Pregnancy Update: 35 weeks ~ 8 3/4 months

I'm now in my 35th week of pregnancy, one more week and I'll be 9moons pregnant! Can you believe only one more month (give/take) until Jamison will be here with us! :)

Unfortunately, there's not much to update on. Other than feeling tired lately, I haven't been feeling any other symptoms. I'm quite surprised that I'm not in pain or feeling any BH contractions. The only discomfort I have is that Jamison is HUGE and my belly is being stretched to the max, so it's hard to move around and get chores done.

A week ago Michael's company had their holiday party, and I was too busy running around getting ready and then socializing at the party to snap any photos of my outfit :(
But, in a non-conceded way, I looked really good for an 8 month pregnant lady in a tight dress with 3" heels on! :)

I have been making a mental list of the supplies Jamison will need and the supplies I will need for after he arrives. Hopefully I can find coupons or sales for every item. This week my goal is to get the kids room ready and our bedroom ready just in case he arrives early like Madilyn did.

Sweet Pepper Scrambled Eggs

Since we're still unpacking, our kitchen is currently in a "thrown together" mode, so making breakfast has mostly consisted of take out, left overs, and cereal w/milk. This morning I decided to throw some "stuff" together and make a semi-proper breakfast for us. I started off inspired by this bag of sweet mini peppers that Michael bought from Safeway recently. He bought these to snack on, but I figured I could also use them to cook with. I only used 4 of the largest peppers in the bag, chopped those up in mini strips and grilled them with a generous amount of butter, salt and black pepper.

Once the peppers were 50/50 soft and crunchy, I scrambled up 4 large eggs, black pepper and dried parsley flakes (let the mixture sit for a while so the flakes soften up) and threw that on top of the peppers. Ideally, I would have thrown in some bacon or sausage or shredded cheese, but we don't have any.

I felt the mix needed something heavy, so I took some left over steak fries and curly fries we had from last night's dinner, chopped those up and threw them in.

It looks a little odd, but this tasted sooo delicious!! The sweet peppers hold a lot of moisture, and they tasted so good with the potato in the fries. Of course I had to smother mine in ketchup - it wouldn't be a breakfast without it ;)

I also had a left over philly cheese steak with grilled onions and sweet peppers from the Cheese Steak Shop (Original Philadelphia Style Sandwiches), so I warmed that up and ate that with my breakfast. Michael and Madilyn shared his left over Mushroom Philly Cheese Steak from last night as well.

Current Love: Morning View

Now that we are completely moved in to our new house, my current love is the view from our dining room.

No more will I have to keep our windows covered to prevent neighbors from peeping in on our lives.

No more will I have to look at a parking lot or the next apartment building across the way.

Now, I finally get to enjoy a nice view - a yard full of fallen leaves, some crows eating all the bugs in the dew-drizzled grass, a few naked trees, and a squirrel scampering around the yard trying to find some foods while avoiding the crows.

This makes me smile every morning! :)

Pregnancy Update: 33 weeks ~ 8 1/4 months

I'm now in my 33rd week, yay! Only a handful of weeks left to go - then we get to meet Jamison!! :) I'm so excited!

Most of my hypes and gripes are the same as my last update - only difference is, I feel AM even more gigantic!

This week we moved out of our apartment and into our new house. I know everyone told me not to do any work, but I sneaked in a few boxes here and there (I couldn't help myself, I enjoy keeping things as organized as possible). Here is where I found out that whenever I move, stretch or bend, Jamison feels like he needs to extend as far as possible. This is so uncomfortable that I have to sit and catch my breath. I feel like he's up in my rib cage just pressing up into my lungs - oy! I feel out of breath just explaining this discomfort.

Aside from having no room left in my own body, everything's going well. I haven't been feeling any BH contractions or back pains. I'm shocked at how well my body is holding up. OH! I forgot to update last time that when I got weighed in on my last appointment, I hit 207lbs! WOW! When I gave birth to Madilyn, I weighed 206 - and now I'm weeks away from birthing and already surpassed my highest weight ever!

This Friday, Michael has a company party in the City, so I'll post my prego-party-ootd this weekend.

Current Game: Tiny Tower

My current game of choice for the past couple weeks is Tiny Tower. I had watched one of Ingrid's (MissGlamorazzi) vlogs and she was showing her progress in this game, and it looked so cute that I instantly jumped on my Droid Market and downloaded it ASAP!

