week 32

Best Moment: 32 turned out to be a pretty good week. I spent some really good quality time with my bff Friday night and she finally got to feel the little bee move! Baby has been playing coy with h/h auntie sneaks, but finally decided it was about time for a meet and greet. It's so cool sharing these moments with the people in my life! Sometimes I feel like I'm almost selfish because I get to feel little Sodi on a very regular basis and I can't always share it with anyone.

I mean...

Saturday Evan and I were in Bellingham for our friends' Kristin and Andy's wedding and had such a great time. Not only was the wedding location gorgeous, but the bride was stunning, the food was awesome and the overall night was perfect! It turned out that Evan and I didn't know anyone else at the wedding, aside from bride and groom, but we had the best time just being together and enjoying what felt like a little getaway.
Symptoms: My pelvis hurts. ouch. Apparently this type of pain is completely normal and has everything to do with how the baby is sitting, which is clearly directly on top of my pelvis and not interested in going anywhere any time soon. So there's this thing called a pregnancy belt...it's like suspenders for your belly. Supposedly it lifts your belly/baby up and off your pelvis. And women actually wear these. Sure, it's uncomfortable, but really? a pregnancy belt? Suckers.
Baby's symptoms seem to include hiccups. Lots of em'. What a crazy sensation.
Cravings/Aversions: I might just eliminate this line moving forward, as the redundancy is getting real old. Ice cream yes, chicken no.
What I miss: Walking with an easy stride. Oh how I'd love to be able to easily just stroll down the street, but instead, I'm waddling like a champ and taking my sweet little time getting anywhere.
What I'm looking forward to: This weekend. My dear aunt is in town from Florida and we haven't seen her since our wedding almost 3 years ago! Far too long.
Milestones: Baby's now the size of a squash! Ready or not, baby's getting ready to emerge. She's probably in the head-down position by now, with her bottom facing up. This is the comfiest way for her body to fit in your increasingly cramped womb and will make her eventual exit (only a few months away now!) much easier.

week 31

Best moment: Doctor's appointment on Tuesday! Although stepping on the scale could easily have been my least favorite moment of the week but that's neither here nor there. We really love our doctor. She's just a normal chick helping women have babies. It's really nice being able to bombard her with all of our questions and get a real person's response. It's like talking to my best friend who also happens to be delivering my baby. We heard little bee's heart beat, which has slowed down a bit this last month (but rest assured, is completely normal) and discussed what to expect in the coming month. Baby is head down, making progress for h/h big debut! Now let's just hope bee stays that way! But I must admit that the best part of the appointment was getting a "prescription" for twice weekly prenatal massages. I feel like a genie just granted me one of my three wishes. Massages are truly one of my most favorite things in the world so being told I NEED to go and have my insurance foot most of the bill? Get out of town. 

Symptoms: Hips don't lie. And my hips are telling me they are s.o.r.e. Do you think Shakira was referring to pregnancy?
Cravings/aversions: Ice cream, milk shakes, etc. Although time to slow down on those little treasures, don't want that scale creeping up any more than it needs to.
What I miss: Comfort in sleep. This little basketball in my mid section is sure making a comfortable night's sleep nearly impossible. It's a real slow process even turning over. Oh the joys!
What I can't wait for: meeting our baby. holding little bee in my arms and staring in awe at the little life we've created. starting our family. maneuvering our new life. I'm really looking forward to the days w/ baby to come. 

MIlestones: Baby's now the size of a pineapple! Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.) 

week 30

Best moment: It's been a little bumpy in the Soderquist household as of late. It feels like the stress of our impending bundle has heightened and we're just trying to keep it all together. That sounds a little dramatic, but that's normal for new first time parents, right? With that being said, the week did produce two best moments. The first was at yoga. As the session was winding down, the instructor had us sit there and just hold our baby and send an intention to them. A wish that we had for their life. It was a really sweet moment and made me feel so connected to the little bee. With the craziness in life, it was nice to take a moment and just pause with my baby and be in the moment. My wish for h/h was happiness. While it probably sounds generic, I really want our baby to be happy and protected in life. I want worry and fear and sadness to be moments few and far between in h/h life and have the ability to soak up all the wonderfulness life has to offer. With all of our recent stresses, I can't help but think that I don't want our baby to experience any of that for a long long time. We'll do our best. 

