Third Trimester Bumpdate + New Year, New Baby Giveaway

I realized the other day that I am almost exactly 2 months out from my due and I have yet to do any kind of pregnancy update on the blog beyond a few mentions here and there.  It's hard to believe that it's coming up so quickly!  So I thought with the new year, it would be a fun time to share a little bit with you about my pregnancy and also let you know about an amazing giveaway that I'm doing with some other pregnant mama blogger friends.

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How far along are you?
31.5 weeks

Are you having a boy or girl?
Girl

What is your due date?
March 10

How does this pregnancy compare to your others?
It feels almost identical in most ways.  I had morning sickness from week 6-13, but it was mostly kept at bay with ice water, ginger ale, saltine crackers and Preggie Pops.  I had some acid reflux during the first trimester and it's come back a little with my third trimester.  I keep Tums Smoothies and almond milk on hand and that helps a lot.  I've been a lot more tired this time which is probably due to the fact that I have two kids and I'm not able to take naps like I did with my other pregnancies.  Although on the days when I really need one, my kids are good to watch a show on Netflix while I nap on the couch next to them.  One thing that has been different about this pregnancy is that my Braxton Hicks started around 24 weeks.  I didn't have any with my daughter and only had them starting around 36 weeks with my son.

Any cravings?
I've found that I always crave fresh veggies during my first trimester which works out well since that is during the summertime.  My cravings have varied but I haven't wanted any strange combinations.  Sometimes I want something salty so I'll go for chips and salsa.  Other times I want some chocolate which I have plenty of in my house because, kids. *wink*

Weird symptoms?
My dreams when I'm pregnant are always really vivid and really strange.  They never make sense and when I tell my husband about them in the morning he gives me a funny look because they really are strange.

Do you go early or around your due date?
I'm never quite sure what I tell people when they ask me this question because I don't have a straight answer.  My first child (daughter) was born via a scheduled c-section a week before her due date because she was breech.  My son was scheduled to be induced two days after his due date, but I happened to go into labor that morning and had him via VBAC.  So I'd like to think that this baby will be somewhere in between but I really have no idea since I've only gone into labor once on my own.  I'd love to go a little early if possible though because I'm due a little over a week before my son's birthday and I'd like to be able to go out and do a little something with him to celebrate.

Were you hoping for one gender over another?
We truly would have been happy with adding another boy or another girl to our family.  But I had a feeling that it was a girl and so when we went in for the ultrasound at 20 weeks and were told it was a girl, part of me was surprised and part of me already knew.

Have you picked out a name?
Yes, we like to have our kids' names picked out before they are born.  It would drive me crazy not to.  Plus I love having my kids know the name of their new sibling.  While I'm not going to share the name here, I will share a cute story about the name that my son wanted to name her.  When we found out that it was a girl, we asked the kids what they thought the name should be.  My son immediately piped up and said, "Miss Marshmallow!"  It was so cute and for a few weeks afterwards, that is the answer he'd give whenever anyone would ask what we were naming the baby.  And now the nickname has kind of stuck and we'll probably call her Miss Marshmallow or Miss M.

What do your kids think about a new sibling?
They are beyond excited!  After my third miscarriage, my husband and I talked about how we wanted the kids to be a part of the process.  (Obviously, we didn't tell them everything but we did tell them that we wanted to have another baby.)  We told our kids that I was pregnant in September when I was about 20 weeks and their reactions were priceless.  Even now, they give my belly hugs and kisses and talk to the baby.  At first, I was a little worried about the almost four year age gap between my youngest and this baby but the more I think about it, the more I realize that there are definitely some advantages.  I've loved seeing their excitement and know they will be such big helpers once she is born.

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One thing that I've really enjoyed with this pregnancy is having other friends who are pregnant at the same time.  So to celebrate our upcoming arrivals, we decided to do a giveaway!  All the ladies participating in the giveaway are having a baby in the next couple of months so we are stocking up on the essentials ourselves.  Each of us chose an item or two that we personally love and have used for our own babies and combined it all into a giveaway we're calling the New Year, New Baby Giveaway.

The items I chose are called a kind of swaddling blanket called SwaddleMe.  It is basically a sleep sack that has velcro straps across the front that help keep your baby secure and snuggly while they sleep.  I was given some of these with my first baby almost six years ago and I give them to all my new (and seasoned) mom friends as a baby gift.  That's how much I love them!

If you've had a baby, you know that sleep during the first few months can be a bit elusive (read: irregular and semi-nonexistent).  My daughter was colicy for the first four months or so of her life and she was not a good sleeper.  I'm not kidding when I say that these SwaddleMe wraps saved my sanity.  I bought more of them when I had my son and they helped me avoid some of the same issues that I ran into with my daughter.  (Also the company that makes these swaddling sleep sacks has a bunch of different sizes that will grow with your baby as their sleep evolves which I love as well.)

Why swaddle?
I didn't know much about swaddling when I had my first baby.  But I learned that swaddling has a number of benefits, especially during the first few days, weeks and months of a baby's life.  Here are a few of them:

• Swaddling helps keep your baby warm and comfortable for the first few days of their life until their internal temperature regulation kicks in.
• It keeps your baby from being disturbed by the "startle reflex" or Moro reflex, which causes them to feel like they are falling.  If your baby is swaddled, having their arms and legs closer to their body calms them down more quickly when they experience this reflex.
• Swaddling gives a sense of security and imitates being in the womb which provides a calming effect.

So are you ready to enter??  The giveaway will run from today (January 8, 2018) through Saturday (January 13, 2018) and is open to U.S. and Canada.  Check out the giveaway entry requirements below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'd love to hear what your new baby essentials and must-haves are!  What do you love to give as gifts to new moms?