Week 37: He's as big as a watermelon! (and it feels like it!!!)

*Total weight gain?: 159...29 total. 

* Pregnancy Symptoms:  I have a very 'heavy' sensation in my lower abdomen....some Braxton-Hicks, but as of late it's getting a little more uncomfortable. Also a little back pain on the right, and he's definitely more on the right side too.

*How big is baby?:  The size of a  watermelon! So now he is roughly 19-20 inches and a little over 6 pounds. We are actually gonna have an ultrasound next week to get a more accurate estimation because Chris was such a big baby (10+ pounds!), and because his delivery was complicated (he had shoulder dystocia). The doctor says that because I was 7#11oz, our baby will likely be smaller than Chris was. Apparently, baby sizes at birth are more reflective of the mothers size at her birth. This makes me feel MUCH better.

Baby M is the size of a watermelon! I found this pic on the internet- thought it was funny!

*Sleep: I'm doing some serious work in my sleep- treating patients, cleaning the house, and doing a lot of odds and ends. Maybe it's my way of nesting, since I'm too tired to do it when I'm awake. I haven't even packed a labor and delivery bag yet! I should probably get on that one...

Sex:  a little boy!!

*Maternity clothes: This question is now stupid, and I think I shall delete it :)

*Movement: Yes-and I think he's starting to drop! I took this picture a couple days ago and he's already lower. Next week's pic should be a bit different.

*Food cravings: Nah, acid reflux kind of takes the fun out of food.

*Labor signs: I went for my weekly check up today and my Doc says I'm 1-2cm dilated and 60% effaced. That means the whole process of getting Baby M out has officially begun! She actually gave me a high five and said that this is good news for how my labor should go. She also says I have about 2-3 weeks left tops. I hope she's right! (by the way, that would make my first due date correct....HA!).

37 weeks

*Belly button in or out: ridiculous.

*What I miss:: my body. bending. rolling over at night. being a GREAT dancer (hehehe)

*What I'm looking forward to:  Rocking my little baby in his glider and reading him books...and dressing him in all his CUTE clothes :)

*Best Moment of the Week:  Coming home to find that Chris put together ALL the baby stuff (car seat, pack n play, the jumper, etc). Also, finding out that we are a little bit closer to meeting our little buckaroo! 

...not for anything, but I'm VERY excited to be done with work in 3 more days :)

Week 36: Crenshaw Melon!

*Total weight gain?: 156...25 total. I've had some heart burn, so it's fluctuating a lot from day to day.
* Pregnancy Symptoms:  Little buddy is kicking like a good boy! I would say heart burn is the biggest 'symptom' ....aside, of course, from my especially large stomach, butt and legs.

*How big is baby?:  The size of a  crenshaw melon! This means he is roughly 19 inches and just under 6 pounds.

A Crenshaw Melon

*Sleep: Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I would say I'm sleeping harder, but I'm having really weird dreams. I'm actually doing quite a bit of work in my sleep, which makes for frustrating mornings in getting ready for work. Oh well!

Sex:  a little boy!!

The baby at 36 weeks!

*Maternity clothes: Yes, yes, yes. They are getting a little snug. I'm hot all the time, so wearing pants that encase my legs like two sausages has made working a little more difficult (let alone the fact that I can't really move very well).

*Stretch marks: Not that I can see, but that's not saying a whole lot. I have no idea what my situation is below my belly button.

*Movement: Yes- little buddy is a good kicker these days, but he's moving around much slower and less than in previous weeks. I think what he's doing is more snuggling than kicking actually. I'm waiting for him to drop...I have a feeling he is very comfy and might hang in here for a while.

*Food cravings: Sandwhiches. Totally hate Asian food right now. Guess that craving/ food crush is done!

*Labor signs: Just braxton-hicks contractions. Nothing serious.

*Belly button in or out: Depends on what the baby is doing. Sometimes it's way out and sometimes it's in. So still 'screwy.'

*What I miss:: my body. 

*What I'm looking forward to:  Rocking my little baby in his glider and reading him books...and dressing him in all his CUTE clothes :)

*Best Moment of the Week:  Chris went to feel him moving the other day and they 'high fived.' It was really cute :)

Week 35: A Honey Dew Melon

35 weeks

*Total weight gain?: 157.5...26 total.
* Pregnancy Symptoms:  crazy-like.

