hi Megan,
you're 34 weeks pregnant!

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready!

hi Megan,
you're 33 weeks pregnant!
 Baby's now the size of a honeydew!Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

Your body is changingYou are one hot mama -- literally. A 20 percent metabolic rate increase throughout pregnancy can leave you begging for a cool breeze no matter what the weather is like. Distract yourself with an exercise in blind identification. Try to distinguish between baby's feet, fists, knees, and elbows -- all doing some major pushing and nudging inside of you.

[ tip ]Wash just a few of those adorable newborn outfits before baby comes and keep the tags on the rest. Baby will probably outgrow most before she gets to wear them, and you'll be able to return or exchange for a bigger size.

updates

4 days until Christmas! I say this every year (we all do) but it came too fast! I love this time of year, and have to admit I feel that the build-up (decorating, shopping & wrapping, the music, the parties) are even better than the actual day. But I bet that will change: as our daughter(!) grows older, the holiday itself will become even more fun, as we witness it all through her eyes.
Anyway, I finished shopping earlier this year than usual so that's a great feeling. Hubby and I decided not to exchange gifts, and instead open a joint account. But there are still plenty of gifts to give away to our family & friends, and the empty crib has come in very handy for storing gifts away from our ribbon-loving cats.
Today I received the whooping cough & tetanus vaccines. It's funny how many times you get poked by a needle while pregnant. Receiving shots doesn't freak me out but I have plenty of friends who don't do as well. It's something you just have to do! My arm is sore now.
Greg and I are floating a new name around. This name is totally out of the blue and will remain a secret ;)
The nursery is officially ready; the foundation, at least. Greg finished the dresser and it's so beautiful! My dad saved the ladder shelf from my old bedroom and it's leaning against our wall with stuffed animals on it. I will post photos soon. We keep the door closed so every time I go in there it feels crisp and smells fresh and clean.
I'm on pins and needles until our next ultrasound, which is at 36 weeks and I'm 33. It's been so long since we've seen her!
She's moving as I type this.
Dinner is in the oven but I'd almost rather nap than eat. Almost. I might have to nap after I eat ;)
I'm sleeping much better lately.
I sleep with five pillows.
I have 3 yoga classes left.
No one has told me lately that I look like I'm having a boy.
I still have not had a stranger touch my stomach.
Time to finish making dinner!
(Photo again from our gingerbread day at my aunt's house)

32 weeks

Hello, Megan!
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.

updates

 

Life is good. Now that I no longer work at TJ's on Sundays, I have two days off in a row. There is plenty to do to prepare for our little munchkin, but we're tackling one thing at a time and I'm feeling good about everything. 

Here's what's been goin' down during my blogging break (which stemmed from Texas, power outage, and lack of blogging energy)

Registered at Target for my baby shower (incredibly overwhelming~I recommend that moms to be start sooner rather than later

Assembled the crib

Put up book shelves and new blinds in the nursery

Purchased & wrapped most christmas gifts

Signed up for five more yoga classes

Greg is going to assemble the dresser today

Calling around and setting up interview appointments with various pediatricians

My energy is definitely dropping. I welcome the chance to have a nap, or at least shut my eyes for a few, every day. I don't sleep all that much, plus a little someone inside my belly is growing rapidly and zapping our shared energy. So I'm just trying to both take it easy and get things done here and there so that I don't fret about having soooo much to do (I'm good at fretting about that). My legs and pelvic bone are still killing me; aches and pains almost constantly. I'm trying to bump up the calcium and potassium, stretch, walk, hydrate.

*photo from our annual gingerbread cookie decorating day at my aunt's house. I suckered Greg into coming. And those two are my cute cousins.

28-31 weeks

Hello, Megan!
Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain – which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester.


 Hello, Megan!
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision – which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)


Hello, Megan!
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

the storm of all storms

 

On Wednesday night, Nov 30th, I went to dinner in Toluca Lake w/my friend Chelle @ Gindi Thai (so yummy). We sat by the window and commented on how windy it was outside. When we walked down the street afterwards to our cars, we reached my car first, and then she ran to hers because it was so cold. I got on the freeway and had to grip my steering wheel tight, the wind was so strong. By about 10pm Greg and I were both home and a bit freaked out by the wind. By 11pm, I said I should go to bed since I had to get up for work in the morning, but the wind was so strong it was shaking our windows and doors so I told Greg I wanted him to come to bed with me. We laid in bed for 5-10 minutes before looking at each other and saying 'let's move to the living room.' We were too scared to be near the windows of our bedroom. We set up camp in our living room; he gave me the couch and he slept on the floor. We bundled up and lay in shock. The anxiety was so bad that we could hardly sleep; we were terrified that our windows would pop in or a pine tree would fall on our roof and come crashing in upon us. Dramatic thoughts, I know, but when your power goes out at midnight and doesn't return until the following Sunday morning, and you walk through your neighborhood and notice the destruction (in the photos above) you realized that you spent an entire night awake, trembling on the couch, during the storm of all storms. 

Thanksgiving in Texas

First-Up in my attempt to catch up on my blog: random photos from our trip to the 'Lone Star' State.
We had a great time catching up with family, walking around, sitting around, and eating. That was our trip in a nutshell, especially the eating & catching up part. Here's a brief synopsis:
We flew in & out of Austin but spent two nights in San Antonio, 2 nights in Austin, 2 nights in Houston, and then our last night @ the San Jose boutique hotel in Austin. Aside from that last night we were lucky enough (saves so much money!) to stay in homes (his brother's house, his aunt's house, my sister's apt). Strange, yes, we both have family in Texas. But so great to get to see so many family members, and where they live, all in one trip.
Of all the cities, I preferred Austin, which has funk & charm. However, I wouldn't say that I would want to live there; especially with all the humidity they get in the summer. My favorite areas (from what we saw) of Austin were the South Congress (or So Co) area along with Barton Springs. These areas feature tons and tons of restaurants & bars that all have really groovy outdoor patios. We had perfect, perfect weather the whole trip so we were able to take advantage of well, eating and sitting and talking on numerous patios.
Houston deserves a better rep. My sister drove us around to various neighborhoods (one looked like Melrose, one looked like Beverly Hills). There is diversity within this humungous city, and their downtown is actually quite beautiful. The most special part of the trip was spending time with my sister and seeing her Texas digs; she's been living there for years and I had yet to visit her.
I realized on this trip (well, I've kind of always known...) that I'm pretty horrible at taking photos. I don't put enough effort into documenting moments and areas and people. That's something I really want to work on. The photos above illustrate the trip in some way, though most were taken in Austin.

sneak peek.....

i'm coming back to blogging life, i swear. this was me one week before thanksgiving; my last day at work before spending 7 days in texas.
since then i've just been trying to recover, (isn't it funny how you need a vacation after a vacation?) and then there was the whole 'insane windstorm knocks your power out for four days' now it's all about gearing up for xmas, focusing on the baby shower, and oh yeah, acknowledging the fact that (hopefully) two months from today there will be a newbie around.
nevertheless, i have sooo much to write about. i really can't wait to catch up on here, for myself if no one else. but for now, sleep is beckoning me.