baby shower, maternity pics, and more!

Well, it's May. Do you know what that means? That means I am supposed to have this baby NEXT MONTH!! It sounds crazy close when I say it like that. However, it still seems really far away. I swear the days are going slower, and the nights are so much longer now; third trimester discomforts.

I was watching the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" movie the other day, while working on some pottery, and found myself relating to the character Wendy Cooper (played by Elizabeth Banks) A LOT. She and her husband try for two years before they finally get pregnant- and she is of course over the moon- but experiences all the crappy, uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms. She does her best to put on her happy pregnant lady face, until this scene...

Oh my heavens, can I EVER agree with her- especially with how giant and uncomfortable I have felt lately. Oh, and I discovered a new pregnancy symptom that I had never heard anyone mention before- my finger joints are so achy! I feel like an old lady with arthritis. NOT fun. Nathan thinks it has something to do with the swelling I get in my hands sometimes- I don't know what it is, but I will be so happy when it's gone. I don't really have anything else to report- I am just getting bigger and bigger and sore and uncomfortable- and it seems like that's just how it will be until this little guy decides to make his big debut.

Luckily though, I have had some fun things to distract me! Like my baby shower! I must admit, I have never been a fan of baby showers, but it is different when it's your own. It was so nice to see everyone! There were a few people there that I hadn't seen in years! Even if there had been no food, or games, or presents, it was still a blast to have everyone there and to visit and feel all the love and support. It makes me so happy to know there are so many people that love little Xander already.

My sister was kind enough to throw the shower for me and my mom was kind enough to help. Jessica made the invites and his is what they looked like:

My mom was in charge of the food- here is a picture of the food table:

Since the shower was at night, we had all desserts/sweet stuff. There were cupcake push-ups, cake pops, cookies, mini pineapple upside down cakes, brownies, fudge, a peanut butter cheese ball, m&m shooters, and some yummy sweet green salsa. 

The decoration were all safari/ baby lion king theme- and so cute!

Here a few pictures of various guests:

In the picture below, we are playing one of the shower games. We played a fill in the blank game with nursery rhymes, "Name the TV Kids" (which I did far better on than I probably should have,) and Guess Tarin's belly size. 2 people were almost exactly right on how big around I am- very impressive. I was most happy about the people who guessed too small- since I have been feeling so HUGE!

And here are a couple photos of me opening some gifts:

Everyone was so generous, we feel so blessed! I separated everything into categories when I got home, so it would be easier to put away. Here is a break down of what we got!

Here is all the gifts (condensed for travel purposes) 

Shoes and Accessories:

Newborn clothes:

 3 month clothes

6 month clothes:

 9 month clothes:

A Bouncy Seat!

 Blankets and Bedding: 

 Bath Stuff!

 Bibs and Burp Rags:

Feeding stuff:

BOOKS!

(The invite for the shower asked that guests bring books in lieu of cards- I love them all, but a few I am SUPER excited about because I loved them so much when I was a kid)

DIAPERS!

We also did a diaper a raffle at the shower, and wound up with enough diapers to last us through about the first month.

Thanks, Sister! For hosting me a great shower!!

(Isn't it kinda weird how not-pregnant I look from straight on?)

Since the shower we have also gotten another hooded bath towel, more diapers, and a Boppy!

My nesting urges also kinda kicked in after the shower. I want to make sure we have everything so I checked everything we got from the shower off our "Newborn Essentials" checklist and started shopping for the other stuff. I made lists and went through coupons and did some price comparisons and research- so we could get the best prices on the items I felt would work best for us. 

Here is some of the fun I have had on my baby shopping sprees!

  

This is a stock photo of the swing I picked out. It is different than the one I thought I wanted originally- this one sways rather than "swinging-" I picked it because so many moms mentioned in the reviews that they could go from swaying with their infant in their arms and transition to swing without the baby waking up or noticing anything had changed. PLUS- it's baby Lion King, and how stinking cute is that?!

