30 Week Bump Update!

I haven't had time to post a bump update since week 25, and it seems like so much has changed since then... I'm feeling (and looking!) quite a bit more pregnant, and getting pretty excited as the time for baby Pray's arrival gets closer and closer.

So here's a quick 30 week bump update!

How far along are you?

30 weeks! 

Since the last bump update, I've entered the third trimester, and started my once-every-two-weeks doctor appointments. I don't feel like it is absolutely unnecessary to be going to the doctor this much, but perhaps the appointments will seem more valuable as time gets even closer. 

I am so fortunate that I have had absolutely no complications and have had it really easy - so I'm not going to complain about doctors appointments seeming useless (as I realize that that is not a bad problem to have!).

Size of baby?

Apparently the little babe is about the size of a cucumber? 

However, this seems smaller than the head of cauliflower that he was at 25 weeks... so I'm convinced these vegetable analogies are a little out of whack. :)

Movement?

Tons! I've gotten so used to all of the movement, that I feel like it will be super weird after giving birth and no longer have a little babe rocking and rolling around inside of me.

Symptoms?

Although these aren't really symptoms per se, my belly button has totally flattened out, which is interesting, and now that my baby bump is getting larger it has finally started getting in the way more. It's a super strange feeling when you are trying to put on your shoes and actually struggling a bit to get them tied!

Also, I have officially taken off my wedding rings... I noticed them getting really tight when I was in Arizona last (probably because it was 115 degrees!), and I've been so much more comfortable since taking them off. As an alternative, I've been wearing an old turquoise ring, but John has been sweetly insisting I get something nicer (we will see... just don't know if it is worth spending money on a nicer ring for such a short amount of time).

Sleep?

Not too bad. Every now and then I have a really terrible night's sleep, but it is usually followed up by sleeping like a rock the next night. I've also been notably more tired the past week, or so, but I am fortunate that I live in the central time zone, but work in the pacific time zone... it gives me time to sleep in a bit longer than if I had to be into work for a typical day.

Maternity clothes?

Maternity clothes have been my biggest revolution since the last bump update. Up until a few weeks ago I have mostly been living in maternity dresses, but I recently got two new pairs of maternity jeans... they weren't cheap, but they fit like a charm and were worth every stinkin' penny.

I bought this pair and this pair, and am totally excited to wear them with boots all throughout fall - in fact, being able to wear booties was the main selling point of purchasing them. I don't care if it is a t-shirt, shorts, dress, or whatever... if it's not maternity, I don't want to wear it for the simple reason of it being so dang unflattering at this point... only maternity clothes for me, my friends!

Missing most?

Nothing really, but I guess I will just say a margarita... because who doesn't love margaritas?

Also, although I love sporting my baby bump, I also miss people not staring at my stomach. Seriously, I feel like I get a lot of looks being pregnant; maybe it is just my imagination, but people legitimately stare at my baby bump instead of looking me in the eye... it's kind of weird!

Not only that, but I recently had someone ask to touch my stomach. Let's just say, I'm not normally the type of person who gives off a "sure, you can enter my personal-space bubble" vibe, but I was so absolutely caught off guard and didn't know what to do, that I said "okay..." (but only after I was so confused that I asked for clarification on what she meant by that - awkward!!). Don't get me wrong, the person was super sweet and kind, but I did die a little bit inside when it happened... oy vey.

Hubby?

Sweet as can be - he takes such good care of me and is going to be an amazing dad! 

We have a king size bed, and I swear, my snoogle takes up about half of it (...and then I take up the other half)... yet he never complains!

Nursery?

No nursery progress has been made, but my dad has kindly offered (and we quickly jumped at the offer!) to come to Texas and help us finish it up. It will be great to have another set of hands (since I really can't do much in terms of helping due to paint fumes, etc.).

Although no progress has been made, we did buy the most awesome glider (the Pottery Barn Kids Swivel Rocker and Recliner), that I am a little bit obsessed with. So hopefully as soon as the nursery is done, we will put everything in it, and call it ready for the babe's arrival!

Best part of being pregnant since my last update?

So many things! I passed my 28 week glucose test (which is always a stellar thing), baby Pray had a beautiful baby shower, and we've taken a CPR class and a baby care class (both of which we enjoyed!). 

I'm loving watching things progress and us getting more and more prepared as time gets closer!

Looking forward to?

Heading to Michigan this weekend! 

A dear friend is getting married, and I am honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. She is getting married in Holland, which is a beautiful little town on Lake Michigan. After our trip to Michigan, we have a trip to San Francisco planned at the end of September, and then I will pretty much be done traveling until the baby arrives! Time is flying!

