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Week 37

The last couple of weeks have really flown by. The days are blending together and every week my husband and I say, “Oh my gosh, I cant believe you are already ___ weeks pregnant!” With the anticipation that this little girl might come early, my husband and I have really buckled down to finish up any last minute projects we wanted to complete before her arrival.

My biggest struggle lately seems to be the thought of sharing my time and attention with another baby. I wonder what I will do when both babies are crying for me at the same time. How will my 20 month old react when I can no longer devote 100% of my attention to her all the time? How will I calm two screaming babies at once? I do believe these feelings are common and there will definitely be an adjustment period. I am beyond excited for our family to grow and this was what my husband and I had wanted for a long time. My daughter and I have had such an amazing year and a half together and I wish time didn’t go by so fast with kids.

It is amazing that I can see Piper senses change is coming and knows that there is a baby in my belly. She is usually very independent and not one who wants to cuddle a lot. However, lately she has been a huge cuddle bug, especially during my doctor appointments. She insists on sitting with me on the exam table or hospital bed during all my appointments and if we try to move her she screams for “Mama”. I cherish these moments more than anything because I know they will not last long as she grows older. I am so excited to see these two little girls grow up together!

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Todays Date: 04/25/2017

How many weeks are you: 37

What trimester are you in: THIRD!! YAY!

How big is the baby: Honeydew Melon

Weight Gain: 23 pounds so far

Food Cravings: No cravings

Food Aversions: Not many food aversions as before however the smell of eggs still upsets my stomach

Gender: GIRL!!!

Diet: My diet is still not as consistent as it was prior to getting sick. The main goal at this point is to stick with healthy food options even though there is no specific structure to my meal planning. Snacking throughout the day seems to be better than eating larger meals. The baby is squishing my stomach making eating a challenge at times!

A typical day looks a little like this:

Breakfast:

Toast with peanut butter and honey

Coffee

Couple hours later:

Protein shake with almond milk, peanut butter with 1/2 banana

Cereal (sometimes)

Snacks until dinner:

Chicken with hummus or guacamole

Crackers with Cottage Cheese

Wasabi Almonds (Yum) and fruit

Rice Cakes with Peanut butter and honey

Crackers with hummus

Hard boiled eggs-1 whole egg and 2 whites with a piece of fruit

Dinner:

Chicken, salmon burger patty, or turkey burger patty

Vegetables or large salad with tomato, avocado, olives and balsamic vinegar

PM Snack (if still hungry):

1/2 c. Nonfat plain greek yogurt with 1tbs peanut butter and 1-2 packets of trivia

Cereal- Cheerios or Rice Kripies

Weekly splurge:  Donuts with my husband and little girl! Yum

Exercise: Finding energy and motivation has still been a struggle this week. Despite these struggles, I still managed to workout 4 days. Sometimes, the hardest part about working out is getting started! I always feel so much better after I am done and even have more energy. My workouts these days are much slower paced and listening to my body is the most important thing. My goal is to just keep moving as much as I can until the baby comes!

Aches and Pains: Normal discomforts during the last couple weeks of pregnancy.

Have you felt the baby move: Yes however it is becoming quite apparent that she is getting bigger and running out of room.

Labor signs: Still having contractions off and on but nothing consistent yet. I was still dilated to 1cm at my last appointment.

Maternity clothes: I cannot believe I have made it to the end of my pregnancy without purchasing any maternity clothes! I was able to use some of the clothes I had from my previous pregnancy and I spend most days in workout clothes.

Sleep/Dreams: Sleep this pregnancy has been a struggle. I am up a lot to use the restroom and falling back to sleep is always hard. There have been a couple really great nights of sleep recently but it is not often enough.

Favorite moment of the week: Nothing abnormal but I am soaking up all my time with my first born!

Looking forward to: The arrival of our baby girl any day now! I can not wait to see Piper with her baby sister.