Great Expectations: 31 weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks

Fruit Size Comparison: Pineapple 

Weight/ Clothes: The bump continues to grow of course and I'm looking and feeling VERY pregnant for the most part lately. My face continues to get rounder, but what else can you expect with weight gain. It's all for a good cause when you're growing a baby (at least that's what I'm telling myself, so humor me)!

It is so funny to see the difference an outfit can make in terms of how large the bump appears to be! I wore a black maternity top and jeans on Thanksgiving and from the front in pictures you can't tell I'm expecting, but then I wore a purple maternity dress to the shower the next day and I looked SO pregnant from any angle. It was definitely the clothes not what I ate on Thanksgiving because the difference was so drastic!

Cravings: My favorite Thanksgiving dishes...broccoli casserole and sweet potato souffle. Mom brought the ingredients for these two staples with her from Virginia to New York and I REALLY enjoyed my share of both dishes.

Gender: Baby Herndon got a clothes line of BOY clothes from my sister at the shower...one outfit complete with socks and shoes for EACH month. 

Movement: I may have had my first Braxton Hicks this week. I thought the baby was just laid out horizontally across the bump making the bump pretty solid all the way across, but then I thought perhaps this is actually a practice contraction. My mom has asked me a few times if I experienced any yet, so it's been on my mind. I'm not positive that's what was going on...but I have a feeling it is.

Symptoms: The pain in my ribcage is waking me up at night. I am having a terrible time getting a good nights sleep this week, which is frustrating because I'm subbing a couple days meaning I have to get up early and without a good nights rest I'm left exhausted in the afternoon/evening. I'm going to ask my midwife about it when I head to my centering appointment this Thursday. I've been trying to eat blander foods that won't irritate my stomach as much. It's an on going saga...me and this heartburn! I am definitely looking forward to it going away after giving birth (at least that's what I'm hoping.)

Mental State: I'm feeling more forgetful lately. This could have something to do with my extra fatigue or just one of those normal pregnancy side effects. 

Appointment Updates: I have a centering appointment this Thursday right as I begin week 31. I have to begin the dip tests for preclampsia this week too just to be safe because my midwife wants to be sure my ribcage pain isn't connected. She doesn't think it is truly, but she wants to be sure to keep an eye on things, so like I said...better safe than sorry.

Best Moment of the Week: My sister threw a baby shower for Peanut with all my New York family. She planned such a wonderful shower with dinosaur shaped tea sandwiches, chocolate egg creams, fun games including a baby pool and THE cutest cake! I felt so lucky to be able to celebrate Baby Herndon with my Grandma, cousins, and aunts!