34 weeks!!!

this has been a better week!  luckily since we have gotten home from vacation and have slowed down, my braxton hicks are not as frequent or intense.  i still get them, but i can certainly tell when i am overdoing it and scale it back.  my father in law has been in town helping us with house projects and bowie, which has been a tremendous help!  i have had a list going for a while now of things i want to do around the house before the baby arrives and some absolutely need to be done and some are more of a wish list.  and my father in law painted both our master and guest bed rooms which was something i have wanted to do since we moved in, but have not had a chance to!  my goal these days is to do things that will require the least amount of effort and pack the biggest punch and painting a room can make a big transformation!  so i am excited to do a little more decorating and nesting around the house!

this upcoming week i will be putting my gym membership on hold and bowie will be doing her last little gym class as i am unable to keep up physically.  it is so sad to me because i was very active my entire pregnancy with bowie, up until the last 1-2 weeks.  in fact i was walking 3-5 miles almost daily.  unfortunately it is much different this time around, but i am looking forward to when i can get active again!  just walking around a big store can be too much for me.  i went shopping by myself last weekend and after going to a couple of my favorite stores, i had to pass up target because i just couldn't do it.

i have been trying to drink as much water as possible, and stocked up on my favorite, true lemon (dried crystallized lemon that you add to your water).  my sister also recommended coconut water for my braxton hicks and for the electrolytes.  so i got a case at costco and have been enjoying drinking that as well.   i normally drink a cup of coffee every day, but for the past several weeks i have only been drinking maybe a half cup.  i am finding that any more coffee will give me heartburn.  and speaking of heartburn, i am still having it a few times a week.  although it is no where near as bad as it was with bowie.  when i feel it coming on i take a zantac and that usually relieves it pretty effectively.  no cravings or aversions, but i did find a really good combo!  i got jarad some jalapeno kettle potato chips and bowie a watermelon.  eating those together (not at the same time) was a real treat! now that we are not traveling or have company in the house, i am excited to eat more normally. 

weight gain this week = 1.5 pounds
total weight gain = 15 pounds

some days i really need to take a nap when bowie naps, but regardless of whether i take a nap or not, bedtime is really uncomfortable.  i have a hard time getting cozy and falling asleep, so maybe the third trimester insomnia is kicking in.  my mom even commented how i had dark circles under my eyes.  but i have found a good time waster for when i can't sleep.  i have a app on my phone for our library and i can download books, so i have been doing a lot of reading.  i am currently blowing through the book "the handmaids tale."  it is crazy to me that i can count the number of weeks until i am due on one hand!  we are really in the home stretch and my body is would agree!  my next doctors appointment is next week and then after that i will start to go weekly.  i still do not have stretch marks or linea negra but i sure do have some nasty and sore varicose veins on my legs.  i think i have the typical baby boy belly where it looks like a basketball and carrying lower.  i am hoping this will be another good and uneventful week ahead!