The Prettiest Cookie + 32 Weeks

Hi there!

I hope you've been enjoying holiday cookie week up in here. And today I'm not bringing you a new recipe, but one that I posted last year but which requires repeating again (and again!) because I just love it so much.

We discovered these gorgeous cocoa thumbprints in last year's Food Network magazine and when my cousin Veronica declared that they must be added to the list, we had a great time choosing different fillings for these pretty lil' things. I think they are the prettiest and most Christmasy of all the cookies we make. Not to mention that they are soft and cocoa-y and and all around treat! Head over to last year's post for the recipe!

Meanwhile, today I'm officially 33 weeks pregnant. Baby Girl is about the size of a pineapple this week which on one hand blows my mind and on the other, I can totally believe it. Here's my bump from last week:

Kinda large, no? 

I also had a bit of a shock when I saw how round my face looks in this photo. A lot different than even my 27 week photo, which doesn't feel all that long ago!

This week, when she is moving around...she is m.o.v.i.n.g. around! No joke. It's super fun because I can actually feel which side of my stomach she is curled up on and feel (and see!) her shifting positions. At my last doctor's appointment, he noted that he thinks the baby is head down and is fairly certain that it's a little booty right in the top center of my stomach. That pretty much made me melt, thinking about her little tush wiggling around right there. He also noted that he *thinks* the baby is on track to be around 8 pounds at birth. I can't wait to compare that prediction to what she will actually be!

For the first time thus far, I am actually starting to feel mildly uncomfortable in this body (like actually uncomfortable, not just being nitpicky). My hands are starting to swell (meaning both of my rings are officialy off) and my bump feels so huge that it's really a challenge to bend down, or even lean forward to pick something up off of the coffee table while I'm lounging on the couch. Oh and getting up off of the couch is a whole other story. Thank God I have Shaun to pull me up!

Oh and remember how I raved about the American Apparel tee's being perfect for a growing bump?

I still love them for their cuteness and extreme softness like no other, but...yeah, they are barely covering me now! I do think they will be perfect for right after the baby is born though. Until then, I'll be rockin' them short and probably switching to some oversized men's tees. Sigh.

Foodwise, I'm still digging my Raisin Bran Crunch...

but aside from that, no real cravings or anything. I have enjoyed my fair share of pancakes though, especially this past weekend at the Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City! I dined on some oversized buttermilk pancakes with apple cinnamon topping. It was highly divine and part of our 'soak up our lasts' initiative on Sautrday morning.

We've also been making serious nursery progress, and here's another little teaser for you:

I promise when it's all done I will do a full nursery tour, but as of now, it's still got a ways to go! I'm continuing to wash baby clothes, towels and blankets which has been taking a surprising amount of time. I'm pretty sure Baby H has more clothes than I do! I also made a trip to Ikea to get some nice frames for my sweet little art prints. I can't wait to frame and hang them! Of course, no trip to Ikea is complete with out a $1 treat.

Lastly, we are doing all of our baby classes this week! Last night we had our newborn baby care class at the hospital (or as I like to call it: How Not To Kill Your Baby class) and it was very reassuring to hear about what happens right after birth and what is normal (and not normal) should anything be concerning regarding rashes, eye goop and more. We also swaddled, changed diapers and learned how to hold the baby. A lot of it felt very natural, but I think it was a good refresher for both Shaun and me!

I think that's about it for this week. I'm excited for the holidays and for right after because then we will be just about there! I get more and more excited everyday to meet my baby girl!

29 & 30

Welp...I made it to the 30s!

In both age and weeks pregnant :)

It's pretty crazy to me that at 16 weeks, I looked like this (and conveniently wearing the same shirt):

Hardly any bump at all! And yet at the time I thought that I was already showing so much. Ah how times have changed. 

And though you've already seen this photo, here's what I looked like last week at 29 weeks:

There's no doubt that I'm getting bigger just about everyday!

How I'm feeling:

Generally I continue to feel really good. My body gets tired very quickly these days, especially following my morning and evening commutes. I'm wondering how I'll still be doing this a month (or possibly even 2 months!) from now with a much larger midsection to carry around, but I supposed I wondered the same thing last month and the month before that and here I am, still getting it done!

Aside from that, I've definitely been more emotional as of late. In my head, I know that I'm getting worked up over silly things and I can rationalize that in my head...but it doesn't stop my heart from starting to pound or tears from falling. 

I think a lot of it comes from frustration over things that are totally out of my control; the fact that I simply don't have the energy of my former self, that putting boots on in the morning is a major production that takes my breath away, that climbing stairs feels like I just ran a 5K or that my eyes refuse to accept my contact lenses and so I have been in glasses for the last 6 months.

I know that none of this is so horrible and I'm incredibly lucky and thankful for having a great pregnancy thus far, but I can't help but get excited for the day when these little daily things aren't an issue any longer! 

I did actually make it to the gym earlier this week, for the first time since May. Shaun and I did some treadmill time and I felt really good! I typically walk about a mile a day to and from work, but it was nice to get in some extra (albeit slow!) walking time!

I also have been feeling very nesty and clingy as of late. I don't want to spend any time apart from Shaun and I just want to be at home getting things done. Hopefully this weekend we'll make some great progress on the nursery and have some relaxing QT at home.

Meltdown moments:

- When, in a train car filled with men in seats, it was a woman who offered her seat to me. Then, I was totally out of breath and exhausted by the time I climbed the stairs out of the Path station. These are not problems worthy of a good cry, but tell that to my hormones people.

