33 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Not sure. When I was at the doctor this week, I was wearing heavy winter clothes and it was the end of the day, so I'm not counting that. Never question the logic of a pregnant woman. ;)

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a durian fruit. Another thing I've never heard of! And from the picture, it looks gross. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Sleep: Comes and goes. I've started waking up around 4 am - I think this is my body starting to prepare for the baby's schedule. 

Movement: She moves all the time! And she's getting so big that it's very noticeable. I spend a lot of time watching my stomach move - it's incredible.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm really thirsty all the time right now.

What I Miss: Nothing 

Gender: It's a girl - Claire Campbell!

Mood: I'm exhausted, which makes me emotional. Getting ready for the baby while working so much and trying to keep up with all the Christmas frenzy is overwhelming. It's also been a tough week for some very good friends of mine and with all the horrible stuff on the news since yesterday, it's just a sad time. 

Symptoms: Rib and back pain. Lots of swelling in my ankles. My doctor added an appointment this week because of the swelling, but everything checked out fine. 

Milestones: I had another beautiful baby shower this week at work. My friends were so sweet to put it together. I got so many nice and generous gifts, many of them handmade. I'm blessed to work with some very sweet people.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: The bedding arrived this week and it is gorgeous! I'm so pleased with it - it's exactly what I pictured in my mind. I got several gifts at my shower that incorporated the toile fabric in the bedding, which is so neat!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Christmas Break! 4 more days!

No bump picture of me this week, but here's a pic of one of the gifts from my shower!

32 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: On my scale at home first thing this morning, I'd gained 22 lbs. On the doctor's evil scale at the end of the day after eating, I'd gained 26 lbs. 

Size of Baby: Claire's about the size of a squash.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. At night I wear regular t-shirts around the house and they aren't really covering my belly anymore!

Sleep: Pretty good, except I feel like I wake up every half hour or so and one of my hands is completely asleep. Then I'll wake up a little later and the opposite hand is asleep. It's weird because I'm not laying on them funny or anything that usually causes that. Must be a pregnancy thing!

Movement: Lots of movement! Sometimes it's a little uncomfortable since she's getting bigger. Sometimes I'm having a hard time differentiating between movement and Braxton Hicks contractions. Monday night I had what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions, but then today I found out Claire's feet are right were I was feeling them, so maybe it was just movement? My belly doesn't get rock hard like everyone says it does with Braxton Hicks, so maybe not.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving the "Texas trash" my mom makes during the holidays. Other than that, I'm just extremely hungry. This baby wants food!

What I Miss: Ankle bones that I can see! Before the last week or so, when I woke up in the morning my swelling would've gone down and my ankles would look normal again. That ship has sailed though - they're swollen all the time now!

Gender: Baby girl - Claire Campbell Todd!

Mood: It was an awesome weekend, so I was in a great mood then! I had another wonderful baby shower on Saturday hosted by my sweet sister and friends. It was amazing! Cam and I are truly blessed to have so many generous people in our lives. I plan to post about it soon! My in-laws were in town for the weekend and it was so much fun! 

I've been stressed out ever since getting back to the grind on Monday, of course. It's another crazy week at work plus Cam and I've been dealing with a never-ending nightmare landscape job. We hired a landscaper months ago to plant some bushes in our front beds and it has taken months to get things done and the landscaper/his worker cut both our cable and sprinkler system lines in the process. It's been very stressful having to get all of this repaired over the last few weeks and get the landscape job itself done. When I expressed this to our landscaper on Monday night, he told me I was just being emotional because I'm pregnant. I can't really think of anything more demeaning that someone could say to me right now, especially considering I'm a customer whose paid him mucho dinero, only to have him damage a bunch of stuff. Needless to say, he's no longer our landscaper.

Symptoms: Swelling, random aches and pains, just being uncomfortable. I'm also burning up all the time. I'm freezing Cam out at home, with the A/C turned way down and the fan on! Hopefully it will cool off outside soon - that will help!

Milestones: We're 2 months away now! 

