36 weeks!!!

had a doctors appointment last week and today as well!  i am now going weekly!!!  that is when you know you are in the home stretch!  as of last tuesday (may 29th) baby boy is still measuring 2 weeks ahead, but that doesn't mean he will come early, just that he will be a big boy!  he had a strong heart beat and is head down.  my doctor guessed from feeling him that he is around 6.5 - 7 pounds at this point.  she said that due to his weight and my age, she will not let me go past 40 weeks, so we may do an additional growth scan at 38 weeks to get a better idea of where we are at.  and if he is staying comfy and cozy around 39 weeks, we may schedule an induction so he doesn't cook longer than the 40 week mark.

my appointment this morning was with another doctor in the practice since my doctor is out on vacation.  they took my blood pressure 3 times because it was high today.  i have had slightly elevated blood pressure a few times, but always within the normal range.  today it was on the low side of high.  their concern would be a condition called "pre-eclampsia."  ​while i don't have any of the other common symptoms that go along with it like constant headaches and sudden swelling, i do have "traces" of protein in my urine which is something they look for and associated with it.  they are not overly concerned, but i did do additional labs today to check kidney and liver functions and will wait on those results in the next couple of days.  baby is good and i feel fine, but if i do have it they will probably monitor me even closer in these last few weeks and maybe induce on the early side.  all TBD based on blood work and when my doctor gets back next week. good news is baby is doing good, he is head down in pelvis, heart rate around 145 and measuring around 38 weeks. 

i've had some braxton hicks and a lot of heartburn this week as well.  sometimes i can go all day with no symptoms of heartburn until i lay down at night to go to bed.  it's like all the acid settles in your throat and chest and can be so bad that it makes me nauseous.  thank goodness for zantac!  jarad has been commenting lately that i look "really pregnant" LOL and that my belly is different than when i was pregnant with bowie.  i don't know what it is, but there is a different look when you are pregnant with a boy.  i am carrying him differently and it is all belly!  i have the basketball under the shirt look going on! i have been sleeping "OK" at night, but it can be hard to initially get comfortable.  by the time bowie takes a nap in the afternoon i am whooped, so i have not been as productive as i had hoped.  i will have to look at my list and re-evaluate what is a priority.  by the end of the day my belly is so hard and big that it can be hard to do much.  even rolling over in bed feels like a chore.  there are days and nights when this little guy puts on a show for us and makes my entire belly roll as if he was doing "the worm" inside of there.  his kicks and movements are intense and can be painful at times, especially when putting pressure on my bladder.  i've been snacking hard this week, but no specific cravings or aversions.  actually...i take that back.  we were at costco and they were sampling hot dogs (something i don't really like and NEVER eat) and it tasted so good, so we BBQed the other night and i got hot dogs.  i only had one, but it tasted great!   then on saturday i was really hungry after a nature walk through the arboretum and i was getting low blood sugar.  i was also indecisive and looking at places to eat, and we tried a greek restaurant that we had never been to, which sounded really good to me.  i had a gyro and greek fries and it totally satisfied my craving!

weight gain this week = 1.5 pounds
total weight gain = 18.5 pounds

i totally felt the love over the weekend when we had dinner on friday night with some family friends.  they brought bowie over a "big sister gift" and some baby gifts as well.  they got bowie a cool book about welcoming a baby and the process that goes along with it and a bubble machine, bubble juice and fly swatters to smack the bubbles!  we got to play outside with this and it is a hit.  not only was this so sweet and thoughtful, i love a gift that will be perfect for summer and provide lots of entertainment!  then on sunday my 2 girlfriends and i got together with our girls for brunch.  we had a lot to celebrate, we had a new house, 2 belated birthdays and of course baby boy.

jarad has been putting bowie to bed all week, and this change up in routine is helping her to get back on track with bed time as well as give me a nice break.  usually i am exhausted after putting bowie to bed but lately the creative juices are in full effect and i am wanting to do more in the evenings for myself.  i did a lot of rock painting last week which was not only fun but relaxing and i am finding all kinds of crafty things i want to do.  i think i have been on too many mommy blogs lately.  i gotta take advantage of this creative energy while i can, because i see it expiring very soon.  but i am enjoying taking the time to read a book, paint and create new and different activities for bowie (and baby boy as he gets older).