Week 38

week: thirty eight

fruit size of baby:  pumpkin

cravings: lemons or anything lemon, anything really cold - chocolate milk shakes, smoothies, ice water, etc.

aversions: don't really have any aversions, but preferring to eat more bland foods lately to help with heartburn.

weight gain: 30 pounds

exercise: i've been so exhausted the last two weeks that i really haven't done much for exercise. Just one short walk a day and exercises on my yoga ball.

sleep: waking up at least 3 times a night now if not more. i usually can fall right back asleep though after adjusting. 

belly: about to pop and full of stretch marks. they aren't very dark though so hoping they will fade.

clothes: squeezing into what maternity clothes still fit over my belly (mostly having this issue with shirts) and still rapping my bright orange tennis shoes 

movement: still quite a mover! she loves to kick my right ribs at night... the pain wakes me up.

gender: we are having a baby girl and we are both so excited to meet her!

names: we now have a "hospital list" that consists of two names so far. we may or may not add anymore, but we will choose the name when we meet her.

worries: having to be induced or having a long hard labor and not being able to do it naturally without drugs - mostly fear of the unknown.

what i love: knowing she could come anytime now and knowing that we have a doula who will be there to help us cope through labor. 

what i am looking forward to: meeting our little lady and naming her! i can't wait to call her by name!

milestones: making it full term! and still being able to paint my toenails and tie my own shoes... this is a huge feat with a large belly, but i can do it!

best moment of the week: my swelling went down (thanks to my bright orange tennis shoes)! i still don't wear my wedding ring though (more out of fear that my swelling will come back and i won't be able to get it off). also, setting up a few last minute things for baby and packing her diaper bag and getting ready for the hospital.

amusing comments from the general public: random women have been coming up to me and asking when i'm due, then they proceed to tell me how their labor started and/or their birth stories. this has happened about five different times in the last couple weeks. andrew also told me that getting me out the door lately is like trying to move a hippo out of the water. i asked him if that was a fat joke and he said no you're just really slow moving lately. i laughed pretty hard at that.

baby mama drama: an angry mother of a student i was talking to on the phone at work told me to get a life. i hung up on her and instantly started crying. thank you pregnancy hormones.

Week 36

week: thirty six

fruit size of baby:  honeydew

cravings: lemons or anything lemon, and i recently got a craving back for ice cream. maybe the warmer weather?

aversions: don't really have any aversions lately

weight gain: 28 lbs

exercise: walking two times a day on my breaks at work and prenatal yoga stretches. i also do some stretches on my yoga ball. 

sleep: still sleeping pretty well. i cannot wait to sleep on my back again. my hips get so sore with my sleeping on them lately that that pain wakes me up. i roll over multiple times a night. 

belly: stretch marks are showing up around my belly button now. i look (and feel) like i am about to pop.

clothes: so thankful for this warmer weather! i no longer have to worry about a winter coat buttoning or not. i also don't have to worry about squeezing my feet in boots as they are very swollen. the only thing that fits at this point are my bright orange tennis shoes... 

movement: she sure is a mover. i saw a midwife i've never seen before at 35.5 weeks and she loved how curious our little lady was about the outside world. when they put monitors on my belly, she tried to push them off from inside my belly. the midwife loved it.

gender: we are having a baby girl and we are both so excited to meet her!

names: we have a list that we narrowed down that we will choose from when we meet her.

worries: this is probably going to sound dumb, but i am scared of puking during labor and feeling extremely miserable the entire time. not sure why. i'm praying against fear and hoping i can at least enjoy part of the labor process. i am also scared of having a big baby as andrew weighed 9lbs 12oz.

what i love: washing all her little outfits, blankets, and necessities for her arrival. it makes it that much more real!  

what i am looking forward to: meeting our little lady! it gets more and more real every week!

milestones: making it this far wearing my wedding ring. i think it is now retired until after i give birth as my hands have swelled.

best moment of the week: enjoying some lovely baby showers friends and family have thrown. i cannot even comprehend how blessed we are and how loved our little lady already is. i am so overwhelmed with thankfulness.

amusing comments from the general public: i've actually received quite a few comments in the last couple weeks where people ask when i'm due and when i tell them they say, "oh but you're so small!" i'm not sure if they're lying because i feel like i look ginormous, but regardless, it's a nice change from hearing how big i am.

baby mama drama: lately i feel like crying over everything. i'm sure it's just the hormones going crazy and the exhaustion that comes with working 40 hours a week, but i'm thankful for a caring husband that loves me so well.

Week 34

week: thirty four

fruit size of baby:  coconut

cravings: lemons, grapefruit, limes (anything citrus), blueberries, lemonade

aversions: don't really have any aversions lately

weight gain: 26.5 lbs

exercise: walking two times a day on my breaks at work and prenatal yoga stretches. stairs are getting really hard to climb without taking a break.

sleep: i've actually been sleeping really well lately. i am so exhausted by the end of the day i fall asleep and barely wake up enough to get up and use the bathroom.

belly: continuing to grow each week! three tiny stretch marks on my left side, but they are very faint. 

clothes: i can no longer zip my winter coat and the two buttons i can button are about to burst open lately. i was able to wear a non maternity top this weekend... before i was pregnant it was a longer shirt to wear with leggings. now it's just a shirt.

movement: her movements are very visible on the outside now. when she hears andrew talk she will move to the side of my belly he is on.

gender: we are having a baby girl and i can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like!

names: we have a list that we are still narrowing down.

worries: that little lady will come early. hoping she at least stays in there until Easter.

what i love: how excited drew is for her to come and imagining with him what she will look like 

what i am looking forward to: my side family/friend shower next weekend, warmer temperatures, summer when drew and i will both be off work learning what it looks like to be a family of three

milestones: passing my glucose test finally!

best moment of the week: getting our insurance figured out after a very stressful couple months of them telling us we wouldn't be able to deliver where my midwife delivers. taking maternity pictures. can't wait to get them back and share them with you all!

amusing comments from the general public: people continuing to comment on how big my belly is. a guy i work with asked me how many weeks i have left. i told him about 6. his eyes got huge and he replied, "there is no way you are going to make it that many more weeks! there's nowhere for her to go but out (as in be born) at this point!"

baby mama drama: since september we had arrangements to get a crib, glider rocker, changing table and dresser from someone only to find out they sold it two days before we had arranged to pick it up. we are now in search of those items.