34 Weeks

How far along? 34 Weeks 

Total weight gain? Up 31 lbs. I go in again Week 36 for another soon! I really wanted to stay below 30 lbs, but as we can see I have gone up one pound over and Coraline still has big growth spurts ahead...my dream seems to be squashed. :-[ They say at this point she is growing 30 grams a day!

Maternity Clothes? ASOS is my top #1 choice! The tops/tunics run true to your pre-pregnancy size. (Given you didn't let yourself go and blow up like a balloon - boob growth is accommodated for). I found that the pants are true to your current pregnant size. So if you measure your hips properly, use their size chart to order the proper pregnancy size. Yes this means you may order a 10/12/14. Grieve for a bit, then get over it. My next choices are The Gap/Old Navy. I have really only ordered tank tops from there and again, true to pre-pregnancy size. However, for 3rd trimester I recommend going up one size, the belly region can get tight. :-)

Stretch Marks?  The red marks are still on my butt! Good news, the red marks on my boob have vanished! Gone! Not even a slight sign that they were once even there. WHOOP! What is amazing is no stretch marks on my belly, none what-so-ever! 

Sleep:  Sleeping is WAY off. By 4 pm I am exhausted! I want to take a nap, but always talk myself out of it. By nighttime I am exhausted and feel like I should be able to pass right out, but don't. Major insomnia. I should probably just start giving in to the 4 pm nap. :-/ Either way I am EXTREMELY tired.

Best moment this week: Found out what position Coraline is in and Henry learned massage techniques from our Doula!

Miss Anything? Alcohol. It is hot and I want to enjoy the fun fruity alcoholic beverages everyone else is getting to enjoy. Jealous. 

Movement: She LOVES to move!! What's new? ha! Oh and hiccups! Those movements count, right?

Food cravings: Watermelon. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures are still making me sick. 

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along! I absolutely can't wait to meet her!

Labor Signs: More and more contractions! 

Symptoms: 
Exhaustion! Absolutely exhausted.
Braxton Hicks! Yay.
Very small bladder...very. small.
Baby hiccups
If I don't take my prenatal vitamin at night, my legs get extremely antsy! It feels like I need to go running they get so antsy. However, if I take my pre-natal within 30 minutes they chill out. I read that it has to do with the iron. Either way, it works.
Movements have changed from individual movements to feeling simultaneous movements in two different spots. Like I will feel something toward my right side up by my ribs, and at the same time another movement on the left side of my belly button. It's the weirdest, yet most wonderful feeling in the world.
Disappearing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased.
Occasional swelling of my feet and hands. Especially my right foot. 

Belly Button in or out? My belly button is officially FLAT. No innie, no outtie. 

Wedding rings on or off? Both rings have moved to my pinkie fingers. I had a scare with my Aggie ring and just decided to keep them both there. Juuuust in case. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing out the nursery and getting back into our house from the tornado!

Baby Name? Coraline! I love the name!! See WEEK 21 for name details. <3

Thoughts: I have mentioned before that I am planning a natural child birth but in a hospital. I can not stress to you how grateful I am that we have hired a Doula for the process. I have read and been told on countless occasions to hire a doula for a natural birth, but ESPECIALLY if you plan to natural birth in a hospital. No matter which way we choose to birth, I am beyond happy that we hired Jenni. She actually came to our Birth Boot Camp class this week and taught all the Hubby's a few massage techniques for the aching Mommies. Boy are they FABULOUS! Henry really picked up on what she taught and has been doing wonderful at home. We, or I, particularly like a thing called "Rebozo" or "Sifting". It lifts the baby's weight off my back and accommodates Coraline to be in a better position. We learned right now she is in the LOT position. AKA - Her head is down, facing my right side, back side is on my left side, which is why I feel her little feet on the upper right side of my ribs/torso. LOA - where she is head down, facing my spine is the optimal position, but LOT is the 2nd best. Go little Coraline! 

About the Board:

We themed the board around her nautical name and nautical room. :-) Like my attempted seahorsies?
She is roughly 5 lbs and the size of a small pumpkin. I really need to take a step back, I didn't realize my usual spot is starting to interfere with the board. Oopsie!

Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: 

Dress is from Motherhood Maternity.

