holy CRAP - Single digit Weeks Left!!!! (aka 30WeekPost)

Baby

• As baby's skin smoothes out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled (more room for brain tissue!)
• Her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger!
• Her bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cell, which means she is better able to thrive on her own once born.
• Expect to feel your baby moving every day, especially after you’ve had a snack or meal and (sadly!) when you’re lying down She totally ramps it up when it's mommy's bedtime! sometimes when I wake at night to shift positions, she's mid-dance-party!

Momma

• About 75 percent of pregnant women suffer from puffy ankles and feet (and I feel guilty that I'm in the 25% that has no swelling... lol)
• Your second trimester get-up-and-go may have upped and left now. (totally... bedtime can be 8:30 if I'm laying on the couch, although I somehow made it to 11 last night - must have been the early bedtime from the night prior that helped me watch mostly all the Pats game Sunday night...)
• As your skin stretches to accommodate your growing belly and body, you (and 90 percent of the pregnant set) are probably starting to see the pink or red streaks known as stretch marks. (um.. again, in the minority percentage - no stretch marks... please don't hate...)

Best Moments This Week: (same as last check-in) : As always, when Baby Girl moves =) 

Total Weight Gain: I hovered at about the same weight for a bit after the vomiting a few weeks ago, but recently started upward ticking again - I'm gonna guess about 22 lbs now...

Maternity Clothes:loving them... all ready for legging + sweater weather!

Symptoms: (same as last check-in) : lots of kicks (and mood swings)

Sleep: (same as last check-in) : no change (enjoying it while I can, around the random just-because wake-ups (I think it's BabyGirl's nighttime calisthenics that actually wake me... lol))

Food Cravings: (same as last check-in) : nothing really crazy - it can change hour to hour...

Anything making you queasy or sick:  No, except the 3-hr GTT... YUCK

Movement: (same as last check-in) : Lots still!

Stretch Marks:(same as last check-in) : Still just ones I had on my hips from highschool...

Gender: (same as last check-in) : Baby Girl!!

Labour Signs: ooooh there was a night in the last week where there were a good amount of Braxton Hicks (in fact, the night before my 3hr GTT!) and I tried to really cool it and sit down and rest (hard with a toddler after work!) and then got attitude from DH when I asked for help like would he mind giving Button a bath... DOES HE UNDERSTAND I'M GROWING A HUMAN?!

Belly Button In or Out?: (same as last check-in) : In (never turned out last time either - though I finally took out my belly-button ring this time...)

Wedding Rings on or off?: (same as last check-in) : On

Happy or Moody?: Happy! I've always said this pregnancy that I didn't expect another baby shower, we have all that we need (except some girly clothes lol) but I discovered, while at breakfast with a somewhat friend/acquaintance, that there is a shower being thrown... =) I'm slightly bummed friend ruined the surprise (they really would have surprised me!) but I still have no idea who is throwing it, where it is, or when it is! (I didn't tell the friend she ruined a surprise. lol)

Purchases for baby: I hit a few garage sales with MIL last weekend and found a few onesies, and then "found" the clearance rack at a Carter's outlet (Baby Sister onesie for under $3!!!) but I'm trying to not buy another single thing, especially with the above-mentioned shower and gifts coming!

Purchases for Momma: hm... a striped summer dress from Old Navy Maternity ($8!) that I'm thinking would work with some bright tights and brown boots this fall!

Miss Anything?: A good drink... no change in that answer! And a friend pointed out recently, my parents will be here for New Year's Eve! Is that awful? contemplating/calculating if I can get out of the house 1 week PP?!?!?! LMFAO

Looking forward to: meeting Baby Girl!!! Figuring out what her damn name is going to be!  Seeing how she looks in this sweater I am SO CLOSE TO FINISHING:

Speaking of The Patriots - I apparently dreamt of Tom Brady a few weeks ago (according to notes I had saved in Blogger... OOOOO I just remembered it! the dream!

on some soccer field at night, stretching (seated, legs spread) and he sits behind me the same way to help me stretch... mmmmmm....

where was I? wipes drool

oh yea, so then last night's dreams were of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter coming after me.

AWESOME...

We recently listened to Baby Girl's hiccups on the Doppler (so cute!) and then Button wanted to help listen to her heartbeat (140's, just like at the doctor's) and then demanded we listen to his heart beat...
(E has the cutest pictures on his phone...)

It's so crazy - 2.5 years ago we were listening to him through my stomach via the doppler, and now we’re here listening to his little toddler heart going, after listening to his littler sister's...

(oh yea - weekly bumps!)

 Yesterday before a christening 

exactly 30 weeks!