A week ago, my very dear friend Adrian and I got together on a beautiful spring day for my maternity photography session. I was pretty hesitant to even take any maternity pictures, because I feel like so many others that I have seen done are so terribly cheesy. However, I did want a few professional photos that would capture this moment in my life.  I am so glad that I decided to do them. I am absolutely in love with how they turned out. 

Thank you Adrian for the most perfect pictures of me with my sweet girl!

Photos: Tomato Juice Photography 

I'm seriously impressed with how fast time is flying! I thought I'd be miserable by now, but... so far so good! This week baby girl is the size of a...

How... cute?!? I've obviously missed out on some exotic fruits in my lifetime, because I don't recall ever hearing of or seeing a durian in my 30 years. 

What's Baby Up To?

• She's keeping her eyes open now while she's awake! :)
  
• She is starting to coordinate her breathing with her sucking and swallowing. (Such a multi-tasker!)
  
• Her bones are hardening.
  
• She's still going through major brain development.
  
• Her head circumference should jump up about a half an inch this week due to her remarkable brain growth.
  

She is still pretty wiggly, although it seems like she has calmed down a tad this week... probably running out of room for her shenanigans. She also gets the hiccups 2-3 times a day! But best of all she usually is pretty sweet and lets her mommy sleep uninterrupted at night! We'll see how long that lasts... ;) 

How's Mama?
Symptoms: NONE! My prescription strength heartburn medicine is a life saver. :) Sometimes I have trouble getting comfortable in bed, due to some upper back pain, but overall it's been a great week! 

Cravings: Dark Chocolate covered pretzel thins from Trader Joes! Delicious!

Weight Gain: I'll spare you (and myself) the number on the scale. But, apparently baby is gaining weight more rapidly now, so for every pound I gain, half of it goes directly to her. So... really I suppose I'm just taking one for the team! ;) 

She is definitely growing outward - I mostly just look like I swallowed a basketball, which is fine by me! Although... my belly button hole is getting dangerously smaller and smaller. Crossing my fingers that it'll stay put a little longer and not pop out! 

33 Week Bump Pic: 

In case you're wondering... my hair didn't magically grow 5 inches in the last week. I still had my extensions in from my maternity shoot that were taken by my friend Adrian on Monday of this week. The pictures turned out absolutely fabulous! I will share some of my favs in the next post. 

Week 33, you've been good to me! To make it even better, I have another shower this weekend to look forward to! Life is good! 

Bring on these last 7 weeks! :) 

Well, the party's over. It's back to work this week for Baby Girl and I! She is rebelling by stretching out  her little arms and legs as far as they will go to try and contort mama's belly into interesting shapes! This week she is the size of a...

Oh My Squash! ;) And what's even more exciting!? I am now officially in my 8th month of pregnancy! Woohoo! I can almost see the finish line! :) 

What's Baby Up To? 

• Her fingernails are fully grown! Time for a mani! :) 
  
• All of her organs are fully developed, except for her lungs.
  
• Her skin is no longer see-through, as she has now accumulated enough fat under her skin. 
• She is supposedly sleeping 90-95% of the day... (Ha! I'm going to have to call BS on that. She is ALWAYS on the move! Although, kindly,  she doesn't wake me up at night. Could I possibly be so lucky as to win the baby lottery and have an angel baby who is awake during the day and sleeps at night...? Fingers crossed!)
  

How's Mama? 
Symptoms: Still. Having. Heartburn. Ughhh... It is a daily occurrence. Luckily, I complained about it to my doctor and she prescribed me an extra-strength antacid medicine. Yay! Hopefully, it'll kick in soon. Does this mean baby will have a head full of golden locks when she's born? We shall see!

Other than heartburn, my belly is beginning to weigh me down. Some days I feel like it might explode because it feels so tight or even just fall off. Going for even a one mile walk is starting to be pretty taxing. I wish it were warmer - swimming in a pool, weightless, sounds like heaven to me right now... 

Cravings: Popsicles. Specifically, Steel City Pops - a little popsicle shop that is within walking distance of our house. Luckily, it isn't too bad of a habit. They are made with organic, natural, and gluten-free ingredients. But... they just introduced the most delicious product in all the land - the cookie pop. A vanilla or chocolate popsicle with your choice of a chocolate chip cookie or brownie on the inside. A pregnant lady's dream come true... Or at least mine. I am trying to limit myself to 2 trips a week. Or maybe 3. ;) 

Weight Gain: Too afraid to hit the scale due to my cookie pop addiction! ;) 

32 Week Bump Pic:

Our sweet girl has been extremely entertaining this week. I'm beginning to think she will be active and full of personality. She is quite the wiggle worm and prefers to nestle what we think is her little bootie all the way up against the right side of mama's tummy! This pic is probably an overshare, but I just think it's so funny how she does this!

Even the doctor was like, "whoa!", last time she was checking her heartbeat - which was nearly impossible due to her constant movement! 

We can't wait to meet you, silly girl! 

8 more weeks to go!!! :)

Baby Girl and I are enjoying Spring Break 2K15 right now... so week 31 has been smooth sailing for us! ;) This week she is the size of a...

Mmm... I could really go for a Pina Colada right now! ;) 

What's Baby Up To?

• She is going through major brain and nerve development.
  
• Her irises now react to light.
  
