Pregnancy Update

Here I am at 30 weeks

How far along? 32 Weeks

Total weight gain? 30 pounds....but like they say, it's mostly muscle, right? :)

Maternity clothes? I hate/love them. I love having pants that don't have a zipper or button (I think we all should go to elastic bands), but I hate my maternity clothes. I got most of my maternity clothes when I was pregnant with Michael and Roger, and even though you would think that maternity clothes wouldn't go out of style, I don't feel like their very stylish at all. Plus most of them have some sort of tie around the rib cage which makes me feel even more large. Great.

Stretch marks? None that I am aware of. I already have a bunch and my kids use to call them "Choo-Choo" train tracks.

Sleep? Not a topic I like. I always have pregnancy-induced insomnia when I'm pregnant, so even though I will be super tired, I will have a hard time falling asleep. It doesn't help that Grant and William will come into my bed and wake me in the middle of the night. It can take awhile for me to fall back asleep.  Then now that I've gotten bigger, sleep is even more difficult.

Miss anything: Being able to move easily, being able to walk up the stairs without loosing my breath, being able to run.

Baby Movement: She definitely is a mover. She doesn't move as much anymore since she's loosing room, but whenever I lay down, she acts up a lot. Whenever I listen to some music she'll move around. Whenever someone stimulates my belly, like when the boys will rub it, she will start moving around. Michael has this "special" thing that he does, where he taps my belly and it will wake her up and get her moving. Honestly, I don't mind my boys feeling a connection to the baby, but having my belly constantly rubbed irritates me. I feel like I'm going to be getting chafed. 

Food cravings: I will crave fruits, and other times I will crave chocolate. Hopefully the fruit will outweigh the unhealthiness of the chocolate.

Anything make you queasy or sick: Not anymore, but earlier this pregnancy it was bad, by far the sickest I have ever been with a pregnancy.

Gender: Girl!! About time!

Labor signs: I feel like I am ready to go into labor any minute, but since I've still got two months and I have always gone to my due date, I don't think it'll come any time soon.

Symptoms: Uncomfortable. Tired. Heartburn.

Belly button in or out? Totally out. I also have an hernia just above my belly button and it sticks out as well.

Wedding rings on or off? On. After I was sick last month, it actually was a little big on my fingers. Don't worry, I'm eating enough now to make up for the lack of nutrition during that time.

Happy or moody most of the time? Honestly there are times that I am not as patient as I should be, get irritated easily. overall not the best mother. But then there are times that I am much nicer and more patient than normal. I think a lot of it has to do with how rested I am feeling. Unfortunately I have been feeling incredibly exhausted this pregnancy. But my boys have done a good job of not only being understanding when I have to just lie down on the couch, but they will serve me. I do feel pretty good that I have done a good job of putting most of my energy that I do have towards my kids.

Looking forward to: meeting this little girl! (and running, and not being so large)

This pregnancy has been by far my most difficult pregnancy. I am not sure if it's because I'm older (I'm only 29) or if it's because it's a girl. During the first trimester, I was out of commission. Poor Todd and my kids were neglected. But they were very understanding and helped me the best they could. I would be okay for a couple of hours in the morning, though I did feel awful when I woke up, but around lunch time and after lunch I would make my way to "my spot", which was the couch in the living room. Michael would come to me and say, "If you need anything, let me know" and he or Roger would bring a drink to me. I felt pretty miserable for the rest of the day, with nighttime being the worse. Going to sleep was very difficult, getting up was difficult. Life was just difficult.
When I finally got through the first trimester, I was never so relieved. Slowly, I started to feel better. Occasionally I would feel sick, which had never happened in any of my pregnancies before. Things were getting better and I really did experience the "Honeymoon Phase" of pregnancy. But then we had the ultrasound that threw a curve ball at us. It gave us a month with a lot of questions and many worries, but also a lot of comfort.
At the end of the second trimester I started feeling large and uncomfortable. I feel like I have been holding this baby more inside my body for she has been in my ribs a lot earlier than any other pregnancy. Now I feel like my belly is about to pop, having the constant feeling that I have eaten too much and will pop any minute. I have had many people ask me when I am due and they are shocked that I have two more months left. Believe me, I would be okay if my due date were sooner. I am constantly uncomfortable, not able to sit comfortably very long nor able to stand, or walk, or anything without being uncomfortable. But I guess it all comes with the territory.
One thing that I have had to give up that has been difficult to give up is running. I have continued exercising throughout my pregnancy, but about two months ago I had to stop running. I had gradually been decreasing the mileage and intensity of my running. I went from running an 8 minute mile for my normal runs to a 9, then a 10 minute mile. It was difficult to run this slowly, but I got to go out, even when it was cold and enjoy some fresh air. Then within a month I went from a 10 minute mile to about a 12-13 minute mile. This was frustrating. Instead of running almost 8 miles in an hour, I was running 4. I should have just been grateful that I was able to run, for then I soon wasn't able to run.
I had met my friend, Mellisa at 5:30 one morning to run. After our warm up walk, we started to run. After about a 100 yards I got a pain in my stomach. We stopped, walked, then we tried running again. The pain came back. We tried several times throughout the course, but were forced to walk. Throughout the next couple of weeks, I would try to run, but every run turned into a walk.  I had to give up running. Obviously, it is totally worth it, but I do miss it a lot. Whenever I pass a runner while driving, I look at them longingly, wanting to be out there with them. But I will be able to get back out there soon enough.
I've got just under two months left and we cannot wait to have this baby girl in our home. I will find myself just giggling with joy at the thought that I am going to have a girl. All of the boys are excited. Grant will lay on my belly and call it a pillow. Then he'll poke out his belly and say that Baby Evelyn is in his belly. Evelyn is what we think we will name her. Evelyn Nae. This is after Todd's mom, Eve, my sister LYNdee, and my other sister LeNAE.