34 Week Belly Post

How far along: 34 Weeks

Size of the baby:  Around 17.5 inches and 4.75 lbs. About the size of an average cantaloupe.

Total weight gain/loss: I have know idea what I am up to now and not sure I want to know. I have my 34 week appointment later on this week and will get an official weight in soon. 

Maternity clothes:  Lots of dresses, long skirts, and leggings. Thankful for all the maternity cloths my friends are letting me borrow. It is working out perfectly!

Cravings: Still craving the sweets. I have been better about keeping it under control and not giving in so easily to my sweet craze! Still loving my turkey,swiss, spicy mustard sandwiches with baked cheddar and sour cream chips. I eat those like crazy! They are easy to make and take to work.

Symptoms: Still hanging in there and doing better than I ever imagined at this point. Of course I experience your typical aches & pains and getting out of our bed has become quite the task but I feel like I am doing pretty well given the amount of weight I am carrying around these days. I am still sleeping well and surprisingly have not experianced any major heartburn or indigestion. I keep waiting for that to get really bad but I am crossing my fingers that I will  get to bypass that. I do still have 6 more weeks to go, so we will just have to wait and see.

Movements: He is really good about letting me know he is around and is getting stronger and more forceful with his movements as the days go on. Sometimes I have to say his movements hurt because I feel like he is going to bust through my stomach. I wonder sometimes if he is running out of room?! and he is still loving the right side. =)

Gender predictions: BOY!


34 Week Belly Pic....

Manard Family Photo Shoot

Well I don't think its a surprise to all of you that I am little obsessed with pictures and the art of photography itself. I am constantly trying to learn new tricks and perfect my picture taking skills.  I am definitely an amateur but like to pretend and play around to see what I can come up with. I can not take complete credit on all these pictures because the hubby is just as persistent and encouraging when it comes to getting the right shots. Since Mia was not part of the maternity shoot we took this past weekend we wanted to have some pictures for us to cherish with her in them. I debated on whether I should even share these since they are a little personal, but truth is I am really proud of them. Mia is in fact the big sister! =)

We love her so much....can you tell?

Sneak Peak: Maternity Pics

Here is a sneak peak to our maternity shoot by the fabulous Sara Jensen!
Can not wait to get to see the rest.....

Lovin the Warm Weather!!!

Here are some pics of The Manards enjoying fantastic weather these past two weeks. We really are suckers for warm weather & the sun, and we can not wait to enjoy all of this soon with our lil Man, Alexander!

First several pics were taken with our phones. Lots of walks, outdoor eating, and of course our daily bike rides that I am still making with our sweet lil girl, Mia....

Some sweets and a little cappuccino at little European
Cafe in River Oaks...felt like we were in Europe again! 

Still making our daily bike rides in our neighborhood  a daily ritual.

Mia falling a little short behind. She loves her rides!

Soon I will get to enjoy one of these!

Mia's summer cut.  Poor baby!!

33 Weeks Pregnant

And here are pictures of one of the best days of the year, sooo far!! Lounging on a blanket, admiring the hubby play frisbee, and watching our sweet pup play on such a GORGEOUS day at the park! I went a little picture happy with the camera so here ya go.....

32 Week Belly Post

How far along: 32 Weeks

Size of the baby:  Around 16.7 inches and 3.75 lbs. About the size of a jicama

Total weight gain/loss: I gained 4 more lbs at my 32 week appointment! I asked the doctor how in the world this happened when I have been trying to eat as healthy as possible (except for the occasional sweets that I happen to indulge in every now and then. Obviously they are to blame for the weight gain!) Doctor still continues to tell me that I doing fine and that we are at the point now where baby really starts to fatten up! My belly is measuring right on track for 32 weeks.

Maternity clothes: Wearing my fabulous friends hand-me down maternity cloths. My friend Ashley discovered these awesome non-maternity long skirts from target that are great for me while I am pregnant but that I can also use after pregnancy too! I bought one in black and gray and love how comfy they are. I have already worn them several times.

Cravings: Still craving the Sweets! This is bad news for me because I hope this doesn't mean I will continue my love for sweets post-pregnacy (mind you, I have never loved sweets this much in my life!). Cake balls at "petite sweets bakery" in Houston are AMAZING and have been on my mind a lot these last couple of weeks!  I would be lieing to you if I didn't tell you I have payed the bakery a few visits in the last 2 weeks. =( Thanks ALOT ASHLEY!!

Symptoms: Still doing really well. Working full days, 5 days a week. My only complaint is my feet and legs don't feel that hot by the end of the day but I think it is to be expected after being on my feet all day. I figure its good for me to be active at work for as long as I can. 

Movements: Alexander is moving all the time in big waves. When I get really active at work its hard to  tell if it is the baby that is moving or me having slight braxton hicks contractions. I mentioned this to the doctor and she she seems think its pretty normal at this point in the game.  Its also not uncommon for our lil man to use my bladder as a punching bag! =( We have had a few close calls at work and I have to make sure I am good about taking my bathroom breaks when I need to. Another thing I have observed is that he loves to curl up on my right side of my stomach. Its crazy to see how loped sided my stomach appears when he does so.

Gender predictions: BOY!


I didn't take my usual belly pic but I managed to take a really quick one in our bathroom with my phone. So here is my 32 week Belly Pic....

30 Week Belly Post

How far along: Holy Smokes I am 30 weeks already! 10 more weeks to go!!

Size of the baby:  Around 15.7 inches and 2.75 lbs. About the size of a cabbage.

Total weight gain/loss: I gained another 3 pounds at my last appointment for a grand total of 22lbs. 

Maternity clothes: The Belly is HUGE! So I had a few of my super AMAZING friends hand me over some of their maternity cloths to hold me over the next few months. It is starting to get hot so I have a feeling dresses will be my fav! I did purchase a few maternity t-shirts and tank tops at target that I could technically wear after pregnancy,  so I don't feel too awful indulging in these. I am still managing to wear some of my shirts but I am running in to issues with some of them not being long enough for the bump. =( So thanks to my friends I am set!

Cravings: Sweets! Which is very strange for me. I have never been one to like a whole lot of sweets but I find myself dreaming about a chocolate chip cookie or a cupcake from one of the many DELICIOUS cupcake shops in Houston. I think the over abundance of sweets at all these showers lately has created a monster!

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good! Josh is amazed at my energy these days and I am still sleeping really well. Sometimes he has to tell me to take it easy because I feel like I could move mountains with all the energy I have. I am seriously getting things done around this house and the nursery is moving right along.  I am almost done with Alexander's room and now I am just working on the finishing touches. I have also washed, hung, folded all of his cloths that we have so far. As you can tell I have been on a huge organizing kick since we have been back home. Especially because of all our AMAZING shower gifts! Target and the Container store have a very loyal customer on their hands and if Alexander were to arrive tomorrow we would be pretty set. =) 

Movements: I feel like his movements are becoming more real these days and by that I mean, his movements are more in waves. For the first time it really feels like there really is a baby in there. I can't get over how real his little feet feel when they move around and I could sit and watch my belly take on different shapes and sizes all day long.  I love feeling him changing positions and at night its not uncommon to wake up to a very active boy. But in a crazy way it puts me right back to sleep because his movements are soo sweet and gentle.  His movements are nothing short of amazing and I kind of understand now how women say they miss it once its gone. 

Gender predictions: BOY!

30 Week Belly pic....