My mom and I also took a trip to the mall, since I had some Children's Place gift cards and I got our little guy a few more pairs of shorts, and this adorable little outfit! I am thinking family pictures for Christmas cards!! 

While we were out my mom also got us a few things- some sports binkies, a binky that closes to protects it from germs when it falls to the ground, some other binks, binky clips, sunglasses, and a "sports cup" to cover his boy bits during diaper changes to prevent us from getting surprise squirts! I have still not decided if this product is genius or ridiculous. I guess I will know a few months!

I did some other online shopping at Target and got the crib mattress and baby monitor, both of which should arrive next week.

Nathan and I did some shopping this past weekend and picked up a baby bath tub, more bibs, baby wash clothes, a few bottles, a bottle warmer, side snap t-shirts, a baby health/grooming kit, wipes, and some swaddlers. 

So much stuff! This is what the nursery looks like at the moment:

I am still figuring out exactly where I am going to put everything. Not that we don't have space it all, it's just I've never done the whole baby thing before, so I am trying to figure out logistically where everything should go. It's making it all seem so much more real and I am loving it. I am actually starting to feel more like a mommy and not a fat hoarder with an alien living in my stomach.

The day after the shower, at our monthly Lunt family dinner, my awesome sister in law, Amy, snapped a few maternity pictures for us. Everyone kept saying that I should get some taken, or I would regret it- so I did. I haven't been super psyched with my pregnant physique these days, but I figured for documentation purposes they would be nice to have. 

Turns out, I actually really love them! So here they are!

In other news, we took our child birth class this weekend. It was interesting. The first day was a lot of lecture and a lot information that I didn't feel was as important/relevant- but I still found very interesting. Nathan thought it was kinda boring. He did what he could to make it fun for both of us though. When we got the part that discusses the anatomy of pregnancy, they gave us a diagram of the pregnant body and we were supposed to label all the different body parts. Nathan kept making me laugh by insisting that the liver was a tumor, because we couldn't figure out what it was. Overall though, we did pretty good! Nathan knew a lot more about a preggo's biology/anatomy than I thought he would!

We also talked about nutrition during pregnancy and the instructor had all the mommies-to-be write down what they had eaten all day. Knowing how my eating habits have been lately Nathan got a big grin on his face and was like "Yeah Tarin, write it down. Start with dinner!" 

My eating for the day wasn't that bad, I actually ate less than I should have- but Nathan was looking over the list and was like "Noodles? For breakfast?!" I pointed in his face and said "I just like noodles, ok?! Don't judge me!" and we both laughed. 

The second day was way more fun. We learned breathing and relaxation techniques for when I go into labor. Of course, my goofy husband kept me smiling the whole time with goofy faces and tickles. Hopefully I find him that hilarious and charming when I actually go into labor.   We "practiced contractions" by putting our hands in ice water- and then tried out different breathing patterns to figure out what might work best for us on delivery day. The dad's had to have a couple "contractions" too. It was awesome to watch the faces of the guys around the room while they were doing it. The instructor was impressed that none of them cried. Nathan was pretty tough through the first one, but the second one I could tell was really pretty uncomfortable for him. 

After the class, I do feel better prepared for coping with labor. I have read up on the labor and delivery processes enough that I already understood what would happen- but now I feel like I have some good tools in belt to help me handle it mentally and physically. And sticking your hand in ice to practice to practice contractions may sound dumb-but it was kinda painful and definitely not comfortable and I was able to find out what worked and didn't work for me in making the "contractions" easier or at least seem to go by faster. 

And Nathan was able to learn what I thought worked best and different positions for laboring and how I like to be touched to make me feel calm and relaxed. It was a good experience and I really enjoyed doing some that focused on us as a little family.

