31 Week Bumpdate with Baby #2

31 Weeks Pregnant. It is crazy to think that this baby will be here in 9-11 weeks. Even crazier to think that Gideon arrived at 37 weeks! We really are in the final stretch, and that is simultaneously exciting and terrifying!

The past two weeks have been a bit rough, Gideon and I both came down with a virus, and spent over a week just sitting on the couch, drinking sparkling water, and watching TV. I loathe being unproductive (especially with an upcoming move), and it killed me a little to get absolutely nothing done, but I was so sick that all I was able to handle was changing diapers, and keeping us both fed. I am feeling so much better now, and grateful to be back on my feet!

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we are going to have another baby. Ha ha! It just still feels very surreal. I am not sure it will feel real, until they place him/her on my chest! Part of that, is that I feel like there is still so much to do before the baby gets here: packing, moving across town, wrapping up virtual assistant work, celebrating our anniversary, celebrating Gid’s and my birthday, etc…I know that with all this busyness the next two months will go by incredibly fast! Gulp!

How far along: 31 weeks

Due date: August 23

Gender: It’s a surprise! When I first found out I was pregnant with baby #2, I really wanted a girl. Why? Because I would look at Gideon, and just could not imagine how I could ever fall in love with a little boy as much as I have with him. Weird hormonal mom feelings? Oh yeah. But I have gotten over those feelings, and now I am equally excited either way! I always used to think when people said they didn’t hope one way or the other about the gender of the baby, that they secretly did have a preference. But I am now at the point where I get so excited thinking about another baby boy (little dinosaur footie pajamas! A little brother for Gideon! Two little curly-haired boys running around!), or a girl (all the bows and sparkles! A sweet, pink little babe. A little sister for Gideon!).

How big is baby?  Baby is the size of a coconut! Baby is around 16.2 inches long, and 3.3 lbs in weight! He/she is growing at a 1/2 lb a week. Whew!

This week, baby: is now perceiving signals from all five senses! He/she can track light, is practicing breathing, and swallowing!

This week’s midwife appointment: I met with Deeanne this week (I had never met her before)’jk

What I’ve Read So Far:

• Birth Without Fear by January Harshe
• The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Genevieve Howard
• The Birth Book by Dr. WIlliam and Martha Sears
• Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

What I’m Currently Reading:

• Birthing from Within by Pam England
• Cut, Stapled and Mended by Roanna Rosewood

Exercise: Now that I’m finally over my cold, we have been walking 2-3 miles a day again!

Birth Course: Hubs and I are working through Mama Natural’s Online Birth Course. We’ve skipped through a few sections, because they were geared more towards first-time parents, but the information about labor/delivery has been SO helpful in educating Saia. I know a lot about birth (I read a lot about it, and listen to a lot of podcasts), but Saia really didn’t know much about it. Taking this birth course together has been super fun, and really integral in prepping him for the big day.

Purchases I’ve made: Nothing! I’ve been dejunking like crazy in preparation for our upcoming move.

How are you feeling? Really good! Just minor headaches now and then.

Best moment this week: Thinking about moving! I am so excited to move into our little house in a few weeks, it keeps me up at night, because I am so excited.

Worst moment this week: Being sick all week.

Miss anything? I miss drinking lots of coffee, going on a long run, and my pre-pregnancy wardrobe!

Movement: Baby is so active! I feel a lot of movement near my hip (hands?) and up near my belly button (feet?). I could feel a ton of movement, and put my hand on my stomach and felt a very hard little shape jab at my hand. It definitely was a foot or a hand–but it took me by surprise!

Cravings/Eating: I’ve been especially thirsty this week, and have been drinking a lot of tart cherry juice and sparkling water!

The last few months, I have had a crazy big appetite. Once food finally tasted good again, I just almost felt like I couldn’t stop eating! Being sick this week, has definitely taken away my appetite a little bit, but made me a lot more thirsty.

Symptoms: increased need to pee, and some headaches.

What about a name? We agreed on a girl’s first name pretty early on, but haven’t come up with a middle name that we agree on. As far as boy names, I have a short list of names that I sorta maybe kinda like? Boy names are really hard for me. If this baby is a boy, I really don’t know what we’ll call him. Ha! I need to pull out the name books again, and come up with a few more options. There are a few boy names that I LOVE but Saia doesn’t, and vice-versa. Also, since we’ve had this girl name for so long, now I’m starting to second-guess it. Ha!

And, for comparison, here is my 30 Week Bumpdate with Baby #1