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain? Looks like I am up 20 lbs. Yippee! I know it's normal and you are suppose to gain weight, but it doesn't make seeing the scale rise any less painful. LOL.

Maternity Clothes? ASOS in the UK is the only reliable pregnancy store I have found so far. I love all their stylish clothes for women in their 20s, plus free shipping on returns. Everything is GREATLY priced and not cheaply made. I have also recently bought a few items from Old Navy after a fellow blogger buddy stated how great their items were too. 

Stretch Marks?  The red mark has officially popped up on my hiney! First my boob, now my butt!! Come on! I mean luckily it is perfectly placed where any bikini will cover it, but I was horrified to see it. UGH!!! The positive side, at least it isn't my belly....yet. EEK!

Sleep:  Sleep has been tough this week. A lot of the places in the virgin islands do not have A/C. Coming from Texas, that is almost unheard of. Once we cool off from the day, the fans get going, breeze starts blowing, I sleep pretty fine. I am definitely up the moment the sun is up though. 

Best moment this week: Maternity photos at The Baths!

Miss Anything? Sushi and Rum. Going to the Caribbean on our babymoon has been slight torture. I don't know why I didn't think this through better. haha

Movement: She is moving quite a bit. People definitely say she moves more than when they were pregnant. Maybe that means she is getting it out of her system now? Maybe? 

Food cravings: Coconuts!!! The island coconuts here are phenomenal. The coconut water right out of the coconut is even better! Wish I could add a shot of rum to mine like everyone else did. Boo.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures are still making me sick, like couscous, as well as red meat. 

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along! I absolutely can't wait to meet her!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: 
The day I worked before we left I drove out to the office and went to get out of my car, only to realize I never put shoes on. I worked the entire day, shoeless. I guess that adds forgetfulness to the symptom list?
The day after we landed my feet were hella swollen. So swollen I couldn't feel the last two small toes on either of my feet and it felt like my skin was going to rip on my feet.
If I don't take my prenatal vitamin at night, my legs get extremely antsy! It feels like I need to go running they get so antsy. However, if I take my pre-natal within 30 minutes they chill out. I read that it has to do with the iron. Either way, it works.
Movements have changed from individual movements to feeling simultaneous movements in two different spots. Like I will feel something toward my right side up by my ribs, and at the same time another movement on the left side of my belly button. It's the weirdest, yet most wonderful feeling in the world.
Disappearing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased, which has lead to the dreaded red-mark, and frequent bathroom visits.
My highschool back breakouts have really cleared up! I am sure the sun and salt water have played a major part in that.
Heartburn has been nipped in the butt thanks to my prescription of Reglan for my paralyzed stomach, that just so happens to be a medication used with gastric reflux. Jackpot twice in a row! This pregnancy thing is a cinch. (so far)

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? My left hand randomly swells now with the fluctuating heat waves, so for safe measure I have moved my wedding ring to my pinkie. :-]

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing out the nursery and getting back into our house!

Baby Name? Coraline! I love the name!! See WEEK 21 for name details. <3

Thoughts: This week we chartered a boat for Father's Day to island hop and take maternity photos. Holy cow was this island PHENOMENAL. It was something straight out of a magazine. Which apparently they use this place to shoot Sports Illustrated. We kind of took it to another level with maternity photos. Take that hot skinny models! After maternity photos we hiked through the Baths to Devils Bay. The Baths are surrounded by humongous boulders. We got a lot of confused looks because we had to crawl through these ITTY BITTY grooves and crevices, then stand up and BAM! Preggo belly!! lol It was awesome.

**NEW** About the Board:
No board this week since we were on baby moon.

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: 
Aqua Maxi Dress is from Victorias Secret
White Linen Pants from Victorias Secret
White Maternity Tank is from Old Navy
Champagne Hi-Low dress is from Express. (This was actually the dress I wore to our rehearsal dinner!)

28 Weeks

I know I am WAY behind on posting the pregnancy tracking chalkboards. BUT I have a great excuse! We went on our babymoon to St. Johns, USVI and were able to get some fabulous shots taken. Since we were gone for weeks 28/29 I wasn't able to get a personal photo with the board. We were fortunate enough to shoot for about 3 different days. Some were taken on week 28 and the others on week 29, so it worked out perfectly. I did take notes via my phone to help me remember all the symptoms and fun stuff going on. Now that the maternity photos are in, I can do some major posting and catch up. :-]

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain? Looks like I am up 20 lbs. Yippee! I know it's normal and you are suppose to gain weight, but it doesn't make seeing the scale rise any less painful. LOL.

