8 Months

8 Months!

I can't believe how fast time is going by. This week I am 32 weeks pregnant. I must apologize for my lack of writing in these posts, I tell our life story more through pictures than words. Bryan requested that I write more about the pregnancy so we can remember all the little things...So I shall try :)

How I'm Feeling

This is a question asked to most pregnant women and I really don't mind being asked. The truth is I feel like my pregnancy has been pretty good to me. I don't have anything to compare it to because this is our first baby but I know some friends who have had it really rough. The first 9 weeks I was nauseous. I didn't want to eat anything except for bland foods and I didn't want to drink anything.It felt like being hung over every day, all day long. I could smell everything and it made me sick. I only threw up once but I tried to throw up many times, searching for some relief. I was never successful but I don't think it would have made me feel better...I remember going into a grocery store and the sight and smells of all the different combinations of food almost made me loose my guts, I had to leave right away. I stopped working at Ruby's during this 9 week stage because all the different smells where making me sick as well.

After that 9 week stage was up I felt so much better. I could eat again! The 'hang over' was OVER! My second trimester I felt pretty good pregnancy wise BUT I got a cold which totally sucked. It knocked me out for 4 whole days but then hung out for a month. This was shocking because I was so use to getting over being sick quickly. I felt so weak.

Then my belly started to grow and the aches and pains began. The most pain I feel is in my lower back. When I work a long shift at Ruby's my feet hurt and I can't really walk for the rest of the day. My nights are restless and I'm sometimes up for hours. I pee ALL the time! I'll spare some of the more gross details but I will say that pregnancy is NOT for the modest. It really takes the 'lady' right out of any women.

Another popular question people ask is "can I touch your belly." I think it's nice that people ask but I absolutely love people touching my belly. I give you all permission to dive right in! In the beginning (when there wasn't really a bump) I was weirded out by it but since my belly has popped I feel like it's more baby than part of me. When people touch my belly, I feel like they are loving on my baby and it makes me happy. It's also a nice little massage :)

Cravings

This is a popular question and I never know exactly how to answer it. I don't feel like I've had any 'weird' cravings but I get obsessed with certain foods at different times. In the beginning I only wanted mango's, bacon and pickles. I lived off of fruit (mango's, and melons) those first 9 weeks. Every week I felt like I craved something new: egg salad sandwiches (with pickles of course), quasadillas (no pickles added), burritos... My two favorite foods in life are chicken and tomato's and I was disgusted with both until my third trimester. At this point everything just tastes so dang good. Bryan wants me to eat lots of spicy food so his baby will grow up to be a spicy eater, just like him. I keep eating lots of veggies and chicken so the baby will be a healthy eater as well. The main thing I've been trying to eat lately is a variety of food. I'm going to be so disappointed if we have a picky eater on our hands. Bryan and I are not picky at all. We eat what is given to us and we can find something to eat any where we go...

Bryan and I have noticed that the baby moves with some foods more than others. So far the baby loves apples, popcorn, anything with garlic, and buffalo chicken tenders.

Not to sound like a stereo-type but I do LOVE my pickles. This has been constant throughout my pregnancy. One night I opened a fresh jar of pickles. Bryan and I where watching a movie and I was munching away. Next thing I knew, I reached into an empty jar of pickles...I had eaten them ALL. :)

Emotions

When we first found out we were pregnant Bryan and I agreed that I would be as tough as I could and he would be as patient as he could. He told me he was scared. I asked why and he responded with "I know I'm going to have to lose more often for the next 9 months." At the time I thought he was being dumb but he was totally right.

The first trimester I tried to be tough and not cry over anything involving my changing body so instead I cried over everything else. I cried over pampers commercials, cute child quotes, craving certain foods and sometimes Bryan's kisses good-bye. Of course this always made Bryan laugh, which made me laugh. Then I finally broke down and cried about all the changes I was going through. I told him I was trying to be tough but I was so tired and I wanted to just cry about it. Bryan was so sweet. He comforted me and told me to let it out. He said "I've realized that this is a team effort" and those were the best words I've ever heard. It made me feel like I could be tough throughout this pregnancy and when it got too hard he was there to pick me up. Bryan and I have always made an awesome team and this pregnancy hasn't been any different.

That being said, Bryan has HAD to lose some arguments because I've been emotionally unable to see any other side except my own. It's so hard because I don't get a little bit upset, I get overwhelmingly upset and I fall apart. Bryan really has no choice but to comfort me and say sorry...even though I end up saying sorry for being 'crazy' an hour later. It's been really fun :)

Fitness

Around 20 weeks I started a 'fit for baby' exercise class. It was a bit on the pricey side but I really wanted to do it. I was lucky enough that my mom said she would pay for the first two months of my classes as a pregnancy gift! Thanks MOM! I loved every minute of those classes. Most pregnancy classes out there are all about breathing and preparing for labor. This class was a workout class for pregnant moms. We're growing a baby in our belly's not our butts, so the only thing that should be getting bigger is that belly! This class made me sweat and made me sore. I LOVED it. It was exactly what I wanted. Since the class was with other pregnant moms, all the moves were designed to make room for the growing belly. There were also different levels so I could adjust my workout based on how my body was feeling. The extra plus about this class was that my friend Lauren taught it. She already has a baby so us first time moms would spend the class asking her all sorts of questions about labor and having a newborn. I had planned on doing those classes until the baby came but they ended after two months. They are going to start up again in March but baby green will be here by then :)

I took two weeks off of intense workouts and did walks and pregnancy sit ups at home. The workouts weren't the same and so I started Stroller Strides earlier than I planned. Stroller Strides is a workout class for moms. It's a great place to meet other moms, get an amazing workout and you get to bring your kids/babies along for the ride. I knew I wanted to do the class after the baby came but I missed my awesome workouts and was eager to get it back! I started two weeks ago and every workout has been wonderful. All the moms are so nice and supportive. This class is similar to fit for baby except we jog with strollers. As of right now my belly is still the stroller :)

Work

During the pregnancy I've been working as a nanny for the Khajavi family. I was so lucky to get such an amazing family to work with. The mom is a stay at home mom with two little boys that are 14 months apart. When I started working there the baby was only 3 weeks old. Since the mom used to be a labor and delivery nurse, work felt like paid training. I asked the mom millions of questions and I got actual practice with a newborn :) I stopped working with them full time when I was 30 weeks pregnant. This was right around the time where my nights started getting VERY restless. I still get to see the family and I work for them maybe once a week.

Since I stopped working as a nanny full time, I've started working at Ruby's more often. I plan on working there until I pop but at 32 weeks I'm already tired of the long shifts...I can only work around 4 hours and then my back and feet start to fall apart :)

32 weeks (8 months)