32 Week Bumpdate

How far along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: Between 15 and 17 inches long, the size of an squash!

Weight gain: 18 pounds!

Food cravings: Been loving all fruit.

Food aversions: None really.

Stretch marks: Still none, just a very odd looking belly button piercing scar!

Symptoms: I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I don't know if it's because I'm physically uncomfortable, or just have a lot on my mind (or both) but I feel like I spend so much time lying in bed awake just wishing I could fall asleep! So that hasn't been fun. The amount of acne on my face is also at an all-time high. That pregnancy "glow," aka oily skin, has been making me break out so badly! I'm not letting it bother me too much since there isn't much I can do about it, but it'll be nice when that (hopefully) clears up. Also, my belly button has completely popped out, which I wasn't expecting to happen since I had such an innie before. It's pretty crazy looking.

Looking forward to: Our baby shower is in one week, so that's pretty exciting. We also have done a lot to the nursery, which I've been loving. Violet now has a crib, dresser/changing table, glider, book shelves (already full of books!) and a closet full of clothes. We still need to do most of the decorating and buy essentials like diapers and wipes, but it's been coming along great so far and we're having so much fun putting it all together. We also bought our stroller and carseat. We decided to buy them from Orbit Baby, since that's what both of my sisters use and always rave about. Joe put it together the other night and it's so cute how into it he is. He thinks it's so cool and loves showing our friends how it works, it's pretty adorable. 

Something else we just did was book a photographer for some newborn/family photos. That will happen a week to ten days after she's born. I'm really looking forward to having those. I decided I don't really care to have maternity photos taken though. I'm not really sure why, but I'm just much more into the idea of newborn photos. But I'm still making sure to take photos of myself pregnant all throughout. 

Random: We've been going to the doctors every two weeks, which feels like so much! It's always nice though to hear Violet's heartbeat and being told that everything looks good and healthy. Also, just like I suspected, some of these kicks are starting to get quite painful. Usually they aren't bad at all, but once in a while I'll feel a hard jab that makes me jump. I've got about two months of her just getting bigger and stronger, so I'm a little bit scared, haha! 

Joe and I completed our birthing classes at our birthing center, and I'm really happy we did them, I feel like I learned a lot, especially about the specific place I'll be giving birth at. I'm also going to take a breastfeeding class in October, which I'm excited for since I feel like there is so much to know! 

San Jose Baby Shower

While we were in California last week, (and the main reason that we went) Joe's sister-in-law and cousin threw us a baby shower. Most of his family lives in the San Jose area, and we don't get to see them very often, so we were excited to visit for a couple days and celebrate baby Violet. It was so nice to be able to see everybody that we haven't seen since the wedding, and the shower was so cute! Everything was decorated so beautifully with pink and gold and the cutest little baby girl clothes. Plus, there was an ice cream bar, which was absolutely amazing since it happened to be such a hot day. Joe has such a sweet, amazing family and I'm so thankful to have them now as my own family.

(I feel like I say this way too often, but I wish I took better photos. Whenever I'm doing something like this I tell myself I don't really care about getting great photos and just want to enjoy myself, and then always wish I took the time. But anyway, here are a few iPhone photos that were snapped.)

♥

San Fransisco

Joe and I just got home on Saturday from our (very) quick trip to California. The main reason we went was to have a baby shower in San Jose, where most of his family lives. But since we were up there, we decided it would be fun to go up to San Fransisco for a day, somewhere I've never been but have been dying to see my whole life. So on Friday morning, Joe, his brother, his niece, his mom, and I drove there. His brother, Jadon, showed us so many cool places, including of course the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Boudin Bakery, Musée Mécanique Arcade, and the Painted Lady houses. It was such an amazing day and I'm so happy I finally was able to see amazing San Fransisco, I loved it so much!

I didn't take nearly as many photos as I should have, I was way too busy having fun and taking it all in, but here are some I did manage to snap. I'll be back soon with photos from our baby shower that we had later that night :)

28 Week Bumpdate

How far along: 28 weeks, hello third trimester!

Size of baby: Between 13 and 15 inches long, the size of an eggplant!

Weight gain: A lucky 13 pounds!

Food cravings: Mostly just had a sweet tooth.

Food aversions: It's been frustrating, I've been so hungry a lot of the time but have the hardest time thinking of what sounds good to eat.

Stretch marks: Not that I've noticed.

Symptoms: I've been experiencing some horrible lower back pain recently. It's mostly on the right side, starts really low on my back and shoots down into my leg. It's been miserable and makes bending and walking too much really painful. Joe made me a massage appointment for next week which I'm very excited for, hopefully it helps! 

