37 weeks

We're in the home stretch now but it still feels like it's going to take forever!  It's a little hard for me to imagine that I might be pregnant for another 4+ weeks (if I'm late).  We haven't gone out of town or done anything we'd normally do at this time of year in a couple months.  No roadtrips, hikes, dinners out with friends and several bottles of wine, etc.  I always look forward to the July 4th weekend in Seattle because typically that means summer weather is just around the corner.  It's not looking so this year though.  Sigh. 

I've stopped running as per my doula's advice.  Actually, that's not true.  I still jog slowly for a couple of minutes but otherwise I've been doing all of my cardio on the elliptical machine.  Our doula, who is a runner herself, suggested that I not put unnecessary pressure on my bladder in these last few weeks.  I didn't argue!  :)  I have also continued lifting light weights.  There's no way I could have stopped exercising entirely during my pregnancy so I'm glad I never got those orders from our OB.  But I also wonder how much of a difference it might make in labor that I've maintained my level of fitness. 

Everything is ready for the baby.  Carseat bases are installed in both cars.  The bassinet is equipped with sheets and waterproof mattress pads.  Even our bed now has a waterproof layer under my side in case my water breaks at night.  A shipment of the greenest disposable diapers we could find are on their way (we plan to eventually transition to cloth, but newborns fit disposables better).  The breast pump Liz gave me is fully equipped with new parts (thanks Liz!!).  A name for each sex has been chosen.  Maybe I shouldn't be so ambitious and productive.  If I still had tons left to do, maybe I'd be sitting here thinking "don't come yet baby!" 

28 week check-up

Friday we went in for our 28 week check-up with our OB.  Everything looks great!  Our OB says I'm doing a "great job" with my weight gain.  Hopefully I do a "great job" with my weight loss too!  :)

My glucose test came back negative, which rules out the possibility that we (Tray and I) could have gestational diabetes.  This was one of the possible explanations for why I was measuring big the last couple of visits.  I'm actually still measuring big (2 weeks ahead of where I should be) but our OB says she isn't worried about it at all.  This is hugely reassuring! 

I asked her why/how I could possibly be measuring big.  I don't feel big.  I don't think I look big.  I've gained exactly the right amount of weight (averaging 1 pound per week since a couple of months ago).  She thinks I'm hiding my pregnancy well, probably as a result of being in good shape with strong stomach muscles.  This may also explain why many people think I'm carrying high:  lower stomach muscles hold up the pregnant belly.  So, the reality is that I'm bigger than I look.  I guess that's better than being smaller than I look...

The other good news we learned at Friday's visit is that I am not anemic!  Evidently, it is very common for pregnant women to be anemic by this stage in their pregnancy.  My iron levels are perfect!  Everyone should thank Matt for this.  He makes sure I eat leafy greens every single day, sometimes multiple times a day, and it's paying off!

28 weeks

Nursery Details

Even though we still don't have a crib mattress, a changing pad, or a carseat, hardly any baby clothes and no diapers, I continue to add little details to the nursery!  Not to say we haven't made progress in those other areas, we just haven't actually pulled the trigger to buy anything yet!  In due time!

I finally figured out a solution for the window in Tray's room.  Once again, I can thank Ikea for offering an affordable solution!  Last Monday I bought and installed a new curtain rod, solar blinds and white curtains, all for less than $60.  We may need to line the curtains in a blackout fabric this summer but we're going to wait and see how it goes.  Here's a shot of the after (sorry it's so dark):

A couple of weeks ago, Tray received his/her first books courtesy of my friend Kristen.  Kristen is also pregnant (about 39 weeks right now, actually).  Kristen and Andrew live in Alabama with their dog, Wilbur.  K&A were recently given several cat-themed books at a shower and rather than risk ending up in the doghouse by bringing these books home, they regifted to us!  Yay!  We're trying to figure out the best way to put Tray's books on display in the nursery.  I've been contemplating making rain gutter bookshelves but have yet to work up the energy to buy the supplies and try it out.  For now the books are acting as a prop for our new peace lily, which, by the way, is a natural air cleaner:

(The Pikes Place Market book was a gift from our neighbor, Ter, who knows the author.)

The latest addition to the nursery is a series of postcards from an amazingly talented illustrator of childhood themes and scenes that I mounted on book binding paper and framed.  Here's a close-up of two of the postcards:

The script beneath the elephants says "I love my Mom" in French. The script beneath the giraffes says "I love my Dad" in French.  She has so many illustrations that we love but we're going to wait until we find out if Tray is a boy or a girl before we buy anymore! 

On a different note, last week was the last class in our yoga series.  We both really enjoyed learning the basics of ashtanga yoga and hope to begin attending a drop-in class at least once a week.  Matt was the star of the class!  It pays to have upper body strength in yoga!  There were a lot of positions I wasn't able to get into due to my growing belly, and my balance is nearly non-existent at times.  Still, learning the 8 limbs of yoga and the proper breathing technique was really cool.  During one of our last classes, we decided to buy a little something to remember our introduction to yoga and this time:

Hopefully Tray isn't a big one!  We really want this to fit!  :)

Casual Friday

When I originally started working at the firm, we had "casual" Friday on Fridays during the summer months only. About 2 years ago, the firm switched to casual Friday every Friday. As a result of only wearing jeans 1-3 days per week, I no longer own a lot of denim. The denim I do own is tailored and tight. Case in point:

This is a trick I learned from one of the blogs I read. That's a rubber band looped around the button, through the button hole, and back over the button. I'm hoping this method will tie me over for another month or so. I did buy some maternity jeans at Nordstrom.com last week and they are currently being hemmed. Apparently they were designed for a 6'2" size 2 pregnant model.

At first I was anti-maternity clothes. I know maternity clothing has come a long way but, seriously, there's still some really ugly, unflattering stuff out there! But I recently found the best maternity clothing site! Of course, it's not American. That's why the clothing is so cute! I placed my first order last week (I'm way impressed with the prices and the shipping rate to the US!). I need to figure out sizing before I order more.

My Growing Body

Like many women, I'm not looking forward to getting huge during this pregnancy! In fact, prior to getting pregnant I was happier with my body than I've ever been. I'd seen a trainer a few times and had a couple workouts I really liked. I'd been doing less cardio (previously my only focus) and more weight-training. I guess I should feel lucky going into my first pregnancy in the best shape of my life.

I'm at 13 weeks and I've gained about 2 pounds. My OB says that's perfectly normal. She also said I could expect to see a big jump this month (5-6 pounds). I'm still wearing all of my regular pants and jeans. I'd like to make it through the coldest months before getting too huge. I'd prefer not to have to buy a new winter coat that will undoubtely make me look like a tent.

My goal is to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and see how much weight my body wants to gain. Still, I longingly look into my closet at all of my pretty tops and pencil skirts and tailored dresses and I can't help but feel a little sad that I won't be wearing any of those clothes for at least a year probably!