37 weeks

STATS:
37 weeks 2 days
Starting weight: 128
Weight: 157
Waist @ bellybutton: 41.75''
Issues: Oh my lower back is killing me. I can't stand in one place too long or it's hell on my back muscles. So I guess no more cooking or washing dishes for me :)
How Big Is The Baby This Week? according to the reference I've been using for these comparisons, he's "as lofty as a stalk of Swiss chard", which weighs about 6 and 1/3 pounds. But I asked the doctor to give me an estimate of his size this week, and she said he's about 7 pounds.

TJ and I had our childbirth preparation classes over the weekend. I'm glad I went, I learned some things I was curious about; and I'm glad that TJ went because I think he learned a lot about how to help me through the labor. And even though TJ complained pretty much the entire weekend about having to go, I think he's glad he went too. I could tell he kind of felt sorry for me after watching some of the birthing videos, knowing what I'm going to have to go through, cause he would start rubbing my back to comfort me. And I must say that after the classes I'm now slightly leaning towards keeping Kash in here forever, isn't there an easier way to get him out?

I also had a super strange cramping episode over the weekend. I woke up at about midnight with pain the encircled my entire uterus, and even radiated into my cervix at times. It wasn't horrendously painful, but it didn't feel good. I started to think maybe it was a contraction, and maybe I should time them or something, but the pain never really stopped, so I couldn't figure out how to time it. I was pretty much in constant pain for about an hour. I tried walking around, sitting up, laying down. I finally fell back asleep a little after 1 am only to wake up a little later to the same pain, but luckily it didn't keep me up for another hour the second time. When I explained it to my doctor at my appointment on Tuesday, she said it might have been an atypical contraction, but who knows, it was weird.

The doctor also discovered at that appointment that my blood pressure was a little on the high side, so she made me go get some blood work drawn to see if there was an issue that would cause me to be induced a little early. She also made me go get a pressure gauge so I could take my blood pressure twice a day, and write down my readings, and come back for a check up on Friday. My readings didn't exceed 140/90, which is what it was at the office on Tuesday, and my blood work came back fine, so I guess Kash gets to stay in there a little longer.

And you know how on TV pregnant ladies are always portrayed eating a bunch of food and sitting on the kitchen floor at midnight eating out of the refrigerator? Throughout this whole pregnancy I've been thinking "what a crock, I can barely eat half of what I normally do and I'm stuffed", until this week. I'm freakin' starving lately, especially during the first half of the day. I eat my normal bowl or two of cereal before work, and as soon as I get to my desk I'm starving, so I have to another breakfast, then I need a snack between that and lunch, then lunch, another snack, a snack when I get home, dinner, and dessert. And then maybe another snack before bed, or in the middle of the night. I know right? That's a ridiculous amount of food, but I'm just really hungry. Oh, and if it's even possible, I'm even more thirsty than I am hungry. I probably drink about 120 ounces of water a day, at least.

Ooh, and my last comment of the week, I'm sick of going to the grocery store only so everyone can comment on how my stomach looks like something I'm purchaseing. One week it was "oh, that watermelon looks just like your belly", yesterday it was "hey, you're kinda shaped like those eggs huh?". Yes everyone, I'm aware that my stomach is huge and shaped funny, I guess I need to stick to buying square shaped items.

The Family Baby Shower

36 weeks

STATS:
36 weeks 2 days
Starting weight: 128
Weight: 157
Waist @ bellybutton: 40.5''
Issues: Do I seriously still have to go to work?, I'm ridiculously tired in the morning.
How Big Is The Baby This Week? Apparently, he's as big as a crenshaw melon this week, but if you're like everyone else on the planet who doesn't know what the hell that is, he's about 6 pounds and 18.5 inches long.

Phew! I've been super busy this week. I've got a lot to do at work in order to finish up my projects before I go on maternity leave, and I'm trying to get the nursery together by picking up any items that we didn't receive at our showers (which isn't much thank god), and putting everything away. We came home with a bunch of stuff we needed for the baby from our baby shower over the weekend, and it was so great to see all of my family, especially my dad. I'm so glad everyone was able to get together at the same time, that doesn't happen much any more. And I would be posting a slide show of some of the pictures from the shower, but somehow the ones I had on my camera got erased (there weren't very many on there anyway), so I'm waiting for TJ's dad to send me some of the billion he took that day.

The ladies at work also threw me a little shower in the office this week. We had a little luncheon and I got some really cute baby outfits, and a handful of them pitched in to get me a generous gift card to Babies R Us, which we're gonna use to help us get the glider and ottoman we want.