*  Sleep: Lately, not so great. Chris went to Montreal for a bachelor party this past weekend, and I couldn't sleep at ALL. I don't think I like to be alone?? The house makes too many noises for me when Chris isn't here. I have decided he needs to not go out of town any more until I have this baby.

How big is baby?: About 18 inches and 5 ish pounds. The doctor won't guess beyond that.

Sex:  a little boy!!

*Maternity clothes: yup. BIG ones.

*Stretch marks: so far so good...

*Movement: Yes- a little more than I appreciate from the hours of 230 and 7am. Out of desperation, I ate some jalepenos the other night to get him all wild so he would be tired when he was supposed to sleep (when I do!). Thankfully, it worked! He let me sleep :) I wonder if this will work with breast milk??

 

He gets the hiccups a lot

...this video is REALLY hard to see, but if you blow it up you can see some hiccups.

 

...and he has been VERY busy at night

*Food cravings: I think I'm tired of Japanese food (much to Chris' delight, as it has become a very expensive source of food). Now we're moving back to cheeseburgers. Unfortunately, my stomach is smashed into my lungs, so I can't eat as much as I would like (or try) at one time due to heart burn and reflux. This means I eat more or less constantly throughout the day.

*Labor signs: Braxton Hicks like CRAZY at night.

*Belly button in or out: I guess it's out now.

*What I miss: being able to pick things up off the floor without it being a big ordeal.

*What I'm looking forward to:  Rocking this baby in our new glider 

*Best Moment of the Week:  Recording the heart beat at our doctor's visit for Chris to hear since he can't make it that often. I never get tired of it! For some reason I can't post this, but also I've really enjoyed having his nursery finished! Laney pup thinks it's her room :)

Just missing a baby!

* Chris' advice: This is actually a week late, but Chris decided (after a cocktail) that he would go ahead and clear up any confusion our baby might have about reverse triangular mergers. Useful. I've been reading him books about colors, shapes, and baby farm animals. I'm sure he's absorbing all of this and will come out a genius.

Week 34: an average cantaloupe

At this point, we've finally got the room almost finished. This is a big relief to me as it's getting a lot harder for me to move around these days. In fact, this little boy has grown quite fond of my ribs and he likes to kick them often. This in itself is not so bad, it's the fact that when he's doing this, he's also encroaching on my lungs/ diaphragm, which makes me lightheaded, dizzy, and short of breath after so much as a long conversation. Seeing as how I need to be on my feet ALL day for my job, showing people exercises and doing deep tissue work on people, this has been a problem. I called my doctor and she recommended 'maternity spanks' to give me extra support. I couldn't understand how this could remotely help, but it did! I happened to have a couple pair from when Megan Bondi lent me hers to wear with dresses ~they make your belly button look flat :D~ and now  I wear my maternity spanks every day. I swear it's the only way I can work without feeling faint. I think they cram him in there pretty good, because when I take them off after work he goes nuts!

Week 34

*Total weight gain?: 157.5...26 total.
* Pregnancy Symptoms:  tired, fat, dizzy, emotional, hard to roll over, chronically tired, braxton hicks contractions...

*How big is baby?:  The size of an average cantaloupe! about 18 inches and about 5 pounds. He's getting big!

Little buddy is about this big!

*Sleep: whenever I can.

Sex:  a little boy!!

*Maternity clothes: duh.

*Stretch marks: so far so good...

*Movement: Yep!

*Food cravings: meat, fruit, tempura, sushi (it's almost not even worth it, but I've been eating chicken tempura sushi every day to kind of get this craving).

*Labor signs: Braxton Hicks...I always get them when I try to do my kegals. It's kind of frustrating! I guess I can't do ANY exercises.... :)

*Belly button in or out: I guess it's out now.

*What I miss: being able to pick things up off the floor without it being a big ordeal.

*What I'm looking forward to:  Rocking this baby in our new glider 

*Best Moment of the Week:  Finding an awesome glider from Craig's list for way cheap. They even threw in a 'train table' and a rocking horse! Nice people :)