BEYOND THE OVEN: Bumpdate {37 weeks}
You guys, we are still going strong with this preggo business!! Life is getting more and more tiring and even though I want him to be here already, I know he needs to stay in there for as long as possible to be a healthy strong boy. In other news, it needs to stop being HOT and HUMID. Anything above 80 degrees is difficult to deal with when one carries a giant bump.
Anyways, here’s what we have been up to since the last update (~5 weeks ago).
How far along?: 37 weeks
Due Date: Still 7/29 although he is growing fast and the doctors predict he will be here sooner
Baby is the size of: Winter Melon (whatever that is)
Gender: still a BOY
Total Weight Gain: still hovering around 22 pounds. To be honest, I was unhappy about this the past month as a few people have mentioned I am a ‘skinny pregnant woman’. Even though it was meant as a compliment for most people (except this nail technician who went above and beyond to let me know I need to eat more..oeuff), I still felt like I was not doing a good job at being healthy and gaining appropriate weight. Of course my doctors are not concerned and he is growing fine…ahead if anything but I felt guilty at some point.
Maternity clothes: If I wasn’t in maternity clothes then we have a problem. I am currently loving maxi dresses as they are very comfortable and make the heat bearable. I’m not sure why I’ve never been a fan of maxi dresses before but I think after the baby comes, I would revisit them. I’ll share some pics of some favorite maternity maxi dresses on a Fashion Friday post next week. Above: Jeans (H&M Mama Skinny Jeans); Top (StitchFix Maternity Top)
Symptoms: Swollen feet, serious waddling like a duck, achy back, heartburn from everything, you name it. But to be honest, I can’t complain. These are all normal pregnancy side effects and I feel extremely blessed to have made it this far without any complications.
Sleep: That’s a thing of the past. I accept evolution’s desire to train my body for many sleepless nights to come.
Exercise: Just walks when I can. I’ve been working more hours in the lab rushing to finish up experiments and being on my feet all day long usually just drives me to the couch when I get home in the evenings.
Movement: We are moving less but I think someone is running out of space for all that acrobatics of the last few months. I think he gets the memo, it’s eviction time soon!
Best moment this week: We had our our last ultrasound appointment and it was great to see how much he has grown. He is ready to go and positioned correctly.
Food Cravings: Everything and anything carbs! I am bad I know. I made these doughnuts again just because I needed them 🙂
Mood: My mood is much more stable now. We pretty much have everything set to go, thanks to two baby showers and the hubs. The hubs really surprised me as he is usually a last minute kind of guy. Hello, we still don’t have pictures hung up in our house since we moved TWO months ago. It’s a struggle to get him to do things he doesn’t want to do. But I think the fact that the last few of our friends who had babies all came around 32-34 weeks freaked him out and he pushed to get everything done.
Nursery: I will say complete except for a few decor items. I just got some paintings from The Land of Nod to complete our safari theme. I’ll get around to taking pictures at some point soon and share with you. We even organized his teeny tiny clothes this past weekend.
Looking forward to: finishing the most of my summer recipe content for you! I have a few recipes I’ve been working on that I need to share before I head out to maternity leave. So bear with me if you get an overload of delicious, drool worthy summer recipes the next two weeks (more than my usual 2 posts/week).
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Speaking of which, I intend to take some time away from the blog when our little one arrives to spend time with him, our families and focus on being a mommy. Things will be slow around here in August and September. But of course I can’t leave you hanging completely. I’ve asked a few of my amazing talented blogger friends to fill in with some recipes and guest posts for you while I’m gone. I know you will LOVE them.
So exciting!! You are glowing! Don’t you listen to what anyone says! All that matters is that you and the baby are healthy, and you look amazing!
Thanks dear!!!
I just saw this!!! you are adorable!!! and don’t worry about how much weight you’ve gained or if you think you haven’t gained enough. . as long as baby is healthy, it’s all good!!! you look GREAT!!! so excited for you, Z!!! you’re beautiful and going to be a mommy!!!!!
Awww Alice!! U are the best! Thank you dear. I am so excited 🙂
You are such a superstar! Looking amazing and juggling everything like a total pro 🙂
Awww thanks sweetie!
You look flat out Beautiful!!!! Two very precious babies arrived in my life just recently and one more
on the way. So babies are on my mind. BUT not as much as YOURS—Lol.
Thanks Carol! And congrats on the babies 😉
Congratulations Zainab! I can’t wait to see the baby in the very near future. You look great!
Thanks dear!
Aaw, love seeing your updates 🙂 You and your bump are so adorable and gorgeous! Don’t mind what anyone says, I think you are perfectly healthy especially if the doctor’s say so. Can’t wait to see your sweet little man, it’s getting so close, so excited for you guys!
Thanks Kelly!!
You look fantastic and sound like you are handling the difficult last few weeks of pregnancy (not that I speak from experience, just from sympathizing with many pregnant friends!) like a champ! And ps: the whole weight criticism business is a load of crap. No one gets to judge your body and your health. If you feel good and you and the baby are healthy, then that’s all that matters!
Thanks Nora!! Knowing that he is healthy really makes it all better 🙂
He will be here before you know it. You are too cute with the poses. I didn’t get nearly enough belly photos. I totally feel for you in the heat. I couldn’t have dealt with that…I was hot in February! I lived on mac and cheese and grilled cheese pretty much the whole pregnancy. And to be honest I still would eat that if I felt it would be healthy enough for the baby. 🙂 The weirdest comment I got was asking if I had a good support system. This was from the check out person at Trader Joe’s.
Wow seriously? They thought you were alone? People sometimes are just insensitive. What if you were alone? Them asking isn’t exactly helpful.
You look amazing and HEALTHY! What your doctor says is way more important than random people commenting. Everyone seems to think they should have a vocal opinion about how a woman looks when pregnant… I remember some very interesting comments. Just work on feeling as good as you can until that baby boy arrives!
Everyone seems to have an opinion! I thought people were making this up when they said when you are pregnant you hear it all. I even got some name suggestions at the grocery store the other day. “Make sure you don’t name him Mark or something because that is lame”…Uhmm excuse me? What if I picked Mark? People!
Zainab, I love reading these updates! And oh my gosh, time FLIES! Winter melon—I totally know what that is!! My mom makes soups with it all the time. So happy that you and the baby are staying healthy right, and I love the flexing shot. You look gorgeous!
Time is flying indeed! Lol I had no idea what winter melon was lol!
Z, you look amazing and stunning! Can’t wait to see your little man coming 🙂
Thanks Linda!!
Ha, I love your poses!! And don’t listen to people, all they do is try to scare you with their stories! If the doctor says the baby is fine, that’s what I would listen to. I think you look great!!
Thanks dear!!