34 Weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks! Baby Rivera is 19 inches from head to toe, and close to 5 pounds!

Total weight gain/loss? Still around 20 pounds!!

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? I am getting really tired and not sleeping well, but otherwise I feel pretty good. I am still contracting pretty regularly, but at this point I am not too concerned. At this point, very little intervention would be performed if she was born early.

Clothing? Stretchy pants and camisoles! My sense of style has been limited during this pregnancy, but who cares, I am all about comfort at this point. Thank goodness I only have a few shifts left at work because I definitely running out of scrubs that fit.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? Horrible. I sleep a few hours here and a few hours there, I just sleep whenever I have a free chance. I am hoping when I stop working I can get back into a good sleep routine (at least until the baby gets here).

Movement? All. The. Time. This girl gets the hiccups constantly too. I love every kick, punch, and roll I feel.

Cravings? Not really craving much. I had a friend at work tell me that sprite helped her with her constant heartburn, so I have been drinking that more frequently.

Gender? I am so excited to be having a baby girl! I think about her constantly. I can’t wait to meet her.

What I miss? I miss sleeping!

Upcoming Events? The big baby shower is next weekend. I am really excited to celebrate this little girls upcoming arrival. My mom will also be back in town for an extended stay.

Best moment of the week? My 34 week OB appt. was great. The baby sounds great and I am measuring right on track.

33 Weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks! Baby Rivera is 19 inches from head to toe, and over 4 pounds in weight (She is actually measuring around 4 lbs. 12 ounces according to the ultrasound this week).

Total weight gain/loss? About 20 pounds!!

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? I am feeling tired more than anything. I could sleep all day long if I could. The contractions are still coming frequently, but I was reassured again this week that they aren’t doing anything. My cervix is still long and closed! Good.

Clothing? I love my Ugg boots that John bought me for Christmas. My shoes are getting snug and they fit me perfectly. Plus they keep my feet extremely warm. I am still very comfortable in my elastic waist pants and have not had to move on to full panel pants yet. Yay. I went out on Friday to shop for a few dresses for my upcoming showers and was shocked to find out that out of 6 dresses I tried on (all from forever 21, size small), 5 fit me perfectly. I just couldn’t pick which few I liked best so I bought 4 of them. I definitely have options for my baby showers.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? I am sleeping well at night, except for when John is working. I seem to be more restless when I am trying to sleep in bed alone at night. What can I say, his snoring is soothing to me. I still am not sleeping great during the day, but I only have a few more weeks left of work and then I can get on a better schedule.

Movement? She is kicking me right now, and I am still giddy inside every time I feel her kick. It is such a great feeling.

Cravings? No new cravings. I am still enjoying all of the same things I have been for a while.

Gender? I am happy to say that she flashed us again on this weeks ultrasound.

What I miss? Not missing much this week. The year ended very well and I feel very loved. I am getting quite used to all of the annoyances in pregnancy so I am not going to complain about those things anymore because I am sure I will never feel “normal” again.

Upcoming Events? January is going to be crazy in the Elkins-Rivera house. I have another OB appt. on Friday, followed by the first of four baby showers. My mom is leaving next weekend to come down for an extended stay to help John and I prep for the baby.

Best moment of the week? The Holidays were fantastic. We had a great Christmas and New Years. Actually one of the nicest things this week was having several family members and friends rub my belly and tell me how beautiful I look. You don’t always feel pretty when you are 8 months pregnant, but it sure does feel nice to have people tell you that you do.

32 Weeks!

How far along? 32 weeks! Baby Rivera is 18 inches from head to toe, and a little over 3 1/2 pounds in weight.

Total weight gain/loss? Still around 18 pounds.

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? Seems like everyone around me has a cold, and I feel like I might be getting one too. I still feel functional, but very fatigued. My contractions are still coming daily, but they irregular and feel no different then they have been feeling over the past several weeks.

Clothing? Everything is getting a little more snug, but I am making it work. I really don’t want to buy more maternity clothes. I just noticed this week that my shoes are getting snug as well. I have heard that some women’s feet grow during pregnancy, but I am not sure if that is what is happening to me. I am more convinced I am just swollen, and hopefully that will go away after I have her.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? I wish I could say that all of a sudden I am sleeping great, but that would be a lie. Sleep is still not good. I have good nights and bad nights. I am hoping in a few weeks when I go on maternity leave I can get my body back into a normal routine; sleeping at night and being awake during the day.

Movement? She is meeting her kick counts everyday!

Cravings? I decided I wanted to try baking for Christmas, so I whipped up some banana bread and some Chai spice bread. I am pretty obsessed with both of them! They came out great.

Gender? I am getting more anxious to meet this little girl.

What I miss? I miss eating large portions of food. Actually I should say I miss eating regular size portions of food. With my growing uterus comes a smaller stomach that can only hold probably less then a fist size portion of food. This really sucks during the holidays when I want to devour everything in site, but I can’t. The minute I eat a little too much, I feel like vomiting for the next several hours. Boo!

Upcoming Events? I wish I could say John and I have big New Years plans, but unfortunately we will both be celebrating the New Year at work. This week will probably be pretty uneventful.

Best moment of the week? Painting the baby’s room and finally getting some of the furniture in it. Next project……the crib.

31 Weeks!

How far along? 31 weeks! Baby Rivera is 18 inches from head to toe, and a little over 3 pounds in weight.

Total weight gain/loss? 18 pounds!