Looking forward to: Our baby showers! We're having one thrown by Joe's sister in law in California, where most of his family lives, and we'll be leaving this week to spend a couple days there. I'm really excited since we rarely get to see any of his family, plus it'll be nice to get away for a couple days since we probably won't be able to again for a while after that. Then, my mom and sister are throwing us a second shower here closer to October. I'm so glad we have the chance to see everybody to celebrate baby Violet.

Random: I had to do the glucose screening test a couple of days ago. It wasn't horrible but wasn't fun either. I was given the sugar drink and was told to drink it in five minutes, it was extremely sweet and thick, but not as bad as I thought it'd be. After drinking it, I was instructed to sit tight for an hour, not walk around too much, not fall asleep, and let him know if I felt dizzy or nauseous. That all made me nervous but I felt fine for the whole hour. Then they took some blood and I was on my way. I haven't heard anything yet about results (apparently no news is good news) so hopefully it went well and I passed. 

Also, we started our birthing classes at the birthing center. They are once a week for five weeks, and we've been to two so far. I'm actually really enjoying it. Joe and I are learning a lot of good info from it and getting good tips on breathing and relaxation during labor. 

It seems so crazy that I'm already 28 weeks along. It's honestly going by crazy fast. In only 12 weeks we're going to be parents. That's insane! I'm really trying to enjoy and soak up the kicks and growing belly since I have no idea what the future holds and if I'm ever even going to experience pregnancy again. And although it comes with a lot of aches, pains and stress, I really am enjoying pregnancy and love being the one who gets to feel her move around and carry her.

Wish List

Ever since finding out we were having a little girl, I've been obsessed with only shopping for her. It's been so much fun looking at adorable baby girl items, there are such cute things out there! But recently I realized I haven't looked at anything for myself in quite a while, and although that's probably just what happens when you have a baby, I decided to see if there was anything out there I'd like for myself, and found a few cute things.

1. These lounge pants from Anthropologie are so cute and comfy looking! They seem perfect for when I'll soon be a stay at home mom and will just need something comfy to wear while I'm getting the hang of things.

2. I actually already have a Crosley record player, but this one is just so pretty! I love how compact it is, and the cream color would look perfect in my office.

3. Just a cute, simple wallet. Because I've been needing a new wallet and you just can't go wrong with Kate Spade.

4. I've had my eye on these flats for a while now, and think they would be just perfect for fall. I love the orangy-red color and since I love my black Tory Burch flats I might as well have another color!

5. How cute is this tote?! Almost don't believe it's actually a diaper bag, which is why I love it! At first, I didn't want to buy an actual diaper bag. I got the Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag for my birthday this year and thought I would just use that, but the more I think about it I'll probably want to buy a specific diaper bag, one I wouldn't mind getting a few spills on! I really love this one from Petunia Pickle Bottom. It's so roomy and has pockets for everything, as well as a diaper changing pad. Plus, it doesn't scream "diaper bag," so I could also use it as an every day bag.

♥

Twenty-Four Week Bumpdate

How far along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: Between 10 and 12 inches long, the size of a cantaloupe!

Weight gain: 10 pounds!

Food cravings: No new cravings really, but I have noticed an increase in appetite for sure. 

Food aversions: Nothing specific.

Stretch marks: None yet.

Symptoms: At about 23 weeks, my skin completely freaked out. The bottom half of my face is basically covered in zits, it's the worst my skin has ever looked in my life. I'm thinking there must be a lot of hormonal changes going on this month because I also started feeling really weepy and emotional. One night I even found myself completely crying on Joe's shoulder and couldn't think of a single reason why. He's been so sweet and understanding about it :) I also noticed the start of that vertical line under my belly button. It's still very faint, but it's there!

Looking forward to: Starting to put a nursery together. Our former guest room is now empty besides a glider and a ton of baby clothes, thanks to hand-me-downs from my older sisters. I keep going back there and trying to imagine how things will look, where the crib should go, and things like that. It's really fun to picture how it will be. 

Random: I feel like this is the month I started to look, and feel, undoubtably pregnant. Even at 20 weeks, I still didn't always look pregnant in certain things, and when I first woke up in the morning my stomach didn't look too pregnant until I ate something. But now, I'm sporting that big baby bump 24/7. Other people are noticing too. I've started to see women in stores look down at my belly then smile at me, which is sweet. Luckily no belly grabbers... yet. Violet's kicks and movements are also starting to feel stronger. I can even see some of them from the outside! I really love the feeling of her moving but am getting nervous for when she's much bigger and kicks with all her might. Also, Joe and I drove down to Phoenix last weekend to register. I felt so prepared going with a list of what we needed and suggestions from my sisters, but man that was overwhelming! We were probably in Buy Buy Baby for three hours, just going back and forth and deleting things and re-adding things and googling things and comparing things and wondering if we really needed something. Baby stuff is confusing! I think hopefully we know which things we really need and what we don't. If you know of any baby must-haves I'd love to hear them!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Favorites

What are some of your favorites from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?