Pregnancy Update: 35 Weeks!

I can’t believe this pregnancy is almost over.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m ready for it to be over, it’s just hard to believe that we’re about to be a family of 5 instead of a family of 4.  It kind of blows my mind actually.  With each day that passes, the girls get a little bit more excited about meeting their baby brother and I get a little more freaked out with all the stuff that needs to be done – washing tiny baby clothes, getting the bassinet out of storage, finding our bouncy seat, sterilizing bottles for use when we’re home from the hospital, the list goes on and on.  Oh, and did I mention we still need to figure out a name for this little guy…’cause we do.  We definitely have some names that we like, but no solid decisions yet.  I can assure you that we have a very busy few weeks ahead of us!

How far along:  35 weeks & 4 days

This week, baby is the size of a: Coconut!  Length of approximately 18 inches and somewhere in the range of 4.5 – 5.5 pounds.

Next appointment: Next Thursday.  After that, I go to every week.  I can’t believe it’s that time already.

Gender: It better still be a boy!  He has too much stuff to change now…

Total weight gain/loss: I’m up 12 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, but it looks and feels like so, so much more.  I’m convinced that I’m carrying at least 3 of those pounds in my left ankle which is swollen beyond recognition.  You know it’s bad when you show your doctor and she actually steps back and says, “Oh my, what’s going on there?!”.

Exercise:  Can we just skip this question this time around?  Please & thank you.

Maternity clothes: Absolutely!  All maternity, all the time.  Mostly maxi dresses since they are so comfy and cover my ankles.

Sleep:  Sleep normally gets more difficult as it gets later in my pregnancies, but for some reason, I’m sleeping like a rock lately.  It’s heavenly.

Food cravings: Last week when I was thinking about writing this post, my initial thought was, “Hmm.  I haven’t really had any cravings lately.”, only to see a pumpkin muffin with cream cheese frosting at the bakery an hour later and be drawn in like a bug to one of those electric bug zappers.  Seriously, I thought the bakery staff was going to have to squeegee the display case glass after I left.  In other words, Twinkies are out and pumpkin is in.  It probably has more to do with fall being just around the corner than pregnancy, but it’s definitely a craving.  No doubt.

Food aversions: Peanut butter and I have made up, but even at 35 weeks, I’m still pretty picky about what I eat and feel sick from time to time.  I have absolutely no desire to eat a steak, which is crazy for me.

Symptoms: No real contractions, but Braxton Hicks from time to time.  Lots and lots of swelling in my feet, mostly on the left side, which caused an appearance of a cankle…but I’ll write about that some more later (I know – you can’t wait to hear all about it.  Because who doesn’t want to read all about a cankle?)

Movement: He’s definitely a mover and a shaker!  He also loves to stretch out diagonally and press on the right side of my pelvis…let’s just home when it’s time for him to make his debut he knows not to try to exit diagonally.  And although I’ve got a while to go, he feels lower than he did the last time I updated…it’s a much different feeling for me since both of my girls felt lodged in my rib cage until the day I went in to deliver.

What I miss: My ankles and what they used to look like.

What I’m loving:  The fact that I’m almost done being pregnant?  Does that count?

What I’m Looking Forward to:  Our 3D/4D ultrasound on Wednesday.  It’s a little late in the pregnancy to be doing it, but I wanted to make sure that we got it done since Greenleigh loves looking at the pictures from her 3D/4D ultrasound.

Best moment this week:  Our maternity pictures with Karen Lisa Artistic Photography which were taken yesterday morning.  I even got 2 teaser pictures the same day as our session – I can’t wait to see them all!

Goals:  Come to a final decision on a name.  We’ve never gotten this far into a pregnancy and not had a name selected!  I’d also like to make a baby announcement wreath for our front door…not sure if I’ll have the time, but I’d love to have something to put up to celebrate his arrival.

Any other pregnant moms out there?  How are you feeling?