31 Weeks

I'm 31 weeks!

A little blurry...the "photographer" and I were being silly. :)

And pregnancy brain is real, people!

The "science" behind it is that so much blood is being rerouted to your growing baby that there is less than normal blood flow to the brain, which can lead to forgetfulness and overall diminished brainpower.

I have experienced a bit of that.

I will often get up and walk into another room only to realize I have no idea why I got up. I walk around for a second, and then return to the couch, confused.

Hmm. And it often never comes to me what I wanted to do in that room.

I was at Macy's the other week trying to find the maternity section (yay! They had one!) and I decided I should go to the bathroom. Well I was walking towards it, only to realize it was the men's dressing room.

Don't know how I messed that one up.

I was pumping gas awhile back and could not understand why the pump wasn't working. I was so confused. I thought for sure it was broken. Then I realized I had not squeezed the release on the pump handle.

Duh. Talk about a dumb blonde moment!

It is recommended that pregnant women not drive because airbag deployment in an accident can be harmful for the baby. I feel like pregnant women should not drive because apparently we are impaired!! I've not had any issues with pregnancy brain behind the wheel because I feel like I am extra cautious right now since I have Ava to watch out for, not just me. Overall I am a pretty aware driver anyway, but I can see how some pregnant women should definitely leave the driving to someone else!

Now that I'm not working, I have a new routine.

I'll admit, after leaving my job I was a little overwhelmed with the fact that "housework" was my new "job". Taking care of a household is a big task, and I needed to get organized! It has taken me a bit of time to figure out how I wanted to take care of this 1500+ square foot mess. I like routines and schedules, but I also like to, for a lack of better terms, do what I want. So it's taken me awhile to get into a groove that worked for me. And then I had to tweak it because Ava has been making it harder to get all the way through my to-do lists.

I do weekly meal plans. I hate those "what's for dinner" nights, so this eliminates that. I leave our weekend dinners kinda open; we tend to be spontaneous on those days. Now that the weather is nicer, we will probably grill at least once a weekend, allowing me to get a break from cooking! I make a once a week trip to the grocery store to get what is needed Monday through Sunday. I try to plan something easy for Monday dinner (like a crockpot recipe) because I am running around doing errands and using up all my energy. I usually plan 2 nights of leftovers. We always have leftovers because I cook for more than 2 people. We might make a second trip to the store towards the end of the week once we decide what to grill (plus the meat and veggies will be fresher that way) and to pick up things we may have gone through quickly or just weren't ready to stock up on yet (milk, eggs, my Activia yogurt).

I am digging this new routine! Meals are planned, we have what we need to make it, and I finally have control over my kitchen! I have accepted that dishes are a part of daily life. I never wanted to accept that! Working random hours made it hard for me to get into any kind of routine with chores and errands. Now the kitchen counter is consistently free of dirty dishes and this makes it easier to keep up with the hand washing too, because there is more room. The hubby and I could never agree on where to put the dirties - he thought they should go in the sink so there was more counter space, while I thought they should go on the counter so the sink could still be used at full capacity. Now that I keep up with it all the time,  there's nothing to disagree about!

So with errands on Mondays, it sets me up to have a successful week at home getting things done. No reason to have to run anywhere or pick something up.

I have Ava's laundry done! I am now trying to figure out where to put it all...this girl has a lot of stuff!

Ava sure has been moving around a lot lately. She is definitely bigger...there is less "squish" in my stomach and more of Ava's body! I'm wondering if she will be able to get head down - I really can't predict how she is laying anymore! She tends to mostly be on my right side, making a very obvious lump! But other times she will end up mostly on my left side. I don't feel nearly as many jabs anymore, mostly just smooth movements. Kind of like someone is dragging a golf ball across the inside of my belly. I do feel lots of little twitches (I believe this is mostly from her hands and arms) and occasional sudden urges to go to the bathroom, which means she is pressing on my bladder! And those hiccups...she gets them 1-2 times daily! I have felt them in 3 different areas, so I know she's moving around a lot. So I'm *hoping* this means she will be able to get head down.

I'm not going to use a birth plan, seeing as how my uterus may restrict her from doing what nature intended. I hope to deliver vaginally, but I will not be surprised at all if I have to have a c-section. Even if I wasn't high-risk, I feel that a birth plan is kind of a waste because it is out of your hands (for the most part) how your baby will arrive. I might have a few preferences for after she is born (skin to skin time right after, no bottle feeding without permission), if the situation allows. If an emergency arises, there's not much you can do. I just want her here the safest way possible.

So now that Ava's room is nearly complete, (photos are coming soon, I promise!) I am looking for my next baby-prepping task...hospital bag packing! What do I need, and what do y'all recommend? I already have a robe and slippers and have a few outfits in mind for Ava. I intend to get some "granny panties", but I'm not sure what else I will NEED. Or what things I will want. The hospital is literally 3 minutes down the street, so it wouldn't be the end of the world if I needed someone to run home and get something, but I want to be prepared! And, how did y'all handle all the visitors, both at the hospital and at home? I am a little apprehensive about all these people that will want to just show up, and there I will be...all a mess. I don't want to shoo anyone away, but I also know that we are going to want some space and time to become our family of 3! I am definitely open to ideas and suggestions!

I have been doing some prepping for a garage sale that will be part of the annual post-wide garage sale. Lots of going up and down stairs and bending and moving things around...I really cannot move the way I used to! My back aches much quicker. I can't reach my feet without some serious effort. Getting things off of the floor has become just plain annoying - I get very upset when I drop things! Sitting on the floor is no longer an option - its gotten way too uncomfortable in the past few days! I'm getting so big!! Chris says my bump has really grown a lot this week, and I agree! I am anxious to hear how big she is at our 32 week appointment!

I was going through photos on my phone yesterday and saw some photos of myself pre-pregnacny, and I'm already thinking, "man, look how small I was!". Ava is taking over! I can't wait to be able to go to the gym. I haven't NOT gone running for this long in...I don't know how long! Ava, you'd better like your jogging stroller! Here's to hoping I have a smooth recovery from however she comes out so I can return to running!