36 Weeks - Gestating Like It's My Job

How far along? 36 weeks 

Technically 35 weeks here at Cary & Lucas' beautiful wedding last weekend

Baby size? Baby girl is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long

What's going on with the baby? She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. At the end of this week, she will be considered full-term. Holy Whoa.

Total weight gain/loss: Why did I even put this category in the blog?!?!?!

Maternity clothes? Yep, and I'm at the point where even some of my maternity duds are too tight. Which is doing wonders for my self esteem as you can imagine.

Stretch marks? No but I have a feeling I'm going to wake up any day now with a bunch of them. It's a reoccurring nightmare that I get out of bed in the morning to realize I have turned into a pregnant tiger.

Sleep: Getting harder and harder to do. I can't get comfortable most of the time and turning over from one side to the other in the middle of the night is a full-on grunt-worthy body workout. 

Best moment this week: First one... Parenting Class with Joe. It's a two night class we go to after work and learn about what exactly we DO with a baby. Walking into the class, there were a bunch of stations set up with fake babies for you to practice swaddling/diapering/etc. And no two babies looked alike, some were white, black, asian so by chance we sat down at the "angry white old man baby" station. The class was helpful and we learned a lot, but it took a couple of practice runs to figure out what we were doing...

OK yes, the baby doll is technically being suspended upside down from his feet, but that diaper isn't going ANYWHERE! I say successful night for Team Givens. We'll see if we can manage to diaper an actual live, moving, screaming baby girl. Piece of cake right? RIGHT?

And the pee-ess de resistance of weekly best moments.... MATERNITY LEAVE!!! So long work!!! I was planning on leaving only 2 weeks before my due date, but work was getting really stressful and oddly enough the act of sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day was wrecking my ribs and back so here I am, leaving work! I have no idea how I'm going to handle the time off, more so before Baby Girl arrives, especially since I haven't had this much time off work (or school) since High School. It's certainly a mind trip. But I am UP for the challenge! ha.

I am so NOT going to miss this desk for the next 16ish weeks. Although I wouldn't mind if it could stay this clean and free of work when I do come back. I had just cleared away my projects and tidied on my last day of work before I took this picture.

Awkward moment this week: At my doctor's appointment this week I asked my doc what the odds were that baby girl was going to be... big. When we were born, Joe was just over 9 lbs and I was... wait for it... 9 lbs, 15-1/2 oz. Umm yeah, if this whole birth weight thing is genetic, I'm in serious trouble. Fortunately the doctor said that so far it doesn't look like Baby Girl Givens is in that monstrous weight category yet (phew!) ... BUT I have a long enough torso that I could also hide her size fairly well, so you never know. (AAAHHHHH!!!)

Miss anything? Feeling comfortable. What's that like?

Movement: She's still moving but slowing down a little, as I'm sure she's starting to run out of room in there.

Food cravings: Tums, does that count? 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Food, when not followed or preceded with Tums (see above)

Have you started to show yet? Yes. 

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Still nothin. But we are entering full term territory very very soon so I've got to get my hospital bag packed. So far I've got gameboy, trashy mags and a toothbrush on my list. Did I miss anything?

Belly button in or out? Out like a trout. 

Cankle Watch 2013: At the end of a hot day, there I am in all my glory... Cankle-town.

Wedding rings on or off?  Off   :-(

Happy or moody most of the time? Well now that I'm on maternity leave, ECSTATIC!

Looking forward to: Meeting Baby Girl and seeing her face for the first time. I'm going to need the rest of my maternity leave just to stare at her.

34 Weeks - If You Can't Handle the Heat, Don't Be This Pregnant in July

How far along? 34 weeks

Waiting to see the 4th of July Fireworks!

Baby size? She now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. 

What's going on with the baby? Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Total weight gain/loss: Let's just say I'm in the positive on this one.... Actually I am a gigantic pregnant hot mess. At least that's how I feel in this heat.

Maternity clothes? Yes. And some days, they just don't make 'em big enough.

