Baby Update!

It's getting real! The baby will be here in about a month and a half, and we will be heading to Okinawa to wait for her birth in just a few weeks! My mom has her ticket to come visit and my wonderful friends in Iwakuni gave me a beautiful cherry blossom baby shower! 

I've been so lucky to have a great support system here in Iwakuni and the opportunity to go to Okinawa for our daughter's birth. We don't have a birthing facility in Iwakuni, so most people go to Yokosuka about three weeks before their due date for childbirth. With babies being the unpredictable, schedule-free creatures they are, many daddies miss their babies' births because they have to work in Iwakuni until five days before the due date. Luckily, Joe will be working in Okinawa the whole time I'm there and he should be available! Keep your fingers crossed for us anyway!

I found the adorable blog, Wades of 108, a few days ago and got a lot of great ideas about how to remember this special time. It really is flying by even with all my attempts to slow down and enjoy the pregnancy. So, for the people asking and for my future self to remember, I give you a peek into my experience:

1. How far along? I'm officially at 33 weeks today and starting to feel the baby rolling and getting bigger instead of just little kicks here and there. It's amazing!

2. How big is baby? She should be a little over four pounds and about 17 inches long. I've only had a 10 week and 20 week ultrasound, so we don't have an updated weight right now. My fundal height (belly circumference) has been measuring normal for the entire pregnancy.

3. Weight gain? I gained 17 lbs as of my last appointment. The little girl has been making me very hungry for sweets lately, and my lovely mother sent me a package of girl scout cookies that may have waylaid my healthy eating for a while. I'm trying to eat more protein (80g per day is the goal!) to help the baby get all the nutrients she needs.

4. Stretch marks? I'm happy to report I haven't noticed any stretch marks. Hooray! My Aunt Nancy sent me some Burt's Bee's Mama Bee Belly Butter that I've used quite a few times, but not every single day.

5. Maternity clothes? I have a few pairs of maternity jeans that I've been rocking, but sometimes I want to just hang out in my yoga pants and watch TV. I found great jeans at the exchange in Sasebo and lots of ruched t-shirts at our exchange in Iwakuni and from the Old Navy website. I didn't realize that I would need new bras for my pregnancy too! My band has gotten so tight over the last few weeks - maybe baby is stretching my ribs apart?

6. Sleep? I've always been a side sleeper, so I'm still comfortable sleeping. The major discomfort is having to wake up 1-3 times per night to use the bathroom! Baby puts a lot of pressure on my bladder and needs to be watered constantly.

7. Best moment last week? The best moment of the last week was absolutely, hands down, the baby shower that my friend Leydi hosted for me! My friends absolutely spoiled me.

8. Cravings? My main craving has been Greek or Caesar salads with chicken, but the restaurant on base just changed the menu and took their Greek salad off the menu! I'm crushed. Luckily, we can make a good Greek salad at home. I've been wanting lots of sweets lately but have been trying to eat protein (nuts, meat, seeds) when I have a craving for something sugary. I want a strong baby, not a fat one!

9. Symptoms? Well, all the symptoms that come from having a baby growing where I once enjoyed a relatively flat (from time to time) stomach! Crossing my legs is getting more awkward and indigestion has been a problem a few times. I thought I saw some swelling in my hands, but it was when we were in Thailand and it was 95 degrees! I took my rings off just in case it was real swelling.

10. Exercise? I try to take our dog for a walk once per day. We've had to shorten our walks because I have to use the bathroom halfway through now! I am trying to adhere to the Bradley Method and do pelvic rocking, thigh abductors, "tailor sitting" (sitting Indian-style), and lots of squats instead of bending at the waist.

11. Gender? A girl! We found out in December and I've had so much fun with her cherry blossom theme nursery and washing her itty bitty ruffly clothes.

12. Movement? I'm feeling more movement as the pregnancy progresses, but her most active time is between 8-10pm when I'm relaxing or going to sleep.

13. Belly button? My innie is still an innie! I was dreading having an outie but it doesn't look like it will pop out. It's getting more and more shallow with all the space our baby girl is taking up, but I hope it stays flat.

14. What I miss? I really thought I would miss alcohol more than I do! I love beer and wine, but I've really been craving a margarita for a while. I miss eating sashimi, but I can always find something at our local sushi places that I can have. California rolls are delicious.

15. What I'm looking forward to? I'm really looking forward to our crib arriving from the U.S. and painting a bookshelf white so that it will match our baby's nursery. We don't have any closet space for the little girl, so we have to find creative ways to organize all her baby necessities. I'm also really looking forward to going to Okinawa, seeing my friends on the island, and for my mom to visit! I haven't seen her since January of 2012, so it's been way too long! She's going to be an amazing help in coaxing this sweet baby out of her latest digs.