For more baby Pray:

A Shower for Baby Pray

25 Week Bump Update

20 Week Bump Update

Baby Pray Q&A

Life Lately

I normally would be pretty bummed that it's Monday already (why does the weekend always go by so quickly?!), but this week is only a 3-day work week for John and me! On Thursday, John and I will be headed to Michigan for my dear friend Elizabeth's wedding... and I could not be more excited!

So although I'm bummed that the weekend is over, it won't be too long until we are relaxing again! Here's a quick peek of what we've been up to lately.

***

Normally I'm a total homebody and love to hang around the house on the weekends, but recently, if I'm not out of the house by 10AM on a Saturday morning doing something productive, I start to get restless... I'm up, ready to go, and want to get my day started! 

And if you know my husband, you know that he very much appreciates this. :)

Lunch at Down on Grayson! They have the most delicious lunch menu, and I could honestly eat here everyday and never get sick of it.

John recently got a new kayak, and to say he is jazzed about it would be a huge understatement! 

The kayak is actually designed for fly fishing and is super stable so you can stand and walk around on it. It's only a one person kayak, but it is certainly large enough that I would be able to go too if I wanted to.

Although it's not currently trout season, you can still catch some pretty little sun fish!

A sunset dinner and walking around at the Pearl.

The Riverwalk!

Dinner at Il Sogno... the food was delicious (who doesn't love fresh pasta?!), but I'm pretty sure our waiter was on drugs, ha! I would love to say I was joking, but shortly after he greeted us, John and I were both totally creeped out and were considering asking for a different server or leaving. 

We suffered through, but I'm unsure that we will go back for dinner (maybe we would try again for lunch!).

John and I had our baby care class this weekend and learned all about bathing a baby, changing diapers, swaddling, feeding, etc. I'd love to say we learned a lot, but mostly we just learned how much we don't know... oh well, we will figure it out soon enough. :) :)

We had a date night out to go see Ben-Hur at Alamo Drafthouse; it wasn't the best movie ever, but it certainly wasn't a waste of time either... I'd say it was worth the money spent, and that's all you can ask for, right?!

Lily, Lily, Lily... this puppy is too funny. I threw all of our pillows on the floor to make our bed, and Lily dug into all of the pillows and settled in with only her head perched out. 

She is such a character, and I absolutely love her for it!

A Shower for Baby Pray!

My sweet friends from church recently threw me a baby shower to celebrate the coming arrival of baby Pray and it was such a sweet weekend that I won't soon forget!

My mom flew into Texas for the weekend (for the shower), and it was great to spend a few extra days with her; it really extended the celebration over several days which made it very special. We did some outlet mall shopping, grocery shopping (gotta take advantage of her Costco card!), made some freezer meals, ate delicious food, and hung out around the house talking baby.

On Friday evening my mom and I met John at his work and went to a delicious dinner on the River Walk at Boudro's. It was fun to show off San Antonio in the summer (as the last time she visited it was winter). It was certainly hot, but definitely worth venturing out.

The baby shower was on Sunday afternoon, and was hosted by the gals in my church community group - two others of which are also pregnant (and one of which I share the exact same due date with... how fun is that?!). All of these women are such a blessing in my life, and I feel so thankful for the friendships that I have formed with each of them. 

My mom recently broke her wrist while playing tennis (she even needed surgery!). Although this is obviously a major inconvenience for her, it does mean that she gets to treat herself to frequent blow dry appointments without any guilt! So I made sure to get in on the fun and get a blow dry too - nothing better (especially when you have long hair...)!!

John's mom was also able to join for the shower, and it was very special to have her there all the way from New Mexico.

While we were at the shower, John was busy kayaking, and when he was done, John's mom drove his truck - with the kayaking hanging half off - back to the rental return... how's that for love?!

How darling are these cupcakes? I mean, really... that baby carriage is just too dang cute.

S'more favors... my love for camp fires cannot be matched! John (and I) love the outdoors and can't wait to introduce the new babe to these things too... so these were pretty fitting, if you ask me.

Baby Pray officially has more clothes than I do - and they are all heart meltingly cute. I hope he doesn't grow too quickly so that he can get proper usage out of each of item... either that or I will be changing his clothes several times a day, just to make sure I can get photos in each outfit! ;)

On a side note, it is crazy to me how small some of these baby clothes are - I can't even imagine a baby being so tiny...!!

Doesn't get any cuter. :)

Stone Oak Bible Church gals!

As a thank you for my shower I baked some blue macarons... and let me tell you, they were quite the labor of love! I made a vanilla, cake batter, blueberry cheesecake, and cookies and cream. I threw out just about as many batches as I successfully made, but in the end, it was worth the work!

One of the games that we played was a "He said/She said," and people had to guess whether certain answers to questions were said by John or myself - it was quite fun, but one of John's answers was just too good not to share.

Question: What would be your dream career choice for your baby?