Stretch marks? Hallelujah, no.

Sleep: Sleep? What's this sleep you speak of? I'm up several times a night to pee and then plan every hour of the rest of this little girl's life. Totally normal right?

Best moment this week: Hellooooo glorious new carpet in the Nursery!!! After a treacherous and long few months of carpet issues, we have officially begun (again) the nursery move-in! It was a sketchy past couple of weeks with the Nursery being gutted for new carpet, and all of the baby furniture and paraphernalia squeezing into what became a one bedroom home but we made it! Here's a teaser of the Nursery in progress...

Obligatory Hubby Crib Install Picture

And it couldn't have been better timing because we were blessed with TONS of baby gifts from the World's Greatest Baby Shower!!! (More on the Shower and the Nursery in later posts)

Awkward moment this week: Pregnant conversations with Joe...

Me: Does my back look fat to you?
Joe: No, your fat looks beautiful.

- awkward pause staring at each other -

Joe: BACK! I meant your BACK looks beautiful!!!

Me:  >:-[

Me: What are the odds that this baby weighs a TON, so all that weight I've gained so far is just her?

Joe: You know that's not very likely right? She only weighs 4 pounds.

Me:   >:-[   

Joe: Please don't eat me.

Miss anything? Cold weather, not having to pee every half hour, feet that don't hurt, my back not aching, tying my own shoes, having an innie belly button, reaching down to pick stuff up, working out beyond a pathetically slow waddle... I sure know how to paint a pretty picture of pregnancy eh?

Movement: All over the place. And in the past couple of days it feels like baby girl dropped a little lower, which is not exactly bladder-friendly BUT it also means she can't reach my ribs when she kicks, so hooray!

Food cravings: Costco Teryaki Turkey Jerky

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not much lately :)

Have you started to show yet? Is that a real question?

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Nothin.

Belly button in or out? Out. Boo. On the plus side, if I was a turkey it would mean I'm about fully cooked right?

Cankle Watch 2013: I still wouldnt give them cankle status just yet, but these ankles aren't getting any slimmer...

Wedding rings on or off? OFF!!! Sad, sad, sad day!!! I cried. (OK, I cry at everything, but still.) It's just too hot and I've gotten too swollen to fit my ring. Fortunately I found another ring that fits since I feel naked without anything on my wedding ring finger.

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy? OK, probably a little more moody. But YOU trying being happy in 90 degree weather, big as a whale and sleep deprived. 

For the record though, I would do it a billion times over for this little girl. 

Looking forward to: The end of my pregnant working days! Only two more weeks of work before I start Maternity Leave!!! Then... look out kitchen. I'm coming to organize you.

32 Weeks - Babymoon!

How far along? 32 weeks

Baby size? She weighs almost 4 pounds and measures about 17 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? She's gaining weight (about half a pound a week). She has toenails, fingernails, and hair and her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps in preparation for birth. She's also head down (as of my last appointment) and will hopefully stay like that until birth. And the best news: If she was born now, she would have an excellent change of surviving without life-threatening complications (but all that aside we are no where near ready for her so she better keep cooking for now!)

Total weight gain/loss: I no longer believe in scales. Or buttons for that matter.

Maternity clothes? You know it!

Stretch marks? Still nothing thankfully

Sleep: Not great, but I'm mastering the art of being a zombie, so I guess that's just one more baby preparedness item I can check off my list!

Best moment this week: There are a couple... 

Remember that huge horrible 2 day test Joe took in April? Well, he PASSED! He's officially a licensed Structural Engineer in the state of California, I couldn't be more proud of him! What's that you say? That best moment isn't baby-related? Untrue. If Joe hadn't passed, he'd have to re-take it in October when it's next offered... with a 2 month old baby in the mix. Guess how effective THAT studying would have been? Not so much. But now we don't have to worry about it and baby girl can keep daddy up all hours of the night without feeling guilty that she's messing up his study schedule.

