30 weeks - Back to Kansas, good to be home.

Thirty weeks!!! No longer in the twenty-somethings... THIRTY!

30 weeks!

There are only 70 days until Zoie's due date! We're growing more and more excited about actually having a baby to hold in our arms. It was fun to come home on Wednesday night and hang up a dozen new outfits (all in varying sizes, it's perfect!) that our friends and family gave us on my trip. We also had a couple gifts arrive at our house, including our Baby Jogger City Mini stroller!! We got it in blue and gray, and we love it! We're so blessed by generous family.

The world of baby products is mind-boggling. It's something you don't really think about until you start prepping for your own baby to arrive, and then you suddenly have a million decisions to make regarding convenience, safety, budget, and personal taste. To anyone out there who hasn't discovered Amazon's universal baby registry, it's a very helpful tool for keeping track of the gear you need!

We're at the final stages of having all the essential baby supplies for Zoie! It feels good to be prepared well in advance. Dresser, rocking chair, bassinet, floor-bed (instead of a crib), baby tub & towels, cloth diapers & wipes & diaper pail, changing pad, breast-pump & bottles, diaper bag, baby slings/carriers, high chair, stroller, and a car seat on the way! Many more things, but those are the bulk of the items. Whew. Babies are expensive.

Our next task is to finish the nursery. I need to sew some curtains (and decide on fabric/color), find a cute lamp (we'll use a low-light bulb for nighttime diaper changes), and get some artwork and photos up on the walls. Perhaps an area rug as well? I'm convinced that adorable area rugs don't exist in baby-soft material. They're all stiff and scratchy!

Here's our girl at 30 weeks development:



How far along are you? 30 weeks! Only 8 more weeks until she's considered "full term", and 10 more weeks until we want her to arrive!
 
How big is Baby? Our Zoie is about 15.7 inches long, and weighs almost 3lb. Can you believe she's swimming in about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid? No wonder my belly feels huge!

Weight Gain? My mid-morning weight was 146.8 pounds - I've officially gained about 15 pounds. According to most sources, healthy normal women should gain about 25-35lb during pregnancy. If I continue to gain about 1 pound per week (1/2 of that pound will be Zoie's growing body!), I'll be right at 25lb for total weight gain. My diet has been high in meat, dairy, and vegetables (I sometimes try to limit my chocolate and treats!), so hopefully I'm growing Zoie the best I can. My exercise at this point is mostly long walks (sometimes jogs - the belly isn't impeding my comfort too much yet) and staying active with my puppy, working on house/lawn projects, cleaning, etc... and sometimes pregnancy workout videos!

Gender? Baby girl :)

Maternity Clothes? Yep, all the time. I'm on the hunt for cute comfortable maternity shorts! For shorts, I much prefer a demi-panel (the soft waistband that hugs below your belly) instead of the kind that stretches over your belly (way too hot!).

Sleep? I think it has begun... restless nights are starting to become normal. Between my itchy rash, only being able to sleep on my right side (Zoie almost always sits on my left side, so she tickles my ribs if I squash her by laying on my left!), and the rising temperature in our house (I don't think our air conditioner works very well...), sleep is not going well!

Movement? My gosh, she's a crazy active little girl. More often than not, she's shifting limbs around (which tickles and almost takes my breath away!) instead of just kicking. She has also been hiccuping more often, which is actually helpful to figure out her body positioning.

Food Cravings? Chocolate has been favorite in the past week. I even made brownies from scratch, they're so good!

Labor Signs? Nope, nothing yet.

Belly Button in or out? Definitely poking out a bit, maybe like 1cm. If my button gets too out-of-belly, I'm going to strap it down with some tape or a band-aid!

What I miss? I miss not having itchy skin. Especially now that it's getting hot outside. I've been trying every cream and remedy! They offer some relief, but if this is PUPPPs, this rash won't go away until after Zoie is born.

Best moment(s) of the week? Lots of awesome moments! My favorite was stepping off the plane on Wednesday and seeing James waiting for me (literally - it's that small of an airport!). Coming home to a clean house and a fresh bouquet of flowers was pretty awesome too! We also spent a wonderful Saturday with James' parents to celebrate Mother's Day - saw the new Iron Man 3 and went out to dinner at Harry's (one of the nicest/best restaurants in town!). James even got me a little present for my first almost-Mother's Day :)

What I am looking forward to? Well, I'm going to "Military Spouse Appreciation" Bingo on Friday night! (Hehe, how cheesy does that sound?) And on Saturday morning, James and I are going to a breastfeeding class at the hospital (okay, he's not exactly looking forward to it...). It's 3 hours long, so hopefully it's worthwhile. Also, next week, my sister-in-law in Maryland is going to have a baby! We're SO excited to see pictures and Skype with our new baby nephew! I can't wait to hold our babies together, they'll be cousins only two months apart!


Cheers,

Martha