Preggo Update: 36 weeks

Another week has quickly flown by, and I have a feeling the baby will be here before I know it. I've been keeping busy with all my projects and still have plenty of things to accomplish before baby decides to make an appearance.

How far along? 36 weeks (+ 2 days)

Total weight gain? 30+ pounds so far

Maternity clothes? Since I'm mostly at home now, it's been pajamas, t-shirts and stretchy pants most of the time. Leggings are still my best friend though. 

Stretch marks? Still holding out hope for a stretch mark free pregnancy.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well most nights, except for the two or three potty breaks I have to make. Also, I'll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep for an hour or so.    

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at my OB appointment this week and getting reassurance that she's healthy and happy in there.

Miss anything: Sushi, cold cut deli meat sandwiches, my pre-pregnancy waistline

Movement: Usually around meal times and before bed she tends to perk up.

Food cravings: Sweets, especially doughnuts lately...mmm, cake doughnuts or powdered doughnuts would be great right now. I may have to pick some up at the store. 

Anything make you queasy or sick: Really strong perfume or cologne. Even my husband's deodorant gave me a headache the other day. 

Gender: Team Pink! 

Labor signs: Still getting Braxton Hicks contractions every so often. But I have a feeling this baby may be a little late. 

Symptoms: Achy back and sore hips sometimes 

Belly button in or out? Still on the verge of popping out. Sometimes it sticks out a little bit, other times it's just flat-ish.

Wedding rings on or off? Off when I'm at home. On when I leave the house.

Feelings? Content and relaxed right now. It feels great to have freetime at home before our lives change forever.

Looking forward to: My ultrasound appointment on Wednesday.

Diaper Days

If you were to ask me a couple years ago if I would even consider cloth diapering, I would probably say "heck to the no"! Ewww, who wants to deal with that mess? However, over the last couple years, I began hearing such great things about cloth diapering all over the Internet, blogs, friends, local stores, etc. This blog post by Young House Love really helped me cross over to the cloth diapering side.

Is cloth diapering making a comeback? I would say yes! Cloth diapers these days are much different from the ones in our parents' days. They are actually easier to handle than I had previously thought. The main selling point in our house is the cost savings. I learned early on in my pregnancy that newborn babies are likely to go through 12 diapers a day...craziness!

Our plan for our little baby's bum is to start with newborn disposable diapers and wipes and then transition to the cloth diapers and wipes once the little one grows up and mommy and daddy get better adjusted to baby's schedule. We have our small stock of Huggies Pure & Natural Newborn diapers that we still need to add to, and we also still need to get a supply of Huggies Natural Care wipes. Seventh Generation Free & Clear newborn diapers and wipes are another option we may try out during her disposable days. 

Once her disposable days are over (for the most part...We still plan on using disposables for vacations, overnight trips, etc.), we have decided on bumGenius as our cloth diaper of choice. Earlier this week, a lovely package arrived on our front porch...which contained nine colorful cloth diapers from Cotton Babies. We ordered six of the bumGenius Elemental Organic All-In-Ones and three of the bumGenius 4.0 One Size Artist Series (which are being discontinued, so I got a buy 2 get 1 free deal). We plan on buying six more of the new bumGenius Freetime All-In-Ones to round out our collection of bumGenius cloth diapers. I've been eyeing all the fun new vibrant colors. 

To hold all the dirty and wet cloth diapers, we ordered a large Planet Wise wet bag from Sweetbottoms Baby in the Pink Daisy Stripe fabric. 

Here are some other items that we intend to use throughout our cloth diapering adventure.

1) Itzy Ritzy Wet Happened? Medium Wet Bag in Avocado Damask for on-the-go changes to keep in the diaper bag.
2) bumGenius Diaper Sprayer attaches to the toilet and is used for when we switch to solid foods.
3) Charlie's Soap Powder doesn't leave a residue when washing and prolongs the life of the diapers.
4) GroVia Magic Stick is a diaper ointment that is natural and cloth diaper compatible.
5) Thirsties Booty Luster is a spray-on baby wipe solution.
6) Prince Lionhart Cloth Wipes Warmer to keep cloth wipes warm and toasty.

