30/31 Week Update “Bumpdate”

30 WEEKS!
31 WEEKS! 
Baby: Approximately 8 Weeks LEFT! Baby Audrey is the size of a pineapple measuring around 16 inches love and 3 lbs! Her brain and lungs are continuing to develop at warp speed. If she were to make her debut now, she would have more than 90% surivial rate. Of course, I am not wanting to test that- and I’m hoping she keeps cooking until full term (40 weeks).  She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath the skin. Her immune system in getting stronger everyday and gearing up for the outside world.

Bump: It’s funny, I get a wide variety of reactions from the size of my baby bump. Some are amazed at how much I have grown in the last few weeks and say “Wow, you really popped this week” or some say “You are SO tiny!” Well, despite the remarks, I definitely don’t FEEL tiny and can definitely see a major difference in the mirror! She is really growing fast!  

Maternity clothes? Yes! Definitely maternity jeans, they are SO comfy… and just lots of flowy/ loose tops or blouses. 
Favorite moment of the week:  Seeing my sister and new nephew for Christmas! They also got to come stay with us for a few days! It was so fun having my sister with me as we set up the nursery and made more preparations for Audrey Grace’s arrival. The excitement is truly building as we get closer and closer to her estimated due date.


Movement:  TONS! She kicks me on both sides at once and then a lot on my right side underneath my ribs. It is an amazing feeling- a bond between my baby girl and me has already begun. She responds to music and gets very active when I lay on my side at night. 
Cravings? Hot chocolate! 

Sickness? Just slight pain in my back/hips. I cannot sit in a chair for longer than an hour without a little back pain. I either have to lay flat, on my side, or walk around. 
Labor signs: Slight menstrual cramp feeling everyonce in a while. Doesn’t last for longer than 10 minutes.
Mood/energy: Very good!
Sleep: Waking up a little more throughout the night, but once I get comfortable I can get back to sleep pretty quickly.
Exercise: Teaching my favorite workout format- PiYo and still coaching/teaching dance at the high school and Ballet Yahweh. This keeps me pretty active! I am going to try to continue to teach until closer to her due date. We will see how long I can keep it up! 
Diet/Weight: Weighed in at 149.50 at my last appointment. I am right on track with a total of 25 lbs gained so far! I am supposed to gain around 1 pound a week from here till d-day with most of the weight going directly to Audrey!
Prayer needs: Just for continued health, that she continues to develop until full term, and that I can have an uncomplicated delivery! 

Looking forward to: Excited my friends here are throwing me and Audrey Grace a baby shower. Can’t wait to get together with everyone and can’t thank everyone enough for their support and love! It has been fun getting to put together our baby registry online at BabyList and in store. Tyler and I had a lot of fun just “shooting” things with the nifty scanner at Target and making sure we got everything covered!

Thankful for: Time spent with my family and the many blessings we received during christmas! My in-laws were so sweet to provide us with a rocker/recliner and crib! They also gave us a precious wooden cradle that will go in our room for the first few months of her life.We are almost finished with the nursery and I will be sure to post pictures when it is finished! 

Photo credit: Milliron Photography

Also, super thankful for my husband during this special time. As we wait in anticipation, this picture reminds me of the 3 great years with just my husband and the incredible memories and times we have shared. Could not ask for a more loving, patient, kind and strong husband. I will always cherish the time we have had together just as husband and wife. I know he will be an amazing father to our first child. After a couple of months of marriage, I remember convincing Tyler that we should get a puppy.. When we finally got to meet our little pup we just fell in love! Darling has filled our lives with such joy and lots of cuddles! And now I’m so excited to add a new baby girl into the mix. In just a few short weeks, our lives are going to change (for the better). I feel so blessed to experience this miracle of pregnancy and venture into motherhood with Tyler and my little pup by my side. 




Until next time, 

Dorothy & Audrey Grace