Pregnancy Update: 32 weeks

Family

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I had all these big intentions of doing updates and cute pictures throughout my pregnancy and now all of a sudden I’m 32 weeks and none of that has happened. Guess that’s what happens with the second born!  I’ve now made it as far as I did with my pregnancy with Jude, which absolutely stuns me. He was born at 33 weeks (his birth story viewed here) and I think I’ve been kind of holding my breath a bit this whole pregnancy to make it this far. I won’t lie – after a traumatic experience with birthing him, plus all the miscarriages, plus everything we went through to maintain this pregnancy, it’s been hard not to feel like fear has been nipping at my heels for this entire pregnancy. I have fought valiantly to not let it overcome me and to fully embrace every single thing about it. I literally would cheer every time I threw up in the first trimester because it was such a relief to me. And then once we got through the big ultrasounds at around 20 weeks, I finally felt myself relax.  At 30 weeks, I admittedly panicked, just like I did with Jude – things were starting to feel REAL! And now that we’re here at 32 weeks, I am ready to get this show on the road.

Somebody mentioned to me the other day about how quickly it seemed I’d pulled the nursery together. I laughed to myself – I’m such a planner and when Jude came, absolutely nothing was ready. We showed up at the hospital because I had been feeling so sick and the OB said “Today’s the day!” We had no camera, no bags packed, no diapers, no nothing. We were transferred to another hospital with a NICU and I remember going back to the first hospital  a month or so later to pick up the clothes I had arrived in. We were such a mess.  So this time around, doggone it, I was going to be PREPARED! I am READY to have this baby – I’ve got bottles, diapers, diaper bag, stroller, the whole shebang. Everything except a hospital bag packed.

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Over the weekend, my darling friend Rita threw me the loveliest baby shower. I felt so honored – so many sweet friends and family came out and I loved getting to celebrate this baby. I still cannot believe I get to do this all over again. And then yesterday I went to Babies R Us and bought a car seat that a real live actual baby is going to sit in! MY BABY!

I’m working on doing a big nursery reveal once I get everything in place. Right now it’s kind of a dumping ground for all the baby stuff I’m trying to get organized. As soon as the dresser arrives, that’s going to help get things pulled together, but here’s where we’re at now.  I still need to get drapes at some point too.

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My favorite gear purchase with Jude was the Bugaboo Bee stroller and it was worth absolutely every single penny. I originally purchased ours on eBay, new in box, and then was able to resell it again for about the same as I paid for it. It was the only stroller we ever used, and we loved the extendable handle especially since Simon in particular is so tall.  I upgraded to their latest model and I looove it. The good thing about these strollers is that they are super hardy and they have excellent resale value.

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Minted graciously sent us some fab framed prints for the nursery (which we’ll discuss in detail in another post), but I love the pops of color they provide against the white walls. And the natural wood frames! LOVE.

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Still awaiting a decision on drapes (below) but I’m totally prepared for long nights in the rocking chair.

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A few pregnancy stats for my own reference:

Cravings: Anything banana pudding. I’ve been obsessed with this ridiculously insane banana pudding pie from Pie Junkie (O M G). I seriously cannot get enough. And What’s Cooking in OKC also makes these individually packaged homemade banana puddings with all the Nilla wafers you can imagine. I buy one for Simon and then one for me. Because I am so not sharing. It is that good.

Wearing: Umm, at this point, I’m happy to be at home wearing a tee and these PJ Harlow foldover pajama pants (not maternity). They are oh so comfy. Otherwise, it’s maternity leggings and oversized tees – whatever I can be comfy in. I’m happy to say that my Paige maternity jeans that I’ve worn since the first trimester are still rockin’ and rolling, and will be perfect postpartum jeans as well. They are low rise with stretchy tabs at the waist, and while my belly’s getting a little bit on the large side (read: lots of hitching up of the pants), they are as comfy as pajamas so there’s no complaint here. Dark rinse, flattering – all the right things.

Feeling: alllll the feelings. I’m starting to get nervous about how Jude’s life is going to change and only having a wee bit of time left as a family of three. But overall, the extreme anxiety I felt when pregnant with Jude is not present. With him, I didn’t know how I felt about being a mom or how I was going to do anything at all. Was life as we knew it over? Now on the other side I truly know how rich  and amazing life is because of that sweet little redhead.  So the overwhelming emotion I feel is excitement and anticipation. I cannot wait to meet this kid.

Sleeping: horribly. Apparently I’ve started snoring which is driving Simon to the point of going to look at La-Z-Boy recliners. We don’t have a guest bedroom or spare bed anymore (it’s at the lake house!) and so it’s either pop those earplugs in or get thee to the sofa. Bless his heart.

Growing: I feel enormous. Like, way bigger than I did with Jude. Just like the Kool-Aid man busting through a wall (OH YEAH!). And let’s not even talk about the state of my National Geographic-esque boobs and their road map of veins.  Jude’s teacher showed me a drawing he did at school where he drew boobs on a Pilgrim woman for Thanksgiving and I nearly fell over dead on the spot. “It’s all because of me and these ridiculous boobs!” I thought to myself. Likewise, the belly continues to expand. We went to a Christmas party over the weekend in a house full of 250+ people and I couldn’t squeeze the belly through the crowd. And it’s only going to get BIGGER!

Ok, if you’ve made it through all of this, you’re a champ. Thanks for indulging this banana pudding-eating poorly-sleeping overly-emotional pregnant woman.

 

with love,
Rachel

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