Bumpin' | 28 & 30 Weeks

How far along? 28 weeks (November 2, 2016)

How big is baby? Eggplant, about 15 inches head to toe and 2.25 pounds

Milestones? Fetal brain waves detect sleep cycles, which means baby may be dreaming

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep? Much better actually. I considered buying a body pillow specifically for pregnancy but opted to save the money and go for the princess and the pea method of propping myself up with a million pillows instead. 

Symptoms? Nothing new or noteworthy

Food cravings? None

Food aversions? None

Gender? Boy

Labor signs? None

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss? Nothing in particular that I can think of.

What am I looking forward to? Setting up our new house. I am such a type A personality when it comes to planning furniture layouts everything. On post housing doesn't give you any floor plans or pictures before you move, so I am very antsy to get in there and make our house a home. We did find out our specific address and discovered the house is right next to a quiet, wooded cul-de-sac with a play set made just for toddlers across the way. We really lucked out with the perfect spot!

Best moment this week? I have to document two:

1. Trick or treating with Eloise was an absolute blast this year. I think it was extra special sharing the evening with our beloved neighborhood knowing we only had a few days left in our house. I dressed up as Winnie the Pooh (I happen to have the ideal belly for the role), Brad was Christopher Robins, and Eloise was the sweetest piglet you ever did see. She was a huge hit and said "thank you" unprompted at almost every house. We were so proud watching her confidently march up front porch steps while hanging in there with the big kids and a candy basket nearly heavier than her that she insisted on carrying herself.  
2. We saw HP's sweet face in high definition 4D ultrasound. When he popped up on the big screen Eloise pointed and shouted, "CUTE!" She quickly lost interest and was much more fascinated by my belly button, which she hilariously calls a bee-bo thanks to one of our favorite Sandra Boyton books. HP was the perfect model. We think he has chunkier cheeks and a bigger nose than our petite featured little lady, but we shall see. I cannot get over how handsome he is, and I am endlessly fascinated by both the technology that allows us such a special peek and by my body for the capability to grow such a perfect miracle. 

How far along? 30 weeks (November 16, 2016)

How big is baby? Head of cabbage, 16 inches head to toe and 3 pounds

Milestones? Baby has about a 98% chance of survival on his own if born premature at this point

Maternity clothes? Yes

Sleep? Still pretty decent. Hooray! I think the fatigue of packing, moving, and unpacking has helped.

Symptoms? Achy. I think I am officially rocking the waddle sometimes lately.

Food cravings? Lime tortilla chips. Again. Ate the whole bag practically in one sitting.

Food aversions? None

Gender? Boy, and I am getting exponentially more excited day by day about experiencing boy life.

Labor signs? None

Belly button in or out? Neither, just flat/nonexistent.

What I miss? Target. Or just some type of retail civilization. The closest to our new house is an hour away. I wish I was joking. 

What am I looking forward to? Tons of family time. Brad reported to his new company at Fort Leonard Wood just for them to tell him he has no assignment until class starts in January. All he has to do is sign in once per day on a sheet of paper at headquarters. All of this togetherness is such a big deal for us considering the amount of time away his previous job, and obviously deployment before that, required. We are loving every single second of it and will cherish the 2016 holiday season together.

Best moment this week? Moving into our new Missouri house was certainly a highlight, but it was definitely bittersweet too. I sobbed walking room to room saying goodbye to our Tennessee home. Eloise gave me huge hugs as we stood in her room together one last time. Besides the move, I would say the best part of life lately is just embracing Eloise right now. Some of the things I never want to forget from this age are the way she just says "much" to mean thank you and "soon" to mean goodbye because of how often I say, "thank you so much" and "see you soon." Toddlers are such intellectual sponges! But when she says "much" she really enunciates the "-ch" with pursed lips, and it makes my heart burst every time. She also now knows her ABC's, how to spell her name, and can count from one to ten. She loves to spell anything and everything from t-shirts to a Merry Christmas banner I have up in the house to storefront signs. She is working hard on learning her colors, and she loves to be a helper. Putting her clothes in her hamper, handing me utensils from the dishwasher to put away, pushing all of our chairs back in after meals, and taking items to the trash are some of her favorite tasks (I hope this phase never ends). She has a big sister book that she loves to read, and on every page she has to point out the "sissy" and "brudder." I think she is really catching on to what is coming for our family soon. Clearly I could go on for days raving about my girl. I am feeling increasingly emotional and in love with her and with our one-on-one time as the baby's due date quickly approaches.