31 weeks and feeling…
…ready to be ready. Does that make any sense? We’re stuck living out of our six suitcases in a tiny one bedroom hotel room for another month and I’m starting to get really antsy to begin preparing for this baby. [If I’m not mistaken, that’s called nesting…] There’s not much I can do until we get a place to live, though. So I’m making lists like a mad woman of things I plan to buy and do as soon as we have a home. That day cannot come fast enough for my sanity (and our bank account).
Week 31 Q&A:
Total weight gain: I have no idea. At my last appointment three weeks ago, I think I was somewhere around 20ish pounds.
Clothes: I love my wardrobe right now, which is a total change from my first pregnancy. I wear these tops daily, usually with leggings and some sort of comfy tunic or an oversized sweater (like this one and this one). Most of my clothes aren’t maternity, with the exception of jeans. If I must wear jeans, these are my favorite. I’ve retired a lot of my dresses, due mostly to the weather and also because while paying for gas one day the cashier commented that I was “ready to pop” and while I know her intentions were good, I was no where near that point and didn’t think my belly was all that big yet. That dress is long gone. You’re dead to me, dress. Buh bye.
Movement: Tons! Owen was more into the gentle rolls, this one prefers to punch and kick. Movements are enormous and you’ll often see an appendage sticking out. As painful as it can be sometimes, I absolutely love it. Hiccups just started to be a regular thing about a week ago and occur about twice a day. Again, just a titch annoying as I’m trying to go to sleep but sweet as sugar. I feel like the baby has moved into the head down position, but I don’t know for certain.
Things I miss: being fit (such as the ability to climb the stairs without dying), wine, wine, wine, and the ability to sleep more than three hours without having to wake up to pee.
Belly button status: outie and proud-y. It’s poking out a little bit, more than it did when I was prego with Owen.
Cravings: A giant bowl of fruit or anything fruity (I just devoured two Del Monte fruit cocktail cups). I was on a pumpkin kick for a while. And rice krispie treats. I’m kind of over that now and my cravings are whatever pops into my mind that sounds good so they’re all over the place. Yesterday it was mandarin oranges. Today, it’s a warm chocolate chip cookie.
Aversions: Raw vegetables.
Fitness: Our room is on the third floor and there’s no elevator so I do stairs while carrying a 25 pound weight (Owen) plus the umbrella stroller and whatever else…multiple times a day. It counts. Trust me.
Boy or girl? Since the very beginning I’ve been certain it’s a girl and I still do. I’ve hardly had any boy feelings except for a dream once a while ago that we had a boy. I’ll be so shocked if it is a boy.
Names: Still waffling on boy names, though we have one pretty strong contender at the moment. Girl name is locked down.
Things I’ve bought: Last week I went into nesting mode and planned the baby’s nursery even though we don’t actually have a physical room to put things in yet. I’ve bought several things to go in the nursery. I’ll share those details with you once I have the room put together, but here’s a sneak peek of one of my favorite pieces. Other purchases include a Solly Wrap, more almond oil for the growing belly that has yet to sprout a stretch mark (I have very elastic skin, I think, though that could change any day now), and a gift for Owen to give the baby.
Things I need to buy: I have most of the things for my hospital bag already but I need a few more things including boy and girl coming home outfits for baby, these stretchy pants to go with a plaid pullover for my coming home outfit, strongly debating buying the push pack to make packing easier, a nursing nightgown, nursing bras and tanks. We also need to go to IKEA (once we get a place to live) for a few things to complete the nursery.
Second pregnancy is: different. This pregnancy hit faster and made me slower. I can’t believe we’re down to the two month countdown already. By this point with Owen, I couldn’t WAIT for him to get here and actually prayed that he might show up (extremely healthy) a few weeks early. Right now, I really need this pregnancy to slow down so I can get myself and our lives put back together. At the same time, I’m just so excited for Owen to meet the baby and spend time as a family. If you could see my face right now, it’d be a combination of sheer panic and utter joy.
Looking forward to:
– Meeting our doula this week! She comes highly recommended and I’ve been told she has the most calming presence. Even though I have no clue how labor will go, I already feel more comfortable venturing into it with her and Alex by my side.
– Putting the nursery together. I have it all put together in my mind and I can’t wait to see it in real life!
– My first appointment and tour of the Korean birthing center where our baby will be born.
I’ve lost a lot of sleep over these details. While I don’t have a birth plan, I do have somewhat of an idea of what I expect from the experience. I’d heard some things about the hospital most people here have their babies at that didn’t settle well with me. When I spoke to a new friend who told me about a natural birthing center she gave birth at a few months ago, I knew immediately that this was the place. I’ll have to fill you in on it after our visit next week!
In the meantime, stay tuned for most posts about our time in the states!
xoxo
Kristin Lynn says
You look beautiful!!
Janelle Vannice says
Ahh, I can't wait to see if your baby is a girl or boy!