Up until this week I hadn’t experienced this whole “nesting” thing, but I’m pretty sure I’m now in full on nesting mode. The hard evidence? I’m ironing curtains, washing baseboards, and scrubbing tiny little crevices in the kitchen tile. I cleaned out the fridge and freezer. I’m crafting at night. Who am I and where did I get this energy from? Eric thinks I’ve lost my marbles! I told him this is just the beginning of crazy town. Just wait until I’m a week before my due date.
I had an appointment with my OB this week. He confirmed some good news that I hoped for – my low-lying placenta has been moving on up! It’s now high enough to meet the “hospital standard”, but he is hopeful it will move up even more as the weeks go on. This is great news because it means that a vaginal delivery is in the realm of possibilities for me (of course other issues can come up, but this is a good starting point). Everything looks good and he says we are right on track with respect to measurements and all that.
Our crib and glider arrived recently – several weeks earlier than expected which is always nice. I can’t wait until both are set up in the nursery. The nursery is going slower than expected because I changed the colour scheme after we realized our yellow paint had an awful green undertone. Even Eric hated it! Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t a designer in my previous life? Anyway, the nursery is back on track now, looking better than ever, and I hope to show you the progress soon!
Baby girl is officially taking over my entire stomach! I feel her kicks and hand jabs simultaneously at the top of my rib and very base of my pelvic area. Sometimes her foot kicks way off to the right side of my belly and I’m like how in the world are you way over there? It’s so surreal to think she is really that big. I still remember reading the weekly updates on my phone from 1st trimester saying she was the size of a grain of rice!
My What To Expect iPhone app says she now measures about 17 inches for week 29. They go on to say, “Though she’s getting close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit.” hah.
I’m eating lots of healthy fats each day (avocado, coconut oil, algae oil, chia and hemp seeds, etc) to help her chub up!
My sciatica and rib pain is still bothering me – nothing much has changed on that front. Ice is my best friend.
Eric is still playing guitar in the evening for us. The baby perks right up and busts out a few moves for his songs! I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but Sketchie is a total groupie. Every time Eric starts playing the guitar Sketchie comes into the room and jumps up on the couch beside him. He just sits there in a total blissed out trance, swaying from side to side. It’s the funniest thing. What is it about live music that rejuvenates the soul?
We’re gearing up for some special visitors next week and my baby shower next weekend! Eric is sanding and painting the deck this weekend, I’m on a cleaning spree and setting up the guest room and bathroom, and I’ve been running around getting things for the shower and finalizing the menu.
Other tidbits from this week:
Food loves: toast, grapefruit (1st trimester craving is back with a vengeance!), homemade coconut oil chocolate –> (mix 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, a dash of vanilla, and 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Pour into lined pan, freeze until firm). It’s the best!
Exercise: Still going on my daily morning walks. I can’t get enough of walking. I just wish there was a bathroom handy on the trail…my bladder is about to BURST by the time I get home.
Days until due date: 67 or 72 days depending on which due date I go by (Sept 17th and 22nd, respectively).
Days until baby shower: 8
Family flying from out of province: 2 – mom and sister arrive next Thursday!
Belly button: Still an innie, for now…
Baby names: We’ve had a first and middle name in the #1 spot for weeks now, with a few others as backups. Still not 100% decided though.
Currently reading: Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Birthing from Within, and various resource books like What to Expect, The Mayo Clinic’s Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, etc.
Ok, tell me how you are doing now 
You look amazing! Also is there a chandelier in your bedroom?! Jealous! Too hot down here to consider removing our ceiling fan :(
I love that y’all are playing music for your baby girl. I teach piano lessons to this one kid whose cat comes RACING to the piano room every week to join the lesson. The cat hops up onto the top of the piano and totally blisses out. Adorable :)
Hey Lauren, Yes it is – thanks! A score from Home Depot the other week…I love how moody/dramatic it is. I have a fan on the floor that blasts me all night long, hah.
That’s so cute about the piano cat…now I wonder how Sketchie would be around one.
You look amazing! I’m sure your baby shower will be fantastic :)
The life of a student enjoying her long vacation away from university seems somewhat dull in comparison to all of your exciting changes!
Angela,
I’ve been reading your blog for many years yet have never commented.
I just have to say how absolutely beautiful and radiant you are looking and I’m
just loving the weekly baby updates, reading about your progress.
Thank you for sharing, I’m bursting wth excitement for you!
Kate.xx
Hi Kate, Well, what a lovely first comment to leave! Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading all these years. :)
Hi Angela,
You look great! I will be 24 weeks on Monday, so I’m right behind you:)
Congrats Nicole :) Hope you are feeling well!
