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… :-)