Shower #3

Yesterday I had the last of my three showers -- this one being my work shower. :)

35 Weeks

35/35!!!  It seemed like this milestone would never happen! 


How far along?  35 weeks -- the size of a honeydew

Symptoms:  Pelvic pain, mild Braxton Hicks, pressure on bladder, sluggishness, heartburn

Total weight gain/loss:  +42

Maternity clothes? I'm now down to maybe 5 dresses that fit right. I stopped caring though. Ha.

Sleep:  Sucky. Still sleep in 1 to 2 hour increments on the couch.  

Best moment this week: Had my work shower yesterday! 

Movement:  She loves the nightlife. She's definitely more active at night, especially when I wake up to hang out with my husband between 11:30 - 1:30. The movements aren't too painful. Once in a while she'll get in a good jab that will take my breath away. Since she's dropped a bit, there's more pressure lower.

Food cravings:   Nothing in particular.

Gender:  Girl

Labor Signs:  No.

Belly Button in or out?  In. But it's really shallow/flat!!

What I miss:  Sleeping on my stomach, sleeping in my bed, cocktails, being comfortable, being able to go for more than 1 hour without an urgent need to pee...

What I am looking forward to:  Putting finishing touches on the nursery and getting all the essentials off the registeries. We're in full nesting mode in October!

Milestones:  The famous 35/35! 

Observations

I really want this blog to be a solid documentation of my pregnancy, so I need to put these super random observations here in one place because I just don't want to forget this!

• When I drop something and people are around, I stare at the item until someone comes over to pick it up for me. When I'm by myself, I just leave it there. A colleague came into my office today and asked why there were sunglasses on my floor. She then figured out I just couldn't reach them. 
• Speaking of dropping, I am somehow dropping food all over me. I swear I used to be a tidy eater. Today I found pretzel crumbs all over the front of me. The other night I slopped tomato soup on my boob. My husband will probably not take me out in public again until after the baby's born.
• I love observing people looking at my belly. My favorite is women who just start spontaneously beaming at me like a Pavlovian dog. I'll miss that.
• I've become a toilet farter.
• I've been waddling since about 20 weeks. 
• When I walk past my full-length mirror, I just laugh. It's like looking in a funhouse mirror now. I can't believe that's me with the waistline that's doubled in size. I still can't believe this is real -- I don't think I ever will! 
• I grunt so loudly when I try to move. I never realized sitting/sitting up/laying down/rolling over could be the most insane physical obstacle. 
• I can't reach my feet anymore. I was hoping I could still manage to paint my toenails to the end, but that isn't happening. And there's no way my husband can do it for me -- though it would be really funny to see him try.
• I have bottles of Tums placed strategically everywhere -- my nightstand, my coffee table, my office. 
• I sleep in one/two hour chunks. And have for really the past few months. Part of it is hip pain, but part is my bladder. I haul myself off the couch, go to the bathroom, drink some water and change sides. Lather, rinse, repeat. I hate nighttime anymore.
• I had my first definite Braxton Hicks contractions Saturday night. When I announced it to W, his eyes bugged out and asked if we had to go to the hospital. When I emphasized Braxton Hicks contractions, he said "Well I don't know what those are -- all I heard is contractions!"

In other news, I think the baby has started to drop a bit!

34 Weeks

I had a growth ultrasound yesterday, and it's left me more confused than ever. According to the ultrasound, Lucy's clocking in at 5 lbs 11 oz, which is higher than average. Also, the amniotic fluid is higher than average as well. I have to have another ultrasound at my 36 week appointment and following I'll meet with the OB (I have been seen strictly by the midwives to this point.) I made the mistake of researching excessive fluid online, and the possible results have me terrified. I'm afraid I'll have to have a C-section. I'm afraid my water will break/gush so fast I'll have cord prolapse. I'm afraid even if she comes on her own time that she'll be so giant labor will be awful. I'm afraid that the fluid level is indicative of a birth defect -- that's my major concern. It's possible I'm completely blowing this out of proportion, but I don't need another unknown, another anxious thought in my head. I just want her to saunter out on her own time (before my due date) and be a perfectly healthy baby.

Also on the negative side of today's appointment, I'm up 9 lbs from the past 2 weeks, even though I have been consistently gaining 1 lb a week the past 4 weeks. I'm pretty sure most of that has to be water weight (my lower extremities are just now tree trunks), but still -- ugh. That's a total weight gain to date of 42 lbs. :(

On the PLUS side of the appointment -- we got to see her again via ultrasound! We saw her hiccup even! And this floored me -- she has HAIR. I was convinced she'd be a baldy like I was. I can't wait to see what color it is! From the u/s it just looks like little spiky fuzz.

I'm pretty confident she'll be here early, possibly in October. Time is ticking away so fast now. And I don't feel ready at all. A part of me wants to stay pregnant forever as crazy as that sounds! But so much of me just wants to be able to hold her in my arms and kiss her head and her chubby cheeks and breathe in the smell of her. I want to be her mommy in every way. But we'll need to have a chat about how she plans to make her entrance...

33 Weeks

Okay, when exactly did time speed up? Now instead of people saying "Ooh you have lots of time," it's now "Wow, so close!!" Ahhh! It seriously blows my mind that I could potentially have a baby next month. The mom-to-be anxiety is starting to hit. I feel like I just found out we're having a baby, even though I've known it for 7 months! Maybe it's because I now have time to think about really preparing for her. The past few months have been hectic with showers, weddings, out-of-town trips, conferences, photo shoots. But now it's nesting time. On the upcoming agenda - finishing off the nursery, packing the hospital bag, attending childbirth class, and squeezing in a fall mini maternity session. I'd also like to get one more pedi and perhaps a prenatal massage.

Even through all my anxiety over not being prepared and starting to think a little to much about labor, I really just can't wait to meet her. She's kind of like a little mystery right now. I know her sleep schedule and what makes her kick. I even know what she looks like to a point, but it's going to be completely different when she's on the outside. I just want to wrap my arms around her and love on her. Rubbing my belly just doesn't have the same effect.

Symptom-wise, I'm hanging in there. The pelvic pain is definitely still there. I really miss sleeping in beds. I'm a complete waddler, and I need to eat more frequent meals instead of larger meals. The heartburn I get at least twice a day. I've been having more ankle/feet swelling this week, but I could attribute that to walking around Philadelphia for three days.

People's comments continue to crack me up. During my conference last week, I had several women approach me and tell me not to go into labor that night. Errr, what? I was happily shoveling food in my face, not clutching my belly in agony! Do I really look like my water could break any minute? While I am big, she's so high up in my belly it doesn't seem like it could happen anytime soon.

Baby Shower #2

Yesterday my girlfriends and moms threw me a shower. It was awesome to have our friends and family together to celebrate Lucy's impending arrival. My friends did an awesome job at planning the shower and have it represent her nursery in theme and colors. Now begins the hard part of organizing all the loot and figuring out what we need to get yet!

Maternity Session Sneak

Photo credit: Cardens Photography