31 weeks!

I'm a terrible blogger. I take weekly belly pictures but they never seem to make it to the blog.  So much has happened since my last post, but I'll try to be brief.

Aunt Trisha graduated from Auburn on May 6.  Gena played photographer while Trisha tried to wake B up.

How far along? 31 weeks 

Baby's size: On average, a 31 week baby is 3.3 pounds and roughly 16 inches from head to heel. At our 28 week appointment, Bryson was already 2 pounds 14 ounces, so I assume he's probably past the 3.3 pounds mark. 

Total weight gain/loss: As of yesterday, I've gained 23 pounds, which is perfect! 

Stretch marks? I got hysterical the other day because I thought I saw one on my right hip, but it's miraculously gone. It must have been a mark from the sheets. Ha 

Sleep? Eh, it varies from night to night. I've had some nights of 8 straight hours, but those are few and far between. Most of the time, I get up to go to the bathroom at least once, maybe twice, a night. I've had a few nights of tossing and turning and threatening to wake Clay and the girls for company. 

Best moment this week: Hearing little man's heartbeat and that he and I are both perfectly healthy. 

Worst Moment: You got me! 

Cravings: Pineapple, strawberries and grapes. Oh, and watermelon. Seriously, I buy out the fruit each week at the grocery store. I've also been dying for coleslaw. Tell me that's not weird. 

Symptoms: With the additional weight, my frame is taking a hit. My back is in knots and no masseuse will really get in to break them down to keep toxins from getting to Bryson. I have an occasional bout of heartbeat and wake up each morning to a little blood in my nose. 

Miss Anything? You know, I miss a lot. I love being pregnant and feeling my little guy flopping around, but I'm to the point where I'm over pregnancy. The combination of a big ol' body and rhinitis make breathing difficult. I have to tinkle all the time. I've seriously gotten up and before flushing, have felt urgency again. My hips hurt, both from the additional weight and going back and forth between hips while I sleep. 

Movement: We have a wild man on our hands. Coworkers have seen him jerk when we're talking about work and they're not staring at my belly. Of the 16+ hours I'm awake each day, I feel him at least 13. He gets very active every night at 9:30. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? The thought of eating meat. Ick. 

Moody: I haven't truly been moody, but have been pretty emotional. It seems like I can't have a serious conversation with Clay without crying. 

Wedding Rings On or Off? On and still comfy. 

Sex: All boy. 

What is baby up to? He's getting hefty! Layers of fat are accumulating under his skin so his arms, legs and body will begin to fill out and his skin will become less wrinkle. Most of the vernix and lanugo are shedding. By now, he has a distinct sleep cycle. 

 In other news... I feel like the worst mom ever because I never posted after our 28 week ultrasound. Let's chalk it up to my excitement. As I posted previously, the 20 week ultrasound reveal choroid plexus cysts on our little man's brain. We had an ultrasound at 28 weeks to check his brain. As expected, his little brain is PERFECT and the cysts are GONE. Praise God! While they were looking at his head, I saw 30w4d pop up on the screen. Considering I was only at 28w2d gestation at the time, not only is his head perfect, it's big! *shudder* It appears he wasn't thrilled with us during the ultrasound. We must have been disrupting his nap. He wakes up like his daddy

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 Our first shower is this Sunday, which is Mother's Day. Trisha is hosting it at Grandmama's. Not only do I get quality time with my family, but Caitlin is bringing Miss Sydney, who just joined the Bates clan on April 20. I'm so excited! 

 Bryson's room is ALMOST done. As soon as we finish touching up some spots in the guest room and can move everything back in there, Bryson's room is less than a day away from completion. Choosing things for his room has been so fun. I'm pretty sure Clay disagrees because as he says, I'm "nickel and diming us." I can't help it! My baby needs a football rug! :)


We had our second childbirth class last night.  So far, I haven't gotten a ton out of the classes, mostly because I've researched a lot on my own and talked to the doctor a good bit.  It's still making it seem VERY real that we're about to be parents.  Last night, Clay tried on the empathy belly.  Yes, I took pictures, but no, I better not post them... yet.  He would kill me.  Clay, in case you're reading this, the pictures have been backed up, so deleting them from my phone would be futile... and dangerous.  ;)