My doctor's appointment was almost more exciting this week; the nurse asked me if I had my ultrasound last week, I said no, and so she put me in the ultrasound room. I guess you usually get an ultrasound around this time to make sure the baby is head down, but I think since my doctor can feel his head down there when she checks my cervix, she doesn't need to check with the machine :( . Maybe I'll get one next week. Anyway, after checking the heartbeat and fundal height, she checked my cervix and said that it still hasn't dialated at all, but that it feels shorter. She said I'm about 20% effaced, which just means that it's started to thin out like it should. I told the doctor about this pain I've been having in my joints, mostly in my hands, but also in my feet, knees, and ankles. I told her how it hurts when I staple something or make a fist, and how it feels like I have arthritis or something. She said it's probably carpal tunnel and that if it really bothers me I should buy some wrist braces to wear to bed. Oy!, no more braces!, no more pills! I'll just deal with it. She said it will almost definitely go away after the baby's born, so I think I can live with the pain for a few more weeks.

As for my other symptoms this week, the swelling in my feet seems to be getting worse, I'm getting tired more easily, my heartburn is occurring more often, and I woke up for the first time throughout this whole pregnancy with a growling stomach and had to go to the kitchen to grab a snack (it was a pop tart if you must know). Other than all that and my old lady joints, gee, I guess I'm doing swell! And if you're curious to see how much more huge I can get, here's my latest picture:

35 weeks

STATS:
35 weeks 2 days
Starting weight: 128
Weight: 155
Waist @ bellybutton: 40.5''
Issues: I'm uncomfortable!
How Big Is The Baby This Week? as hefty as a honeydew melon, about 5.25 pounds and 18 inches long.

I had my last bi-weekly doctor's visit this week, from now on I'll be going once a week until the baby's born. She measured my fundal height and it is right on track for 35 weeks, and the baby's heartbeat sounds good as always. She also tested me for strep B, which is a bacteria that some women have; it's not harmful to adults but it can cause problems with the baby so if I test positive they'll have to put me on antibiotics during the labor. She also checked my cervix and said that everything is closed up nice and tight, so it doesn't look like Kash will be coming any time soon. But she did say that she could feel his head down there, so at least we know he's in the right position. We talked a little bit about what my birth plan was so that she could get an idea of how I would like everything to happen and what I'm up for.

As I mentioned in my stats, I guess I'm finally in the uncomfortable stage. I can't sleep all that well anymore, and I can't really find a comfortable position to sit, stand, or lay in to watch TV. But I'm most uncomfortable at work, I'm not sure if it's all the sitting or what, but I can't wait to go on maternity leave just for the simple fact that I'm almost always in pain while I'm there. I've also noticed that I've finally started having trouble moving. I walk just a little bit slower than usual, and taking a shower takes a whole lot of energy.

TJ has begun to display some more sympathy symptoms this week. Most pregnant women do some nesting before the baby gets here, which I guess is their instinct kicking in to get the house ready for the baby. They'll do things like clean in places that don't usually get thought about, and organize drawers and cabinets. Well last week TJ emptied out our outside storage closet, the two hall closets, and the nursery closet and either threw out or moved everything to storage. We also bought some new pots for the kitchen and when putting them away he ended up rearranging all the things in all the kitchen cabinets. I guess I'm not the only one nesting huh?

34 weeks

STATS:
34 weeks 3 days
Starting weight: 128
Weight: 156
Waist @ bellybutton: 41''
Issues: I wish someone would tell me how much he weighs, I'm terrified that he will be like 15 pounds when he's born.
How Big Is The Baby This Week? he's supposedly as heavy as a cantaloupe


I think the baby has been up to something in there this week. Yesterday he was moving around a lot, more than usual, and his movements felt different. I'm not sure how to explain it any better than that though, they just seemed different, they were more distracting. And now I seem to be feeling a lot more movement way down low as opposed to up behind my ribs, so maybe he's dropped? I'm not sure at around what time they are supposed to move down, or what it feels like, but I think it might be happening. I guess the doctor can tell me next week if I'm right. It also feels like he's getting bigger, but my stomach isn't; so when he makes any move at all it's like he's drop kicking an organ, and it's starting to get pretty painful.

Do other pregnant bellies grow like this? Mine just keeps going outward, nothing at all to the sides, it's like a torpedo. Isn't that weird?

The other day I shut a door on my stomach, it was sticking so far out, and I got door grease on my shirt and had to get my shirt wet in an attempt to get the grease out. So then I had to walk around with a big wet spot on my stomach while I was at work for a while.

I've read in a few books and articles that the husband often gets "sympathy" symptoms during the pregnancy; like he might gain weight, have cravings, etc... I woke up at midnight like I always do to go to the bathroom one night, and I couldn't find the body pillow I use to help me sleep comfortably. It wasn't on either side of me, it wasn't on the floor, you know where it was?, on TJ's side of the bed, between his legs! I guess that's his sympathy symptom, he can't sleep comfortably without a body pillow either.