33 Weeks and Natasha's BFF!

Natasha is the size of a honeydew!

 Natasha's BFF, Kyra

 Meeting Kyra for the first time

At 33 weeks, Baby Natasha is the size of a honeydew. I can tell it's getting cramped in there for her since I no longer feel kicks and jabs, more like rolls and pushing. I have also experienced the feeling of her having hiccups. It's pretty cute. At our appointment last Friday, my doctor told us she is head down, so hopefully this is her permanent position for the rest of my pregnancy. According to TheBump.com, Natasha may grow a full inch this week and her brain is developing like crazy. Her bones are hardening as well and when she is awake she will start to keep her eyes open. I'm still feeling pretty good although I am now having to get up 3 times a night to go to the bathroom and I need to switch positions more frequently. I think this is why I'm so tired by the early evening...not getting a good night sleep. I might have to work in a nap to my daily routine. At least going to yoga twice a week now has helped my back pain, as well as taking Chauncey for a walk around the neighborhood everyday.

I've managed to keep pretty busy for being a stay-at-home mom. I always have something to do or people to meet. On Wednesday, I drove up to LA to visit Jackie and Geoff and to meet their beautiful baby girl, Kyra (aka Natasha's BFF). She is so precious and tiny. Kyra was perfectly content sleeping in my arms and every once in awhile gave me a few stretches and a smile. She was born on February 11th, so she is now over a week old. You can check out her birth story and more pics on the Tipper's blog http://www.minitipdawg.blogspot.com/.

If I'm not out and about, then I am getting crafty. In my last post, I said I was going to change the lamp shade in Natasha's room since the lavender did not go with her color scheme. At first I was just going to paint it another color, possibly chocolate brown. But then I started looking at fabrics online and found this Giraffe print, so I ordered it. Once it came in, I got to work covering the lampshade (not the easiest thing I've tackled, but I love the way it came out). I also added the fabric to the nightstand in her room (I've had this nightstand since college and every time I got a new bedding set, I would change the front panel to match). I do have some extra fabric, so I will need to somehow make use of that. Maybe a pillow for the glider we will be getting next week! You will have to check out the blog to find out...Have a great weekend!

32 Weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

© selenizm.com Photo by Selen Ermanav, and Photoshop by Abraham Joseph Pal.

 

 

I'm 32 weeks and the nursery is almost complete! I'm still looking for a rocker/glider to add to Natasha's room and some white shelves. Other than that I will just have to wait until my shower. Zac and I love how her room turned out and I find myself going in there multiple times during the day to admire her tiny clothes and her beautiful furniture. It's also a very peaceful room with the light green paint. I might just start doing my breathing exercises in there.

Speaking of breathing exercises, Zac and I had our first Child birthing class last Wednesday night at Hoag Hospital. We found it to be more like a lecture than anything else. I found some of the information useful, but I think I could have found the same tips in one of my books at home or on the internet. At this point, I think my yoga practice will be more beneficial than what I'm learning in this class. But we will see what tomorrow night's class brings.

Both Natasha and I are doing well and at this point it's just a matter of her gaining weight and developing her lungs and brain. She is still moving around a lot, finding that comfy spot. Two nights in a row I experienced her having hiccups. It was a pretty neat feeling. They were definitely stronger on the inside because Zac could barely feel them from the outside.

That's all for now. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

31 Weeks and a Maternity Photo Shoot!

 Maternity Photo Shoot with Jackie in LA

Photography by Selen Ermanav, Photoshop art by Abraham Joseph Pal

Today marks 31 weeks of pregnancy. Baby Natasha is still moving around and has not yet found a comfy spot to settle into. She likes waking me up in the middle of the night, which I don't mind since I get up every couple of hours to empty my bladder (again) or switch positions and it's a good sign of a healthy and active baby. According to BabyCenter.com, this week Baby Natasha can move her head from side to side and her arms and legs are starting to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. We now have doctor's appointments every 2 weeks. At my last appointment, my doctor said I looked great, so I must be doing well with my weight gain this time around (thank goodness the holidays are over). I did have a mini freak-out because they scheduled the rest of our appointments up to my DUE DATE!! It's crazy how fast time is flying by and the fact that Baby Natasha will be here in 9 weeks or less (this is on the assumption that I will no go past my due date). And my best friend, Jackie will be having a baby this month! Holy molly!

 

Speaking of Jackie, she and I took maternity photos together this past weekend in a park up in LA. Our friend, Selen from High School was the photographer and I'm very excited to see the the rest of the pictures. The above picture is just a sneak peek at the photos. It was a beautiful day out and Selen came up with some very creative shots using fresh flowers and pink umbrellas. This will be something that Jackie and I will share for the rest of our lives and be able to show our daughters (when they are a little older, of course).

 

I have been enjoying my days off. Haha... it's only been two days (technically one, since I always had Mondays off). But I am getting more stuff done around the house and hopefully we be able to work on the nursery more. Tomorrow will be a big day. I will be sitting down with my dad and he will start showing me what he wants me to do for his business. I've been warned (well it was more laughed at) by my brother, who went through training with our dad last year. So, wish me luck! Also, Zac and I will be starting our Childbirth Classes at Hoag Hospital. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time... I just don't know what to expect (much like child birth, I'm sure). Hopefully this will prepare me enough and labor and childbirth will be easy peasy, right!

 

I will post more photos as they come in. Have a great week!