Week / Weekend Update and Bumpdate: Week 31

Not the greatest pic this week, and also, this is about the 14th bump pic in which I'm wearing this top.

Well, I don't have quite the glowing report for week 31 as I did for week 30, but once the work week was over, I was handsomely rewarded, so I can't complain! But let's rewind a bit. 

Week 30 brought even more exhaustion than usual, a surge of hormone-related tears, quite a bit of discomfort, and a very, very active little toddler that kept me plenty busy. I'll get into the nitty gritty in the appropriate categories, but for now, let me talk a little about my weekend. For the first time in over a year and a half, I had more "me time" than I knew what to do with!

Now let me just lay it out there. I'm pretty certain that "me time" is a term invented by my generation. More specifically, women, like me, who waited until their 30s to have kids, and spent all of their 20s indulging in whatever they pleased, whenever they wanted. I seriously doubt my mom or any of her peers were ever able to relish in "me time" until us kids finally left the nest. And thus, I feel rather selfish and spoiled for even using such a term, but it is what it is. 

But I digress. This weekend, James took Sammy took New Jersey with him for an overnight visit with his family, whereas I was able to do whatever I pleased for over 24 hours. I had been looking forward to this all week long, for various reasons. It was a super busy work week for James, and meanwhile, I had this to contend with:

We have finally discovered climbing, followed by using this bench as a balance beam.

Upon realizing that he could now reach our utility drawer, Sammy pulled out scissors, a box cutter, and finally, a lighter.  Excellent baby-proofing on our part.

La la la, I'm not trying to hear you and your repeated requests to remove my feet from the kitchen table while I'm eating, Mommy!

Utterly exhausted (and super uncomfortable) by Thursday afternoon, I resorted to Sprout to parent my child.  And yes, Sammy is utterly and totally mesmerized by the television. Alert DCF.

So yes, I was looking forward to my first solo weekend in a very long time. (But not before crying for about 10 minutes before my boys left, and five minutes after. Stupid hormones.) And what a weekend it's been! After getting in a 20 mile ride on my trainer....

Catching up on HBO's Enlightened, an awesome show!

... One of my favorite friends and I enjoyed multiple hours of spa time, followed by enough guac and cheesy enchiladas to last us a lifetime. And even though I had no alarm, I still managed to wake up rather early the following day. (At this point, I've resigned myself to just never sleeping again.) And then, things got crazy. I walked around Target for a full hour - with no toddler to entertain / shove snacks at. 

Some fun goodies for my forthcoming hospital stay!

I braved the craft store (which I still detest with every ounce of my being), and then I completed a couple projects for my little boy's big boy room.

A Beyonce documentary plus an additional two hours later, I am quite proud to announce that I completed my very first build-it-yourself project successfully! Usually I leave this stuff completely to James, but now, watch out - mama knows how to work a drill! I then finished off the weekend with a swim. 

So anyway, it was a great weekend, but I've missed my boys terribly, and am anxiously waiting for them to get home. Also, I don't expect to have another weekend like this for a very, very, very long time.

The Bumpdate

In between chasing Sammy around and looking forward to the weekend, my 31st week of pregnancy brought a great doctor's appointment. Baby Sister's heartbeat is still going strong, my weight was actually a couple pounds less than that stupid appointment two weeks ago (though that was no surprise, as this time I made sure to not indulge in a greasy burger and chocolates prior to seeing my doctor), my blood pressure is great, and I was informed that with this pregnancy, I'll actually have a third trimester ultrasound - not because anything is wrong, but so that the doctor will know how big Baby has grown, and what position she is in. My OB practice must have changed things from when I was pregnant with Sammy, as back then this wasn't standard procedure. I can't believe I'll get to see Baby's face this far along in the game! Also, at this time, the doctor said that she definitely seems to be head down. I am praying that she doesn't change position!

So what happens this coming week with Baby? Her weight is almost up to four pounds, and she is in a curled-up position due to things becoming so cramped in my belly. Her digestive system is ready to go, and her skin is finally turning opaque. She's also sleeping more, which apparently results in a decrease of movement I should be feeling. 

Total weight gained: Still at the same weight as last week, though I may have gone up a half pound. My weight still fluctuates throughout the day, so it's hard to tell.

Belly / movement: I am definitely feeling less movement, and it's a different sort of movement at that. Lots of rolls and nudges, which are not the most comfortable. In fact, a few times this week, I actually wondered if perhaps Baby was mad at me, the nudges were just that painful! 

Sleep: Please.

Best moment of the week: It's a tie between my doctor's appointment and my time at the spa. 

Can you tell that blueberries were on sale at my grocery store this week?

Food cravings / aversion: This week, I was over eating healthy. All I wanted was bad food - regardless of what it was. But, I was pretty well behaved until the weekend, at least. I ate a ton of fruit, plenty of veggies, and somehow skipped meat altogether during the work week. However, there might have been a brief foray back into the world of candy. Some tears might have been shed when a certain someone forgot to pick up Cadbury mini eggs, per a rare special request. We'll leave it at that.

Weird symptoms: In addition to an abundance of emotion and exhaustion this week, Thursday afternoon brought a lot of discomfort in my pelvic region. To the point where I tried to move as little as possible because things were just that painful. I was a little concerned at first, as I don't remember feeling this way with Sammy until very late on in the game, but then a couple friends informed me that with their subsequent pregnancies, these type of symptoms came on much earlier than they did with the first pregnancy. I'm pretty sure it's just my pelvic area stretching and getting ready for birth (though not for two more months, please!), and after stretching out via bike Thursday night, a swim Friday morning and then a walk Friday afternoon, the pain completely went away by Friday night. 

Workout: I had another great workout week, though I felt like I didn't push things too too much. I got in three swims again this week, and am mad at myself for not swimming the 1200 yards I had planned each time, but kept getting sidetracked by anxiety over having Sammy in the pool babysitting room (Wednesday and Friday), or a cramp (Sunday).

Regardless, I felt especially grateful for my newfound love of the pool and the bike trainer especially amidst my pelvic pain. These activities were the only thing that made me forget about it for a bit.

As we approach Spring, I find myself really starting to miss running, though it's also completely unfathomable to me how anyone is able to run at this point in the game. And I know it's possible - I just don't think it is possible for me to do it. Sammy likes to test my ability to run every time he sets foot in the driveway, and I am in full-on waddle mode as I try to catch up to him. It's not pretty.

• Monday: Biked 12 miles in 40 minutes (18 mph)
• Tuesday: Rest day
• Wednesday: Swam 1000 yards
• Thursday: Rode 10.7 miles in 45 minutes (14.3 mph)
• Friday: Swam 1000 yards
• Saturday: Rode 20 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes (18.5 mph) (A new distance record on the trainer!)
• Sunday: Swam 1000 yards

What I'm looking forward to: Having a healthy remainder of this pregnancy. (I should rephrase this category as "What I'm praying for.")