Also, Joe and I went on our Babymoon! We felt like it was important to take one of our last weekends when it's still just the two of us and get away for some R&R. We went to Pismo Beach, only about a 3.5 hour drive from home and stayed at a fabulous oceanfront hotel...

On Our Way!!!

Not a bad view from our room eh?

Dinner at Jocko's - That's a 44 oz. Spencer Cut that we split. Please don't calculate the calories consumed

My self-prescribed Iron supplement. Red MEAT.

Our balcony... Where we spent most of our time

Pool time! Yes, that's an SPF smiley face circa Billy Madison. And yes I did in fact rub it in after the photo was taken.

Belly has officially reached Kindle-stand status!!! SCORE!!!

Traditional Givens Dinner - Splash Cafe Clam Chowder, Mo's Ribs, Yanagi Sushi (cooked), and Cracked Crab crab sandwich. Followed by Tums of course.

And the obligatory San Luis Obispo stop - Firestone Grill Tri-Tip Sandwiches!

Awkward moment this week: A 32 week pregnant lady, a guy in crutches and a full-gowned bride get in an elevator... Who gets to exit first? Yeah that happened at the hotel during the Babymoon and the answer is the bride because I'm pretty sure she was too nervous to even realize there were other people in the elevator. 

Miss anything? After that amazing Babymoon weekend, nope. Life is good.

Movement: ALL the time. Which is good because apparently baby girl should be kicking/moving at least 10 times per hour according to the doctor.

Food cravings: See pictures above.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Waiting in line for food. I go from content to STARVING in about 10 minutes flat and then I very quickly reach queasy. It's not a way to live I tell ya.

Have you started to show yet? See bikini pictures above. 

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Nope

Belly button in or out? Very slight outtie. VERY slight.

Cankle Watch 2013: It's BEGUN!! The bloat fairy has visited me and is making my inner ankle start to fade. It's only gonna get uglier from here.

Wedding rings on or off? Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to make it another 8 weeks and still fit my ring. Makes me tear up just thinking about it!!!

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy. A weekend away celebrating my marriage, our baby and food has that effect on me.

Looking forward to: My baby shower this week! Can't wait to see everyone!!!

30 Weeks - 75% Cooked!

How far along? 30 weeks... 75% Cooked!

Baby size? She weighs almost 3 pounds and measures 15.7 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will shrink as she gets bigger and takes up more room. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Total weight gain/loss: Met a new milestone recently. I've joined the ranks of pregnant women that waddle. Oh yeah, be jealous. I've perfected the side-to-side swagger. 

Maternity clothes? yup.

Stretch marks? None yet!

Sleep: Third trimester is kicking in... I now have a new sleep schedule: wake up at 3:30 am, unable to fall asleep until about 5:30. For no particular reason at all. Any and all suggestions about what to do with my newfound 2 hours of quasi-consciousness are welcome.

Best moment this week: There are a couple... 

We had our third trimester ultrasound! Remember baby girl's two vessel cord issue? This was just a follow up fetal growth ultrasound to make sure everything is growing and developing normally and sure enough she is! Unfortunately we didnt get to see as much as we have in past ultrasounds because she's getting so big! (just like her mama lol) She's gotten too big to get a full profile picture and she kept her hands in front of her head the whole time, so we'll have to wait until we meet her in person so see that beautiful face again.

Also, our crib and glider have arrived!! Unfortunately they are currently sitting boxed up in our garage until we figure out an acceptable standard of carpet cleaning in the nursery. Three rounds of carpet cleaners later and we're still not satisfied. We've still got a couple tricks up our sleeves to try out and then we'll be ready to move in the rest of baby's furniture!

Awkward moment this week: Grocery shopping with Joe, and we're standing in the cereal aisle...
Me: What kind of cereal do you want?
Joe: Anything that you won't eat.
I guess I've been a little hungrier these days and MAY have been sneaking bowls of cereal from his boxes. I'm officially the fat kid in this relationship.

Miss anything? Getting through a whole day at work without my back aching. Baby girl's starting to grow up into my diaphragm and it's becoming a major pain in my ribs. By about 2pm, I turn into a squirming maniac sitting at my desk. Hopefully this is a phase and wont last for the next 10 weeks.

