Pregnancy Update: Week 30

It's hard to believe we have reached the thirty week mark; it seems like four weeks was just yesterday.  I feel like we have crested the pregnancy hill and are on the downward slide at this point.  It's safe to say exhaustion has set in. I told Andrew as we walked into our appointment last Monday that I was ready to be done.  I figure the next ten weeks are either going to fly by, or they are going to crawl.  Luckily, we have some fun things coming up the next few months, so hopefully that will make time feel like it isn't crawling. 

The week started off with our 30 week appointment with our midwives.  Everything checked out, and rather than measuring almost a week ahead like I had a couple of times, I was measuring right on track.  Sadly, between the heat and the fried food, I was strongly discouraged from attending the state fair this year.  I'm not sure Andrew was too upset with that news, but I was.  It's not that I can't go, I just have to use common sense if I do.  I shouldn't go during the heat of the day, drink lots of water, and don't eat a ton of fried food (that could be a major problem).  I'm guessing we may have to take a pass on the fair this year, which is slightly depressing.  A spot of good news for me was that I only gained one pound in between appointments!  The nurse told us that the biggest weight increase is typically seen around the 28 week mark and it should start to slow down now.  That was comforting, and I hope hope the trend continues. 

My drama for the week was our car seat and stroller choice.  Before making our final selection on these items, I spent countless hours researching all the options and pouring over reviews.  We knew wanted a jogging stroller, but the jogging stroller we picked to go with the car seat we also picked is being phased out and was only available for purchase on Amazon.  Upon doing some additional research, I realized the stroller might not have been the best option for us in the first place as it was missing a few key features.  Many google searches and online reviews later, we settled on a new car seat and stroller.  Saturday, we went to Babies R Us so we could test drive the stroller I had my eye on.  I wanted to make sure it was going to be a good height for Andrew since he is on the taller side in addition to having all the helpful features we were looking for.  Andrew actually found another stroller he liked better to go with our new car seat choice.  We ended up taking advantage of a sale going on at Babies R Us and got a travel system with the stroller and car seat all coming in one box.  Our final decision was the Graco Modes Jogger with the Snug Ride 35 car seat.  Being thrifty, I thought we would be able to find a better deal online or put it on one of our registries and use our completion discount to purchase it.  However, I learned through a quick online search Graco only made this model for Babies R Us and it only comes in one color.  Luckily, I had a $100 giftcard I won at a work function earlier this summer that we were able to use toward the purchase.  While it didn't cover the whole bill, it made a nice dent in it. 

Saturday night, we got things hung up on the wall in the nursery, which was exciting to get done!  We still have some clean up and organization work to do in the nursery, but we are getting closer and closer to having it ready.  I like to stand in the nursery and imagine our little girl in there in just a few short months.  The dogs have also been getting familiar with the new smells.  They were quite curious when Andrew was putting the stroller together the other night. 

Sunday we had our one hour fast track birthing class.  We were anxious for the class, which included a tour of the birthing unit.  I think it put our minds at ease to see the birthing unit and learn about the process when we show up on the big day.  It made me a little uneasy to learn about many of the things that could go wrong throughout the final weeks of pregnancy and during the delivery.  However, I have to remind myself we have had a very healthy pregnancy with no reason to believe we will encounter any complications.  Our final class is a breastfeeding class, which is right after Labor Day.  

I did well keeping up with my nightly walks last week, which I know Maya appreciates.  She starts to pout around 8:00 if she doesn't think we are going on a walk; I'm not sure Buddy cares either way.  I have also kept up with my healthier eating as much as possible.  I'm trying to stick with eating tons of fruits and veggies and minimizing my sweets.  I also find my stomach is getting smaller and smaller and rather than eating meals, I'm basically eating snacks all the time. In addition to a shrinking stomach capacity, my lungs are feeling quite squeezed these days.  Climbing stairs is no longer an easy task.  This little one continues to rock and roll inside me.  It's funny to see when she it sitting more on one side than the other.  Any time I rest anything on my stomach, she's a kicking fool.  She doesn't make it an easy task to read these days.

Finally, the bump from week 30.  You got another week of me getting dressed in normal clothes and doing my hair!  It's quite an accomplishment these days.  

During week 31, there aren't a ton of exciting things happening.  We are in an off week for appointments with our midwives.  This weekend, we are taking a day trip to do some shopping during our tax free weekend.  Fingers crossed it isn't ridiculously hot this weekend!  We still have a list of projects to get done before October, but we are making progress and getting things crossed off!  Other exciting non pregnancy related things include the start of Packers football season!!!  Ok, it's only the preseason, but I don't care.  Football season has to be my favorite time of year.  I can't wait to curl up on the couch with our newest Packers fan this winter and watch the games!