36 weeks- Ah!!

Special thanks to Gretchen for taking these beautiful pictures!  More to be posted on Facebook soon!

How far along? 36 weeks- my friend Allison has described herself as a ticking time bomb once she was about this far along... so we'll see when our little man decides to show up!
Baby's size?  The internets say baby is the size of a honeydew melon and 17-18 inches long.  We're going to say he's still 6-6.25 lbs since the internets say babies this far are only 4-5 lbs...

Maternity clothes? Such a silly question now, but yes, I'm still wearing maternity clothes.

Sleep: No so much now that I'm itching...all the time...

Best moment(s) this past week: Enjoying the cool weather!  It feels cool in the morning people!  And when there's a breeze too!  So very excited!  Also, a sweet Haitian woman from my church brought over different foods to try so she can bring us what we liked best when the baby comes- yay for not having to cook dinner and yummy food from Haiti!

Miss Anything? Today, gooey eggs- can't wait to eat those after baby comes!

Movement: He's less violet with his movements but still just as frequent.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really...

Cravings: Again- gooey eggs!  With toast- oh so good!

Labor Signs: Some crampy feels yesterday morning and today, but still no progress according to Dr. appt today.

Gender: BOY! 

Symptoms: Still itching, still huge feeling, still tired everyday.

Belly Button in or out? It still pops a bit at the top- we may make it yet!

Wedding rings on or off? Off with the pretty pearly ring on!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very moody... with the itching I just feel trapped in my body... blah...
Looking forward to: NO MORE ITCHING! Meet our little boy- it'll be such a change but I can't wait!

35 weeks and 8 months!

See, I promised lots of pictures :o)

How far along? 35 weeks  
Baby's size?  At the ultrasound, they estimated that our little boy is 6-6.25 lbs.   The websites say he's about as big as a coconut and between 17-18 inches long.
Total weight gain: My scale says I'm only 35 lbs.  Weird that I lost a couple pounds... probably just the difference between scales at home vs. dr's office..  Maternity clothes? Yep, now with the very trendy belly belt to help support the baby weight (worn under the clothes, so it's not terribly awkward looking...)

Sleep:Rain storms and late naps are keeping me awake, but can't really complain too much about either :o)

Best moment(s) this past week: Checking off items on the baby to-do list!  It's so nice that it's all coming together.  Also, not sure if I mentioned it in my last post, but I had such a blast at my baby shower!  My friend Audrey did an amazing job- so grateful for her!

Miss Anything?  Not itching :o(  Getting out of bed without effort.  Not needing a nap (sometimes 2...) to get through the day

Movement: He's definitely still rolling!  Nathan saw him in action today and was just in awe with it all!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, but I have some definite strong opinions on what I want to eat :o)

Cravings: Mac and cheese- the from the box kind!  So so good!

Labor Signs: Still the Braxton Hicks.  Not dilated yet according to my dr's appt today.

Gender: BOY! 

Symptoms: Itching everywhere!  Apparently I have a fun pregnancy rash thing called PUPPP that lasts until delivery (hopefully gone 2-3 days after baby arrives).  It pretty much is awful.

Belly Button in or out? It's popping out a little on the top... I don't think it's going to make it another month... :o)

Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my temporary ring- it's a bit tight, but with the weather cooling down, I think it'll be perfect for another couple of weeks.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy, I think.  Nathan has been so sweet, compassionate, and helpful this week, especially with the PUPPP.  Otherwise, I think I would be crying a LOT more.  Itchies really stink...
Looking forward to: NO MORE ITCHING! :o)  Also, a relaxing date with husband this weekend.  Getting very excited to meet our little man!

34 weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks  
Baby's size? 4.5 lbs, 18 inches, about the size of a cantaloupe!
Total weight gain: 38 lbs
 Maternity clothes? Yep!  Can't wait for it to cool down so I can enjoy the few Fall shirts I bought way back in May.

Sleep:We're officially at 2 potty breaks a night, but thankfully I usually can fall asleep quickly afterwards.