This game is super fun, super cute and you can stay away from it for as long as you want and come back to it whenever. It's FREE - but if I had to pay for it, I would!

Pretty much it's the modern version of Sim Tower - a PC game I used to play wayyy back in the day - except it's not as technical or time consuming.

Basics of the game:

Build your tower floor by floor, either with residential floors or business floors - there's 5 different types of businesses; Food, Service, Recreation, Retail, Creative.

Use the elevator to move "Bitizens" (bit citizens - how cute?) into the residential floors or drop them off on a business floor for some extra cash flow just for using the elevator.

Assign your Bitizens to open positions on the business floors. Bitizens have career preferences, so you can either assign them to a position that you want them to be in or you can be selective and assign them to their dream job.

Bitizens can either have a red sad face (usually when they're unemployed), a yellow "bored" face (when they're assigned to a job, and a green happy face (when they're assigned to their dream job). I'm not sure if you get anything special for the happy faces, but it's my own OCD to only move in Bitizens that I'm able to assign to their dream jobs per the businesses I have open in my Tiny Tower.

OH - This is super cute! The Bitizens have a BitBook (like Facebook) I like reading their random posts about getting their jobs, are they happy, random Bitizen garble

When you go to build a new floor, you can check your stats and see what type of businesses are in demand

You can add friends on Mobage - the owner of the game - there's really no point in this, you can't do anything at your friend's tower other than look at it (boring)

There's also achievements you can accomplish - I don't think I've won any of these yet - I'm kinda confused why some of them are yellow stars and some are grey stars

What else, oh, you can upgrade the elevator too - makes it move faster for when you are manually taking Bitizens to each floor - kinda cool, but not something I strive to complete any time soon.

The Spoiled Mama

Product photos look a bit ragged because my toddler loves to walk around with these mini bottles and chews on the labels

I was gifted a few samples of The Spoiled Mama products from a friend a few months back, the Best of Bump Box Sampler Pregnancy Gift Set. I've been using them on and off since I got them.

First off, I had never heard of The Spoiled Mama, so here's a few things I found interesting on their website:

The Spoiled Mama was created in 2006, by Tamara Johnson. During her pregnancy she became increasingly frustrated by the prenatal skincare products available today that often contain harm­ful chemicals and preservatives. With years of experience working with and helping pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, she was inspired to create products that are not only safer but luxu­rious and beautifully packaged to help Mamas feel ‘Spoiled’. With this mission in mind, she set to work using her extensive experience, partnering with doctors, moms, and scientists, to develop in­novative products for a new kind of Maternity skincare. The Spoiled Mama is now the top maternity skincare line offering Retail and Backbar sizes that can be seen around the globe in select spas, hotels, hospitals and boutiques. Her core principles are still followed and used for everything we create at The Spoiled Mama.

You can read more in their About Us section of their website: thespoiledmama.com/about

Bump Gloss Stretch Mark Oil / 2oz. $17 / 4oz. $31 / 8oz. $58
Spoiled Mama's fast-absorbing Bump Gloss Stretch mark oil is long-lasting, extremely hydrating and rich in anti-oxidants and collagen-building components. We know how sensitive your senses and skin can be while expecting, so it is lightly scented with calming lavender. Gentle enough for mothers and babies, this product is useful for hydrating and adding elasticity to your stretching belly, as well as perineal massage and infant massage too. Use daily for softer, more supple and more beautiful skin.


Directions: We recommend using the Bump Gloss in the morning while still wet in shower (be careful can make shower floor slippery). Since it is an oil a little goes a long way but you want to make sure that while massaging any oil or butter in you do so gently but keep in mind that the 'massaging' is what will bring blood flow to the surface and this will also help aid in stretch mark prevention.


Ingredients: Olive Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosehip Oil, Organic Tamanu Oil, Organic Calendula, Organic Avocado Oil, Squalene, Shea Oil, Almond Oil, Organic Grape Seed Oil, Organic Vitamin E, Natural And Essential Oils

MY THOUGHTS:

This oil is very luxurious, leaving your skin looking and feeling supple, smooth, and hydrated for hours. I have used this very generously all over my belly, my hips, my lower back and the tops of my thighs - pretty much anywhere that my stretch marks tend to sneak up during pregnancy. I love that there's no harmful ingredients, so I feel even more comfortable rubbing this into my tummy once or twice a day. I used this right after my showers and right before bed. The only quality that is holding me back from purchasing this product is the scent. I personally dislike it - I didn't know it was lightly scented with lavender while using it - but that explains why I didn't care for the scent of this oil at all. Lavender is one of the only scents I absolutely cannot stand. I actually toughed it out and used up this sample just so I could review the product, plus the oil feels nice once soaked in.

