I am so tired. It’s a special kind of tired that you can feel in every limb. My arms, jaw, and eyelids feel so heavy! It’s as if I could sleep all day, but I haven’t been able to sleep so well. I wake up when the dogs start making noise around 4:30am and can’t get back to sleep so I take them for a walk before the sun comes up.

I really like our walks. I get my compression socks on and take them out for about an hour around our neighborhood. Lately my  back has been getting sore, so I try to keep my posture straight as we walk. I get winded so easily! Luckily, Abbi and Alec are good at pulling me up the hills.

When we get home, I change shoes and head to CrossFit. Strangely, CrossFit usually feels easier than our walk! I’ve been scaling back some movements in the gym. I can’t do pull ups at all anymore, but some things are still unchanged (double unders) and other movements are actually easier than before (a back squat PR while pregnant was completely unexpected). Being pregnant has definitely been an interesting journey so far. I mostly love it.

I’ve recently started swelling a lot in my hands and feet. Some of the swelling is moving to my face now, too. I wake up with my fingers numb and unable to clench my hands into fists. I’ve tried a few things to relieve some of the swelling:

• My doctor suggested drinking at least a gallon of water a day. I carry a 32 oz hydroflask to work, but I don’t like drinking plain water. To mix it up, I’ve been adding a little cranberry juice or hibiscus tea to my water. Sometimes I drink seltzer water with lime or watered down Coke Zero for a mini caffeine boost. I’m almost up to a gallon a day, but  not quite. I usually stop drinking around 8pm so that I won’t be up all night running to the bathroom. It’s so frustrating to feel the urge to go every time I stand up, especially since it’s usually a false alarm. Baby Everly must be stomping on my bladder!
• When my back is really sore, I take a warm Epsom salt bath. I add 2 cups of salt and 1 cup of baking soda to warm (not hot) water and soak for about 20 minutes. I’ve read that this can ease fluid retention and muscle soreness, but I’ve also read that the body can absorb some of the salt and actually make fluid retention worse. I’ve noticed that my swelling usually subsides a bit right after a salty bath, but the effect is pretty short lived.
• Compression socks. Putting these babies on first thing in the morning makes my legs feel so much more comfortable later in the day! This pair from Amazon is fantastic- size L/XL is roomy enough for my full calves and tall enough to extend above my knees. I wear these socks on walks, to the gym, and even sported them at the Pitbull concert we went to last weekend! 2 hours of standing at 33 weeks pregnant didn’t seems so bad with compression socks on. I think dancing around helped, too.
• Foot massages! Colby has been awesome about giving me foot rubs every night. I usually crash on the couch with the dogs by 7 or 8pm and elevate my feet until Colby is ready to join us and watch a show. I get at least a half hour of massage while he watches Vice, Ken Burns, or Game of Thrones. I typically fall asleep from being so relaxed.
• Swimming pool. I don’t know if it’s the coolness of the water, the all-over compression from being submerged, or feeling weightless in the pool, but being in water is amazing at this point in pregnancy!
  

Pregnancy mistakes I’ve made:

• Spending too much time outside. It’s been a fairly humid summer for Vegas. I think part of the reason I’ve been swelling so much is that I don’t stay indoors in air conditioned spaces as much as I should. Just in the past two weeks we’ve spent the majority of the weekend doing outdoor activities- Top Golf, al fresco dining, family BBQ, and lounging by the pool instead of staying in the water. I’m swelling up just thinking about it! This weekend I’m trying to stay indoors to see if I feel better.
• Eating too much salty food. I don’t want to cook and all I crave lately is processed and fast food. Maybe it’s all the water I’m drinking? All I know is that quesadillas, mac & cheese with hot dogs, pizza, salt & vinegar chips, and Café Rio all sound incredible, while low-sodium foods sound bland and unappealing. The only forms of vegetables that seem palatable to me are in soups (salty) or fresh pressed juices (expensive).

Maternity Photos!

Our photographer recommended shooting pregnancy pictures between weeks 29 and 32- before I got too uncomfortable. We went in at 30 weeks pregnant and she was RIGHT! I still felt fantastic at that point. My belly wasn’t quite as big and round as it is now, but doing a photoshoot today doesn’t sound nearly as fun as it did a few short weeks ago.

Here are some of our favorite shots:

I have a baby shower coming up next weekend! I’m so grateful for my boss and coworker, who have been amazing and are taking care of planning and doing everything.  I can’t wait! Thinking about getting this dress for the party to cover up my swollen ankles.

If you’re in the middle of a summer pregnancy, too, check out these “maternity hacks” for staying cool!