37 weeks!

How Far Along? 37w3d...yea! I made it and now have no worries if I deliver (which I'd like to within the next week or two)
Total Weight Gained/Loss? Gulp--over 40 lbs! I gained over 4-5 lbs in one week--I think it's due to the swelling which seemed to pop up overnight. My feet and hands are huge!
Maternity Clothes: Yup--except for my lounge/sweats. Some of the tops don't even fit anymore (too short!)
Sleep: Overall ok--I get up every hr or two each night, but it doesn't seem to bother me. I try to take naps, too (if I can).
Best Moment of the Week: Getting the car seats in--it doesn't take much, does it?? ha ha!
Movement: Still quite a bit of movement, but more rolling/moving, not as much little jabs. However, every once and awhile (s)he really belts me one--ouch!
Food Craving: Still fruit and light food (what I call summery food), like jello, fruit, yogurt, cereal, eggs, etc). I also drink milk and juice a lot!!!
Food aversions: Nothing that I can really think of, but still not really into heavy food like pasta and such (which I normally love at this time of year).
Morning sickness: Occasionally get a bit nauseous, but it passes quickly and nothing comes of it.
Labor Signs: None yet and now I'm starting to want them! When I went in for my stress test last week, they said they think I had a contraction, but I didn't even know it.
Belly Button: Out like a sore thumb!
Stretch Marks: I'm not sure--it looks like I have a reverse linea nigra (above the bb, not below!) I can't see below my bb, so I don't know if I have any there.
Wedding rings: Haven't worn them since mid-Dec, which is good conisdering how swollen my fingers are now.
Swelling: Oh yes, esp. when I've been on my feet a bit. My toes even go numb occasionally due to the massive swelling. Also, I need to stretch my fingers often or they get stiff. Putting on socks/shoes--don't even get me started. I had to go out and buy a new pair of work shoes in WIDE since my feet are so swollen (I'm normally a narrow foot!).
Exercise: Yeah right, like I have the energy. Just cleaning/organizing the nursery gets me winded!
What I miss: Being able to put on and wear my shoes easily and being able to do things around the house w/o asking for help.
What I love: Still love being pregnant. And, now I can say that I only have 2.5 weeks left! Most are really surprised since they say I look only 7 mths. I think it's because the baby is all out front and nothing on the sides. I love the attention!
What I'm looking forward to: Working from home starting next week.
Weekly Wisdom: I'm trying to learn the mantra to let things go and somethings are not worth it!
Milestones: Hitting 37 weeks! Also, got the car seats in and nursery is basically ready. The only things to tie up are finishing packing the L&D bags (both me and J).
Size: Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.


Update on the nursery and lists: All is in put together in the nursery, but still working on organizing. Got most of the clothes and such washed, the sheets and crib skirt are on. Got the changing pad attached and put on the cover. The chair should be scotchguarded, but need J to do that. I got the aquarium and mobile put on the crib. Now, I'm trying to organize the closet since it's been kinda my junk closet full of my extra clothes and wedding stuff. I'll try to post pics soon.
I also got more nursing/lounge clothes/pjs, so I think I'm good on that front. Like I said, now just finishing packing the L&D bags and create a last-minute list (car seat, ID, etc).
Work is hectic, but it's all from me trying to get everything ready for when I'm gone. The hardest is not knowing exactly when!
J's been fantastic making dinner and creating meals to freeze for the next few months--I can't rave enough how great he's been with everything and me, esp. with his crazy workload to boot!

