December pretty much flew by and now that Christmas has come and gone, we’re getting some time to relax and enjoy ourselves. That means some fun things for us and Ellie. We’re almost at 32 weeks, which means 8 weeks left to go! My body is starting to be a little more achy, which is not awesome, but is part of the process and I don’t feel like I can complain too much. I’m definitely getting more hungry than ever before. I never really felt like I needed any more food than normal before, but now I am hungry all the time.

We’re done reading our hypnobirthing book and we’re very excited to practice for a couple of months to prepare for labor. Brian has been reading the meditation and relaxation scripts to me, which is probably my favorite part of hypnobirthing. I enjoy listening to him a lot more than the affirmations on the CD.

Ellie’s movements have been very frequent and strong. I’m pretty sure I felt her legs today with my hands, which is the first time I’ve been able to identify a part of her body. Last time we went to see Erin (our midwife), when we listened to her heartbeat we also heard hiccups, which was hilarious. Brian also heard them last night when he put his ear up to my stomach.

Other doctor updates: I passed my glucose test, so I officially do not have gestational diabetes. My stomach is measuring right on par. We are now going to see Erin every two weeks instead of once a month. I do have slight anemia, so I’m taking Iron supplements.

Other fun things we’re doing:
1. Brian has been reading books to Ellie
2. I’ve been playing music from the mobile each night
3. Erin lent us a prenatal yoga DVD, which is so relaxing and fun for Ellie

Other cool things I’ve learned that I’d like to share with other mom’s:
1. Papaya Extract is phenomenal for heartburn! PHENOMENAL.
2. Gilt Groupe under baby and kids is one of my favorite places to shop for baby stuff
3. Amazon is really quite fantastic. With Amazon Mom, I’ve gotten several months of free Prime Shipping and it’s really been great – I recommend it to everyone!

We put together the swing last weekend, which was a piece of cake. The nursery is pretty much ready to go, with a few little things still needed. We’re very excited to use our new gear and start putting the clothes on our little girl; as she gets closer to arrival, we are getting more anxious.

We have a couple of fun weekends coming up. First, New Years, then another baby shower, then Brian’s birthday! I hope to have some more pics to post soon. For now, here is a profile at 31 weeks in the nursery.