Saturday, October 31, 2015

36 WEEK BUMP


How far along: 36 weeks
Due: Thanksgiving 2015
Gender: Don't know, won't know.  
Weight gain: about 35 pounds...good thing I don't have much more time left!
Bellybutton in or out: What bellybutton?
Sleep: Bleh.  My hips have been super sore in the evening and early morning.    
Movement: Big belly-moving shifts that feel pretty uncomfortable for me.  Poor baby must be getting cramped in there.  
Cravings: Macintosh apples
Food aversion: Red beans and rice.  I can't.  I just can't.  I got sick after eating it during my second trimester and didn't realize I had such an aversion to it until I made it again the other day for Jon's work.  It was so bad, I had to wear gloves.    
Feeling: Physically, I don't feel much different than I did three weeks ago.  Mentally though, I feel like I have a math exam coming up that I haven't been studying for.  It's coming!
Fun fact: Baby Polk weighs a little over 5 1/2 pounds and is about the size of a head of romaine lettuce!
Birth plan update:   I met with my high-risk doctor last week and he said my placenta moved where it needed to be, so I'm cleared for a home birth!  And a couple of days ago, my midwife came for our home visit to go over the details of what to expect and how to prepare.  I'll share more on that in a few days.  
Violet update:  Violet turned TWO!  And she's getting her two-year molars right on time!  So, that's awesome.  

Monday, October 12, 2015

VIOLET'S BIG GIRL ROOM INSPIRATION

As my belly grows bigger, the deadline to get Violet's big girl room together also draws nearer.  When we put together her nursery, we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl, so we wanted it to be gender neutral.  This time around, we wanted Violet to have a more feminine space to call her own.

1 // 2 (similar) // 3 // 4 //
We like the idea of having a loose theme, so for Violet's room we're going with a woodland(ish) feel using violet (duh) hues.  Sort of a purple mountains majesty meets whimsical woodlands.  A lot of stuff is going to be recycled from her nursery----some wildlife prints, a faux deer bust---and some stuff is from around the house.  I plan to make some mason jar terrariums, maybe some fun wildflower garland, an old quilt, and her furniture is some that once belonged to both Jon's dad and my mom.

This weekend we started the painting process, but since we ran out of paint, it looks like it's going to be a two-weekend project.  It will take a few weeks to pull everything together, so stay tuned.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

33 WEEK BUMP


How far along: 33 weeks
Due: Thanksgiving 2015
Gender: Don't know, won't know.  
Weight gain: about 30 lbs...my midwife says, "maybe it's genetic," and I just nod my head and pretend it's not the chocolate milk. 
Belly button in or out: Just flat
Sleep: Not great.  It's probably just the universe preparing me for the months of sleepless nights ahead.    
Movement: Lots of dancing on my bladder.  All day.  Every day. 
Cravings: Macintosh apples, chicken pot pies, chocolate milk.
Food aversion: None that I can think of.  
Feeling: Large and not in charge.  Besides the throat burning acid reflux, I've been having sciatica nerve pain that could make a grown man week at the knees.  
Fun fact: Baby Polk weighs over 4 pounds and is the size of a pineapple.  And BabyCenter says our baby no longer looks like a "winkled alien," so that's a plus!
Birth plan update:   I go in for another ultrasound next week to check out what's going on with my placenta.  

Thursday, October 1, 2015

23 MONTHS OLD


Violet is 23 months old, and I am in love with this age.  She is so much fun to be around, to play with, and to teach.  I love talking to her and hearing what she has to say---especially when it's pronounced like a toddler would.

With fall finally here, though here in Texas I think it's called "the second half of summer", Violet has also fallen in love with pumpkins, or as she calls them, punkins.  We end up coming home with a baby one every time we go to the grocery.  She loves to put stickers on them, line them up, say "ffoooooooouuuurrrr punkins!" and hold up her hand like she's showing four fingers.  I'm really excited to bring her to the pumpkin patch for a little birthday party in a few weeks.  She's probably going to go bonkers with excitement.




Favorite activities: Dance parties to deadmau5.  Playing in blanket forts.  Jumping on the bed, or anywhere really.  Singing her ABC's.  Drawing circles---really, itty, bitty ones.  Craft time at the library.  Wearing socks and boots (but only inside because it's still like 90 degrees here).  Going down the slide at our neighborhood park over, and over, and over, and over again.

Favorite song: Violet loves any interactive song.  Her favorites are "Itsy, Bitsy Spider," "The Wheels on the Bus," "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Pat-a-Cake," "If You're Happy and You Know It" and she loves, loves, loves singing the ABC song.

Favorite book: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen is still a favorite.  She also seems to have fallen back in love with Bubble Bubble by Mercer Mayer and Big Sarah's Little Boots by Paulette Bourgeois.

Favorite foods: This kid is such a ridiculous eater.  It is so difficult getting her to eat meat.  I'm hoping this is normal toddler behavior.  Sometimes I'll make a plate for her and she doesn't want to eat certain foods (almost always meat), but if I pretend it came from my plate, she's asking for more!  Some current favorite foods are: boiled eggs, raspberries, pears, peanut butter, and cheese.

Favorite toys: Puzzles and stickers.  She's also likes making sandwiches (or as she called them "maches") in her play kitchen.  She's quite the little chef, too.  Of course I'd love a salmon, cheese, fried egg, pickle, jelly, and ketchup sandwich, Violet.

I should also mention (because it's kind of a big deal), Violet is napping again!  After over an entire month of no napping, I thought all was lost.  But, I kept going through the routine every day, and eventually she just started to fall back into the swing of things.  Thank God.  

And I should mention (because it's kinda the cutest thing ever), that when I tell Violet there's a baby in my belly, she says, "Awwwww," and hugs and kisses my belly.  That means there shouldn't be any sibling rivalry, right?