John's answer: I want him to pursue excellence and be excited about what he does every day, but I truly don’t care what form that takes. If he flips burgers, I hope and expect that those burgers will be exceedingly tasty.  If he becomes president, I hope and expect that he will bridge the gap between the mainstream political parties and develop and execute real solutions to the myriad problems facing this country. 

If you know my husband in person, you know that this answer is SO him; and I absolutely love every bit of him for it. I, of course, was that terrible parent who actually answered the question and provided a career choice for their unborn child, haha!

I would have to say that my favorite part of the shower was the "wishes for baby" cards. Each person (myself included) filled out a card that could be placed in a baby book (or wherever else!). It was such a sweet thing reading the responses when I got home - this baby is so loved already and is so blessed for the community that he gets to be apart of.

To be honest, when trying to fill out my card, I was quite overcome with emotion of how much this sweet baby means to me already. And signing the card with "mom" was just too much for me to do in public (haha), so I waited until I was at home to complete mine. Referring to myself as "mom" was the first time that I think it truly hit me that I'm going to be a parent soon.

After the shower, we met John back at our home and enjoyed some wine sipping and pizza on the porch for dinner (I, of course, did not partake in the wine sipping!). Our home backs to a green belt, and it is such a nice green space to enjoy - when it isn't too hot out, that is.

And John and I couldn't have out-of-town visitors leave without a trip to the rodeo! There is a local rodeo about 20 minutes from our house, and it's such a fun thing; John and I have been there a few times, and we haven't grown tired of it yet!

It was such a sweet weekend, and let me tell you, going back to "normal" life was a little depressing! I had such a great time thinking all-things-baby and it made me truly excited for the next coming months!

Happenings!

It has been awhile since I've had time to actually sit down and write a blog post about all that we've been up to lately, but I figured I would at least try to make a little bit of time and do an iPhone photo download... so, here's a quick peek (via photos) of all that we've been up to!

***

I recently had a work trip to Arizona, and as much as I love going there, it reminded me how absolutely brutal the summer weather can be - it was h-o-t!! Truly, I stepped off the plane and felt like I might die. Texas is hot (and humid), but there is something about 115 degree heat that is just a different level!

While in Arizona we had a team work event at Culinary Dropout, and it was great to get out of the office and have some fun - it makes me miss not being in the office every day!

I enjoy traveling for work, but I really enjoy getting to come home to John and the pups... I totally soccer mom these dogs around town, ha!

John and I recently purchased the Pottery Barn Kids Swivel Rocker and Recliner for baby Pray's nursery, and to say I love it would be an understatement - oh my goodness, it is SO comfortable! John and I are both tall and the back of this chair is the perfect height for proper neck and back support.

The best part? When you are done with the chair being a rocker, you can buy normal chair legs from Pottery Barn to transition it into a normal chair. I am so looking forward to rocking the babe to sleep and reading many books together in this chair.

I recently took Lily to the vet and she is SUCH a character... most dogs are scared of the vet or get tense, but Lily just sprawls out on the floor and relaxes until it is her turn to be seen.

We've been spending many days at the pool - it's been quite hot, but it's always refreshing to go for a swim after a day of yard work in the sun!

In addition to pools, floating the rivers in the Texas hill country is a pretty big deal - the Guadalupe River gets slammed with people floating and swimming! We decided to take the dogs to join in on the fun, and it was pretty great... the water is clean water and the perfect temperature.

I recently had to take my glucose tolerance test, and I am quite thankful to have it behind me!
Was it terrible? No. But it certainly wasn't enjoyable. And thankfully I passed (I was joking with John that my body is a pro at processing sugar so this was no big deal!).

John and Scout went paddle boarding on Boerne City Lake, and in the beginning Scout was a little confused about what was going on, but she quickly warmed up to the whole thing and quite enjoyed it!

Summer dinners on the River Walk!

John and I had our first baby class this past weekend... CPR! God willing we will never have to use what we learned, but it is good to always be prepared (or, as prepared as you can be, at least!).

We have our baby care class this coming weekend, a birthing class, and a breast feeding class scheduled thereafter. We were going to sign up for a car seat installation class, but it was FOUR hours long - FOUR hours on how to install a car seat?! This seemed crazy to me...

The reality of baby Pray's arrival is becoming more and more real every day!

John is getting baby ready by practicing fastening his smoothie in the Target shopping cart - seems legit to me! :)

John told me that he wanted to take me for lunch at the Longhorn Cafe (which, at the time, I had never heard of); when we arrived I was a bit concerned... but oh my goodness - this dive has the most delicious greasy burgers ever. Like, you probably only want to eat this stuff once a year, but it's pretty dang tasty.

Big spoon and little spoon... these two are TOO much sometimes, but when they actually sit down and relax, they can be pretty cute!