35 weeks

How Far Along? 35w4d
Total Weight Gained/Loss? I've gained about 35 lbs. I'm seeing it more in my face, but I still have a waist--the baby is all out front. Looking at me from the front isn't as noticeable, but from the side, ...hello baby! I'm starting to also notice more swelling in my feet and hands--kind of uncomfortable.
Maternity Clothes: Yup--except for my lounge/sweats. For my maternity clothes, my pants still keep falling down, I don't know if they're too small or what, but it's annoying to keep pulling up my pants. And, ironically enough, I can barely zip up my new maternity coat--nice, eh?
Sleep: Still varies. Some nights great, some I'm up for 20-60 mn in the middle of the night. I get up about 2-3x to go to the bathroom and that's getting more of a chore just to roll out of bed. I feel like a rolly-polly doll. When I was off around the holidays, I was able to nap once/day--so lovely and nice!
Best Moment of the Week: Not having to work (vacation time) around the holidays. So nice to be able to rest and nap and get stuff done for the baby (visit daycares, buy more stuff, get the nursery ready, put together baby items (swing, crib, etc).
Movement: Oh yeah--no more light kicking. Now, I get the occasional jabs, but more often, I feel (s)he move around since (s)he is getting bigger and less room in there, so I sure feel it! The u/s showed us that the head was down, but I have a permanent lump on my right side and sometimes it pokes out way to abnormally (it's the feet).
Food Craving: Fruit and light food (what I call summery food), like fruit, yogurt, cereal, eggs, etc). I also drink milk and juice a lot!!!
Food aversions: Nothing that I can really think of, but sometimes random smells get to me--like jerky. Also, not really in the mood for heavy food.
Morning sickness: Nope (crossing fingers)
Labor Signs: No. Not even any braxton hicks. (good!)
Belly Button: It's officially out! Really noticed it NY day when I was with friends and had a tighter t-shirt on.
Stretch Marks: I'm not sure--it looks like I have a reverse linea nigra (above the bb, not below!) I can't see below my bb, so I don't know if I have any there.
Wedding rings: Haven't worn them since my last update. I took them off right before my shower and haven't even wanted to try to put them on. With the way my fingers feel like sausages, I know there's no way they'll fit. I was going to try to buy some fakes, but haven't gotten around to it and not sure if it's worth it now with so little time left.
Swelling: Oh yes--really started noticing this in the past two weeks or so. My shoes are really tight and like I said, my fingers feel like sausages (esp in the middle of the night/first thing int the morning.)
Exercise: I did yoga one time over the holidays, but have no energy to do anything. Just doing stuff around the house and work and all gets me tired and winded, so I don't want to push it.
What I miss: Wearing my rings, being able to bend over normally, getting out of the bed and off the couch without help and/or w/o rolling off, and drinking diet soda.
What I love: Besides being pregnant, the fact that others finally notice that I'm pregnant and ask me about it (when I'm due, do we know what we're having, etc.) I love the attention. =) Also I love that Joel makes me rest and take naps. I love planning and dreaming of LO coming soon and wondering how different our lives will be.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting everything ready for LO, but everyone says you're never ready!
Weekly Wisdom: I'm trying to milk this pregnancy as much as I can since it's going so fast!!!
Milestones: I'm due one month from today!
I had my local shower a few weeks ago and had such a good time with everyone. The hostesses did such a great job and P's house looked amazing. Everyone was so generous! Ironically, I didn't get many clothes, so I'm trying to find the best deals and the best sizes for LO--who knows how big (s)he'll be???
Size: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Update on the birth class: It went well and there were a lot of couples due when we are. I hope that I don't have to share a recovery room! I'm not as scared of L&D, just more apprehensive. I'll just leave it in God's hands.

As for my checklist, I was able to visit 3 more daycare facilities and we just need to decide which one we want to use, I found our pediatrician (she spoke at our birth class and is in the same practice that two good friends go to and recommend), we got the nursery painted and it looks great!, we got our crib and chair put together (I'll post pics soon), bought our mattress, cleaned/ironed the bedskirt, and got a lot of stuff for post birth (diapers, wipes, stuff for me, etc). Now, I just need to finish cleaning out the nursery and put all items away, buy more baby clothes, buy more nursing pjs/outfits, do more wash, clean out the nursery closet, and pack our (mine and baby's) bags for the birth, and figure out the breast pump! (Plus, tie everything up at work.)
Uff da--comparing this to my last post, I guess I have gotten a lot done this past 3 weeks--yea me!

31 weeks

How Far Along? 31w4d

Total Weight Gained/Loss? I'm probably close or a little over the 30 lb mark! I think I'm on track lately of gaining a pound/week, however, all the goodies at Thanksgiving didn't help!

Maternity Clothes: Yup--except for my lounge/sweats. For my maternity clothes, my pants keep falling down, I think now that my waist is gone and my butt is bigger, they have a tendency to slip down. Over Thanksgiving in Phoenix, I had a great time wearing all of A's maternity clothes (since they were more summer-y, perfect for Phoenix's 7-80 degrees weather, but not good for Chicago winters!)

Sleep: Varies. I'm sick again, so if going to the bathroom or LO kicking/hiccuping doesn't wake me up, my sore throat sure does. I'm sleeping about 5-6 hours a night now and getting up 1-2x. I try to take a nap in the afternoon, but more often than not, doesn't happen.

Best Moment of the Week: (More like the past few months) J has been treating me like a queen and loves me being pregnant. I think that now that I'm bigger, it's more noticeable and he's so excited!