Very excited to think I’ll be seeing you in less than a week! I can’t wait to see your Baby bump up close and in person -:0 I giggled when reading about the Nesting Phase. Not sure if I have told you the story — probably, but anyway the day I went in to labour with you, I cleaned from the minute my eyes opened until around 7 pm when I thought – Well I am tired now so I’ll just take it easy for the rest of the evening and lo and behold, the labour pains started …. Mother Nature has a twisted sense of humour HaHa
haha! I hadn’t heard that story before…I can so see myself doing the same thing! I told Eric when he sees me scrubbing bathroom tile with an old toothbrush that’s when he knows I’m close!
I just LOVE reading your pregnancy journey. It has quickly become the first thing I check in the morning. So excited for you and Eric. xx
Thank you Jaclyn! I mostly just feel like I’m rambling on here, so I’m happy to hear that you enjoy it. =)
Angela, you are shining, looking great! I am on my 31 week right now. Happy to hear the news from OB. Everything is going to be just fine!
Congrats, you are a couple weeks closer! Keep us posted how everything goes.
I am at 22 weeks, and I am suddenly overcome with an urge to scrub, paint, and remodel my entire house! I have to admit things got pretty gross around here during my first trimester, so it may not be “nesting” so much as clawing my way out of nausea- and fatigue-induced squalor.
hah that sounds familiar..I don’t recall cleaning much during the 1st trimester either. ;)
I can see you with an Annabelle, Elodie, or a Lilly for some reason. Always been my favorite names because they’re so graceful.
My daughters and I ove your recipes even though we are not vegans. We just like to eat meat less often. I have a bit of advice: have you thought about swimming instead of walking each day? I found walking bothered my sciatica as much as sitting. Swimming gave me a weightless workout and didn’t bother my sciatica but improved it. Keep up the great posts, recipes and updates on your baby girl! I learn so much..
Happy to hear that Kelly :)
Yes I have thought about swimming! The only problem is our local pool is pretty gross and not very well maintained so that’s kept me from going, hah.
Beautiful!! And your getting so close!! The nesting hits me hard, too. It’s been off and on for the last few weeks but we did a lot of deep cleaning today, which felt good. My back is just starting to get achy so I don’t think I’ll be doing a lot more of the physical nesting these last few weeks anymore- other than freezing meals. :)
ah yes freezing meals – thanks for the reminder! I was hoping to do this too but now that our kitchen reno is going down in August/early Sept. I’m not sure I will be able to.
Good luck with the home stretch and take it easy!
Oh gosh! I was wondering who’s that in first pic? my eyes cannot believe it’s Angela. haha :D
You look really radiant and blossomed. You’re lucky to have morning walks there, here in Australia we’re freezing. Can’t even think of walk or talk outside. brrrrr… Instead, I do yoga and deep breathing 3-4 times in a week. Deep breathing exercise would really help you in the end. I hope you do the same.
To meeting my first bubba: 44 days to go! I’m short of words how excited I am! :)
Take care,
xx
I am 25 weeks now (a month behind you!) and this week nesting mode started here as well!! I’ve been looking up baby clothes like mad (thank god I will get a few hand me downs in about a week so I am forced to wait what I will get until I can stock up on the rest!), plan our baby corner (we don’t have a nursery room, our baby girl will get a corner in our third room aka guest/work room with just a dresser and a crib) and keep organizing and cleaning the third room, the whole flat and organize all things back and forth :-)
Here in Germany we don’t do “baby showers” but people will bring you little presents when the baby is here and they visit. I am jealous of you guys over in Canada and the US … we just can’t count on people gifting us with things that we need quickly so we have to buy or organize a lot of things ourselves or get our parents to commit to something they will gift us with. However, this doesn’t stop me from creating a baby wish list on Amazon, simply because it’s so much fun :-)
You look beautiful, Angela!
Congrats you look great! I went into nesting mode the last month and organized every cupboard and drawer in the house.
:)
I hope you have a great time at your shower :) Enjoy the time with your Mom and Sis xo
Hi, Angela!
I’m a longtime reader & mom of 7. I can so sympathize with the rib pain! In my last trimesters, I spent my evenings on the couch with my left arm stretched up over my head- just trying to make more room. Now it’s funny because my left rib actually sticks out further than the right. Don’t know what it is that makes those little stinkers want to hang out right there!
Oh & prenatal pilates (I used Stotts) helped me with my sciatica.
Enjoy these last couple of months of baby anticipation!
Thanks for the suggestions Aimee!