• All five of her senses are in working order! She may "jump" now when she hears a loud noise or move to the rhythm of a song she likes! :)
  
• She can turn her head from side to side.
  
• She is urinating about 2 cups of liquid into the amniotic fluid each day now. Um. Ew. Luckily my body replaces this fluid several times a day! (Already, cleaning up after her!)
  

How's Mama?
Symptoms: Having heartburn pretty regularly and occasionally my back hurts. Also, my stomach feels pretty stretched tight right now. Hard to imagine she will still double in size. Yikes! 

Cravings: Anything sweet. Luckily Daddy is always up for a little ice cream or frozen yogurt in the evenings! :)

Weight Gain: 16 lbs

31 Week Bump Pic: 

30 Week Doctor's Appointment:
Last Friday, we had a doctor's appointment and sonogram! It was so fun to get to see our sweet girl, since we had not seen her since our last sonogram at 17 weeks. She was not very cooperative this time and didn't give us very many photographical moments. (Psshh, whose child is this???) She had her hands and her foot covering her face most of the time. This was the best picture we could get.

Already accessorizing, of course! ;) The doctor said that she and I are extremely healthy and couldn't be any more perfect! Music to my ears! She is currently weighing in at 3 lbs 8 oz (putting her in the 42nd percentile for weight) and they expect that she will weigh between 7 and 8 lbs at birth. Also, the ultrasound nurse said that she could already see hair on her head! :)

She is already in head down position, so we are pretty much good to go  other than just fattening her up a bit during the next two months! I suppose I'll take one for the team and continue my ice cream consumption. ;) Unfortunately, this was our last ultrasound before her arrival so we will just have to be surprised about what/who she looks like when she gets here!  

Other than being right on track developmentally, she has been keeping me on my toes lately with her more frequent and stronger movements! She was definitely showing off this past weekend in Houston, moving around for all to see! Her jabs and rolls are beginning to be a little uncomfortable at times for mama, but I can usually reposition her. Still lots of fun, though!

Only 9 more weeks to go! :)

Howdy y'all! Baby Girl and I are broadcasting live to you this morning from Houston, TX! Over the weekend we celebrated her impending arrival with our very first baby shower, and my oh my what an affair it was! 

Hosted by my college roommate and best friend, Lauren and her sweet mother Adrienne, this Kate Spade inspired shower was the chic baby shower of my dreams!

At the shower, held at Brennan's of Houston, we brunched, we  boozed (well some of us...)  and we were even serenaded by a jazz band!

We were surrounded in love with some of the most special people in our lives (sweet baby already has quite the fan club) and there was no shortage of adorable gifts to open! 

I am touched beyond words that my daughter and I are, first of all, lucky enough to have such sweet friends as these that would host a truly fabulous party for us and also to have so many friends and family that will brave a miserable, rainy day on a Daylight Savings Sunday no less, and travel to come join us in celebration! 

With our first shower now behind us, I know the time will really start to fly! Can't wait to get home to Dallas to start organizing her room a little more and finalize the decor! 

Thank you to everyone who joined us this Sunday! Words can not begin to express our gratitude! What a lucky little girl we will have! :)

So happy we have finally made it to the 30's! It is so crazy that our little love could be here in less than 10 weeks now! This week baby girl is the size of a... 

She must be one large cucumber if she's already pushing 3 pounds!! 

What's Baby Up To?

• Her skin is getting smoother. 
  
• Her brain is getting wrinklier, to make way for all that essential brain tissue. 
  
• Her more developed brain is now able to regulate her body temperature better, so she will start to shed her coating of peach fuzz. :)
  
• She's now strong enough to grasp a finger! 
  

How's Mama? 
Symptoms: Still a little heartburn and my Braxton Hicks contractions seem to be a little more frequent and a tad stronger - but still nothing painful. Mainly I'm just in awe of this growing belly that is beginning to get in the way. I will often find stains on the belly part of my shirts, since it is a catch-all these days. Bending over is getting a little trickier and every day I pray that my belly button won't pop out. Oh the joy of pregnancy! ;) 

Cravings: Nothing really specific, pretty much just anything anyone mentions....like today a random kid in the hallway at school said, "macaroni"  and it made me want some! :) Mmmm macaroni... 

Weight Gain: About 15-16 lbs total. 

30 Week Bump Pic: 

I don't think I ever officially gave you the update, but I ended up passing my glucose test! Woohoo! What an ordeal that was... but I'm so glad that I didn't have to give up my precious sweets, my only bad habit these days....

We've had such crazy weather in Dallas this past week and a half. We might even have another snow day tomorrow and Spring Break is next week! Craziness! I'm ready for the weather to cooperate so this mama can go for a walk outside. Tired of being cooped up inside and of having to re-wear my same winter maternity outfits all the time. Although, I must say my accessorizing game has really been on point. A lack of options really forces you to be creative! ;)

We have two very exciting things coming up in the next few days!! Friday is our 30 week doctor's appointment and sonogram! Yayyyy! We haven't seen Baby Girl since week 17 and we are anxious to see how much she has grown! 

Then on Sunday, I am having my first Baby Shower in Houston hosted by my dear friend Lauren and her sweet mother Adrienne! 

It will of course be completely fabulous and I'm excited to celebrate with so many friends and family members! :) I'll be sure to post all about it! 

Only 10 more weeks to go! XOXO!