36 Weeks

How far along: 36 Weeks 3 Days (Yay! I’m not doing this last minute)


Total Weight Gain/Loss: Up to 198 so I’ve gained 3lbs of the weight I lost.

Maternity Clothes: Just whatever fits but I have dressed up most of this week.

Stretch Marks: I’m part Zebra now

Sleep: I’m having all kinds of crazy vivid dreams just like 1st trimester again. Kind of surprised I haven’t beat RJ in my sleep.

Movement: Slowing down but it varies from day to day. Gracie pushes her butt out and I push it back in. We play this game all day.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Chocolate and my nausea still comes and goes but it hasn’t deterred me from eating certain foods.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button In or Out: More of it is starting to stick out. I think it will be flat within the next 2 weeks.

What I Miss: Being able to sit and walk comfortably

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting the last few items we need for the baby.

Weekly Wisdom: People don’t RSVP anymore

Best Moment This Week: Having my last baby shower, having a surprise ultrasound to find out that Gracie is head down (you better stay that way), getting a bunch of great maternity pics made by my friend Sonya, and finishing my thank you cards.

This weeks educational moment:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term.

35 Weeks

How far along: 35 Weeks 5 Days


Total Weight Gain/Loss: I’m assuming it’s still the same but I will have to update after my Dr. appt. tomorrow.

Maternity Clothes: Still wearing mostly my pajamas (you can tell in my above pic, lol) around the house but still using my trusty basics of stretchy pants and long shirts when I must venture into town.

Stretch Marks: The little ones have completely taken over on the underside of my belly. I’m just going to pretend they don’t exist for the next few weeks.

Sleep: Either really good or really bad. I sleep in shifts some nights now.

Movement: Painful most of the time but it’s obviously getting to cramped for her to move a lot now because my daytime is pretty quiet now.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Still chocolate and ice cream

Gender: Girl

Belly Button In or Out: The top half is completely flat and the bottom starts to look that way too after I’ve had a big meal.

What I Miss: Being able to clean without my back hurting so bad.

What I am Looking Forward To: This is a busy week. I have a Dr appt tomorrow, hopefully some maternity pics on Thursday, my birthday is Friday, and my last baby shower is on Saturday.

Weekly Wisdom: Don’t ask me where I’m going because it’s always the bathroom.

Best Moment This Week: Getting most of the house good and clean today so I don’t have to worry with it for a while. Doesn’t sound like much but it’s a big accomplishment for me when it’s hard to get around.

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she'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, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

35 Weeks Down/ 35 Days To Go

I honor of my last month (give or take) I thought I would write down a few of the ways that has made me figure out I'm almost done with this pregnancy because honestly if I don't laugh about these things I'd cry.

- Your toes start peeling because now that you’re waddling you are walking on previously unused parts of your feet.


- You have to get a rocking start to get off the couch.

- You groan and grunt and never realize it till someone asks if you’re ok.

- I’m considering making my due date, the baby’s name and followed by “yes, we’re excited” and “no, she wasn’t an accident” my next tattoo.

- 10 hours in bed isn’t enough because you only spent 3 sleeping.

- You’ve recently scrubbed your baseboards.

- The baby hears me apologize to her daily for hitting my belly with the door.

- You feel more like the woman in National Geographic than the one in Cosmo magazine.

- It’s easier to smile and say you feel great rather than take the time to tell someone what no longer works on your body.

- Clothes are no longer required to be cute as long as they somewhat cover your belly and are comfortable.

- Spending most of your day in the bathroom is routine now.

- The motorized carts in Wal-mart look more appealing with every trip I take. If it had a bigger basket on the front I probably would have used one by now.

- Your new rule is if you drop something that isn't chocolate and you can't pick it up with your toes you didn't need it any how.
 

 

I know it will all be worth it in the end.

34 Weeks

How far along: 34 Weeks 5 Days


Total Weight Gain/Loss: I don’t suppose there is any change since last week.

Maternity Clothes: As long as it is sleeveless I don’t care and pants are optional this month. It has been so hot and we have seen several days with temps over 100.

Stretch Marks: Nothing new that I can see so that isn’t very reliable.

Sleep: Getting hard to sleep since my hips hurt so bad. I find my self sitting Indian style (I know that’s not politically correct) a lot because it relieves some of the pressure.

Movement: I still feel the most at night time but my ribs have become a jungle gym and I spend a lot of time trying to coax her down.

Food Cravings/Aversions: I think I’ve had half of a chocolate cake by myself this week. I also keep having dreams about drinking cherry coke and root beer. I always get really thirsty at bedtime but try to hold off on drinking a lot since I’m up at night so much anyhow.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button In or Out: Still in but I’m surprised it’s hanging on. It’s so shallow and I think the top half is flat all that’s left is just a little dent in the bottom.

What I Miss: Not hurting all the time. My back and hips are killing me and the foot/knee/elbow that is poking me constantly is starting to wear me down. I think I have officially reached the point of no return for being miserable.

What I am Looking Forward To: Well since I’m hurting and not feeling so hot right now I’d say I’m looking forward to getting my own body back. I can also say on a positive note I’m looking forward to putting all the finishing touches on the nursery so I can relax (the best I can with thinking about labor and delivery).

Weekly Wisdom: Having hot and cold packs to put on your body is a life saver when you can’t take any medications. Tylenol does NOTHING for me I might as well eat them like Tic Tacs, which I wouldn’t do.

Best Moment This Week: Getting the trim put up in the nursery and getting to spend some time with Cindy. Thanks Larry for making the bedroom look so good.

This weeks development info:

 Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

33 Weeks

How far along: 33 Weeks 6 Days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still holding steady no more gained or lost

Maternity Clothes: If I’m home I’m usually wearing an old shirt but I will usually wear maternity if I have to run into town.

Stretch Marks: No worse I suppose

Sleep: When I can actually fall asleep I sleep pretty well

Movement: Some days a bit painful but most of the time I see body parts coming up and down in waves and I can never tell what they are. Sometimes I can narrow it down between a knee or elbow because it’s so sharp and it hurts worse. I find myself pushing her back down and away from my ribs a lot.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Still enjoying the sweets but now I want anything and everything I see mentioned on tv.

Gender: Girl

Belly Button In or Out: The top of it is almost flat while there is still a dip in the bottom. It looks really strange take my word for it.

What I Miss: Being able to breathe. There is not enough room for my lungs and this little girl all up in my ribs.

What I am Looking Forward To: My next shower so I can stop freaking out about what we do and don’t have. I’m so paranoid she is going to make an early surprise arrival and we won’t be prepared. We also have a family reunion coming up and my birthday too.

Weekly Wisdom: If you try to schedule appointments around your Dr. they will always run late and spoil your plans.

Best Moment This Week: I’ve got a lot of sewing done this week. Curtains finished in the nursery and my bedroom. I’ve also been making my own burp cloths and I made my own cover for the changing table pillow and a table cloth for the nursery too. I guess in other important milestones I’ve started getting leaky boobs but the excitement wears off very quickly. I’ve also had a few short lived contractions that stopped me in my tracks but nothing too bad.

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.