The past two weeks have been event-filled! Pete and I ventured across the Pacific Ocean for a combo work/family trip to the Midwest. I spent some time in Minneapolis for work (my last trip back while pregnant) and then Pete and I drove to Wisconsin for some quality family time!

As you can see, my belly has definitely “popped”. It seems like in the past two weeks I’ve gone from looking slightly pregnant to looking very pregnant (or at least I feel that way!). In the past month, I’ve gained 10 pounds, which is hard for me to believe since I hardly gained anything during the first two trimesters. My goal for the past trimester is to keep the weight gain to a pound a week; the less weight gained the less weight to lose post-baby, right? 🙂

Both sides of the family hosted beautiful baby showers, and here are some snapshots of both parties. One party was on the La Crosse Queen Riverboat, with a “Bier Garden” theme — so cute! The other party was held on the Fourth of July, and boasted a patriotic theme, which is perfect considering that Captain America is the baby’s father.

Pregnancy Q&A

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 19 pounds gained

Maternity clothes? Yes, 24/7. The one item I was pretty resistant to purchase, but am so glad I did, is maternity underwear! They fit so much better than traditional ones (which sat scrunched down below the belly and didn’t quite cover the rear/hips as well).

Stretch marks? No

Best moment this week: Seeing all of the family back in Wisconsin! It was so great to share our baby excitement with the Nuttelman/Schwichtenberg/Bier families, and celebrate Baby Girl Bier with beautiful baby showers.

Miss anything? I miss being able to bend over and tie my workout shoes on without any difficulty.

Movement: Yes, and lots of it! I felt Baby Girl Bier hiccup for the first time this week.

Food cravings: No specific cravings, but now that she’s getting bigger, and there’s less room in the belly for my stomach, I can’t eat as much as one time, so I’m eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.

Anything making you queasy or sick? When Pete and I flew back from the Midwest, there was some turbulence on the plane. While this normally wouldn’t phase me, it did make me feel pretty nauseated now that I’m pregnant.

Have you started to show yet? Yes

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: No

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Engagement ring on, wedding ring off. (My engagement ring is slightly larger, so it fits better than my wedding ring, which feels super tight right now.)

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy

Looking forward to: Meeting our little girl! I’m also really looking forward to physically feeling more “able” than I do right now. Walking 3 miles a day is my standard workout nowadays, and I’m looking forward to going for a jog or a higher intensity workout class at the gym post-baby.