Extreme Mama body Creme / 4oz. $17 / 8oz. $32
This creme is a MUST for growing, itchy bellies. Our special creme is carefully blended with extracts of calendula petals to soften and relieve itchy tummies. Shea Nut Oil and Sunflower oil is also added to help repair and rejuvenate Mama's growing belly. As well as being heavily Fortified with Vitamin E and Apricot Oils to help soothe and replenish skin's natural healthy radiance and balance. Naturally scented with our #1 requested signature scent of a Chamomile-Neroli blend. Excellent for all skin types especially sensitive.


Ingredients: Aqua (Distilled water), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe), Sunflower Oil (Helianthus Annuus), Shea Oil (Butyrospermum Parkii), Calendula Extract (Calendula Officinalis), Apricot Oil (Prunus Armeniaca), Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera), Meadowfoam Seed Oil (Limnanthes alba),Stearic Acid (Vegetable Based), Emulsifying Wax (Vegetable Base), Vegetable Glycerin USP, Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol

MY THOUGHTS:

This creme smells too good too handle! It feels very creamy and soaks into the skin very well - didn't have any problems feeling greasy or slimy. It's not a very heavy creme, so a small amount goes far. I don't really have an itchy belly, I didn't with the first pregnancy either, but this creme is very soothing to apply and it's one of my favorite body cremes at the moment. Although I love this creme a lot and highly recommend it for your growing bellies, I won't be purchasing this product because I feel it's quite over priced for what it is. If you are in the market for organic ingredients - definitely look into this, but as I'm okay with using non-organic body cremes, I will most likely just fall back on my less expensive, drugstore cremes.

(no photo of the product label because my 14mon old daughter chewed it off)

Tummy Butter for Stretch Marks / 4oz. $31 / 12oz $69
Our Tummy Butter for stretch marks is made with the finest ingredients available. We start with pure cocoa butter and then added organic Rosehip oil, organic Tamanu, and Kukui Nut oils which contain Vitamin A and E, and high amounts of essential fatty acids. Together they promote collagen and elastin levels to increase cell regeneration. This results in firmer skin with greater elasticity and helps defend against stretch marks.
Mama's Tummy Butter stretch marks lotion penetrates into the deepest skin layers, while creating a protective shield that locks in moisture and nourishes your growing belly. Our Special stretch marks Butter blend will help fade scars and stretch marks and prevent new ones from appearing. Works wonders on C-Section scars too!
For Maximum Stretch Mark Prevention our Tummy Butter and Bump Gloss are recommended to be used together (each contain oils proven to help aid in stretch mark prevention and the fading of existing scars and stretch marks). The Tummy Butter can be applied in the afternoon, evening or both as your tummy begins to grow and stretch. You will want to make sure that while massaging any oil or butter in, you do so gently but keep in mind that the 'massaging' is what will bring blood flow to the surface and this will also help aid in stretch mark prevention.


Ingredients: Distilled Water, Cocoa Butter, Shea Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Organic Tamanu Oil, Organic Rosehip Seed Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil, Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Vegetable Glycerin USP, Emulsifying Wax NF, Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol

MY THOUGHTS:

I have mixed emotions on this product. I like the consistency of it, it's not a heavy butter so you don't need heaps of it to cover your belly and stretch marked areas. I like easy it is to massage into the skin and how quickly it soaks in - I didn't have any greasiness. I dislike the smell of this butter a lot, but I think that's because I don't like the smell of cocoa butter. Although this butter is nice to apply and calming to massage into the skin, I always felt like it was a chore to do because I hated the scent so much. I felt like that about Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter, which I used during my first pregnancy - couldn't stand that one either. If you don't mind the smell of cocoa butter, than I recommend checking this out. It feels really good and it keeps your skin happy. I haven't noticed any stretch mark prevention or curing of my old stretch marks from my first pregnancy though.