The second best moment was laying in bed with Evan's head on my belly, talking to the baby. He told bee the story of how we met and said he couldn't wait to have the same conversation in person. It brought a tear to my eye and the thought of such a moment occurring between my husband and our child was almost too much to bear. 

bump-a-licious

Symptoms: heat. So as I've expressed before, pregnancy adds at least 15 degrees and the heat adds about 25 lbs, so you do the math. Mama is hot…HOT. I've always been one who has really enjoyed the heat but this little situation in my body is giving me a new perspective.
Cravings/aversions: "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard." and other milkshakes bring me so much joy. I can't get enough. The stereotype of pregnant women loving ice cream is no joke and I'm happy to perpetuate it. Aversions- heat.
What I miss: enjoying the summer weather. I mean, these days? I'm sitting in the shade. Yuck. I always judge  people who sit in the shade when it's a beautiful day out. Now, I get it. I get it.
What I can't wait for: Two of our good friends, Kristin and Andy are getting married at the end of the month in Bellingham and I'm excited to get away, even if it's for a night. Change up the routine a bit, get out of the house. I think it will be good.
Milestones: Baby's now the size of a cucumber! As baby's skin smoothes out, his brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. He's also adding some brawn- his grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.

week 29

Best moment: we loved us some Saturday. The day started with some mama yoga w/ my favorite pregnant lady, sara. I mean, stretching when pregnant is really one of the best things in the world. After yoga, came my first experience on a golf course. don’t get me wrong, golfing has never (nor will ever be) been on my top 10 list, although putt putt has it's benies, but with our gorg weather and being surrounded by friends, it was a glorious little afternoon. Lil' Sodi and I waddled around the course and watched everyone else tee off or whatever it's called. Next time, we'll drive the cart. Naturally, after golf we were all starving, so it was back to the Sodi's for a BBQ to soak up the rest of the sun. wonderful, perfect day.
Symptoms: acid. I feel like ashley simpson saying this, but seriously, the acid reflux is off the hook. Luckily there's zantac as I mentioned last week, so that's getting me by. Also noticing a little restless leg syndrome, which I still can't believe is a real thing, but I'm starting to notice the symptoms when I lay down to go to bed. Best I can do is stretch and hope they settle down enough for a nice slumber. So odd.
Cravings/aversions: corn on the cob. YUM. This has nothing to do with pregnancy and everything to do with me in the summer. Whenever it's corn season, I cannot get enough and eat a couple ears whenever I possibly can. Aversions seem few and far between. Really the only thing that still doesn't sound good is chicken. Cluck.cluck.
What I miss: sleep, summer alcoholic beverages, being cold, not having to go to the bathroom multiple times a night, bending over easily, walking without braxton hicks, etc,etc.
What I can't wait for: lots. Things are really exciting around the soderquist household and I'm just looking forward good things coming their way.
Milestones:Baby's now the size of an acorn squash! Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

weeks 27 & 28

27 weeks

28 weeks

The past two weeks have been nuts. I usually like to update this little guy during the work day as a reprieve, but unfortunately, the ol' Bux wasn't in any mood for a reprieve. I've been in the process of changing jobs (awesome timing) and it's been all consuming. Now moving on...

Best Moment(s): Despite the rocky road of the past two weeks, they were capped off by absolute best moment this morning. Little bee woke up with Evan and I, and immediately began practicing h/h ninja moves. They were so strong, Evan could feel them with my belly pressed against his. Good morning mama and daddy! We then laid there just watching my belly move and groove, as bee geared up for the day. So cool, so precious, so happy.

Another great moment was yesterday when mom and I spent the day getting pedis and shopping the baby stores at UVillage. There's nothing like spending some quality time with my mom while pregnant. I love talking to her about pregnancy and dreaming about the baby. Her perspective and insight is so invaluable and I am really fortunate to share this experience with her. 

Symptoms: Heartburn and indigestion seem to have a mind of their own. So much that I actually threw up due to crazy indigestion- twice. Who knew that was even possible? Well now I do. So onward we go without missing a Zantac beat and stay far, far away from any evil culprits. 

Cravings/Aversions: This is feeling redundant. No to chicken, yes to sweets and berries. 

What I miss: Champagne. Before baby, I was on a pretty fun champagne kick. My body seems to just now be remembering that and is whispering sweet words of longing in my ear. Bubbly, please...

What I can't wait for: Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief...the painting has finally been scheduled and is really, truly happening! So, per my previous posts, I absolutely cannot wait for the painting (and carpet) to be done so we can finally dive into bee's room. Mama is getting anxious.

Milestones: Baby's now the size of an eggplant! It's lungs are mature enough that if born right now, h/s has a pretty good chance of surviving (with the help from medical technology). H/H skin is till pretty wrinkly but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.