27-28 Weeks!

Again, I can't believe how quickly time is flying! I'm over a week into my third & final trimester of this pregnancy! Sometimes I sit & think about just how soon our precious little girl will be here & I both freak out & get giddy with excitement all at the same time! I know I'm technically already a mommy, but it won't seem for real for real till she's actually in our arms...does that make sense? I'm loving being pregnant with our little one though & getting to know her personality. She's all mine for now, but I know that's gonna change the minute she comes out - she already has sooo many people that love her & are so excited to meet her!! This weekend I got a lot of miscellaneous nursery stuff done. I have gone thru all the clothes & blankets friends have given to us & plan to wash them at some point soon. Her crib skirt will be here this week & her bedding set will be complete!! Then I can show you guys her crib with the bedding in it, so cute! I ordered the hardware to hang her curtains, but it won't be here until early OCTOBER! So, if I find something else in the mean time, then I'll buy that!

True to form, my baby buying obsession is still in full effect - although, it has calmed down considerably. In the past couple of weeks, I have only bought her just a few things - most of it is nursery related, so that doesn't count. ;op  But one thing I have been wanting badly is a cute little cable knit white hoodie & I found one this week on JCP for $12.99! I got it in "polar bear" & 3-6 months, since I already have another cute sweater in 0-3 months. Here it is:

And as you know, I'm a sucker for a good deal, so it'll be here tomorrow! LOL. I also bought these little cuties on CSN Stores (I won a gift certificate on a blog giveaway too!) to use as a prop for my maternity pics, but also for her once she gets a little older.

I heart them! I'm also on the look out for some faux Uggs for her for cheap, so if you know of a good place to find them, then please let me know!

One last thing - before I get to the actual pregnancy updates - my dad found an AMAZING spot for my baby shower at one of the properties the company he works for owns! It was originally gonna be at my house, but with over 50 invitees, it just wasn't happening (I have a teeny tiny townhouse). So anyways, my dad took us to the place this weekend & it's perfect!! Here are a few pics:

The lobby/entrance - where guests will enter!

A view from the entrance to the room - that's my nephew playing on the ottoman & my dad & BIL playing pool off to the left. I know my hubby will just love that there's a pool table to pass the time during the shower - I doubt he'll be participating in the games, hehehehe.

The right side of the room that houses the bar/kitchen area + additional seating! That's my sis talking to me when I snapped the pic, haha!

Isn't it awesome?!! I LOVE it....I told my dad he did a great job picking the place & he got it for a steal, so I'm even more excited now. Only 8 more weeks till that shower & 5 until the shower my hubby's family is throwing for us in his hometown! Yay!

So, now on to the pregnancy updates! I'm doing well still - enjoying the third trimester overall, but I have been getting more uncomfortable & TIRED as the days pass. I was just tell the hubbs that we better get some of our pre-baby to do's done soon because I am feeling my energy quickly drain. I found out a couple days after taking the test - I passed the glucose tolerance screening, woot! But my iron levels are low, so I have been put on iron supplements...which I keep forgetting to take. :o/ The problem is, I'm supposed to take them opposite of when I take my PNVs, which is a problem since I take them in the evening right before bed. I'm usually in a rush in the morning & completely forget to take the iron pills after my first meal. I have set an alarm on my phone, so I'm hoping that'll help me to remember. I also did a sickle cell test since I'm half black & I was negative, phew. I doubted I had it since it doesn't run in my family, but it's always good to know for sure! The weeks seem to just be flying by! I can't believe it's almost September, then really only 2 more full months till the babe arrives! We attended my breastfeeding class this week & I learned a lot & got some good literature to read up on. I have a friend who recently had a little guy & he took to the boob like a champ, so I'm hoping little Baby J does the same - with minimal hurdles. I have a pretty high pain tolerance threshold, so I'm not so worried about it being painful as I am of the potential complications that can happen to me or to the baby while BF'ing. I'm gonna give it my best try though & if all goes well, I hope to continue as long as possible. I had my last every 4 weeks OB appointment this past Friday (everything looked good - only up 3 lbs since my 24 week appointment & her h/b was 155 bpm) & now am moving to every two weeks...looking forward to hearing her heartbeat every 2 weeks, woo hoo!

According to The Bump, the baby is the size of an eggplant. Her lungs are maturing & she's putting on more weight now. She's also practicing blinking her eyes, which we will hopefully get to see soon - I'll be scheduling my 3D ultrasound very soon here! Can't wait to see her again!! She's about 2 lbs. now & about 14.8 inches, so she's getting pretty big!! And pretty cramped in there I think - she is kicking away more & more every day...and I, of course, love it! So does the Mr. - he gets to feel her at least once every day now! He thinks it feels like I'm hiccuping, but I told him, that's definitely his little one! Some days she just gets into these moods where she just kicks non-stop. 

And to end this ridiculously long posts, here are my 27-28 week bump photos - I still don't think I've "popped", sigh. But I apparently look pregnant since people give up their seats on the Metro & ask when I'm due when they see me. Perhaps it's all in my mind? IDK, but I am waiting for the circular bump & I seem to be carrying low & don't have it yet. Regardless, my Dr. says I'm measuring perfectly so I suppose that's good enough for me! Oh & still no new belly stretch marks, although I noticed the ones I had before have gotten a little darker. Weird right?

27 weeks clothed & bare:

 

28 weeks clothed & bare:

I only have 2 pairs of work pants that fit me & 1 pair of jeans - I am currently in search of some lighter colored maternity full panel jeans, so if you know where I can find some, please please let me know! The lady at Motherhood Maternity said that the lighter ones are being phased out b/c the summer is almost over - is it weird that I still wear them in the fall/winter?! Hahaha. Maybe I'll just buy an even darker pair than the ones I have now & then they won't seem so dark to me! 

Sorry for this LONG post, I guess I need to go back to weekly pregnancy posts! My blog is about to ramp up with LOTS of stuff we have going on...starting with sitting down to write out our remaining to do's, then chronicling how that's going. Some of it is DIY'ing, some of it is D&R, nursery stuff, baby stuff, etc. Sorry that everything has been so baby-related recently, but everything we have been up to around the house {and our lives in general} has been related to the baby, so that's what I've been blogging about! But a lot of the pre-baby to do's on our list are D&R related, so that should a break from all things Baby J for you guys + I'm starting to plan out our fall decor now - I'm looking for simple (since I'll be quite pregnant when time comes to start decorating), but definitely scream fall time! It's my favorite season, so I can't wait to start decorating! 'Till next time!