Well, friends, here we are! It’s time for the Fall post of my pregnancy updates. Last time I checked in, we were on the last leg of Summer and this baby had been cooking for 21 weeks. If you ever think time is passing too slowly-get pregnant and line up your due-date with the end of the Holiday season. Phew…double whammy time-stealer. Same dress, same spot, nine weeks later.

How far along: 30 Weeks.
Total weight gain: 23 pounds.

Maternity clothes: I still have yet to find the perfect maternity jeans. (Any suggestions?!) I have one pair of Paige Maternity Boyfriend Jeans but they’re way too big. Wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans with the hair-tie trick is becoming a challenge. I can’t help but picture the rubber band popping off and hitting someone in the eye one of these days. Simple maternity tees from Gap and Old Navy have been a daily go-to. 

Sleep: On one hand, I’m so thankful that we have an incredibly active baby. My belly looks like a waterbed just about all day long. This does, however, pose some challenges when night time rolls around. Between bathroom breaks and baby’s ninja moves I’m usually up for a two to three hour chunk every night. Hubs has started waking up with me to rub my back and keep me company. We’ll have a date (telling stories, wondering out loud what life with baby will be like, reminiscing…) until I fall back asleep.

Currently Missing: My energy. Energy, energy, wherefore art thou energy. The second trimester sweet spot came and went too soon. Weeks into my third trimester I’m realizing that rest is absolutely essential for these next couple months. Slacking on sleep and water intake shows up in every area of life these days.

Movement: I am amazed at all the different shapes my belly takes on in the course of a day. I feel like I have a hand-held electric massager trapped in my stomach. My husband and I often find ourselves stopping everything just to stare in awe at what God has done, wondering who this little love is and what they could possibly be doing in there. We really can’t get enough of it.

Cravings: Still none. My food aversions aren’t as strong (finally!) and my meals are all pretty much the same with the exception of this past week. (House full of people, phenomenal baby shower food, too many leftovers.) My every day diet is made up of yogurt, granola, string cheese, ezekiel bread, eggs, ground beef, trail mix, chicken sausage and gluten free graham crackers. (I’m not gluten free…I just love them.)

Symptoms: Round ligament pain still going strong. Also, it turns out herniated discs and pregnancy aren’t best friends either. Trouble sleeping, grinding hips and leg cramps also make the list this month.

Looking forward to: Our Maternity photos next week and heading back to Canada the following week! It’ll be our last time in the house before we bring a baby there. Those kind of thoughts melt my heart.

Exercise: I still love my Prenatal Yoga class once a week. Tracy Anderson has been a go-to for strength training and my love and I brave the cold nearly every day to walk a couple miles in the neighborhood. I’ve also added squats to my daily routine to get ready for labor.

Favorite moments this week: My family threw me the most incredible Baby Shower I’ve ever seen this past weekend. We had fifteen people spend the weekend here helping decorate, cook, set-up, and host. My heart was just bubbling over with pure gratitude. I am so blessed to be surrounded by the women God has blessed me with, and also by my husband who was the true MVP of the weekend. Whether he was picking up my friends from NYC at 1:30am, dropping family at the airport at 4am, blowing up an endless supply of blow-up mattresses, surprising me with the most perfect baby-shower dress when I had nothing to wear, making sure I got enough water and sleep…this guy. I smile every time I remember he’s mine forever.

Next time I’m updating you all there will likely be snow on the ground, this dress will probably be a bad idea and we will be on full blown baby watch!