We also toured the hospital, which also made me feel so much more prepared for delivery. I looooooove how Banner Gateway has their maternity floor laid out. It's all on the ground floor and it's right next to the main entrance  so it's easy to find. They are really family focused and everything is set up to make things as easy as possible. The operating rooms for c-sections are right across the hall from the labor and delivery rooms- so if I do wind up needing to be cut open it's not like I have to go to different floor for surgery or anything- it's all right there. All the L&D rooms have showers in them with the detachable shower heads to help ease the pain of labor, plus I have access to the Japanese soaking tub (as long as I haven't had any pain medication yet.) They also provided birthing balls to sit on and a squat bar if I decide I want to try birthing in a squatting position. They have a really nice private garden too- but I have a feeling we won't really use that much since I am due at the end of June and it's gonna be super hot. 

Nathan didn't understand why we would be in so many different rooms; triage, then labor and delivery, and then a postpartum room. But overall, I think he took some good information away from the tour and knows a little better what to expect. 

Speaking of Nathan, I am so freaking in love with him these days. Obviously, I have always loved him- but it's crazy how much more and more I love him every day. Just when I don't think it's possible- BAM! I love him more! I am afraid that my heart might just explode from so much loving by the time the baby is born! Experiencing this miracle together has been just amazing. I feel soooooooo blessed to have the opportunity to become a mother and to share it all with such an amazing man. :)

Well, I think that pretty much sums it up for now. My next doctors appointment is on Monday, so I am sure I will probably post a small update sometime afterwards.

less than 10 week left

This will just be a quick update, because I forgot to write stuff down again.

First, here is the latest belly picture. 30 weeks 4 days.

I look at this picture and think, gee whiz! I look enormous! And then I remember that I still have at least 9 weeks left and I am only going to get larger. Then I variety of emotions ranging from self conscious  to nervous to just sad.

My big belly continues to interfere with my day to day life. I decided the third trimester would be a whole lot easier if I had lived my entire life without ever bending over. I dread when things fall on the ground! Depending on the position of the baby, sometimes I can still bend down- but most of the time I have to do this weird awkward squat.

We were walking back to our car and walked between two cars that turned out to be too close together- I couldn't squeeze between them because their side mirrors were too close. Nathan was like " just squat down and walk under them." HA!! Yeah freakin' right!! Sorry, but squat waddling is not something I am willing to attempt. I am pretty sure that would end horribly. I just walked around the other way, feeling totally embarrassed.

I still struggle to sleep peacefully at night. I wake up like dozen times to roll back and forth, trying to find a comfortable position or I have to pee. I don't think that I get more than about 90 minutes of consecutive sleep. I suppose it's good practice for when Xander gets here and is waking me up all night for feedings and changing and all that.

My stomach has started making horrifically loud and embarrassing noises. When did it start doing this? Oh, in the middle of me visiting teaching! I was like "I am so sorry, this has never happened before!"

My only other symptom is being sore like...pretty much always. I am constantly achy.

In other baby news- we got our first official baby gift in the mail this week! My friend Laurie, who lives in Washington sent us the most adorable little card and diaper genie with a refill! Nathan came home and was like "There is a Diaper Genie on the front porch...." It was funny. We were both really excited. I am anxious for the day of my baby shower to get here. Only a few more days!

Babies R Us had been advertising a "Baby Expo" on the What To Expect message boards, so my mom and I decided to go check it out. It was totally lame!!! It turned out to be 2 tables shoved in the back of the store, covered with random babies items, and staffed by 2 Babies R Us employees. It was crowded and cluttered and unappealing. I was expecting something much more organized and informative. It was by no means an "Expo."

While we were there though, I bought a diaper bag! I am very excited because I found one with a wipe dispenser on the outside, and easy access from the outside to diapers and a changing pad. And it's black and red- not at all girly- so if Nathan needs to take it somewhere he doesn't feel like he is carrying a purse.

