Here is my latest pregnancy update which brings us to week 31! I had some dental issues but overall I've been feeling better! I also wanted to share some baby products we've received, show you her handmade crib & show a couple of maternity nursing gowns I've gotten for the hospital & after. If you have any suggestions for nursing clothes or hospital bag must-haves, please let me know! 

I just need to come here to vent for a minute. Working full-time has become incredibly taxing in the 3rd trimester. I mean, everything in general has become more challenging. Simple things like taking a shower, bending over to put my socks on, trying to run errands. I don't feel helpless yet, because I think I'm refusing to let myself go to that place. I tend to lean more towards being independent & doing things myself anyways, even if it's unnecessarily harder. But I've been trying to let some of that go & even though small, I've started asking my husband to please hand me my shoes or get me a glass of water. Seems silly, but it's something I hadn't done much in our relationship. I also know I need to allow myself to move slower, try not to rush, try not to overbook myself. Surprisingly, that part hasn't been difficult to adapt to. Maybe partially because I don't have the energy to fight it & maybe because generally people in my life are understanding. You know what's not as understanding though? Work. Now, on one hand I have somethings easier. I'm not micromanaged & I have a little flexibility with my schedule. But I still have to get here, be here every day, apply myself, focus, get stuff done. The basics of doing my job, that used to be something I didn't even think about & actually quite enjoyed, are now difficult in a way I've never experienced before. I'm exhausted & often feel like I'm moving through quicksand. Trying to remember things takes a ridiculous amount of brain power & I'm uncomfortable whether sitting or standing. Basically, getting there is hard, staying there for 8 hours is even harder. & what's made it worse is how weird my job has been ever since I announced. For example, I was supposedly up for a promotion, which is not going to happen now that I'm pregnant & will be taking maternity leave. People have not been particularly kind or warm, which I guess they don't have to be (note: they haven't been all that professional either). The pressure to keep to myself & go as unnoticed as possible, is crushing at times. But at the end of the day I still keep showing up on time, getting my work done & acting as much as possible as if nothing is different. Even though I am different & my life is changing in one of the most significant ways it ever will. But I can't show that there, instead more than ever I have to prove that even though I'm pregnant, I'm still a good worker & still just as valuable. Regardless of being told that pregnancy & taking maternity leave is the reason women don't make as much as men. Regardless that my pregnancy is seen as an inconvenience & nuisance to the company. Regardless that being a mom is the most challenging job of all & yet there's no paycheck for it. Due to the stigma that once a woman becomes pregnant, her work ethic & quality of work drops, I now have to work not only harder than before but also harder than everyone else to try to prove otherwise. & it's unfair, & I'm tired, but this is life now as a working, pregnant, woman.