34 weeks Baby's the size of a butternut squash!

I have been a terrible picture taker this year and keep forgetting to grab my camera....oh well. But, I got to spend the weekend with my sister and brother in law. It was really nice. We ate yummy food, went to the movies, baked lots of Christmas Cookies, talked about babies, and just generally got to hang out and spend time together. It was really nice. She is currently pregnant too with TWINS! So our family is very blessed with all the little ones arriving next year. I am praying that she will be cleared to travel to make it to see her niece and smoother her with love and hugs :) 

 

How far along? 34.5 weeks

 Maternity clothes? yep and thankfully at work right now we are allowed to wear jean from now until we are done with a year end. Which I believe is Jan 12th. So I am living it up wearing more comfy pants. Seriously the little things in life I tell ya.
Stretch marks? no new ones YAY
Sleep? not really. I am lucky to get a 2-3 hour stretch in before I wake up hurting and then toss and turn for the rest of the night.

Best moment this week: Spending the weekend with my sister. Especially baking Christmas Cookies =)
Miss Anything? my craving for healthy foods and exercise, feeling like my "old self" and my Christmas Spirit Craziness that I usually am swimming in this time of year.
Movement: yep! She is most active at night, during the middle of the night and early morning. She is pretty quiet during the day. I hope this is not a sleep pattern we will need to be concerned with, LOL. 

Labor Signs:  Nope. But the baby is head down per the Dr. I feel a lot of pressure all the time too. We are hoping to make it through the holidays and then anxiously awaiting her arrival.
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off?  off recently due to all the swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy
Looking forward to: A quiet Christmas with the love of my life. My wonderful Husband Bryan who is the greatest blessing in my life. He is my everything and I can't wait to make so many magical Christmas memories with him and our daughter

33 Weeks Baby is the size of a Durian...BTW what the heck is a Durian

On Wed 12/12/12 little baby girl hit 33 weeks. Bryan and I went to a newborn 101 class on Thursday. It had some really good tips and then a bunch of things that luckily we both already knew. The instructor was nice, but she would get off topic easily. It was cute to see Bryan diaper the fake baby. I think he will do great when it comes to his own daughter. Looking around the class you could see a lot of beginners who really didn't have a clue. So it was nice to feel like we were pretty on top of the game.

Funny enough I was more nervous before the class about the actual birth and then somehow I came out of the class more freaked out about breast feeding and feeding in general more than anything. The nurse seemed to give some conflicting information about how often/how much a baby eats and the amount of oz etc that should be in their bottle. So now I am really nervous and concerned about that. So I need to find and read some more information to help calm down the fears and nerves that I am having.

Yep same shirt as the week before

How far along?33 Weeks
Total weight gain: 36lbs...gulp
Stretch marks? no news ones I lather on that palmers cocoa butter like there is no tomorrow! 
Sleep? I have good nights and bad nights. Mostly not the best. I do have a pregnancy pillow that helps once in a while, but it is massive and leaves little room for the hubby. Back pain and hip pain are common but I know I am not alone in this.

Best moment this week: Non baby related-secret santa at work was a lot of fun!
Miss Anything: Being able to get up from the couch/bed with out feeling like an old lady and being able to shop and run errands with out getting exhausted
Movement:She moves a lot still. But recently her movements have gotten to be uncomfortable and even painful at times. There is just a lot less room in there for her to do her thing. But, she does favor my right side and likes to hang out there. Ohh and it is weird I can feel her move big time and see her through my clothes, but when I try and lift up my shirt and get a better view she stops. I have heard from other it is because the skin in opaque and she can sense the light so when I pull my shirt back down then she goes to town again, LOL.

Food cravings:nothing really. There is a lot less room and it has made my appetite dwindle big time, but then I will go in spurts and be famished.
Labor Signs:  Not that I am aware of. 
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off?  off recently due to all the swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: moments of both.
Looking forward to: Spending some time with my sister before the baby gallagher arrives

32 Weeks Baby is the size of Squash

12/5/12 I hit 32 weeks. On Friday 12/7/ I had my 32 week Doctor visit. She said everything looked great and that I was measuring spot on. They basically get this measurement from taking a tape measure across the length of your belly. I have one more appointment left in December and then I "graduate" up to weekly visits and the oh so fun checking of me down below. Jealous....yeah I thought so!

I started feeling a lot of pressure down there too and some cramping as well. The cramping feel like menstrual cramps so at least it isn't an unknown feeling, but still not comfortable. The doctor said that this is very normal. Along with the oh so fun Braxton Hicks contractions that come and go. But the weirdest feeling is feeling very heavy and a pulling weight along with the intense pressure often it feels like she is going to "fall out" Again the Dr said this was normal and I have read many books that talk about this same thing too and call it "falling out". So that makes me feel a lot better.

View from of my belly.....me looking down

My view of my belly from the side

Pic Bryan took

Pic Bryan took

I got all "dolled" up to go to a friend's holiday party. I was amazed at how long I lasted. Bryan and I made it to her house and then also to a bash for his friends too. I don't believe we even made it to bed until it was close to 2am! I think this is an all time record for my pregnancy. As tired and exhausting as it was I was glad I went out. I am trying my best that I can still do things before the arrival of our sweet little one.

31 Weeks Baby is the size of a pineapple

I am so behind on posting..... So on 11/28 I was 31 weeks and the baby was the size of a pineapple. My dear husband when I told him this said does that mean you have to push out the prickly things too. Really Bryan Really?? LOL but just the comparison is crazy to think about.

30 weeks Baby Gallagher is a Cucumber

So last Wednesday 11/21 we hit 30 weeks. Wow that still seems weird to me because that means in just weeks our little girl will be here soon. Bryan keeps telling me that he is ready for her. I am mostly ready, but still have things I want to accomplish before she arrives. Also, there are only a few weeks left of just Bryan and I before we will always be a family of 3 and it would be nice to just soak that in as long as possible. Hoping to find some energy to spend quality and valuable time with my wonderful husband. Also, I am getting more and more nervous of the birth process and trying to just focus the end result, but lets be honest is does scare the shit out of me. So not really ready for that, but then again who is.

How far along?30 weeks

Total weight gain: Not sure right now last time I was hovering around 30. I am positive it is more :(. Sleep? Depends on the day. Some times I sleep really well and other times not at all. I have a natural back sleeper, but you are supposed to sleep on your sides, which is hard because my hips will start to go numb after a while.

Best moment this week: Not one moment, but just in general having an awesome and supportive husband!!! He has picked up the slack so much with all the household chores, dinners, shopping and all with out me ever asking. He is amazing and it means so much to me to have his support, love and affection. 

Ohhh wait just thought of a particular moment too. When Bryan told me the other night how beautiful I am and even more beautiful right now because I am carrying his baby and telling me I will be a wonderful mom. I really just melted! Hearing that just meant so much to me. 
Miss Anything? lunch meat!! I have been wanting a bologna and cheese sandwich with doritos crunched on them.  My ENERGY
Movement:She is getting much bigger and stronger. Her kicks can be subtle, but there are those big ones all the time and even if they are uncomfortable they make me smile knowing she is getting stronger and healthier every day. I can also feel/see when she flips over it is so cool.

Food cravings: lunch meat and sandwiches.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Being in the car for long periods of time is really difficult and makes me very queasy.

Gender: Sweet little Baby Girl
Labor Signs:  No
Symptoms: A general feeling of heaviness and I am getting slower by the day. It is harder to get up from the couch or off the floor. Things that I never thought twice about like cleaning, running errands/shopping and decorating take so much energy and have me burnt out. I get very frustrated with this. I want to be able to clean our house and cook my husband a nice dinner or even just go out on a date in the middle of the week with Bryan with out feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. I never thought I would take those things for granted. I know I am hard on myself, but it is hard to not miss these little things. Even the simplest of task are very daunting to me.
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off?  I can put them on, but they seem tight. So lately I haven't been wearing them since I dont want to risk it.

Baby Shower

So a few weeks ago my wonderful family and friends decided to throw me a baby shower in honor of our soon to arrive baby girl. It was beyond words. We had it at one of my favorite Italian restaurants Buca Di Beppo. There were so many family and friends who came to share in this special day and I never felt so loved and showered with generous blessings by so many wonderful women.

I would like to say a special thanks to my Mom, Eve, sisters; Mary Ellen, Carla, and Becky, Aunt June, Jenny and Mary Linder for all their hard work in making my shower such a special day. Everything was so beautiful from the invitations, venue/food, the delicious cake, the games, the wonderful and colorful centerpieces and diaper cake and the yummy and too adorable treat boxes. Every detail was just perfect and I am so grateful to have so many loving family and friends in my life.

Baby Gallagher is already loved and spoiled so much!

27 Weeks Baby is the size of Rutabaga! And Happy 1st Anniversary!

27 week work picture

First of all let me say I am so HAPPY and ELATED to make it to a 27 week post. With everything that happened in the prior week and the major possibility and fear of delivery at 26 weeks I am BEYOND grateful to make this post. HAPPY 27 WEEKS BABY GIRL WE LOVE YOU! And here's to many more happy weeks getting big and strong in my tummy!

On Wed. Baby Girl Gallagher turned 27 weeks. And coincidentally it was also Halloween :)  I had gotten this cute shirt of ETSY and was happy to be able to wear it proudly. This is as Halloween as it gets for me this year.

We are also celebrating our 1 year anniversary tomorrow, Nov. 5th! So much has changed in a year. Had anyone asked me if I thought I would be pregnant with a little one on the way last year I would have thought they were crazy, but I wouldn't change anything at all. We had planned a night out to celebrate at a murder mystery dinner on Friday. And through the fabulous-ness of groupon we got a good deal on it.

They put you at a "wedding style" table with a bunch of other guest and then your table became your team. I had been to a murder mystery dinner once before with my Mom and Sister for my birthday and I think that one was done better. This was fun, but it was way too big of a room with too many characters and people and was a bit chaotic. However, it was still fun. I was tired and sat mostly, but still enjoyed myself. And our table WON! We figured out who did it. Now to be fair the character of the murderer was actually one of the people sitting at our table and none of us really had any other clue of who it could be so we just guessed her luckily.

The rest of my weekend was spent resting and relaxing too. And I finally was able to get my haircut! It had been about 6months since I last had a haircut. I can't even tell you how much a haircut makes me feel good about myself. And then Bryan also treated me to get a pedicure it was really nice. We are planning on a nice anniversary dinner tomorrow too to round out the festivities. I am so happy and blessed to have a wonderful, loving, caring, handsome husband who makes me feel like the luckiest woman. He is my rock, my soulmate, my best friend and I love him more and more each and every day. Bryan I love you thank you for all that you do and all that you are!

And to re-quote a snippet of my vows to you....."You Bryan showed me the meaning of love and how to love fully and my heart has never been so full. I am proud to call you mine and remember I called dibs. For, I choose you, I pick you Bryan Gallagher to be my partner in life, love and my partner in crime. I promise to love, honor and cherish you through whatever life may bring us. And regardless of what obstacles we may face, we’ll face them together as husband and wife. I promise you this, and all of my love, from this day forward until the day that we met again in Heaven. I love you always and forever."