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I went to the doctor today and got to have an ultrasound first. It was great to see Claire again! She's getting so big and looks so filled out. She was sleeping so sweetly with her hand propped under her chin on the 4D ultrasound. It's just amazing what technology allows us to see! Everything is looking good! They measured her and estimate that she's about 4 lbs, 14 ounces, which puts her in the 76th percentile. They said a lot of that is because of her head - Lord help me in the delivery room! I thought the measurements sounded really big, but my doctor said that's fine/pretty average and would lead to about an 8 lb baby. She's very happy with how everything's looking, but she's a little concerned about my swelling and is having me come back next week now. My blood pressure has been fine, but she doesn't want to take any chances considering that my sister had preeclampsia. I will say that the last week has been one of the most physically taxing of my entire pregnancy - I've been on my feet a lot, so I'm hoping the swelling will improve.

What I'm Looking Forward to: The bedding should be arriving soon! I'm really looking forward to seeing it. Also, I have a baby shower at work on Monday - very excited about that!

And here's an ultrasound AND a bump pic!!! 

I am totally in love with this beautiful little girl! Can't wait to really see this sweet face in 2 months!

31 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Up about 21 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is about the size of a pineapple! That is so big!

Maternity Clothes: Love them!

Sleep: Good. I wake up pretty early on my own now. I only had one choking incident last week, and OF COURSE, it happened when we were away on our little babymoon trip! There's nothing quite as romantic as your husband seeing you puke.

Movement: Yes, especially at night. When I lay down in bed on my side, she starts moving a ton! It's amazing!

Cravings/Aversions: I'm just very hungry right now!

What I Miss: I guess I miss not worrying so much about eating certain foods. A couple times lately I've hesitated/held off from eating a particular type of cheese because I'm not sure if it's one of the safe ones for pregnancy. 

Gender: Our little lady - Claire Campbell Todd! I am so excited to be having a girl! We're going to have so much fun! Cam and I were talking this weekend about how eventually we'll be dealing with things like our little girl dating and getting her heart broken. I'm not ready for that at all, and Cam is definitely not ready for that! I just want her to stay my little girl forever. 

Mood: Very relaxed until Monday hit and then it was back to busy reality!! I am still waiting for the part of pregnancy where I get to rest and put my feet up when I come home at night. Being in the 3rd trimester during the busy holiday season is no joke, y'all!

Symptoms: Lots of little random aches and pains, including my tailbone (ouch!). I get really tired around 2 pm everyday. I think I'm having some Braxton Hicks but I'm not sure. Lots of swelling - I went and bought a new pair of shoes yesterday for my baby shower because almost none of my shoes fit me anymore.

Milestones: She's due two months from today!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: We had a wonderful trip to Fredericksburg! It was great to have some time to get away.

What I'm Looking Forward to: My Austin baby shower this weekend! I can't wait!

I'm pictureless again this week! :(

30 Weeks and 30 Years

Total Weight Gain: Up about 20 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a large cabbage. Dr. Orth says she's probably about 3 lbs right now. I know that's tiny, but it's just unbelievable to me that I'm carrying around a 3 lb baby!

Maternity Clothes: Yep. Occasionally a regular dress, paired with leggings. 

Sleep: Pretty good. Only one choking episode this week and it was very minor, so maybe my new sleep positions are working.

Movement: Yep, lots of it off and on. She moves so much sometimes that when she has a day where she doesn't move as much, I find myself worrying about if she's okay. But then she'll move again and it's very reassuring. 

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving my Mom's cornbread dressing, which I get to eat tomorrow on Thanksgiving! I'm so excited! Her dressing would change your life - it is one of the most delicious things on Earth! 

What I Miss: I read somewhere that the baby's nutritional needs are at their greatest right now, which makes sense because I have been incredibly hungry for the past couple of weeks. This is in stark contrast to the first 3 months of pregnancy, when I felt like I had to force-feed myself sometimes. Anyway, it's ironic because I've never been hungrier, but eating makes me miserable! If I eat a meal after 5 pm, I will be so full I can barely move. It feels like I've swallowed a watermelon and I can't breathe, but I do it anyway because I'm so hungry! And then I feel that way until the next morning. So I guess I miss eating a meal and feeling normal afterwards. 

