me at week 31: This week, we started Bradley childbirth classes. We meet with the instructor and 4 other couples once a week, for 8 weeks. The Bradley method is based upon relaxation during labor & delivery while positioning your body in the most effective ways possible to allow for a healthy birth. We talk a lot about good nutrition during pregnancy and learn exercises and relaxation techniques to prepare for childbirth.  I like that the class is small & intimate, so people aren’t normally afraid to ask about any concern they have.

In my neighborhood, there is a mom’s group that I’m slowly becoming a part of. There’s an email distribution to use to ask for recommendations, give away or sell items, etc. I put out a request to see if anyone had a spring maternity coat for me to borrow for a couple of months. No one had one, but I got a nice reply from another mom who had a bunch of maternity clothes to give away! This week, I went over to her house to pick them up, and boy … did I strike it rich! She had some really nice clothes, which is a huge help to save some monies before Little Miss is born I had already so generously received some maternity clothes from my sisters-in-law, but I still needed more items, especially for work. I am so grateful for this mom’s group already. Through the email list, I have received a bunch of new breastmilk storage bags (free), a booster seat (free) and a Baby Bjorn carrier and JJ Cole Bundle Me for a very small cost. The support of the group will be beneficial after Baby Girl is born, I’m sure.

This week I took a video of Little Miss moving around. I had been out shopping all day at the outlets with my friend, Laurel, and was exhausted (I’m finding this is a common theme of third trimester). I was lying on my side on the couch & our little baby was doing some pretty intense exercises

(Keep your eyes on the upper portion of the video, the left side of my belly.)

{video embedded}

Baby Girl Barto at week 31:  This week, she measures over 16 inches long.  Baby Girl weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. She’s probably moving a lot, too (check), so Mommy may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy (yay!).

{Most of this fun information is from babycenter.com}

me at week 30: Week 30!? This pregnancy is flying by.

This weekend, while Michael was in Vegas for his “man shower,” I had a dream that I went skydiving while pregnant. I had gone skydiving in June with my brother (in reality) and in my dream, I also went skydiving with him. It didn’t occur to me that I was pregnant & really shouldn’t be skydiving until after I got down to the earth.

Since our life insurance company was nervous because I went skydiving in the last year, they made me promise that I can’t go skydiving ever again, or else my insurance would be voided. So, don’t worry Mom, I won’t be running off to dive out of a plane as soon as Baby Girl is born.

Also, I thought this was really fascinating. It’s an interactive graphic that shows how my organs move & make room for Little Girl Barto throughout the pregnancy. Being pregnant has really made me realize how absolutely amazing the human body is. My organs knowing what to do with themselves (and still function), as well as my body knowing how to make another human out of a few particular cells is mind-boggling.

Baby Girl Barto at week 30:  Baby Girl Barto is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it’s not very keen; even after she’s born, she’ll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she’ll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.) … Interestingly, right after she’s born, the perfect distance for her to make out facial features is the distance from my face to hers while breastfeeding.

{Most of this fun information is from babycenter.com}

{my photographer was absent while getting in a good bout of business travel before being on lock-down!}

me at week 29: This week, she woke me up for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd times in the middle of the night with her kicking! I know it sounds cliche, but I absolutely love it & don’t mind it at all. I love lying on my side (the position in which she kicks the most) and just feeling her move around my belly.  

This week, I picked up a 2nd prenatal yoga class; so now I go on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It’s definitely like other workouts in the sense that sometimes I may not want to go, but when I get there, I’m so glad I went.

I’m now starting to get comments on how huge my belly is.  Some even scoff when I tell them my due date in April. I could do without those reactions & comments   I am pretty short, which means my torso is short & Baby Girl has nowhere to go but OUT! It’ll definitely be interesting to see how my belly expands over the next 11 weeks.

Baby Girl Barto at week 29:  Little Miss Barto now weighs about 2.5 pounds (butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in her hardening skeleton each day.

me at week 28:  Let’s see. Not too much to report. I feel pretty great, for being in my third trimester. I’m still doing prenatal yoga once a week, which I love. This week, we also took our first birthing class, through my prenatal yoga studio. She taught us different poses to prepare our bodies for labor & poses that could be helpful for coping during labor. She talked about Optimal Fetal Positioning (OFP) and how it’s important to encourage the baby to not have her back against my back when in labor (often referred to as back labor). Michael and I had already been doing a few of the exercises on a regular basis (like cat-cows), but she gave us so many more good stretches/positions to consider.

What else … oh yes, more progress on the nursery …Pinterest board). I need to spend more time doing than pinning. (Here’s more where that came from … and it’s no surprise that Michael has said some things pretty close to these guys – and looks hotter. Bonus!)

I am making progress on the nursery, though! The crib is ordered & I think I’ve decided on some colors to work around. Decorating is a very gradual process for me. I don’t like deadlines. However, I love design! I decorate in my head a lot … when I’m sitting through a especially boring meeting, you can count on me to make the most of that time and decide what lay pattern the kitchen tile should be, whether the crib skirt should be a pattern or solid, or whether we should repurpose something instead of buy new. Maaajor progress happening up there.

This week (Friday, to be exact), I had a special moment with our baby girl. I was sitting at my desk at work, and I felt her stretch one of her extremities & just hold it out there for several seconds. I lightly pressed my hand against that spot on my belly and enjoyed the moment. I love every single one of her little movements, and it is so exciting to feel those movements change as she grows. It is hands down, my favorite part of pregnancy. I cannot wait to meet this little girl, with whom I’ve already connected … but haven’t met face-to-face. What an amazing moment that will be.

Baby Girl Barto at week 28:  By this week, she weight 2.25 pounds (“like a Chinese cabbage” … ?) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now have lashes (hopefully she inherits her daddy’s!). With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also continuing to develop billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat.

This is what she may look like at week 28.

me at week 27:  This was a big week for me and baby girl. We flew to Vegas with a group of girls for a friend’s bachelorette party! We walked around, ate really delicious food, shopped, and of course, went out clubbing until 3:00 in the morning! I was pretty proud of myself; I was actually pretty awake, considering it was 6:00am EST. And no, Vegas didn’t help me out by pumping oxygen in the air. I stayed awake all by myself!

{ champagne toast upon arrival at our suite at Mandalay Bay! }

{ back at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning after working the stripper pole at Tryst. …No, I don’t believe anyone managed to take any pictures of that, sorry. }

I had a blast with this great group of women! And, I must say, I was pretty proud of myself for livin’ it up as I entered my third trimester. That’s right, third trimester! I actually hit 28 weeks pregnant that Friday, while in Vegas.

Baby Girl Barto at week 27:  This week, she weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, her brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. This is a big milestone!