preggo update: 8 months

so, i've started to get the comment, "wow!! baby girl really grew these past few weeks!" (aka - andrea, your belly is really getting HUGE!) i didn't think my belly had gotten that much bigger, but kyle has confirmed it. baby girl is getting big and it's only up from here people! i just went to the doctor yesterday, and i have gained a total of 19 lbs, right on track. also, for the rest of the pregnancy, i'm actually supposed to gain a pound a week and most of that is going to be weight baby is packing on. she's preparing for her big day - get ready for some chubby cheeks on that cutie pie!!

baby girl now weighs almost 4 pounds (as much as a jicama. k & i tried jicama once. we didn't love it. but we do love this little jicama very very much!) and is about 17 inches long. as you can imagine, she's getting a little tight on space in my belly. i've now started to feel little feet and hands poking at my ribs or hip bones. it isn't the comfiest feeling, but i still love to feel her moving around in there, so i'll take the pokes :) and of course, she still loves pushing that cute booty out - always on the left side of my belly. she really gets it out there! :)

my big accomplishment this month is finishing the rug!! (just finished it yesterday, 10/12) kyle wasn't so sure i was going to be able to get it done by the time she was here, but i was determined! my mom is coming into town this weekend, for a shower (so so excited - more to come!) & to get the nursery together. i really wanted it to be finished by then. i started on august 24th and finished it in under 2 months - not too bad! baby girl's gray shaggy run is complete!

diligently working :)

the final square!

this month, i also thought i'd update you on some cute things that happened the past few weeks. also, kyle and i have now started to name some of baby girl's movements - hope you enjoy!

cute things that made me smile this month:

cute thing #1: baby girl got the hiccups this month!! i read on my pregnancy updates that this could happen soon, though sometimes you can't feel them. well, one day i woke up and as i lay in bed, it felt like someone was drumming inside my belly. a slow, constant little tapping. then i realized that's how they described hiccups! i quickly texted kyle, who just left for work an hour ago, and he replied: "what?!?! i missed it!" love him. so much. no worries though, she has given daddy a lot more hiccups, and the best part is, he can feel them too!

cute thing #2: i really don't mind the "typical" things in pregnancy that bother a lot of people - others commenting on size/weight or people touching my belly. i've said it before, i really love being pregnant, and consider it a blessing from God that i get to experience it - so why not share that joy with others?

well, i had never had a stranger just come up and touch my belly, until 2 weeks ago. i was babysitting my landlords daughters, and as i picked them up from school, we made a pit stop at the lost and found. as i was talking to the girls, i felt something faintly brush my belly. i thought it was one of them, but realizing where they were standing it couldn't have been them, i looked down. and i found this adorable boy who couldn't have been more than 5 years old. he looks up at me and asks, "is there a baby in there??" my heart melts. "yes, there is a baby in there, a little girl." he gives me a huge smile, showing off his missing front tooth. as we walk away i turn around to see him pulling on his dad's shirt sleeve to tell him, "hey dad, i like babies." me too, little man :)

girl got moves

the earthquake: this one is pretty crazy. though it doesn't sound the nicest, i equate it to baby girl doing seizure-like movements in my belly. she tosses and turns, kicks her feet and arms for about 3-5 seconds, and it looks like she's seriously trying to escape from my belly! or just find a more comfy spot :) i'll quickly tell kyle to look, and all he says is "woah."

the massage chair: you know those massage chairs you sit in when you get a pedicure? or they have them as you wait for a flight at the airport? i never really loved them, but there is one particular setting that baby girl has down! on the chair, i'm assuming it's supposed to feel like knuckles rolling down your back. always made me wiggle. well, baby girl likes to do that same move - i'm not sure what body part she's using but sometimes i can feel something slowly rolling down my side - normally my right side. and i wiggle & squirm every time!

walking on sunshine: she does this most often as i go to bed and lay on my left side. kyle likes to wrap his arm around me so he can feel it too. but it feels like her little feet are on my left side, and she starts moving as if she's walking on the bed! i like to sing to her - "walking on sunshine - woahhh ohhh!" i think she likes it :)

the butt: this move happens most frequently, especially as she's getting bigger and space for her to move is getting smaller. she simply pushes her butt out (she actually just did it as i'm typing!), so much so you could see it by just looking at my belly. i like to think she already knows my voice - often i will say her name or sing to her, and gently rub my belly. 9 times out of 10 she pushes that booty out there to let me know she likes it :)

little kicks: these are the new pokes she's been giving me in my ribs & hip bones. sometimes, if they're gentle enough, i can confuse them with the hiccups. hiccups can feel the same, but they are softer and repetitive.

there are many more tricks she has up her sleeve, but those are the most common moves she shows us!