My rib pain seems to be subsiding a bit this week (knock on wood!) so hopefully the worst of the stretching is over! hah.
Hi,
I’ve been following your blog since 2008 and I was so excited to hear you are expecting as I am too and it’s so fun to hear about your journey as I go along mine. I’m a long distance runner and am now 24 weeks pregnant and have made pretty much every recipe you’ve posted since being pregnant. There is ALWAYS a batch of raw hemp 2 layer brownies in the freezer and I just started making the chocolate hemp milk for two. So divine!
My favourite breakfast is a green smoothie made in the Vitamix (apple, pear, ginger, lemon, parsley, kale) and 2 pieces of toast with avocado, sliced tomato, and sprinkled with hemp seeds and pink sea salt. Isn’t it the best? I haven’t tried hummus yet but I will!
I’m not quite nesting yet but have ordered a glider from DuTalier and organized my spice cupboard. I just had the urge to toss out old spices and clean them up. Maybe I am nesting?
Hi Angela – I hope you’ll share beautiful pictures from your baby shower – of you, your family, and your friends… and of course, THE FOOD! I am sure it will be delicious and fun celebration. You look great and congratulations on getting closer and closer with each passing week.
Hi Angela! Where did you get your awesome cardigan?! I am a teacher and my wardrobe consists of mainly cardigans- always looking for a good one! Congratulations and have fun at your shower! :)
Thanks Jillian! I found it at Winners actually! Usually I dont find much there, but I spotted this the other day and loved it. So lightweight. I can find out the brand name on the tag if you’d like?
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for getting back to me! We don’t have Winners in VA so if you could give me the name of the label that would be great! Thank you :) and thank you for creating this amazing blog- I absolutely love it!!
Hi Jillian
I believe that Winners in Canada is owned by the same company asTJ Max in the US. Might be a starting point for you….
I would like to know the brand too.
Angela, you look beautiful! I am 32 weeks this week and I still have yet to have the cleaning nesting stage! I made a huge, huge batch of your lentil soup for the freezer and I have been making other foods for the freezer. Every time I think about cleaning, I take a nap! My back has been incredibly sore the last few weeks, and I think that has made me less excited to clean. I’m trying not to stress out – as long as we have all of the things we really need and some meals in the freezer, I’ll be happy! But it sure would be nice to have a squeaky clean house… :-)
Thank you for sharing your pregnancy journey! You have really portrayed pregnancy as a wonderful experience that is challenging yet gratifying. It is so inspiring!
You look amazing, Angela! I’m excited for your baby shower for you! They are always a blast. Even if they’re not yours. Ha ha.
I love hearing about your pregnancy journey. Thank you for sharing it with us. :)
You look so wonderful! :) I love reading about how you are doing and what the baby is up to. The story about Eric playing music and the baby loving it and Sketchie swaying made me smile. :) You are glowing, girl!
You look absolutely beautiful!! So glad to hear you are doing well. I am also glad to hear that Sketchie is doing well too! I have started to read your blog from the beginning, I’m only at Jan 2009! Lol.
Hi I washed all the walls during my 3rd pregnancy, then when I was done I realized I may have lost it! ha…pregnancy makes you do crazy things. you look great.
Angela, you look absolutely gorgeous and I am loving the baby updates! So fun to hear how things are going for you week to week. I LOVE going for long, peaceful walks too; you make me want to start up a daily morning ritual of walking again, especially now since it gets pretty hot by about 9:30 or 10am. It’s a great way to get in some gentle but effective exercise and take time to meditate and reset the brain a bit.
And where did you get your beautiful kimono? I’m totally in love with it!
I was pregnant last year (babe is 7.5 months now), and I was so happy to live in the same neighborhood as both my husband’s parents AND grandparents–for the bathroom breaks!! My daily walk was 45 minutes or so, and some days I would pee before I left the house, at both the other houses, and then once I got back home.
My journals also had “belly button: innie…so far” !
Shower tip: wear shorts/pants or a long skirt, simply so you can sit as comfortably as possible while opening gifts and not have to worry about flashing your guests (and their cameras!). If you already have a shorter dress or skirt picked out, just disregard this :D
I was also due in mid September but sadly had a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Regardless, I’m really enjoying following along with your pregnancy and looking forward to going through this one day myself. You look radiant and I wish you all the best!
You are stunning! Love hearing about the nesting, haha. Too funny.
I totally had the grapefruit craving my entire pregnancy! My husband thought that was so weird… I’m happy to learn I’m not alone!
