I don't care, I love it... I don't care, I love it, I love it! I don't care, I love it. I don't care, I love it, I love it!

We are quickly approaching the 33 week mark! Lil G is approximately 4.5lbs, however I am measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule, so G could weigh even more than that. And truth be told, I'm feeling every bit of that 4.5+ pounds. I myself have gained 4 lbs... yes, 4 lbs the entire pregnancy. When people hear that, they're like- "4 lbs this week?!?" No, ya'll... Not this week... in the entire 33 weeks. Cray cray. But, I don't care... I love it. 

My diet secret this week?

Plain ol' Corn Flakes... No extra sugar for this girl! At least not on her cereal... I make up for it in other ways... did somebody say Starbursts? Mamba's? Swedish Fish? Ice cold Coke?

My view

I can't see my feet anymore...unless I lean quite a bit. 

I thought it might be humorous to revisit my old pregnancy posts and see where we are now in this pregnancy:

·       Maternity Clothes: Are there any other clothes? Even my regular t-shirts are stretched to the max. 

·       Weight Gain:  4 lbs. Yup, just 4. But again, for someone who was overweight to begin with (shoot, I'm not ashamed of it...), I've gained a healthy amount. My goal is to gain 6 more, bringing me to a nice, solid 10 lb weight gain this pregnancy. I would be THRILLED if I met my goal. 

·       Stretch Marks: Meh... Well, they aren't exactly a normal looking stretch marks, but I have these random little (like the size of a nickel), reddish patches on both my right and left sides of my abdomen. They don't really look like a standard stretch mark, but I don't know what else to call them. So there it is... I have stretch marks. Sad day. 

·       Movement: Some days I wonder if Lil G ever stops moving!!! G especially loves kicking into my ribs, pushing it's head on my bladder and moving it all around, and doing some weird french tickler thing to my belly button. It feels really weird... and I don't really like it. We will be having a talk about this after he/she is born. 

·       Energy:  The second trimester I was full of energy... now, I'm just exhausted. Today I went to Babies R' Us to pick up a few items, and thank heavens for this little piece of goodness:

      Yes, amigos... that is primo parking for the prego's! This was fantastic news, because after the 40 minute drive to get to the closest Babies R' Us to DC (um, yea...), I had to pee like nobodies business. Anyway, after making that little jaunt this girl was beat! I came back and laid in my bed for a solid 2.5 hours. Ridick.

      The other thing that's becoming more of a challenge is walking... Jas and I used to take nice long walks... yup, not happening now. He laughs at me because I get short of breath just walking to the front door. I'm still walking a bit, it's just a very slow pace... and the baby is constantly on my bladder so I frequently feel like I could pee myself at any minute... and sometimes I do... but more on that later...

      Energy be gone, girl. 

·       Things I miss:  I sure do miss being able to laugh, sneeze or cough without peeing myself. Yup... I said it- I'm not afraid to admit it. I definitely was walking into the house the other day and sneezed (damn allergies) and definitely peed my pants a bit... well, maybe a little more than a bit. I had to change my clothes and get a shower. Ahhh well... #truth

·       Sleep: <sigh> I love to sleep... I feel so good when I'm asleep... but sleep is a bit of a challenge- especially after a night shift. My doctor prescribed me some Ambien to help, but it won't keep me asleep. I don't really have a problem falling asleep... it's just staying asleep. Oh well. I'm hanging in there. On my days off, I try to nap... so maybe that makes up for it somehow?!

·       Symptoms:  Pregnancy has consumed my body! The better question is- what isn't a pregnancy symptom?! I have numbness in my hands that spontaneously occurs, swelling to my feet and hands, varicose veins on my shins (um, what?!), acne, itchy skin, thirst (like I probably drink 2 gallons of water a day), fatigue... I mean, really... ha! I want to laugh out loud at this bullet.

Well that was fun, wasn't it?! It's so funny to me how much has changed...

Moving on- this past weekend 2 of my aunts and 2 of my cousins hosted a BabyQ co-ed shower for Jas and I. It was also combined with a wedding shower for my brother, Jim and his fiance' Beth. It was so much fun, my Maryland family got together to welcome our upcoming arrival and Jim's impending nuptials. 

My cousin Katie, who is doing a blog herself- 365 days of Pinterest, made these really cute invitations, as well as the adorable caterpillar onesie that the link will take you too. Love her creativity and commitment to blogging every single day. 

Anyway, anytime you get the family together there has to be a lot of picture taking so brace yourself... 

Pop Pop with all his kids, grandkids and one great-grandkid

Grandkids

The whole fam-damily

Bumps! My cousin's wife is due just a few days before me. 

Cousins. 

Incredible cake that Katie made for our baby shower/wedding shower. Delicious and adorable! 

Boy? Girl? Love the beer bottle decorations made by my other cousin, Kristen. 

So many gifts! 

Gorgeous quilt my mom made for Lil G- the colors match perfectly with the nursery! 

Fantastic diaper cake my Aunt Diane made! Truth be told, I was secretly hoping someone would make me a diaper cake- i just think they're so darn cute! 

Jim and Beth's recipe book for their wedding shower. Full of recipes and gift cards! Such a fun idea for the happy couple. 

I'm a nut. We all know this. Or maybe it's some more urinary incontinence... I'll never tell. 

Baby shower favors handmade by my Aunt Debbie

Wedding shower favors handmade by my Mom

Me and Gammy... Lil G's great-grandmother :)

The food was delicious! The special handmade signs, signature cocktail, decorations, the food, the family... everything was exactly what I would've wanted if I could've designed the party myself. My Aunt Debbie, Aunt Sue, and cousins Katie and Kristen completely outdid themselves! Thank you so much ladies- from all 3 of us! :)

The next day was Mother's Day, since my Mom and Step-Mom were in town- we all went out to brunch as a big happy family! I'm so thankful that we were able to all get together and enjoy this meal before everyone headed home.

Such a fantastic weekend! Life is good. Plugging right along. Until next time...