Also, my mom was kind enough to buy me a belly support belt. I came home, put it on without reading the instructions, and it felt amazing! Later I looked at the instructions and realized I had been wearing it backwards all day. Doh! I put it on the way it's supposed to be worn the next and it wasn't as good. I think when I go out somewhere I am just going to wear it my way. It's not like anyone can see it under my clothes and can tell that it's on wrong- and honestly, it's all about comfort for me these days.

Our latest doctor's appointment was short and uneventful. Everything looked good and normal. No ultra sound this time- which was kind of a bummer- but no big deal. My next appointment is in 3 weeks instead of 4 and after that it will go down to every 2 weeks. I am starting to make a list of things to talk to the doc about- because I never remember until after we leave.

Well that's all for now. My next post will be more exciting because it will talk all about my baby shower! Yay!!!

what's been happening

Greetings from my third trimester and the beginning of my 29th week of pregnancy! I am down to like 80 days or something like that. Woo!!

Here is my latest belly picture- feeling fat and sassy. 

So, I was planning on doing more blogging, shortly after the last time I blogged, but then life happened and I got busy doing things and then Nathan accidentally knicked the cable line while trenching the back yard for sprinklers, so my internet was down. Then by the time it was back up I figured I might as well wait until after my 3/4d ultra sound that was a few days later. Then the day after that the Sanders family dog died- and then we had General Conference and stuff- and anyway- I am forcing myself to do it now before I get too far behind.

So first of all, Carters and Osh Kosh were having 50% off everything in the store sales, and I had coupons for both store that would give me an additional 25% off, so naturally I had to do some baby clothes shopping. I wasn't planning on buying anything until after my baby shower, but I just couldn't let that kind of savings pass me by, so I bought a few things. I did pretty well at buying a variety of sizes though, so he won't grow out everything really quickly.

I put all the clothes we have gotten for him in a crate that is sitting in the middle of the nursery, and every time I walk it I get so excited for him to actually get here and wear all these cute things! While we were shopping, I told my mom that having a baby is like having a living doll that you get to dress up every day! She told me that eventually the novelty will wear off.

Here is a picture of the clothes we have so far:

While we were are the mall I also decided to look for some new, ultra comfortable flip flops for myself because the cheapy ones I had bought from Target quite a while ago are getting more and more worn down and uncomfortable. I tried on pair after pair but found every one to be too tight on fat, swollen preggo feet, or too hard/stiff. I seriously wanted to cry.

I also had to take a couple breaks to just sit down because my back and hips were killing me! This is a very common occurrence since entering my 3rd trimester. My lower back and hips are almost constantly sore. It's very difficult to find a sitting or laying position that is comfortable for more than 15 minutes. I finally broken down and really cleaned my bath tub so I could take a bath; It was GLORIOUS. I can do things to help stretch and loosen in the tub that I can't do other wise- like hip circles and stuff. I also turned short ways in the tub with my legs crossed and laid my head on the side of the tub- it felt so good to be hunched over and in space that kept my legs crossed and where I wanted them. I am thinking that tub time is going to be at least a once a week event, if not more frequent- at least until it gets warm enough to be in a pool!

Nathan is still being as wonderful and supportive as ever. While I was at my nieces birthday party- he surprised me by putting together the crib! He did a fabulous job; it looks fantastic! I am a little perturbed though, because it's supposed to be "espresso" but it has kind of a cherry tint to it. In the pictures I guess it looks fine, but in person it doesn't match quite as well as I had hoped when I ordered it. I still love it though. I wanted to go right out and buy the mattress and sheets and get it all set up, but we decided it was still a little premature for that. For the time being, the crib is being used a pillow and stuffed animal corral.

Here are couple pictures of how the nursery is coming along. I am still deciding what to do above crib...

