Week 4

Age: Four weeks old.  April 8, 2013.

Weight & Height: On Friday, April 5th, 2013 I went to a place with my mom called 9 Months and Beyond.  There was a breast feeding class called Weigh-to-go-Baby!  They weighed me on the scale before my mom nursed me.  Then, after I was finished they weighed me again.  I weighed 8lb 12oz.  Whooo Hoo!  My mom felt so good after going to the class.  I ate 3.4oz on one boobie!!  The teacher there said that was great!  I was happy to see my mom feeling so proud.  Since that class she has become more relaxed when nursing which makes it easier for me too. 

Things I enjoy: Nursing.  I love laying on my changing table pad so much.  My mom and dad have 2 in the house and they keep one in the living room.  When I am crying for no reason they put me on the changing pad on the coffee table in the living room and I stare at the fan.  I love looking at all of the fans in the house.  This week mom and Linus and I have been waiting for dad outside in the rocking chair.  I love it when my dad gets home from work. 

Here we are waiting for my dad to get home from work!

Skills I've mastered: Sleeping, Nursing, and following my mom and dads voice when they talk to me! 

Tough times:  This past week has been really good. I have been giving my mom and dad a break and sleeping well at night.  I have started a new thing though that I think they are a little annoyed about.  I do NOT like to go to bed before 11:00pm.  Sometimes they try to trick me and my mom works so hard to keep me awake all day so that I go to bed earlier.  She is NOT fooling me.  My dad holds me from about 8:00pm-11:00pm when he is home from work.  I'm sure after a couple more weeks my parents will just give in and stop trying to put me to bed before I'm ready! 

Exciting Events: I celebrated my 4 week old birthday at the zoo with my Aunt Jill and cousin Addison.  It was pretty fun.  My mom nursed me in public twice while we were there!  She is always so proud when she does that and I am really good for her when I eat in public because I don't want her to get frustrated.  The zoo was pretty fun.  I slept most of the time.  My cousin kept telling me all about the animals while we were there.  I can't wait to go back to the zoo with him! My mom went to see an orthopedic surgeon (Dr. David Moore- who's son was in her class last year) and he checked her shoulder out and gave her a steroid shot.  Since then her should has felt a lot better!  Also, that same day I got to walk with my friend Lincoln and Aunt Chandra on the Greenway by their house.  I was not as good as my mom had hoped for.  I really like being held and it was a long walk.  I got pretty fussy about halfway through so my mom picked me up and held me.  As soon as she picked me up out of the stroller I felt better!  This weekend was fun too.  Mom, dad, Linus, and I all hung out together....just the 4 of us.  Mom and dad did some yard work during the day and I sat outside with them some of the time.  I was even good for them and slept in my swing for over an hour so mom could do some chores inside the house.  Friday and Saturday night we blew up the air mattress and watched movies in the Sabres room.  I was a little fussy during the movies but dad held me and mom nursed me whenever I wanted!  Then, in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday we all snuggled together!  I love the morning time and I am always so happy!This weekend I got to go to my 1st soccer game.  I watched my cousin Margaret play!  Mom tells me that I will be spending A LOT of time here - whether I like it or not!  Haha. 

It was a little chilly so I have my cardigan from Aunt Sarah on and my dad let me wear his hat because it was SO sunny and dad was worried I would get a baby sunburn!

Looking forward to: I get to go to my mom's school on Monday for a meeting.  I am pretty excited about that.  I get to be with Aunt Annie too.  I miss her. Also, Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Eric are coming to hang out with me next weekend and I can't wait to meet Uncle Eric.  I hear he is pretty funny!

33 Weeks

getting bigger and bigger!

frontal views are my new favorite.  my stomach looks so crazy to me.  i love it! plus, i am often caught standing or sitting holding my stomach just like this in all sorts of places - both public and private!

when my shirt is down, my stomach looks a little more torpedo like than when you see it bare in all it's glory!

How far along? 33 Weeks I can not believe we are in single digit weeks now!  Just 7-9 more weeks to go depending on when Leland decides to make his presence!

Total weight gain/loss: 20.3 pounds gained. 

Maternity clothes? Yes.  I live in my black maternity leggings!  This last week I have been pulling on my Old Navy Rockstar (that are cheap and very stretchy) jeans so I can feel a little less pregnant and a little more normal when I go out places.  It really does work.  I no longer wear the Belly Band - it was SO tight for me that I think I only wore it 3 times.  I used to do the rubber-band trick through the button hole, but now I just leave them totally unbuttoned and unzipped and wear a long tank top! Perfection. 

Stretch marks? No. Keeping my fingers crossed!  A friend of mine gave me this bottle of Mama Belly Oil (lavender, camomile, and red mandarin oil) that I have been rubbing all over my body!  It smells sensational and by sensational, I mean I smell like a fancy spa which I am okay with!  

Sleep: I am still sleeping a lot at night.  Gravity is kicking in, and my pregnant belly is finally starting to pull on my back when I lay on my side.  I used to be able to just have a pillow in between my legs, but now I need one under my stomach for some additional support!
 Other symptoms: Varicose veins have not been as swollen this past week which is great.  I do sit down a lot at work which has been helping. 

Best moment this week:  I found out that a dear friend is having a BOY!!  So exciting!  Nate and I went through our first Hypnobabies "class" this past Sunday night which was a fun first step in our birthing process.  Also, I bought NEW MAKEUP yesterday!  How fun is that.  I used Christmas money from my students and bought new eyeshadow, eyebrow pencils, my first makeup brush, and this primer for my eyelids that I am supposed to put on before eyeshadow - who knew!  I am going to a makeup class next Friday afternoon and they are going to teach me how to apply makeup and I am going to buy new blush, a blush brush, and mascara!  How fun.  MAC is my all time favorite makeup!
Hypnobabies & Birthing Preparation Update:  We decided to do the home study of Hypnobabies for our birthing preparation.  My friend gave us all of her materials from when she did the group study for her first birth and highly recommended the program.  It has also saved us about $350 by using her materials and studying at home.  There are scripts and cd's and all sorts of things that I am supposed to be practicing each week.  It is pretty intense.  We have our second "class" tonight!  I will update on Hypnobabies next week too and give a little bit of background on why we decided to use this method for our birth prep! Sweet sweet husband is reading, The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin.  This book was recommended to us by the doulas at 9 Months and Beyond.  Several of the doulas said that they bring this book with them to each birth they attend.  When Nate finishes the book he is passing it off to my mom and she is going to read it as well. 

Movement: Yes! Lots. 

Food cravings:  Sweets. Rootbeer floats!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing right now.    

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: BOY!  Leland Henning Kivett!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks Contractions!  These are getting more serious which is pretty crazy and making this all the more real.  I have to stop and breathe through them almost every time I get these now.  I bet that people think that I am a little crazy when I am mid stride through the Green Hills Mall and suddenly stop.  Before it just felt like my stomach was getting tight and now it feels as though Leland is going to burst right through my belly button!

Belly Button in or out?  It is still IN.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy!

  Looking forward to: I am so looking forward to my third baby shower this coming weekend.  How lucky am I that I get three baby showers (and another one to come from the sweet sweet Moms of the kids in my class)!  People are so so sweet wanting to celebrate baby Leland!  It will be at my sister in law's house and I can't wait!!  (I will be doing a whole post on Baby Showers at a later date to show off all of the precious details and hard work that everyone put in to make them so special!)