35 weeks!!!

we are in the home stretch, just under a month to go or sooner if bowie decides she is ready to come early!!!  this has been a good week, we had great weather which meant lots of opportunities for wilfred and i to go on long walks, and staying active always helps me feel good.  we go walking everyday unless i am having an "off" day for some reason or the rain is bad enough to keep us inside, but on average 5-6 times a week.  we usually go 3 - 3.5 miles, but this week i went as far as a 5 mile walk, we got to see horses, chickens, goats, squirrels and llamas!  i tried putting soap bars at the end of my bed per my doctors suggestion for helping with restless legs and i can't say either way if it works or not.  there have been a few nights that i felt like i had restless legs, but for the last week i have also been sleeping on the air mattress in the living room of our apartment.  i don't enjoy not sharing a bed with jarad, but i am up about 70-80% of the night (and up 6-7 times to pee) and i don't want to keep him up when he has to wake up early for work.  being on the air mattress i can spread out, use my pregnancy pillow and also have the TV on all night long without disturbing jarad (or wilfred for that matter).  since we moved, i was getting my best sleep early morning until 9 or 10am, but that is no longer the case.  i am wide awake in the morning, so i take advantage of it and make jarad breakfast and get up and have some coffee.  i usually find that i need a nap come afternoon time.  they say this insomnia is preparing you for parenthood and the sleepless nights to come, but i sure think it is backwards, this is the time i could really use it.

i am finding that the prevacid i take daily does a good job of covering up the acid part of my heartburn, but i am still experiencing other symptoms, like being nauseous and burping and super gross but burping up vomit.  that is when i know that i need to take a zantac in addition to the prevacid.  at this point my stomach is pushed way up, so i am noticing that i need to eat smaller portions and more frequently.  i snack a lot during the day instead of eating real meals.  my cravings lately have been for ice and oranges.  i am loving the intense crunch of chomping on partially melted ice in drinks, jarad says it is like eating rocks and bad for my teeth, so i hope i am not doing any dental damage.  i feel like the ice helps my heartburn and cools my throat, but it is also the crunch that i crave.  i have read that ice cravings can be an indication of being anemic, and although my last blood work came back fine, i think i will start to take an iron supplement.  and i'm obsessed with these cara cara oranges from trader joes.  they sell them in a 3 pound bag and they are in the navel orange family but have a pink or red flesh.  they are super sweet and juicy and they taste so fresh and good.  i love eating them cold and have been known to eat several a day.  i know the citrus can't be good for my heartburn either, but they are delicious!

i have most of the items for my hospital bag ready to go, i just need to pack them.  i will get that done in the next few days.  and i am sure in the next couple of weeks we should install our car seat as well!  i also secured bowie's pediatrician based off of a recommendation from my OBGYN, it feels good to get those major items checked off of my to do list.  i am starting to think about labor and delivery a lot and getting a bit anxious.  i know our bodies are made to do this and are capable of this amazing process, but i can't help but be a bit nervous as her due date is quickly approaching.  i am also becoming very aware of just how personal pregnancy and childbirth are to each individual.  i guess that sounds like a funny statement, but we all have a lot of choices when it comes to your preferences.  i felt very judged during our hospital tour when i would get questions like "are you having a doula or midwife?" or "are you planning on having an epidural or doing a natural child birth?"  or "what classes have you taken and will you be doing hypno birth techniques?"  before we moved my sister gave me some good advice and she said "remember that you have to be open to change and go with the flow."  those were not her exact words, but her point was that you may want to breast feed, but be unable to, so don't be hard on yourself.  or you may have an idea of what childbirth should be, but then you need a c-section.  as much planning as you do, it may not go the way you think it will and we just have to go with the flow without being hard on yourself or with harsh judgement...we all have different stories.    these are wise words and ones i will remember for myself not only during this time but in general.

i am also not 100% sure if i have experienced braxton hicks contractions yet.  i have had instances where my belly gets hard and tight, but when i asked my doctor about it she said that usually means i need to put my feet up and drink a lot of water.  braxton hicks can have those same symptoms but usually also have cramping involved.  i have not had this, but i can tell you that when i lay down on my side if my belly is not supported by a pillow then i will start to cramp and it is super uncomfortable, even painful at times!  also sleeping on a mattress that is on the floor makes it hard to get in and out of bed.  i have had a couple of instances this week where i felt very lightheaded and dizzy, i laid down (on my back) and found out that being flat does not help when you feel this way.  being on your side (especially your left side) is best for blood flow, but at some point during the night i am guaranteed to roll over and be on my back.  i am getting a lot of movement from her, especially at nighttime.  i love watching my belly move, the movements these days are less intense kicks and jabs and more wave like in motion.  over the weekend i asked jarad if it looked like my belly had gotten lower and he wasn't sure, but we did have dinner with some friends and the wife told me that i look like i am carrying the baby lower than the last time we saw them (about 3 weeks ago). 

this week i have also spent a lot of time searching for new mom or baby groups in our area.  i signed up for a website called "meet up," which has all kinds of groups based off of interests that meet regularly.  some of the groups you might find on this website are based around hobbies like working out, cooking, wine tasting, book clubs, fine dining, etc.  aside from "meet up" i am the most excited about a group in our area called "fit4mom."  this is a group that was recommended to me by a friend from home and they are all over the country.  there is one in maple valley that meets at lake wilderness.  they are exercise groups for new moms that involve your baby.  they have "stroller strides" and how to get your pre-baby body back classes that meet often.  i also found some other resources in the area (i think the library will be a good one) and reached out to some pregnant wives of jarad's co-workers.

weight gain this week = 1.5 pounds
total weight gain =23.5 pounds

baby is as big as a coconut!!!

 weekly growth milestones...

~baby's hearing is fully developed and she responds best to high pitched noises
~my uterus has grown about 1,000 times its original size!
~skeletal development is nearly complete, and most of the development she has left is to get bigger and stronger
~baby is packing on the fat, she should be around 18-19 inches long and 5-6 pounds