Movement: She's certainly strecthing out a lot in there and I FINALLY caught it on camera!

Fetus Fitness

Pretty crazy right? 

Food cravings: Milkshakes. Big time.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Iron. In my latest round of routine blood tests I found out I've become anemic, a fairly common thing when your blood volume increases a bunch in pregnancy it sort of dilutes your hemoglobin levels which causes anemia. SO I now get the pleasure of drinking the world's nastiest iron supplement on an empty stomach twice a day. Barf-tastic.

Have you started to show yet? Yes and no. Yes my belly shows and no my feet no longer do, when I look down.

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Nothin.

Belly button in or out? I call it an "itty". Starting to poke out, which you can see in some of my tighter shirts (yes, technically all shirts are now tight on me, thanks) but it's not a full outtie in my opinion. 

Cankle Watch 2013: I think I still have ankles, but due to my limited visibility, it might just be one of those "if a tree falls in a forest" things. If I have cankles but can't see them below my ginormous belly, do I really have cankles?

Wedding rings on or off? On and not getting any looser.

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, but I'd be happier with less back/rib pain and a little more sleep. 

Looking forward to: Getting more of the nursery moved in!

28 Weeks - Hey There Third Trimester! Wait, What?

How far along? 28 weeks... Officially in the 3rd trimester! Mind Blown.

Baby size? She weighs more than 2-1/2 pounds and measures about 15 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. The baby's main job right now is to put the finishing touches on major organ systems, such as her brain, lungs, and liver. She's also working on gaining layers of fat. Her body fat is about 2 to 3 percent. Her sucking and swallowing skills are improving.

Total weight gain/loss: It's certainly up there. I officially have issues scooting my chair in enough at the dinner table because my belly gets in the way. Anyone who knows where to find some super cute mom bibs, give me a holler. 

Maternity clothes? All day every day.

Stretch marks? None yet. Shout out to my mom's phenomenal genes for that one!

Sleep: They say that women in their 3rd trimester are known for not getting a good night's sleep. So far (knock on wood) I'm doing pretty well. There was only one bad night last week when I couldn't fall back asleep at 3am. I shook Joe awake after about an hour of being up to see if he'd like to suffer through insomnia with me. When he finally opened his eyes, he scolded me for interrupting his beer sampler at Ben Franks. Yes, in his dreams, my husband drinks beer and eats hot dogs. I love that man.

Best moment this week: Since I missed the 27 week update I've got a couple. First, my amazing book club girlfriends threw me a surprise baby shower at book club. They had a "she's gonna pop" food theme, with little popper-style foods (DEELISH) and some adorable decorations! 

They also got me some great books, "Mustache Baby" which is as awesome as it sounds and "Porn for New Moms" which is basically a picture book that shows dad's saying things like "You look great in those sweatpants" and "Don't worry honey. Your mother and I will take wonderful care of the baby while you and your girlfriends are at the spa". Best book ever.

The following week, Joe and I went to our first Giants game of the season! It was perfect weather, and such a great game. Here's a few shots of our day...

Me and Hubs in his fancy new glasses. He could actually SEE the game!

Beautiful Day!

Zito Bobblehead Day! All of the fans got one.

Me and Belly

"Giants Fan on Deck"

Not a bad little game eh? And the best part? GIANTS WON!!! OK fine... the "real" best part? Being pregnant around all of the stadium food...

That. Just. Happened.

Awkward moment this week: Putting on socks. I finally resolved to Joe helping me zip up a pair of boots one morning because I have such a hard time reaching my feet. I foresee lots of slip-on shoes this summer.

Miss anything? Self-applied pedicures. Can't reach my toes, so at-home polish is a thing of the past.

Movement: She moves all the time now! Unfortunately it's not on command yet and anytime I tell someone to come feel her kick, she stops. Which makes me look like a big pregnant liar. Very funny baby girl, very funny.