If you want a natural, vaginal birth, you need to advocate for it. Getting a doula was the smartest thing we ever did (she advocated for me when I couldn’t speak up for myself in the throws of labor). We also took Bradley Natural Childbirth classes. We successfully had an unmedicated vaginal birth for our son in May. In the US it’s quite the ordeal to get the nurses and staff to accept your wishes for a natural birth. I wish the best for you and your baby girl!
You look so amazing! I love the glow that has somehow increased! I am happy to read about your progress and hope the placenta keeps moving on up haha! Thanks for sharing your journey with us <3
Have you tried going to see a Registered Massage Therapist for your rib and sciatic pain. They can make a significant difference during pregnancy. They help to alleviate some of the discomfort associated with ligamentous stretching around the SI joint, work with sciatica and other pregnancy induced pains(carpal tunnel etc). Definitely look into it, some clinics have tables specifically designed for pregnant women with a cut out for the tummy and breasts so you can lay face down which is amazing after not being allowed to for months. If not, they position you side-lying (more time on the left than right)
Thanks Kate! I’m off to look for a RMT with that kind of table! My sis was just telling me about it last night. Sounds like a dream!
Angela, just a thought: what my ob initially dismissed as sciatica was actually pain in my sacroiliac joint from my hips loosening. An SI support band might help with the pain. I wore one almost my whole pregnancy and needed it some afterwards too but it really helped. The one I got was by Serola and I found it on Amazon. I hope you can get some relief!
Nesting is a strange thing! I’m 34 weeks and have been feeling the intense urge to clean/organize/purge/craft/shop since about 30 weeks…when I have the energy to do things. I couldn’t sleep this morning and was up at 5 am sorting baby clothes. I was having nightmares about not having washed the baby stuff or started packing a hospital bag, so I did both a few weeks ago. Craziness!
Sciatica has been plaguing me for a while now and I have to recommend something that has been super helpful for me. I know you didn’t get much relief from chiropractic adjustments, but a few weeks ago my chiro put kinesio tape on my belly and lower back- it’s amazing! Instant relief, and not really any risk to try it as you can remove it if it doesn’t help.
Ha! Just read this comment while being up and awake since 2am this morning … :-) (thoughts in my head about sorting and washing baby clothes and finding out what’s still missing) …
Hi Angela! You look absolutely radiant :) Would you consider doing a post on how you decided to start a family and how you prepared your body for it? It is such an important topic for us busy career women considering babies! I would really love to hear your take on the whole thing. Stay well!
Hi Natalie, Thank you :)
We didn’t do much to prepare really – I mentioned in my Prenatal supplement post that I started taking my vitamins a few months before we got pregnant and just made sure I was eating balanced with lots of protein. You can find my vitamin post here: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/05/my-prenatal-supplements/
You look positively amazing! Thanks so much for opening up and sharing these updates… as someone hopeful to be a future mother I am loving being along for the ride in this small way. The main reason I had to comment though was about Sketchie being a groupie… that is TOO funny. My cat could care less about live music but she will not let us watch TV without her… she plops down on the armchair in this totally humanlike pose and is mesmerized by the colors. Gotta love cats being silly :)
You may feel like you’re rambling, but I’m with everyone else – I’m loving your updates! Since my first pregnancy a couple years ago, I never tire of the topics of pregnancy, birth, babies, and breastfeeding. My 2nd baby is due in 5 weeks!
I’m so happy for you that your placenta has moved up. I went through that with my first and it was nerve wracking for me. Just want to share a little something that I’m so glad I read before giving birth, because it happened to me – Kath (KERF – I’m sure you know of her ;) shared in her birth story that she bled a lot during labor. I hadn’t read about bleeding in any of the many, many other birth stories I read. Then, it happened to me. I wasn’t freaked out because I knew it happened to her and was no cause for concern. I did call the hospital when it started and they told me it’d be best to come in, just so they could make sure everything was ok. I had been in labor for several hours, so I was ok with that (I wanted to stay at home as long as possible. A good idea for anyone who really wants an unmedicated birth). Anyway, I never did find out exactly why I bled, but I googled around many months later and found that it could have been because the placenta was kind of low. Sorry for writing a novel here, just thought I’d pass it along so you don’t panic if it happens to you, with a low placenta and all.
I step onto your blog at least weekly (and your cookbook is a vegan staple on my shelves), and I’m sorry to say I’m so late in my congratulations on your coming baby! So glad you’re doing well, and that life is blessing you and Eric. All my very, very best to you.
Hello Angela,
I really enjoy your blog, recipes and baby page. My sister and I both have your cookbook and love it!
You look wonderful – I am also expecting a little girl this year, but in October, I can’t wait.
