Counting the Weeks

Here we are, week 31! Is that really right? How can we already be through 31 weeks of pregnancy?! (I just had to literally count the weeks from the first week in August because it's just so hard to believe)... wow. She's coming... she's coming soon!!! 

 this week she's the size of a head of cabbage! (I've seen big cabbages and small ones... but you know, the general size of the average cabbage.)

 here she weighs as much as four oranges! :) That must be because I eat four oranges everyday!  

We had a checkup with our midwife and everything looks good! :) We heard her heart beat and decided she's like Julip- a yoga baby. However, this little one moves SO much more. I love it! I can feel her moving most of the day (she's moving right now. I see these huge movements happening beneath my eyes as I type)! The most exciting thing at the appointment was my midwife showing me how to feel her individual body parts. We felt her head, back, booty, and a little leg tucked under. Her knee was pressing against my tummy and it was so sweet identifying parts of Little Sister. I love her already! Her head is facing down and hopefully it'll stay that way. 

I haven't really been craving anything in particular, but I have been much hungrier. I can tell that I want to eat more frequently, which is great! I love fruit- apples, oranges, grapefruit, bananas, pomegranates (anything in season)- but I always crave fruit, pregnant or not. Oh, the other night D and I got to go out (thanks EMILY) and I HAD to have a hamburger! I ate the entire thing plus all my sweet potato fries. It was delicious! 

I have two products I recommend to all my expecting mommy friends. The first is MadeOn hard lotion bars. It's like lotion, but in a bar form. It consists of three ingredients: shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax. It's great! I love it! I use it on my lips too and on little Julip! It's so safe you could eat it! (Side note: Right now, I find that just straight up olive oil is working best for me as far as moisturizing goes.) The second is prenatal vitamins. With Julip, I was so sick in the beginning and I blame it partially on taking what my OB prescribed. I did some research and found Innate Baby and Me. I chose them because they are derived 100% from whole foods, meaning you're not eating a ton of synthetic materials and chemically made substances. You are literally just taking the vitamins you need. The only additional information, however, is that these vitamins do not contain Omega 3. A supplement of fermented cod liver oil (it sounds yuck, but it's so good for you and baby) will be above and beyond what you need during pregnancy, particularly the first trimester when you're growing a brain! 

In other big news, like I wrote in the "31 weeks" picture, a year ago today I was packing up boxes like crazy for our big move to the city of St Louis. We were offered the job on Monday night and were moved in by Saturday night! That was by far the fastest move, quickest goodbyes, and greatest anticipation we've felt all at one time. I don't know how we did it other than simply trusting God's calling and the confirmation from people we love most. Now that a year has come and gone, I cannot even tell you how much I enjoy living here, surrounded by our loving community, growing as a family, and enjoying our church family! St Louis is awesome! :) 

this is the door to our apartment we first moved into here in St Louis. We only lived there for three months, but it still was "home" for a while. Whoa, I just realized that Julip has moved four times in her little life (5 if you count from my belly to my arms). That's a lot! Anyway, I always enjoyed walking through that big red door. 

If you've made it to the very end, good for you! Thanks for reading my ramblings. 

with love, 

momma caro