Gender: It's a girl - Claire Campbell Todd. One of my birthday presents from my parents was this really neat journal where I can track feedings and diaper changes in those first few crazy weeks after Claire's born. The journal is customized with her full name on the cover. Something about seeing her name in print made me fall completely in love with it all over again!

Mood: Good. It's been a fun week and the next one is going to be great too!

Symptoms: Back pain, being uncomfortable, and nasal congestion! At home, I literally go through an entire box of kleenex on a weekly basis. 

Milestones: I had a wonderful baby shower in Houston this weekend! It was a beautiful party with lots of very sweet people! Everyone was so generous and gave us such nice things for Claire. We are very blessed. Once I get the pictures together, I'll do a post about it soon.

Also, it's pretty crazy to me that I turned 30 years old the same week as I reached 30 weeks of pregnancy. My sister reminded me that the same thing happened to her with her 27th birthday last year when she was pregnant. Interesting!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I had my 30 week appointment yesterday. I'm now at the point where I'll go every 2 weeks. Everything looks good! Claire measured a week ahead! Dr. Orth tries to find a reason to have an ultrasound late in the pregnancy that insurance will cover, so since Claire measured a week ahead, we're going to have an ultrasound in two weeks when I go back. I'm excited - they are going to measure her and see what percentile's she's in. I'm a little nervous too - I hope she's not really big or really small! I think we'll have a much clearer picture of when our little lady might make her entrance into the world! 

My doctor keeps telling me she can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going, and I totally agree! She said that after only 4 more weeks, if I went into labor they wouldn't do anything to stop it....eeeek! I need more time! I should clarify that she was just talking in general terms - she doesn't have any reason to think Claire's coming that early.

What I Look Forward to: Thanksgiving with my family - it's nice to get to be home and just be together! On Friday, Cam and I will head to Fredericksburg for the weekend for a little babymoon/birthday trip! I can't wait! 

No bump picture this week - Cam's at work and I'm in my pajamas on the couch. No pictures please! ;)

29 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Up 18 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a butternut squash.

Maternity Clothes: Yes!

Sleep: Okay. I now go to sleep most nights propped up against the wall in bed to avoid the choking episodes I've been having. It's not ideal but I'll do pretty much anything to avoid choking/throwing up every week.

Movement: Yes - it has really increased over the last week! She is constantly moving around in there and I love it! It's fun seeing my stomach move too.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving sweet stuff because it's been basically off limits this week with all the testing I've been doing.

What I Miss: Going to sleep lying down.

Gender: Baby girl - Claire Campbell!

Mood: Okay. It's been another tough week. I'm looking forward to the fun stuff ahead though!

Symptoms: I've started swelling up really bad and it's not just in my ankles anymore. My hands feel like balloons and I've officially had to make the switch to a fake wedding ring. :( My feet are so swollen that my shoes barely fit.

Milestones: We took our childcare/infant care class on Saturday and a breastfeeding class last night. Both were really helpful and informative, and I feel like I have a better idea now of what could happen during labor. Everyone's labor and delivery experiences are so different, and it's exciting/scary to think about what mine could be like!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Unfotunately I flunked my 1 hour glucose test and had to go for the 3 hour full test on Monday morning. Thankfully I passed the second test, so I do not have gestational diabetes! A couple of my numbers were borderline, so they just said I need to watch my carbs.

What I Look Forward to: My first baby shower in Houston this weekend! It's being hosted by several of my mother-in-law's sweet friends and I can't wait!

Also looking forward to turning 30 next week-crazy! I like that whenever I look back on turning 30, I'll always remember that I was expecting my sweet girl then.

And this week's bump picture. Can you spy someone else in the picture? :)

28 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 19 lbs according to the doc's scale; 17 lbs on home scale

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: Yes, almost always! But tomorrow I'm going to attempt to wear a size 6 maxi dress from my honeymoon to my school's Student of the Month Ceremony. It's pretty forgiving, but wish me luck!

Sleep: It's okay. I wake up a lot. My doctor told me at my appointment today that I will need to start sleeping sitting up in bed or a recliner to stop the nighttime choking episodes. She also said it would help the problem if I stop eating 6 hours before I go to bed so that my GI tract is all clear. So...I guess I'll be eating dinner at work. Yeah, sure. 