Maternity Clothes? ASOS in the UK is the only reliable pregnancy store I have found so far. I love all their stylish clothes for women in their 20s, plus free shipping on returns. Everything is GREATLY priced and not cheaply made. I have also recently bought a few items from Old Navy after a fellow blogger buddy stated how great their items were too. 

Stretch Marks?  The red mark has officially popped up on my hiney! First my boob, now my butt!! Come on! I mean luckily it is perfectly placed where any bikini will cover it, but I was horrified to see it. UGH!!! The positive side, at least it isn't my belly....yet. EEK!

Sleep:  Sleep has been tough this week. A lot of the places in the virgin islands do not have A/C. Coming from Texas, that is almost unheard of. Once we cool off from the day, the fans get going, breeze starts blowing, I sleep pretty fine. I am definitely up the moment the sun is up though. 

Best moment this week: Maternity photos!

Miss Anything? Sushi and Rum. Going to the Caribbean on our babymoon has been slight torture. I don't know why I didn't think this through better. haha

Movement: She is moving quite a bit. People definitely say she moves more than when they were pregnant. Maybe that means she is getting it out of her system now? Maybe? 

Food cravings: Coconuts!!! The island coconuts here are phenomenal. The coconut water right out of the coconut is even better!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures are still making me sick, like couscous, as well as red meat. 

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along! I absolutely can't wait to meet her!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: 
The day I worked before we left I drove out to the office and went to get out of my car, only to realize I never put shoes on. I worked the entire day, shoeless. I guess that adds forgetfulness to the symptom list?
The day after we landed my feet were hella swollen. So swollen I couldn't feel the last two small toes on either of my feet and it felt like my skin was going to rip on my feet.
If I don't take my prenatal vitamin at night, my legs get extremely antsy! It feels like I need to go running they get so antsy. However, if I take my pre-natal within 30 minutes they chill out. I read that it has to do with the iron. Either way, it works.
Movements have changed from individual movements to feeling simultaneous movements in two different spots. Like I will feel something toward my right side up by my ribs, and at the same time another movement on the left side of my belly button. It's the weirdest, yet most wonderful feeling in the world.
Disappearing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased, which has lead to the dreaded red-mark, and frequent bathroom visits.
My highschool back breakouts have really cleared up! I am sure the sun and salt water have played a major part in that.
Heartburn has been nipped in the butt thanks to my prescription of Reglan for my paralyzed stomach, that just so happens to be a medication used with gastric reflux. Jackpot twice in a row! This pregnancy thing is a cinch. (so far)

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? My left hand randomly swells now with the fluctuating heat waves, so for safe measure I have moved my wedding ring to my pinkie. :-]

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing out the nursery and getting back into our house!

Baby Name? Coraline! I love the name!! See WEEK 21 for name details. <3

Thoughts: Just ready to meet Coraline. I love this sweet little lady so much! When I say I am ready to meet her, I am not joking. The anxiousness has grown so drastically. It is comparable to senioritis. Not in a way where, "I am ready to get this baby out of me!", it is more along the lines of, "I am ready to kiss all those tiny fingers and toes and hold her and snuggle her!".

**NEW** About the Board:
Board inspiration came from our Babymoon!
The board was done using fonts from WORD.
Chalkboard Fonts: Were free-handed.

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: 
Orange skirt was from TJ Maxx
White Maternity Tank is from Old Navy

26 Weeks

How far along? 26 Weeks

Total weight gain? As of the last doctor's appointment I have officially gained 17 lbs. HOLY GUACAMOLE!!! The doctor however says it's fine, that I look great and have a big baby so it's no big deal. Given my boobs have grown drastically, but the baby being 2 lbs now and given the boobs probably 2 lbs MAX - that's TOO much weight by my standards. I don't care what my doctor says. Cue depression. LOL I shouldn't gain more than 30 lbs over the course of the pregnancy and Coraline still has her biggest growth spurts ahead of us. Next appointment is June 3rd so hopefully the weight gain will have slowed down. 