Best moment(s) this past week: Maybe it's strange, but I really enjoyed our breastfeeding class- I learned a lot and feel like I have a good community of support from professionals and loved ones to be able to breastfeed.  Bring baby, I'm ready to do this!  In 6 weeks :o)

Miss Anything?  Really miss picking up things off the ground without having to prep myself- it's really the little things in life... :o)

Movement: Yep- he's kinda more rolling around in there than practicing Kung Foo. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really this week- so grateful!

Cravings: Chocolate this week- we had to hide the leftover candy we bought for my 6-7 year old primary class at church, so I wouldn't eat it all... again with the healthy eating... too much sugar is no good for this Mama!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks still, every couple days I get a weird feeling in my belly, which I'm 90% sure is Braxton Hicks after talking to my doctor and several of her nurses on the phone...

Gender: BOY!  

Symptoms: This week, walking is hard because my belly is HEAVY!  It hurts under the belly- feels like I'm carrying rocks under there.  So, I'll be getting a band/ belt thing this weekend to help carry the weight.

Belly Button in or out? It's about at the midway point- not quite in but not quite out.  Nathan comforts me by telling me I'll make it another 6 weeks without it popping out- here's to wishful thinking!

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but still loving my replacement pearl ring!  One of my therapy kids says it's "so cute" and that it looks like a little egg.  :o)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy- only can think of a couple moody moments, but I usually just needed to go to bed when it happened... turns out sleep really helps! :o)
Looking forward to: A relaxing weekend, cooler weather around the corner, maybe do some baby prep?

33 weeks- 7 weeks to go and counting! That is, if he decides to be on time... :o)

How far along? 33 weeks  
Baby's size? about 17-19 inches, over 4 lbs (around 4.5 lbs?).  The size of a Durian Fruit (whatever that is..) or the size of a pineapple (again?).  These baby websites really need to get together and agree on one food item for each week...
Total weight gain: 34 lbs- I'm really just adding a pound a week like the books say! Maternity clothes? Yep!  And now I have more church clothes options (Thanks Pamela!)

Sleep: It's getting harder to get comfortable to fall asleep, even with my faithful wormy (i.e. body pillow).  I'm also not allowed to eat sugar in the evenings- it totally stimulates the baby and me!  So we end up with a kicking baby and fully awake mama, which doesn't equal sleep.  So far, taking out the evening sugar has really helped!

Best moment(s) this past week: My cooking date with Nathan and throwing a baby shower for Allison (with the help of the lovely Lara- thank goodness!  it's a lot of work for being 7 months pregnant :o)- yay for having baby boys close to each other!  Also, yay for yummy food!  

Miss Anything?  Eating raw cookie dough!  Cookies are delicious, but I'm totally having my sister-in-law bring me cookie dough to the hospital!  :o)

Movement: Yep! We had fun last night putting our cell phone on my stomach and watching it move while we were talking to my parents on speaker phone :o)

Anything making you queasy or sick: A day with too much sugar and too much greasy food... it wasn't pregnancy sick, more like "I just ate a bunch of crap and my body is mad at me" kind of sick.  Blah.  Good lesson to remember- just because you're pregnant, doesn't mean that eating whatever you want is a good idea.  Gotta still eat healthy!

Cravings: Orange juice!  Man, I wanted it bad yesterday... good thing we have leftover bottles from the baby shower in the fridge!

Labor Signs: Still some Braxton Hicks, or at least what I think is Braxton Hicks... I feel like the internets, books, birthing class, and OBGYN all have different descriptions of what a contraction feels like...

Gender: BOY!  

Symptoms: Having lower back/ hip pain that makes walking a bit hard.  The best cure so far- sitting on a heat bad! 

Belly Button in or out? Mostly in... it's not out until it's 100% out!  :o)

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but still loving my replacement pearl ring!

Happy or Moody most of the time: More happy this week!  I was good at asking for help this week, which really helped keep the moodiness away.  Yay for sweet husbands!
Looking forward to: Swimming, like every week :o)  My baby shower next week!  So excited! (and if you didn't get an invite, look in your email junk box or contact me- I may have an old address for you, but you're still welcome to come celebrate!)