Movement: Oh yes! Sometimes it feels like she's turning flips...and she probably is!

Cravings/Aversions: I crave breakfast foods in all their many glorious forms!

What I Miss: Not a thing. I wouldn't trade getting to have a baby for anything.

Gender: Baby girl - Claire Campbell!

Mood: Alright. I have a lot of anxiety about my job right now. Wish I could just toss all that mess to the side and treasure every second of my pregnancy. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but I'm just keeping it real.

Symptoms: Starting to feel pretty achy - I know that's totally normal at this stage. Lots of pain in my left ribs - my doctor says this is just the way my uterus is positioned and that when baby drops in about 8 weeks, it'll get a little better. And we've reached the stage of constantly needing to pee!! 

Milestones: We've officially reached the 3rd trimester! Crazy how fast the 2nd trimester flew by! I hear the 3rd trimester drags, which honestly is fine by me. I need a second to catch my breath and get things ready before our sweet girl arrives!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: Cam's brother and his wife are expecting a baby in March and we found out today they're having a girl too! Exciting! Everything's coming up pink!

I had a doctor's appointment today too! It was a busy one - I had my glucose test, saw my doc, and had my next Rhogam shot. I've heard so much hype about how terrible this sugary drink is - I guess it affects everyone differently. I really didn't see what the big deal was. It just tasted like really sugary Gatorade that burned a bit going down. The shot I got was much more unpleasant than the drink. Dr. Orth was really pleased with how everything's going and Baby Claire measured exactly on target this time!

What I Look Forward To: Hopefully finding out that I passed my glucose test! Also looking forward to our childbirth & infant care class this weekend! And my first baby shower the weekend after that - we are so blessed by the people in our lives! 

Election Day Bump Picture - Claire was a good citizen and voted with Mommy and Daddy last night! It's hard to tell, but I'm pointing to my "I Voted" sticker!

27 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: Up 17 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a rutabaga! Is it bad I don't really know what half of these size comparison things are?!

Maternity Clothes: Yes please!

Sleep: Eh...it's inconsistent. I had several nights of INCREDIBLE sleep when it was cold for a few days. I sleep better when it's cold and Aurora the cat was sleeping through the night, which meant we all slept through the night (haha!). But then two nights ago, I had a rough night. Between two minor choking episodes, an overwhelming feeling of being really full, and a touch of insomnia, I had to sit up in bed propped up with some pillows to finally go to sleep. It was rough! I'm usually someone who can function pretty well on little sleep, but that is not the case when I'm pregnant!

Movement: Lots of it! Tonight she must have liked my dinner - it felt like she was turning flips!

Cravings/Aversions: I had a craving for Raising Cain's tonight so we had it for dinner - it did not disappoint! Otherwise, Cam's been doing lots of grilling for the past few weeks so that we eat lots of protein - it's been awesome!

Gender: It's a girl - Claire Campbell Todd!

Mood: I cannot lie - I've been a hot mess the past few days! I've left my classroom keys at work twice in the last week so I've been locked out of my classroom when I get to work in the morning. Wednesday morning, after my bad night of sleep, I had a full-on freakout because I thought I'd lost my wedding rings. I was crying my eyes out and Cam & I were tearing the house apart. I had to leave the house without finding my rings so I could get to work to tutor a kid who didn't even show up. On the way to work, I realized I'd left the rings soaking overnight in a jar of jewelry cleaner. See what I mean? A total mess. Working 50+ hours/week and being 6 months pregnant do not go well together and it has seriously caught up with me. My job feels out of control right now - I can't get my head above water. I feel like a terrible mother already before Claire's even here because I haven't been able to cut back at work. It's an awful, awful feeling and it's something I've been worrying and praying about a lot lately. Something has to change. 

Symptoms: Just the usual stuff, except my heartburn is a thing of the past - Prevacid is a miracle drug!!! Such a huge relief and something I will never take for granted!

Milestones: Tuesday of this week was October 30th - so we're less than 3 months from the due date! Crazy!

What I Look Forward To: Celebrating Halloween next year with my little girl! Seeing all the kids dressed up last night made me so excited for Halloween with Claire!

Halloween bump picture -