As fantastic as my husband has been, we did have quite a heated and lengthy discussion a couple weeks back about spending holidays with our families. I didn't ever think that topic would be so passionately explored. Nathan and I are both very stubborn and love our immediate families very much and neither one of us wanted to budge on the time we thought should be spent on certain holidays. I won't recap our entire "discussion" but I think we finally reached the decision to split everything 50/50. We plan on making a holiday schedule for the entire year, and then when the next year rolls around- just about everything gets flipped. Some things will stay the same because of pre-scheduled family reunions and such- but we are just going to do our best to be fair and make everyone happy.

One thing that made me super happy was that Nathan was finally able to feel the baby kick! We were sitting in the car outside our clay supplier, waiting for them to open and the baby was moving around all over the place, so I asked Nathan if he wanted to try and feel. I put his hand and my tummy and he didn't really feel anything at first- then Xander gave a nice strong kick right on his palm- and Nathan was like "I felt that one!!" The smile on his face was priceless and totally made my day. It was adorable. He has been trying to feel him more often now- and I am just loving it. Xander is a little stinker about it most of the time though- he usually starts kicking up a storm as soon as Nathan leaves for work or as soon as Nathan falls asleep. His kicks and movements are getting much stronger though; they often catch me by surprise and sometimes kind of tickle me from the inside. It's weird- but kinda awesome at the same time.

One part of pregnancy that is getting old is the questions that get repeated to me over and over and over. I mean, it's kinda nice that so many people have an interest in my baby and pregnancy and all that but I am beginning to feel like broken record, saying the same things over and over again. I kinda want to get a t-shirt to wear anytime I leave the house that says "Yes I am pregnant. It's a boy, we are naming him Xander. He is due June 27th!"

Another reason that this t-shirt might be a good idea is because the way my brain has been working lately, I may forget the answers to some of those repeated questions. I have the worst case of pregnancy brain lately- WHICH by the way- is a real things. Women's brains shrink during pregnancy- it's a scientific fact. And apparently, my iron deficiency isn't helping the matter. I will be walking through my house to go do something and completely forget why or what I was going to do. It happens every day- multiple times. I feel really stupid- a lot! I am having a much harder time remembering things. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse than it already is.

Other delightful pregnancy symptoms I am currently dealing with:
Stretch marks- I already had some from rapid weight gain in my past- but now they are extending and getting red and ugly on the ends where they are growing. Lucky for me, no one even sees my belly except for me and my husband and my OB.
Constant peeing- I swear every time I stand up now, I have to pee. And I am pretty sure that a few times a day the baby is punching me directly in my bladder.
Hemorrhoids- that one doesn't need explaining- pretty uncomfortable.
Growing belly- It's making it harder to things that I never really thought about before. I always knew that shoe tying and toenail painting would be an issue- but there are other things that just never occurred to me. (This may seem like TMI to some, but it's just reality people!) For example- I have always been a between the legs kinda gal when it comes to wiping after going to the restroom. As my belly grows, this task has become increasingly more difficult. This is something that never crossed my mind before as being an issue for pregnant ladies- but according my WTE group- I am definitely not the only one who is having this trouble. I guess us preggos will just have to learn to adjust to the reach around wipe.


I will end this post with a happier topic- my 3d/4d ultra sound! We went this past Friday, with both sets of grandparents. I was very excited going into this- getting to see my baby for the first time- but it wasn't all I had hoped for. Most of the pictures are blurry or distorted- and between my anterior placenta, and the little guy wanting to keep his hands up by his face it was hard to get many good pictures.

This, is what I think, is the best one:

And here's a good example of the hand in front of the face...

I can't remember now why I posted this one....(see?! pregnancy brain!)

And here is a picture of his little crossed feet! So cute.

The experience wasn't exactly what I had hoped for- but it was still pretty cool. It looks like he's going to be a cutie- but really I wasn't too worried about that.  My parents were also generous enough to pay for a stuffed animal that has a recording of the baby's heart beat- so that's pretty neat. Well, that's all for now! More exciting updates next week sometime!

one more week until...