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? Besides being tired, I feel decent. I still have heartburn frequently, but eating smaller meals through the day helps. The contractions have eased up a bit from a week ago, so I am thrilled about that.

Clothing? I did find a new pair of pants this week, and I am still happy to report that I have not gotten anything with a full maternity panel! I find wearing everything under my belly is still quite comfortable. My scrubs are definitely getting tight, but I am making due with what I have.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? So sleep is horrible. I can’t believe with how tired I am that I can’t sleep for longer than 4 hours! It really sucks.

Movement? This little girl is a dancing queen. I love every big and small movement she makes. I felt hiccups for the first time too!

Cravings? I love Cuties (clementines). They are delicious.

Gender? We were lucky enough to do the 4D ultrasound this week and once again she had her legs spread eagle for everyone to see her lady parts. She really has no shame.

What I miss? I miss getting a good nights sleep and having the energy to keep up with my friends. It is hard to get excited about all the birthday, Christmas, and Holiday celebrations going on. I find myself spending a lot of time alone because I am too exhausted to do anything. Pregnancy can be very isolating.

Upcoming Events? I am seeing my doctor every 2 weeks now, so I have another OB appt. this week and then, of course, I am looking forward to Christmas! I can’t wait to celebrate with all of my friends and family.

Best moment of the week? Seeing my daughter on the 4D ultrasound. She is perfect, and I find myself constantly looking at her picture. I am anxious to hold her and kiss her sweet little lips.

30 Weeks!

How far along? 30 weeks! Baby Rivera is 17 inches from head to toe, and a little over 3 pounds in weight.

Total weight gain/loss? 16 pounds according to my Doctor’s scale.

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? Definitely feeling tired. The extra weight is taking its toll. I am still contracting irregularly throughout the day, but I was reassured at my doctors appointment this week that they are not doing anything to my cervix. Yay!

Clothing? I can’t wait to buy post baby clothes. I am getting bored with stretchy pants, and I haven’t put on a pair of jeans in months.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? I am still sleeping in 2-4 intervals. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, wide awake with nothing to do. Sometimes a light snack helps me fall back asleep. Naps during the day really help!

Movement? Big movements. She is very lively at night.

Cravings? Loving the holiday Eggnog!!

Gender? Still a girl according to my Doctor. Whenever I get an ultrasound done, this little girl is always spread eagle. She has no shame.

What I miss? I miss having energy. The holidays are my favorite time of year and I wish I had the extra energy to go to all the fun holiday events around the city. I also miss wearing high heels. I try, but my feet hurt and I am finding it more difficult to stand in the them for more than an hour.

Upcoming Events? Christmas shopping and hopefully painting the baby’s room. I am hoping to complete it within the next few weeks.

Best moment of the week? Definitely my 30 week OB appointment was a highlight. We did an ultrasound and my little girl is thriving. It was also nice to hear that my contractions are harmless and not effecting the baby or my cervix. Good news! John also took some really cute little holiday photos of my belly so I will post one of those as my picture for the week. More to come.

29 Weeks!

How far along? 29 weeks! Baby Rivera is now roughly 17 inches from head to toe, and nearly 3 pounds in weight.

Total weight gain/loss? Somewhere between 16-17 pounds depending on the day.

Feeling Sick/Signs of Labor? Feeling more contractions than usual over the past few days. I have had to take it easy because of that. The discomfort is getting worse, especially after I have a meal, and the continued heartburn makes me nauseous all the time. Now I am done complaining.

Clothing? I am still wearing elastic waist items under my belly and a lot of camisoles with sweaters. I am really into layering right now.

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? I am still not sleeping well. I am used to it now. I feel like I am learning to sleep like my baby might sleep, in 2-4 hour intervals.

Movement? Oh she is a moving, sometimes non-stop for several hours. I love feeling her movements. They are not painful and this point, yet.

Cravings? Nothing new. I can barely eat a big meal anymore due to the lack of space in my stomach. I snack more than anything now.

Gender? I am getting more and more anxious to meet this little girl.

What I miss? Now I really miss being comfortable. It sucks having to take it easy and having to be so cautious of what I am doing in fear that I will induce even more contractions. Being a couch potato is my new hobby. Good thing it is Christmas time and I can watch Christmas movies all day long.

Upcoming Events? Another OB appt. this week followed by their Christmas party which is always fun. John and I are hoping to get some maternity photos done this weekend as well.

Best moment of the week? We had an awesome week filled with Holiday festivities, including a gingerbread house building party and a stroll through Balboa Park for December nights. I just love this time of year!

Thanksgiving and Holiday Festivities!

I can't deny that the holidays are my favorite time of year. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and decided to prepare two turkeys instead of one. John's oven baked turkey is AMAZING, and I look forward to devouring it every year. I would have been content with just that, but he wanted to challenge himself and fry a turkey as well. Both turkeys were a huge hit! We filled the rest of our table with Thanksgiving classics and I even prepared a slow-cooked apple eggnog bread pudding. We had a great time with our friends and family. After a few days of letting the food settle, we headed out to pick up our Christmas tree and spent the evening decorating. The house feels so festive. And there is no better way to kick off the holiday season other than an old fashion gingerbread building house competition. We spent over 3 hours getting sticky while lathering up cookie homes with mounds of frosting and candy. There was no apparent winner in the end because all the homes looked awesome. I can't wait to continue on with all of these traditions next year with my little girl.