Great Expectations: 32 weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Fruit Size Comparison: Squash

Weight/ Clothes: I only gained a pound since my last appointment, which is good news since Thanksgiving fell in there. I've been doing my best to eat healthy during the week and then I've allowed myself to splurge a little on the weekend when we have had friends in town, which is the case this weekend and next.

On the clothing front this week my maternity pictures are on my mind since they are coming up in a week. I want to find the perfect maternity sweater to wear with leggings and boots, so I look wintery but the bump still needs emphasis of course. I started the search for the perfect sweater and struck out two days in a row. One mall we went to didn't have a maternity store and then the next day I got lost trying to go to Old Navy and Target and neither had anything photo worthy. I was pretty discouraged heading into week 32, but I refuse to give up. I have one more mall to check out and I'm hopeful that I'll find the perfect one there. Really I should have just tried this next mall from the start.

It also snowed this weekend, but I stayed nice and warm in my maternity coat. Boy am I thankful for that coat!

Cravings: Sadly nothing to report on the cravings front...I really wonder if I'll have any sort of strange craving before Peanut arrives. Guess we'll see.

Movement: Peanut is very active, especially at night kicking up a storm.

Symptoms: Definitely experiencing Braxton Hicks and it is the strangest feeling! Nothing has changed on the heartburn front nor on the stomach/ sternum pain front either. I think I'm kind of getting used to it, so it doesn't seem quite as bad. I have also tried taking some regular strength tylenol and it seems to help at night, so I haven't been waking up as often. I have definitely slept a little better this week thank goodness.

Mental State: I finally signed us up for our birthing class this week. It will be four Wednesday nights for 3 hours each class. Sadly we will miss one class due to our trip home to Virginia for the holidays, which begins a little sooner than we originally thought because Adam is going to do three of his Airforce Reserve days prior to Christmas. I figure the instructors can give us some materials on what we miss and three classes will be more helpful than nothing. Adam was funny...his response to this time commitment was, "What do we need to know that will take four 3 hour classes?!" I assured him there was plenty to learn and be prepared for since we'd never had this experience before. I am beginning to think about labor and delivery more and more. Adam is supposed to also attend my centering appointment next week because the topic is labor and delivery. The BIG moment is lurking right around the corner!!! Ahhh!!!

Appointment Updates: I had a centering appointment this week and its topic was all things breastfeeding. We learned the importance of a baby's latch and what a difference this can make in your breast health and comfort.

It was a very informative appointment on a couple levels because I found out as long as all goes well during labor and delivery the midwives are advocates for immediate skin to skin contact and breast feeding as well as delayed cord clamping.

I ate healthy and my midwife was happy that my weight gain was once again under control. We did my first test for proteins/ preclampsia and all was well this week. My blood pressure is also great! The midwife also examined my sternum, pressing along my ribcage and she was happy to report that it I wasn't feeling pain where my liver is currently sitting and most likely the pain is being caused by how loose cartilage and such become during pregnancy and things shift around. She said that it is perfectly okay for me to take some Tylenol to help relieve the pain.

Best Moment of the Week: Having the Stanley's in town for their anniversary trip. We got to hang out and show them around Boston all weekend long. I kept up pretty well all weekend walking around town and I had a baby shower to attend Saturday afternoon for Laura, who is due just a couple weeks before me, so that was a nice rest from all the walking. Climbing stairs is still the hardest activity for me. I get SO winded! We were all over the city from the North End to Cambridge and we all had a lot of fun!