What crib did you go with? I can not decide on one for the life of me!
You look BEAUTIFUL!! I just had my first baby this past November, and it’s so much fun to read about your progress since I was just there. ;) Having a baby is the most incredible and exhausting thing that has ever happened to me! I also love that Baby Girl is listening to music. My husband is a music teacher, so he has been singing songs and playing the piano for our little guy from the beginning! Now our almost 8-month old plays piano WITH him! It’s the cutest thing. I wish you the very, very best!
Silly question but…is your nightly serenade instrumental only….or does Eric sing as well?
You are looking amazing!! I love reading how you are going :)
I have a quick question, what smoothies are you having? I read this week that pregnant women shouldn’t eat pre-packed salads, including baby spinach. But i rely on baby spinach for my green monsters! Are you having green smoothies still, or something else?
Hey Natasha,
Thank you! I’ve been using destemmed organic kale leaves in my smoothies for a long time now. Not sure if that poses the same concerns as spinach, but I’ve had no issues.
You might be able to steam the spinach before hand to kill off any bacteria, but I’m not positive.
What is algae oil? What do you use it in? I just never heard of it before. Get back to me if you can. I’m sure you’re a busy mama to be. :)
Hi Angela!
Just like many others on here, I’m a long-time reader and SO excited for your pregnancy as well! You look so healthy and radiant – it’s inspiring. :)
Although I’m not pregnant (but we’re on the journey of getting there!), I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth a couple of months ago and found it SO INSPIRING and encouraging! The stories of women in the first half of the book are empowering and uplifting, and the second half of the book where Ina May herself writes….man…I would read it before bed and would be like, “YEAH!!! YOU GO, GIRL!” at the various stories (and my husband would just grin, knowing which book I was reading :D). I borrowed the book from the library and was almost 2 weeks late with it, and I’m never late with books! So that tells you how much I enjoyed it…will definitely have to invest in a copy of my own when the time comes.
ANYWAY, all this rambling to say that I love that you’ve read the book AND I’m loving the baby updates AND to wish you a huge congrats!!! :)))
Thank you Evelyn!
How exciting this all is!
I discovered your blog and bought your book just before I found out I was pregnant. I was so excited about your book and recipes, but had such terrible morning (all day) sickness I put it aside until just a few weeks ago! I was so sick I couldn’t even visit the blog, as the sight of ANY food made me feel terrible.
Well, a few weeks ago I started feeling better and pulled out the book! I’ve already made a ton of the recipes (and LOVED them) and then started visiting the blog again. Imagine my surprise when I found out you also have a bun in the oven! I was just so excited!!
I just wanted to tell you how much I LOVE you blog and your book and I am so excited for you and your new family!
Also, I wanted to suggest a post…I’d love to see some freezer friendly meals(ones I could make ahead of time, freeze, and then just pop in the oven, etc). If you are like me, you are thinking of stocking up the freezer before baby comes with easy meals.
You are such an inspiration! Thank you so much <3
Hi Julia, Thank you so much for your kind words! So happy you are enjoying the blog and thanks for your congrats :) xo
I’m so thrilled for you (even if I’m a bit late to the party).
My placenta was low-lying as well for my first baby, and I wanted a birth-centre birth too. I did heaps of reading up to take my specialist and discovered that the placenta keeps moving up until at least week 36, so you’re well on track if it’s already clear. Mine was finally clear by week 32, I had a small amount of spotting 3 weeks before the baby came (having had none at all during pregnancy) and otherwise I had a perfectly natural, uneventful birth.
And with both of mine, we settled on names about an hour after they were born. We had a shortlist of favourites, but for my first (a boy) I couldn’t find any girl names I liked and for my second (a girl) I couldn’t find any boy names I liked. Funny.
Looking forward to more updates (and LOVING your new cookbook btw – I’ve been raving about it so often on my blog recently that I’m sure my followers are sick of hearing about it ;) ).
Nikki
Thank you Nikki! I’m so glad to hear that everything worked out! Thanks for your kind words about the cookbook too :)
I love reading these updates! You continue to glow glow glow throughout your pregnancy! I am happy to that you are doing so well :) Your comment about Sketchie honestly brought the biggest smile to my face! Sketchie is going to make the best older brother!
You look great! I’m currently 38 weeks and trying to get as organized as possible. Could you do a post about your favorite freezer friendly meals? I love your recipes and would love to have my freezer stocked with healthy meals when the baby arrives. :)
You look gorgeous! Ina May books are the BEST! Love, love, love her. Her wonderful wisdom influenced all three of my home births.