Pregnancy Update: 31 weeks ~ 7 3/4 months

This week I hit my 31st week mark! Which means, next Monday I will be 8mons pregnant!

I meant to do my update in my 30th week and do another belly photo, but life got a bit dramatic and I got sick so I completely forgot to keep up with my pregnancy photos.

So, what's the latest with my pregnancy? Well, I'm extremely huge! This is the largest I've been in my entire life (and I still have 2 more months to go!). I'm so big that if I lounge back too far, I feel like my belly is smothering me. My tops are starting to look too short for my belly. I can't eat as much as I would like to because my stomach has no room to expand (this means I burn off my food quicker and feel hungry more often - oy). I officially cannot reach for things, I can't put the dishes away, I can barely put my shoes on and it's getting much harder to pick up my daughter when I need to change her diaper at the changing table.

Aside from having a cold right now, I feel great! I've only had the BH contractions a few times, and they were that bad. I'm extremely tired, but so is my daughter lately (most likely due to another growth spurt) so we've been sleeping in till 9am sometimes even 10am if we had a long night.

Michael and I are attending his company's annual year end party in a couple weeks, so I'll be stuffing my big belly into a little sexy dress soon. Hahaha! Like my friend called it, a DTF dress (which I Googled to find out what it meant - too funny! Especially since I'm pregnant!) Actually, she's the one who found my dress:

http://www.babiesnbellies.com

Cara Lynn Maternity Tunic/Dress

Now I just need to find some type of body suit to wear underneath and decide which of my old and unloved pumps to wear with it :)

Oh, and here's this week's belly photos too

The meeting about MCM, and the day after...

We had the meeting with/about MCM last Friday. Pretty much it's not at all what I expected. The caring facility was initiating the family to decide where to put MCM next because she can't stay there forever. The facility thinks she's doing well with following their rules and routines and they think she could handle going to a "board and care" facility (where she would have the freedom to come and go but still get assistance in day-to-day chores and meals). I can tell that the caring facility she is at right now doesn't really spend time with her and understand her issues, otherwise they'd realize that's not a good fit for her. If she has freedom to leave, then she will and she won't want to come back.

It was slightly tough to see MCM upset and teary about accepting she has no say in her life - she wants to go "home" (she was living with my Grama) but she can't, therefore she has no control over her life. I can understand her frustration and sadness, but she doesn't understand that she mentally cannot live on her own or even with my Grama because she won't take care of herself.

After the meeting, MCM just walked off towards her room - normally she'd hang all over me, asking questions about my life and annoying me - so I knew she was pissed at all of us.
My brother, Grama and I stood outside the facility in the parking lot chatting about the meeting for a while. I had brought my Aunty, who stayed in the car for the whole meeting because MCM hates her and would've flipped out to see her there. After chatting in the parking lot, I drove my Aunty and brother to pick up some fast food for a quick dinner since I knew my Grama probably wouldn't eat that night.

The next day, my Aunty and I met up at my Grama's house so that my Aunty could collect some of her things that have been at my Grama's house for the past few years, back when my Aunty used to live there. Long story short - we found out a lot of my Aunty's belongings were trashed out without her permission, my Grama had been giving away my Grampa's things to random people who aren't related to us (people from her church), and she gave away a lot of her things to these people - all without reaching out to our family to let them know she's getting rid of things. This is typical behavior for her - fucking her family out of having the shit they were either promised or would like to have.

Pretty much my Aunty and I had to go through the house, garage and shed looking for my Aunty's belongings and trying to find things we might want for ourselves, since my Grama wouldn't think to offer it to us.

I ended up coming home with my Grampa's entire National Geographic magazine collection from the 70's to early 2000's - oh and a throat full of dust which is why I'm sick with a cold now.

Overall, last Thursday and Friday were extremely draining on me - emotionally, mentally and physically - the cost of having my Grama in my life.

Current Snack: SunRype

My pregnancy has brought on cravings for chewy candies, and I've been trying so hard not to ask Michael to bring home candy. I find myself requesting gummi bears, gummi worms, starbursts, mambas, oh and skittles - YUM!

While Michael was out buying groceries at Lucky, he picked up a handful of these natural fruit snacks. We've tried them before, but I forgot how good they are! These are usually a dollar each, and he picked up a few of each flavor for me.

I love these snacks so much! They are sweet, a little tart, super juicy and chewy - oh my gosh, I need to go eat one now!