Movement: Oh yeah--no more light kicking. Now, I get the occasional jabs, but more often, I feel (s)he move around since (s)he is getting bigger and less room in there, so I sure feel it! The u/s showed us that the head was down, but I have a permanent lump on my right side (which I think is it's butt) and head more toward the left of my bb or down. This is confirmed by the hiccups I feel (which are a lot!!!!). My mom says that I had hiccups a lot too in utero, I wonder if it's hereditary? (S)he hiccups several times during the day and a few different times at night. Weirdest feeling!

Food Craving: I'm not having the typical "pregnancy" cravings--I kinda wish I was to test to see if J would go out at random hours to get what I want. I crave a lot of milk and fruit though, very summary/cool foods. Nothing too heavy for me. However, I still am very suggestive. Any commercial or mention gets me thinking/wanting that food. Case in point, D asked if I was craving anything and mentioned a story of her friend who wanted a chocolate donut in the middle of the night, and all I could think about was donuts...mmmm...jelly filled donuts. Dang it--now I want one of those!

Food aversions: Nothing that I can really think of, but sometimes random smells get to me--like jerky.

Morning sickness: Nope (crossing fingers)

Labor Signs: No. Not even any braxton hicks. (good!)

Belly Button: The top is starting to poke out even more and is a bit noticeable through my tighter clothes

Stretch Marks: none (whispered with fingers crossed)

Wedding rings: still on, but getting tighter and am getting more scared to wear them.

Swelling: Nothing that I can notice. I'm sure the wintertime helps.

Exercise: I got the green light to exercise, so I walked a bit when I was in Phoenix. However, now that I have a cold again, I"m waiting until I'm better to try formal exercise. At the 3rd trim, any sort of movement gets me a bit out of breath (running around the house, going up and down stairs, unpacking the Christmas decorations).

What I miss: Not being able to lean over comfortably and put on my shoes easily.

What I'm looking forward to: My shower in 1.5 weeks. Also, I'm kinda looking forward to the birth classes this weekend (with much apprehension).

Weekly Wisdom: I'm trying to milk this pregnancy as much as I can since it's going so fast!!!

Milestones: I'm down to the single digit weeks left! Where as the time gone??

Size: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Like I said earlier, we have our birth classes this weekend (all weekend). I'm getting more and more scared of the birth and it's the only thing tainting the pregnancy now. (Plus the fact that I'm starting to freak out with how much I have to do in the next few weeks: find daycare, interview pediatricians, paint the nursery, put together the crib, clean out the closet, get the birth bag ready, prebuy stuff for the baby so we're ready when (s)he comes home, plus all the stuff at work to tie up--uff da!)

Here's some u/s pics:

I think (s)he has my nose and forehead (or fivehead--sorry baby!). J's mom thinks (s)he looks like J as a baby.

Also, here's me over Thanksgiving, one day shy of 30 w (when did I get so bloated/fat??):

28 weeks

Welcome 3rd trimester!

How Far Along? 28w4d
Total Weight Gained/Loss? Will find out tonight, but I think I'm about 28 lbs--where is it all going and how will it go away after the birth???
Maternity Clothes: Oh yeah--the only problem is some of the pants keep falling down...
Sleep: Off and on, some nights a great 7 hours straight, most nights, up at 3 or 4 am and need to read a bit before drifting off again. However, LO is a great alarm clock at 6:15 and even if I want to snooze (s)he starts kicking telling me to get my butt out of bed =)
Best Moment of the Week: Having conversations with LO (no (s)he doesn't talk back, but does respond with movement!)
Movement: Yup--and some are pretty brutal both inside and out--just like mommy and daddy with long limbs (I think).
Food Craving: Fruit or chocolate at different times
Food aversions: Just get sick of food easily
Morning sickness: Nope (crossing fingers)
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button: The top is starting to poke out--eek!
Stretch Marks: none (whispered with fingers crossed)
Wedding rings: still on, but getting tighter
Exercise: Still not allowed
What I miss: Not living day-to-day calling and/or visiting doctors offices!
What I'm looking forward to: My u/s today (my mom is coming too!) and going to Phx tomorrow for a 2 week vacation!!!
Weekly Wisdom: Things happen for a reason and better to be safe than sorry (which I keep telling myself everyday I go in for tests and get new doctor referrals.
Milestones: Just hit the start of the third trimester!

Size: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. (S)he can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, (s)he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. (S)he's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

This is going way too fast and I'm so going to miss being pregnant--I just love it!

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