One more week until I start my third trimester! Actually, it is only a few more days now...I meant to right this post last week. This post probably won't be too long since I plan on posting again before the end of the week. So let's see....what happened last week that I was going to blog about....ah yes! Our doctor's appointment!

Well the 25 week appointment is the glucose test appointment (to test for gestational diabetes)- so I had to fast for 3-4 hours before my appointment and then drink this orange flavored drink and then get my blood drawn. I was kinda nervous because I had read lots of posts on the message boards and heard first hand from some other people in my life that the drink was really terrible. To my surprise, it wasn't bad at all! It had a tiny bit of weird after taste to me and about halfway to our appointment I started feeling a little queasy  but it didn't taste as bad as everyone said. To me, it just tasted like orange flavored Hi-C. The results of my test came back a couple days later and- great news- no gestational diabetes! Yay! But my hemoglobin levels were low so now I am supposed to take an iron supplement. Boooooo!

At this last appointment, Dr. Tutt also did another gender check and verified 100% that our baby is a boy! I am not posting the ultra sound pic because I probably couldn't remember how to label things- it was a weird angle- but anyway Dr. Tutt pointed out on the screen where the cord was and then said "See this over here, this is not the cord. That is definitely a penis and scrotum and they are attached. 100% boy." I was hoping to get a picture of the baby's face- but it was apparently buried somewhere in my hip, so I couldn't. Hopefully when we go for our 3d/4d ultra sound in a couple weeks he will cooperate and be a position where we can see him!

I also started getting sick again this week. Which sucks. I have had to pop a Zofran a couple times and that combined with the iron supplement is making me all backed up again. Ugh-I thought that part was over!

Another thing I learned last week- bowling is much more difficult than I expected while pregnant. My score was awful and I was pretty sore by the end of the night. It was still a fun time, but I don't know if I would do it again until after this baby bump is gone. We went with Marvin and Sarah, and got a little cheater ramp for Marley to be able to play- and she even beat me! Yep- I got my butt handed to me in bowling by my 2 year old niece.

Well, that's all for now. I will save the rest of my news for my next post in a couple days.

pregnancy brain!

I blame this week's lack of detail on pregnancy brain! I forgot to write anything down, so I am doing this from memory- which is probably going to suck. I would remember that I needed to write things down, but would get distracted before actually doing so. Another example of this- I just now got up to get a drink of water and when I came back to the computer I forgot what I was even going to type next! Yikes. My forgetfulness is something that I have noticed more in the past few weeks. I will be in the middle of sentence- or even a word- and have to pause to remember what I was saying or how to say it. I feel pretty dumb sometimes and Nathan has even gotten frustrated with me a couple times when I have to stop in the middle of what I am saying like "Spit it out already!"

Breathing is getting increasing more difficult when I am in certain positions. Sometimes when I am sitting, I have to get up and stand, or walk around for a while. The other day I was sitting on the couch, watching tv and my lungs just felt so squished! So I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood (which by the way smells like rotisserie chicken in the evenings.) I was about halfway through my walk when my hands and feet started to feel puffy; by the time I got home I was super swollen. It was really nice to get out the house and get some fresh air though. I think I am going to start doing more little walks around the neighborhood.

Let's see...what else.....Oh! I signed us up for a childbirth class at the hospital. Here is the description of the class:

Topics include preparing for labor and delivery, OB orientation, body changes, stages of labor,

breathing techniques, positions for labor and delivery, as well as medical options & practices, a

video on labor and delivery, C-sections, and a tour. Please bring 4 bed sized pillow to each class

and your "Parents to be" book; which you receive from your doctor's office.