Maternity Clothes? ASOS in the UK is the only reliable pregnancy store I have found so far. I love all their stylish clothes for women in their 20s, plus free shipping on returns. Everything is GREATLY priced and not cheaply made. I have also recently bought a few items from Old Navy after a fellow blogger buddy stated how great their items were too. The items in the photo though are from Motherhood Maternity.

Stretch Marks?  The red mark has officially popped up on my butt! First my boob, now my butt!! Come on! I mean luckily it is perfectly placed where any bikini will cover it, but I was horrified to see it. UGH!!! The positive side, at least it isn't my belly....yet. EEK!

Sleep:  Sleep has been a bit restless this week. I have been having to stay at the in-laws house and their bed is no where near as soft as our plush pillow top california king. My left shoulder has been starting to ache. Ready to be in my own bed again. Although I do love all the wonderful home cooked dinners. hehe

Best moment this week: The "reach for the sky movement"!!!

Miss Anything? Sushi and Rum. Going to the Caribbean on our babymoon is going to be slight torture.

Movement: Henry and I went camping this weekend for Memorial Day weekend and were laying down at night reading our baby books when Coraline decided to she wanted to have a spaz attack! The movements were on either side of my belly button taking turns raising my stomach in super quick movements. Henry saw it out of the corner of his eye, so we both sat there watching it. I had to keep from giggling because it was so bizarre! Then, all of a sudden, the left side of my stomach just slowly raised a good two inches up!! It was definitely a knee or elbow because it was bony. I started to laugh from the pure craziness and Henry was quick to tell me to stop laughing so he could keep watching her move. She continued on for a few minutes. It was crazy fun to watch! 

Food cravings: It may just be me, but I think this week is strawberries and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I think I have had about 12 PB&J's this week, plus homemade strawberry shortcakes, strawberry jam, strawberries in my cheerios, etc. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures are still making me sick, like couscous, as well as red meat. 

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along! I absolutely can't wait to meet her!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: 
One day my ankles and fingers were swollen since it was SUPER HOT one day.
Nosebleeds are back, bad! I wake up and blood almost immediately starts running. Sad.
If I don't take my prenatal vitamin at night, my legs get extremely antsy! It feels like I need to go running they get so antsy. However, if I take my pre-natal within 30 minutes they chill out. I read that it has to do with the iron. Either way, it works.
Movements have changed from individual movements to feeling simultaneous movements in two different spots. Like I will feel something toward my right side up by my ribs, and at the same time another movement on the left side of my belly button. It's the weirdest, yet most wonderful feeling in the world.
The "nesting" has begun with crazy cleaning and organizing.
Disappearing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased, which has lead to the dreaded red-mark, and frequent bathroom visits.
Then my back has begun to break out like a highschool boy going through puberty on steroids. Luckily, I discovered this Naturals Spot Treatment from Neutrogena and it has DRASTICALLY reduced the breakouts and their redness. You just apply it 2-3 times a day and it just pretty much dries everything up and prevents anything new from popping up. YEA BUDDY!
Heartburn has been nipped in the butt thanks to my prescription of Reglan for my paralyzed stomach, that just so happens to be a medication used with gastric reflux. Jackpot twice in a row! This pregnancy thing is a cinch. (so far)

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? On - However, there was one really hot day (Texas big surprise) where my wedding ring began to get really tight so I moved it to my pinkie for the day. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing out the nursery and getting back into our house!

Baby Name? Coraline! I love the name!! See WEEK 21 for name details. <3

Thoughts: Just ready to meet Coraline. I love this sweet little lady so much! I wanted a boy so badly when I first got pregnant and now, I wouldn't change having a girl for anything in this world. God definitely has everything happen for a reason. 

**NEW** About the Board:
Board inspiration came from Memorial Day! However, I could not find red chalk, so hot pink it is! Hot Pink, white and blue.
The board was done using fonts from WORD.
Chalkboard Fonts: Harrington and then the rest were free-handed.
Size was a "hot house cucumber" although it looks like a zucchini
This week Henry was out of town all week so his lovely aunt Terri volunteered to take the photo with me, so of course I had to have her jump in the photo with me. <3

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: 
My lovely fashion for this photo entailed a prenatal tank and prenatal jeans from Motherhood Maternity. Not my favorite store to shop at, but it's the closest one around when you can't wait for shipping.