Maternity Leave

Going on maternity leave was something that I had looked forward to for months, and now it's actually here! As the date quickly approached, the more and more nervous I got that I would be bored for the five weeks before my due date. I have been gainfully employed full-time since college (almost a decade ago) and even though this is a welcome change, change can also be a little unsettling. I am now adjusting to a new norm that doesn't involve an office, coworkers, projects and deadlines. To ease into this transition and make the most of my precious time these next five weeks, I have assigned myself projects that I hope to complete before the little one arrives. And...guess how many things are on my list...yes, 30. 

1. Wash and hang baby clothes
2. Pack hospital bags
3. Install car seat & get checked
4. Write up a birth plan
5. Purchase any last items off registry that baby needs
6. Make growth chart for baby’s room
7. Make clothes size organizers for baby’s closet
8. Print photos for frames in nursery
9. Finish decorating/organizing nursery
10. Make freezer meals to last one month
11. Clean/Organize master closet & donate clothes
12. Deep clean/organize & stock fridge/pantry
13. Clean/organize the garage
14. Clean the entryway/patio
15. Organize hallway closets
16. Order envelopes and paper for announcements
17. Design/Address baby birth announcements
18. Check out and read parenting/childcare books at library
19. Finish reading 3 classic books
20. Finish reading all of the Lineage of Grace
21. Read The Hunger Games trilogy
22. Read Mark of the Lion trilogy
23. Go on walks with dog/do prenatal exercises
24. Plan our last Valentine’s Day without a baby
25. Make a list of date night ideas for the upcoming year
26. Finish media room/buy furniture
27. Update contacts/mailing list and set up e-mail list for baby announcement
28. Create Pinterest projects
29. Catch up with friends/plan lunches & dinners
30. Weekly preggo updates on the blog

Preggo Update: 35 weeks

This photo was taken at 28 weeks by my friend Elyse of Ely Fair Photography.
I am much larger now at 35 weeks!

So, I've been quite absent from this blog and have neglected it for a while now. However, hopefully that will change since I am officially on maternity leave now...starting today at 5 p.m.! I will try to post weekly updates on how the pregnancy is progressing and post any other developments in my new life as a stay-at-home housewife for the next few weeks until the little one arrives. 

I had seen this pregnancy survey on other blogs (like Little Baby Garvin - who's due Feb. 22) and thought I would do the same so I can look back and remember my final weeks as a preggo.  

How far along? 35 weeks

Total weight gain? 30-ish pounds so far

Maternity clothes? Target Liz Lange collection, Target juniors clearance rack of “dresses” that are more like tunics on me, Old Navy & Gap – leggings are my staple these days

Stretch marks? None yet. My fingers are crossed though because my mom had them.

Sleep: Depends on the night. Sleeping on my left side is growing tiresome, and I’ve had a couple killer leg cramps in the middle of the night where I woke up screaming and scaring both husband and dog.  

Best moment this week: Officially starting my maternity leave from work today! Now I have time to do all the things I need to do before baby arrives! I'm hoping this nesting instinct really kicks in so the house gets cleaned and organized.

Miss anything: Bending over. Fitting into “real” clothes. Working out. Sleeping on my back.

Movement: Pretty regular - sometimes it’s just hiccups.

Food cravings: Tonight was pizza - had Marco's pizza for the first time.

Anything make you queasy or sick: Car exhaust, gasoline fumes and cigarette smoke – yuck!

Gender: All girl! We’re hoping all the ultrasounds are correct because it’s all pink around here.

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions since about 28 weeks.

Symptoms: Swollen feet and cankles at the end of the day. Heartburn when I lie down a certain way.

Belly button in or out? I would describe it more as flat, no belly button, just flat.

Wedding rings on or off? On, for the most part. Although, I will take them off now at night for fear of having to amputate a finger or having to cut my rings to get them off.

Happy or moody most of the time? Mostly happy and excited! I may have only cried about three times the whole pregnancy.

Looking forward to: Seeing my baby girl for the first time and holding her!