Our class in the first week in May. I don't expect to learn a ton, but I do think it will help me feel a little more prepared- especially since it is based around the experience of that particular hospital. I have done a ton of reading on labor and delivery and c-sections already. I have even read through the "Parents to be" book that they mention in the description of class at least twice already. The first time I looked at it- I dubbed it the scariest book ever written; I wasn't ready to read/see all that yet and it was pretty much terrifying. Then I got to thinking, that it's not really anything to be scared of and reading about it, and knowing what is going to happen is going to make it a lot less scary. Now I don't feel scared about labor or delivery at all. I haven't fooled myself into thinking that it's going to be easy or comfortable, and I'm sure once the contractions start, I might get anxious- but I'm not scared or worried about it. I am actually really excited to take the class and tour the hospital.

I also decided this week to do some research about places in the valley that do elective 3d/4d ultra sounds. I got a little flyer about one place in Gilbert, but it seemed really pricey- like $200. I thought I might want to do it, but I don't want to pay THAT much for it. I found a place that does pretty much the same thing for $90- so I think we are going to do it! They have a setup that allows for up to 20 guests, but we are thinking that we will only invite the grandparents. I know the only part of me that's exposed for an ultra sound is my tummy, so it's not really that, I dunno, I just feel like it would be weird to have TWENTY people in the room. I do think it would be cool for Nathan and I, and the grandparents to get a sneak peak of the baby. I am so anxious to see what he looks like!

And while I am on the topic of spending money, we bought another bigger baby item this week- the pack-n-play! I got the one that matches the travel system. It had good reviews and wasn't super expensive. Plus, I like the colors and design.

Now for some pregnancy TMI- I am warning you in advance, if you don't want to read it- skip to the next paragraph. Ok.... so another thing that happened this week that was totally weird- my boobs started leaking! Not like a lot or anything, just a few droplets through out the day. And I don't think it's happening everyday- I've just noticed it a couple times this week. It's not even bad enough for me wear breast pads- I think it would be a waste at this point- but I am going to bring it to Dr. Tutt at my appointment on Monday to see what I should expect. Maybe I need to have some breast pad things laying around just in case? I dunno- I've never done this before.

Alright, I think just about covers it for this week. The only other thing going on is that I am getting more and more excited to meet this little guy every day! It's getting more and more real that we are finally going to parents! I am getting nesting urges, but can't do a ton of nesting until after my baby shower in April- but I am doing little things here and there. I am just so incredibly grateful for this experience- no matter how uncomfortable and awkward it may be at times. It truly is a miracle that I am amazed by every day.

milestones

Today I pass to very important milestones- First, it is our 4th Anniversary! Yay for happy marriages! )I will be posting more about that on the family blog) - but today is also an important milestone for baby Lunt too, as I am now 24 weeks along which means my pregnancy is now considered "viable." This means that if something should happen and the baby needs to or tries to come out, he is developed enough that he actually has a chance at survival. Of course, we want him to stay in there and cook quite a while longer, it's just nice to know that if something should come up, he is big enough that the hospital staff could keep him alive.

On to my weekly update! I remembered to jot down little things that I wanted to document on the blog, so this week will give you a much more in depth look of a week in the life of pregnant Tarin.

We will start with this morning, since it is fresh in mind. I had what I like to call a pregnant girl problem. I woke up sooooooo thirsty but also nauseated. I know if I drink water- I will throw up for sure, but I am thirsty for water....sigh....I really really really really hate throwing up- so I opted for some graham crackers and room temperature apple juice. Sometimes I feel like I have the eating habits of a toddler.

Another event from this morning- I had to text my dad to see if he could stop by on his way to work to change the bottle on the water cooler for me, since Nathan forgot to do it before he left for work. Before this big ol' gut I could do it by myself, but the bottles are too heavy for me to safely lift now. I am pretty sure if I tried I would strain every muscle in my back and belly.

So now, on to my list!

First thing I wanted to talk about this week is kicking. I feel this little guy moving around and kicking me every day now- and when he does it- it's a like a kung fu marathon in my uterus; when he is active, he is really active! I love feeling him move- inside and out. He never cooperates when Nathan tries to feel it though. We have tried a couple times, when Xander is kicking really hard, but Nathan still isn't sure that he has really felt anything. He'll feel it sometime soon though, because I have seen my tummy move with some of  the baby's more powerful punches.

