How far along? 31 weeks! If we are pretending, as all baby sites do, that a baby takes exactly 40 weeks to develop, we have now reached single digits, folks!

Weight Gained: 22.5 lbs… well going down is a first.

Symptoms: It seems all my first trimester symptoms seem to be saying hello again. They must’ve missed me! Still super tired all the time, slightly nauseous, everything smells oh so strong, these boobs of mine have earned their right to be called breasts (my word do I feel very, umm, human. I’m like a walking textbook and I hear I have more exciting symptoms to come from these parts.. oh the joys.) etc.

Movement: I love that I can feel her almost all the time now. I used to only be able to if I was lying down or sitting still but now I’ll be walking around and be like, “whaaa!? oh ya, my offspring..” I have a hunch this little girl is going to have the best, most kissable little footsies cause right now, I’m kinda in love with them and their poky goodness.

Food cravings: All forms of potatoes :)

Food aversions: I still don’t think there is anything I wouldn’t eat. at. this. very. moment.

Sleep: I found a way to sleep on my stomach again! I’m a pregnancy master.

Stretch marks? I don’t think so.

Belly button in or out? In, but rather flat and shallow ;)

Miss anything? Not being exhausted all the time.

Mood? Oh :/ I’ve lost track of how many times this week I’ve told Greg I’m SO sorry for being such a, how do you say, basketcase. I cry over everything. I’m not kidding. It’s sad. And scary. And needs to stop. Preferably now. Luckily I have the sweetest most patient husband in all of the world who just chuckles when the song that plays when Beth dies in Little Women randomly comes on Pandora and he looks over to find his mega emotional wife sobbing over such things.

Maternity Clothes? Same same same.

New baby items: Ok, I finally feel like if she were to come right now we would be relatively ready for her! I still wonder who that car seat is for and why we have a changing pad in our room, not to mention all these… diapers? I’m having a really, really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this is our child and she will be with us for probably forever. And then I feel her little kick and my heart grows about 10x bigger and I think, get outta me baby! I want to hold you! And all is right in the world. Here’s a peak at her little corner. I have visions of making it more cute but realistically, it’ll probably stay like this until we move ;) And below that is her sweet little basket my parents got her. It’s kinda perfect because it’s called the Sausalito Moses Basket which is obviously one of her parents favorite places, not to mention the happy place where we spent our first year(ish) as married peoples. And then below that is all her adorable little clothes that I keep having nightmares about her not fitting into any of them because she comes out as a three year old or something. They are beyond precious and oh so soft and ya there’s a lot of white but really did you expect anything else? I have some colorful things coming in the mail ok? I just love babies in white :)

Exercise: I watched a birth video my midwife loaned me the other day, and the girl was like, “we hiked every day to prepare my body for labor!” Well, if that doesn’t give you an oh crap sorta feeling… But! I’m so thankful for my mom and her urging to walk every day. Seriously, my motivation is at an all time low so having someone to do these things with is a HUGE blessing.

Best moment of the week: Christmas day!!!! My family has had this tradition that you can’t listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving :'( EXCEPT!!!! the day after Halloween is a free for all and you can listen to your heart’s content! Naturally, I couldn’t get enough …aaaand Greg is already sick of it. But he put it on first thing in the morning and it was rainy outside and there was a fire and glowy candle goodness and I don’t think I had anything to say except smile. It was a very good day.

Also, and this is probably pretty lame but definitely made me go shrieking into Greg’s work zone room with my happiness but!!! you know how I have a problem leaving my plants behind when we move? Like I actually dig them up and take them with me because I love them so? It’s weird, I know, but I get attached and have spent countless hours watering them and caring for them and talking to them etc and no way am I about to let them just die at the hands of the next person who moves in who doesn’t have the same weird attachment! Anyways, I had this beautiful white bougainvillea at our last place and 1) I have never seen a white bougainvillea anywhere except in Capri a couple years ago and I made a pact with my gardener self to find such a plant one day and have it at my own house and 2) I found it sooner than expected and loved it so and obviously couldn’t just leave it behind – plus our last lease said we had to return everything to its original condition (rocks, ugh) so I was its only hope! But, you know, bougainvilleas have super sensitive roots so I set out to carefully and meticulously excavate them little by little – fully intending to spend all day on such a task if need be. But then… well, I think I’ve mentioned Pasadena is hot and oh my gosh was it hot that day. It was just beating down and I was so gross and sweaty all over and those stupid maternity shorts didn’t help at. all. I may have gotten a little irritable and used a couple choice words coupled with some angry, hasty movements and all of a sudden after already spending a good chunk of time being careful, I found myself ripping that precious plant from those stubborn roots and *pop pop* there went the two big roots. I may have cried. In fact I know I did. And then I hyperventilated a bit and possibly called Greg, sobbing about some plant. I can’t quite remember. Anyways, all that to say, I had already gotten the pot to bring it home in, so I just decided to plant it and pray and pray and pray that it would make it, water it with all the love I could muster up, and talk to it each day, reminding it of its beautifulness and how it’s not going to die, it’s going to live a long and lovely life etc. Well, I watched it lose all of its leaves and wither into the saddest little thing you ever did see… but I kept scraping the base and it was still green! So I just kept talking to it and watering it and begging Greg to let us use precious space in our moving truck to bring my dead plant with us AND TODAYYYYYY!!!!!!! I went to water it again and it has its first!!!! green!!!! new!!!! shoot coming off of it. I am BEYOND giddy, if you couldn’t tell. This almost trumps Christmas. I am a happy lady.

Looking forward to: More bougainvillea growth!! :D oh and the holidays!