Week 25

How far along? 25 Weeks

Total weight gain? As of the last doctor's appointment I have officially gained 17 lbs. HOLY GUACAMOLE!!! The doctor however says it's fine, that I look great and have a big baby so it's no big deal. Given my boobs have grown drastically, but the baby being 2 lbs now and given the boobs probably 2 lbs MAX - that's TOO much weight by my standards. I don't care what my doctor says. Cue depression. LOL I shouldn't gain more than 30 lbs over the course of the pregnancy and Coraline still has her biggest growth spurts ahead of us. Next appointment is June 3rd so hopefully the weight gain will have slowed down. 

Maternity Clothes? ASOS in the UK is my go-to maternity store! Free shipping, plus free return shipping if it doesn't fit or I don't like it. Sign me up. Not to mention, GREAT prices. All outfits can be worn post maternity too. I am obsessed. I will forever rave about them. I also recently found some cute ones at Old Navy online as well.

Stretch Marks?  Still have the red mark I freaked about on Week 21 & 22. Other than that, looks like I am clear for now. Been applying lotion with Vitamin E and Cocoa Butter religiously every day.

Sleep:  Sleep has been much better since the amazing body pillow as arrived. Coraline seems to be on a regular sleep pattern. She squirms like crazy before bed, then settles down for the night, then around 7 am is up and squirming and rolling around. 

Best moment this week: Poking my belly and Coraline kicking back. Exciting right? lol It was so much fun for me! Except Henry was freaking out thinking I was hurting her and I had to reassure him she has plenty of room and cushion in there - it's not like I was going to poke her eye or anything. I finally convinced him to give it a shot, but his prods were so tender. He did slightly poke around and got to feel where her body was as it went from slightly soft to extremely hard. Seeing his excitement made my heart smile.

Miss Anything? Sushi and Rum. Going to the Caribbean on our babymoon is going to be slight torture.

Movement: Lots of movement! It is a lot of rolling now instead of sudden kicks/punches. 

Food cravings: Fruit (watermelon) mostly.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Textures are still making me sick, like couscous, as well as red meat. 

Gender RESULTS: BABY GIRL!!! My gut feeling was right all along! I absolutely can't wait to meet her!

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: The "nesting" has begun with crazy cleaning and organizing. Disappearing belly button, baby bump, nails and hair growing like weeds, baby movements (the best!) and my boobs have drastically increased, which has lead to the dreaded red-mark, and frequent bathroom visits. Then my back has begun to break out like a highschool boy going through puberty on steroids. That bad. Luckily, it is on my upper back and my long hair covers it, but I am praying it goes away before our beach maternity shoot in St. John. Then there is the AWESOME gastric reflux/heartburn. Whoa buddy talk about miserable at night! Feels like I have a mini bonfire going on in my throat. 

Belly Button in or out? Innie - barely.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing out the nursery! 

Baby Name? Coraline! I love the name!! See WEEK 21 for name details. <3

Thoughts: Really getting anxious to meet Coraline. The nesting has begun and I have been cleaning like a mad-woman. But being displaced because of the tornado has made this really hard to handle and giving me anxiety. I need to be home so I can clean!!! Gah!
I have begun talking to her more and she definitely loves dancing to certain songs on the radio with lots of bass. It sounds completely odd but she already has a fun personality even though she isn't here yet - just the way she reacts to things and moves around. I literally can spend a whole evening poking my stomach and watching her kick back, or just feel her roll side-to-side, back-and-forth. Then of course the whole dancing around to music kind of thing. If I already love her this much, I don't know how I am going to handle the amplified love when she arrives. My heart just might explode from all the love. Cheesy, right?

**NEW** About the Board:
The board was done using fonts from WORD.
Chalkboard Fonts: Harrington and then the rest were free-handed.
Size was an Eggplant and then my pregnancy book said my uterus was the size of a soccer ball! Uuuh, come again???
Love the blooper??

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: 
My lovely fashion for this photo entailed comfy yoga paints from Victoria's Secret with the fold-over band, then the "long and lean" tank top from Target. Bow in the hair is from Aggieland Outfitters. <3

I ask my Hubby to stand there to so I can set the camera up and not cut his head off - this is how he chose to pose. HAHA Sexy! Teach him to post embarrassing photos of me. Payback.