- When even my gym shorts didn't fit my growing hips and booty and I had almost nothing to wear to the gym

- While watching Walking Dead from a couple of weeks ago...that may or may not have been related to being pregnant, but was just really sad.

Other stuff:

Swelling: a little bit in my hands and I hate it.

Rings: Wedding ring off, engagement ring on! for now...

Doctors appts: Every 2 weeks now! Still love hearing her heartbeat everytime...never gets old!

Nursery progress: It's coming along, but we've got a long way to go! I can't wait to have some good pics to show you.

Baby movement: All.the.time. She is kicking, punching, rolling, flipping and gettin' cozy in there. I am definitely going to miss that once my pregnancy is over.

Cups of hot chocolate consumed: tons

Other foods I'm digging: I'm back on salads, still eating cereal everyday and overall trying to reign in my eating as we head into the holiday season

And that's about it for me for the last couple of weeks! Getting close to the end now as I'm officially 31 weeks today. The baby weighs about 4 pounds at this point and her arrival is feeling more and more real every single day...

25 - 27

Well somehow today I am officially seven months pregnant...eek! 

I'm still loving every moment of this pregnancy and the last few weeks have been especially fun since not only am I officially round and clearly pregnant to the outside world, but because Baby TAA has been moving and shaking like nobody's business! 

Here's Shaun and I during week 25 at my cousin Veronica's wedding!

 

While the first few weeks of movement were mostly kicks and punches, now we can both feel her actually moving around in fluid motions. It's truly incredible! Oh and it's also clearly visible when she is moving around too - it looks like I have a little alien in my belly.

After my 24 week update, I had just taken my glucose test and I am happy to report that the doctor told me that I passed with flying colors (direct quote!). Outside of that my blood pressure and blood tests all look good and so far I'm gaining an appropriate amount of weight (though a little more than I would have liked to at this point!).

26 weeks marked Halloween! And so I thought a themed photo would be fun. This was right before Shaun and I headed to our building's annual Halloween party. This is my attempt to be the Bride of Frankenstein...using a bed sheet as my dress :) I couldn't quite achieve the giant beehive, but I did what I could and at least I got some white streaks in there.

Week 26 included the crazy Hurricane Sandy and 6 days without power. Baby's first storm! I think we weathered it just fine, with plenty of Halloween candy and decaf tea to get us through. And as an aside - I'm pretty happy my glucose test was prior to this Halloween candy binge.

And that brings us to this past week! Baby's first election day!

I have pretty strong political views, but try to keep them off the blog. I will say however, Shaun and I are both pretty thrilled that our baby girl will be born into a nation that shares our social beliefs, especially when it comes to women’s rights and equality. End of political note.

How I'm feeling:

I still continue to feel really good, although I think I'm getting a cold or another equally as painful and icky head situation. I'm stuffed up and nursing a killer sore throat since last night. Here's hoping that it was brought on by this bizarre snowstorm that we just got hit with and will disappear quietly into the night! Any soothing suggestions?

Outside of that, my body does get a bit stiff throughout the day, but I continue to just get up and walk around which helps. I'm still sleeping like a rock and haven't had the need for a prenatal pillow or anything like that just yet. No swelling just yet either and I'm still able to wear my wedding ring...knock on wood that continues!

Oh and I'm happy to report that I can still see my feet, even though the baby books said that I probably wouldn't be able to for much longer!

What I'm eating:

I actually haven't found myself to be more hungry than usual as the weeks wear on. I went through a phase many weeks ago where eating felt like life or death, but luckily I've been able to reign it in a bit as of late. My favorite things over the last couple of weeks include:

Raisin Bran Crunch...every.single.day for like the last 4 straight months.

Lots of tea! I have a cup of Earl Grey with caffeine in the morning and then a couple more cups of Red Rose decaf throughout the day.

Salad! I'm happy to officially be satisfied with eating salads again. My favorite of late is a makeshift Waldorf salad...mixed greens, chopped Honeycrisp apple, {pasteurized} blue cheese crumbles, sliced almonds and a maple-mustard vinagrette.

 

Sweet potatoes with brown sugar...just a little :) It like them nice and mushy, soft and sprinkled with a little cinnamon and brown sugar. 

How I've been nesting:

Like mad! We are hard at work on Baby TAA's room and I can't wait for it to really start coming together! Our rug arrived and I also ordered a few fabric bins for our white bookcase. Of course I like both options, but I'm leaning toward the Circo ones because of the sweet, soft color.

I also received a few art prints that I ordered from Trafalgar's Square Etsy shop! I am seriously obsessed with these. They are so darling and I think will look really sweet in nice frames securely fastened above her crib. 

Shaun also started installing a track closet system for all of her little things. This is still a work in progress, but I'll keep you posted on how this comes together!

I picked up some cute pink bins which will go on shelves in her closet...and we already owned a nice white fan which we'll keep in her room...I've heard fans are good in nurseries to keep air moving? Any tips on that would be appreciated :)

 

Cute baby stuff:

And of course I've been obsessed with baby clothes! It seems like we get a package of goodies every other day from my little shopping binges. I'm going crazy on cute little outfits and sleep sacks...all with matching hats of course!

And some necessary booties...it will be the middle of winter when she arrives, after all!

Ok well I think I've gone on and on and if you're still with me, thanks for dropping in to read my Baby TAA updates! Every single day I get more and more excited to meet our baby girl!