A new thing that the baby did this week was found my bladder. Yeah, that was not cool little baby! I was just laying there, minding my own business and all of a sudden he either punched or kicked directly into my bladder like 4 times in a row. I litterally exclaimed "Woah!" when it happened, and of course,moments later and I had to get up and pee. I hope that doesn't become a habit for him, because as much as I love for him to be moving around, that particular action is quite unpleasant for mommy!

Next stop on my list, new pains! Yep, two new pains arrived this week. First I have discovered "Sciatica of Pregnancy-" see diagram below.

Let me just tell you, sciatic nerve pain is no joke. Shoot! This is something I definitely talking to Dr. Tutt about at my next appointment to see what can be done. My lower back, hip, and sometimes my bum hurt almost every day. It helps to limp a little sometimes when I walk, but limping when you're pregnant looks a lot more like a waddle. 

I also had my first real round ligament pain. For those who don't know what that is- the round ligament is one of the many ligaments that help support the womb- as the womb get bigger this ligament can become strained causing round ligament pain. It's really common during pregnancy. Up until this past week I had some round ligament discomfort, but walking through Walmart with Nathan the other night I had PAIN. It only lasted a few seconds but dang, it hurt. I have also experienced it a lot at night, when I attempt to roll from one side to the other. Oh, and when I woke up and needed to blow my nose a couple days ago, I pretty much screamed out in pain. My sciatic nerve and round ligament are telling me that the next 16 weeks may be long ones.

Next we will move on to a cooler, happier topic. Since I am pretty obviously pregnant now- people that I don't even know are being way nicer and more courteous. People hold doors for me, and offer to reach things up high or down low. I arrived at a single stall public restroom just behind another lady and when she saw the baby bump, she insisted that I go first. I thought that was so nice!

In other news, I wore a maternity dress when Nathan and I went out for date night. I bought it because it looked insanely cute on the hanger. Well, I put it on and while I think it looked pretty cute from the front, when I turned to side, I felt more like I was wearing a tent! I was really kinda looking forward to finding some cute maternity dresses to wear for the last part of pregnancy, because they are so comfy and easy to move in but I don't want to look like I am wearing a tent! Maybe it's just the style and material of this one dress, I really hope it is.

I also decided this week that I need to stop weighing myself. It stresses me out. I am just going to let the doctor worry about weighing me. I haven't gained a ton- I am up like 12 lbs I think- the number on the scale is just so high! I don't like it. When I think about it in terms of how many pounds I have gained, it doesn't really bother me but when I see the number on the scale I freak out. Plus, I have been retaining a bunch of water, so a lot of that is just water weight. Which reminds of something that I thought was pretty funny earlier this week. Most days my feet and ankles swell- not every day, but often enough that I am used to looking and down and seeing fat puffy feet. Well, I was talking to Nathan and happened to be standing, leaning against a wall in the bedroom- in a way that I could actually see my feet and I looked down and them and thought to myself "Dude, my toes look so skinny today!" and this thought made me, like, insanely happy- and when I realized how happy I was about skinny toes, I felt like an absolute weirdo! Haha

And on to my last topic...I realized this week that I only a few short weeks away from being in my 3rd trimester. Just as I becoming more and more aware that there is actually a baby inside of me, growing and moving around, I am also realizing that it's not that long until that thing is coming out and I am actually going to have a child. Not gonna lie, sometimes I have little mini panic attacks because I feel so unprepared- like the nursery isn't set up, we don't have hardly any baby stuff yet, we haven't taken any birthing classes or toured the hospital. Then I remind myself that we still have time for all that. My baby shower is still over a month away- I have time.... but time flies! It's a vicious circle! 

I will end this post with the view I have when I look down. Where I used to see my toes, now I see this: