because I'm just ready to meet this baby.

So, the third trimester! Almost like clockwork it brought on a bunch of changes:

Baby hiccups. Although I was initially worried about the baby's discomfort, I read that hiccups are brought on by the baby practicing breathing and it's a sign of a strong respiratory system and it doesn't affect them like it would us. I feel the hiccups super low and then at my appointment on Wednesday, the doctor confirmed that the baby's head is down so it makes sense. Please stay that way, little one!

Movement/Position: Since the baby is in position (for now), I've been feeling a good bit of movement affecting my bladder, cervix and tailbone/bum from it's head wiggling around. On top of that, instead of random jabs and pokes I've been feeling full body movement which is crazy. It's weird to think it's hanging out in there "upside down" but I read (lots of reading going on) that the umbilical cord regulates blood flow to them to control a rush, not to mention in utero they're basically in a zero-aerospace situation so they're floating more than anything else.

Heartburn. We'll have to wait to see if the old wive's tail is true but light heartburn has kicked in and doesn't seem to brought on by anything in particular that I eat. Usually popping a few Tums help and bonus for extra calcium!

Eating/Drinking: I'm still guzzling water like it's nobody's business but I've found that caffeine is affecting me a lot differently recently. I can barely drink a cup of home brewed coffee without feeling out of sorts so I might be switching over to tea soon. I've also found that I've been getting fuller faster and eating less seems to help my rib discomfort so I've been working on munching steadily throughout the day instead of my typical breakfast/lunch/dinner routine. Overall my appetite has gone down the last week or two but my/baby's weight gain is normal so I'm chalking it up to things getting shifted around in my torso.

One month until my shower!
10 weeks until baby is here!