Food cravings: Strolling the aisles of the grocery store, I had an epiphany and immediately needed to make this for lunch..

Pregnancy Food Craving...

Sponge Bob Square Pants Kraft Mac & Cheese with chopped up bread & butter pickles. PHENOMENAL.

Anything making you queasy or sick? I've had a couple of days with nausea on and off. I was starting to fear that I was re-living first trimester, but then I figured out that it's just an effect of heartburn making me queasy, so on those days I've got to have Tums handy. Bigger baby means smaller stomach space means heartburn. Blah.

Have you started to show yet? Yep. 

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: None. And I like it that way.

Belly button in or out? Almost half and half. The top part of my belly button is just about starting to pop out but the bottom half of my belly button is still an innie. 

Cankle Watch 2013: No cankles yet. Just sore feet.

Wedding rings on or off? On. But tight. 

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy, unless I've been on my feet a lot and my back & feet start aching.

Looking forward to: Third Trimester Ultrasound this week! Not a routine visit, but since we're keeping an eye on baby girl's growth with the two vessel umilical cord, we get an extra "photo shoot". Can't wait to see the progress she's made since 8 weeks ago!

26 Weeks - Weight Gain & Back Pain

How far along? 26 weeks... 14 to go!

Baby size? She weighs almost 2 pounds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

What's going on with the baby? The network of nerves in her ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both my voice and Joe's as we chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And her eyes are starting to open.

Total weight gain/loss: I am wearing black these days. Why you ask? I am in mourning. The time I most feared has come. I officially weigh more than my husband. A bit overly dramatic you say? You're talking to the lady who cried in the store when Safeway ran out of Vlasic Dill Pickle Halves. Now, imagine how I'm handling this. 

Maternity clothes? If it ain't maternity, I ain't wearin' it.

Stretch marks? None yet. Which is a miracle considering how big I've gotten.

Sleep: Like a baby. Or at least, like the baby I hope we get. Only up once a night and sleeping well otherwise.

Best moment this week: Finally bought a crib!!! My dad and stepmom were amazingly generous and helped us get some important nursery goodies, which feels SO great to have checked off our list! The crib will take a couple months to get here, so Joe's got plenty of time to research crib-construction and I can be sure to have my camera fully charged for the ensuing hilarity of the experience.

Oh and it was my first Mother's Day! (kinda, since she's not technically out yet) Joe bought me flowers, a balloon and a delicious decaf flavored latte. I could get used to this whole Mother thing! 

Me and Momma

Awkward moment this week: Joe and I attempted starting a baby registry. Basically it went like this... We got the barcode zapping gun and were sent on our way through the store. We approached baby carriers, decided that we needed to research more reviews and skipped over to pack & plays. At pack & plays we looked at about 20 and then decided we needed to do some more research and skipped over to strollers. At strollers, well let's just say there was a pattern. I think we ended up with a registry of about 4 pacifiers and 6 bibs. After which, I decided those were no good and swapped them out for different ones online. To say we failed is an understatement. Baby registry is hard.

Miss anything? A cold beer and a hot dog. I blame baseball season.

Movement: If she's not napping, she's dancing. I love that she moves so much so often!

Food cravings: Teriyaki Beef Jerky and Ice Cream. But not at the same time. Although.... ?

Anything making you queasy or sick? Baby Gift Registration. Bleh.

Have you started to show yet? Yep. And this belly only gets bigger throughout the day so by the time I get home at night, I feel huge. I started having lower back pain on my right side after I've been standing or walking for a while which sucks. What are the odds that the only solution is a bigger belly? Hmmm yeah, didn't think so.

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Well it's not out. So, in?

Cankle Watch 2013: My ankles are still, in fact, ankles. For now...

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or moody most of the time? Despite the scale drama, back aches, and retail frustration, I cannot express how happy and excited I am for this little girl! 

Looking forward to: A prenatal massage!!!! My lovely, amazing mom got me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage this Mother's Day. I cannot WAIT to cash that bad boy in for some serious spa time.