36 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Feeling better than this morning. Tired + cranky = not good for blog posting. I'm hoping tonight will be a better night :)

As for everything else, I probably feel as any pregnant woman would at this stage, like it's never gonna end. I know I only have (approximately) 4 weeks left, but it feels like it's gonna be the longest 4 weeks of my life. It's true what people say, as the due date draws nearer, time slows down quite a bit. I'm almost convinced someone added a few extra days to the week at this point. And maybe even a few hours to each day. Those sneaky time alterers...

I have a doctors appointment Wednesday with a not-my-normal doctor, and then I'll start seeing the regular one every week from here on out. Maybe one of these appointments will be interesting. Or maybe not. We'll see.

Brandon and I are going shopping this weekend, so I'm looking forward to that. My lack of metro pass for the month of August leads to me not getting out as much, so even a trip to Walmart is exciting. We just have little things left to get and then we'll be all ready! Well, as ready as we're gonna be.

And then, it's just the waiting game...

Rockabye Kristen...

I feel like I had the worst night's sleep last night. I couldn't shut my brain down. Everytime I closed my eyes, it started going. I think it was a mixture of daydreams and regular dreams. But it was hard to tell the difference. All I know is I woke up constantly feeling as if I hadn't slept at all. Not to mention having to pee every hour. Ugh. If this is my body's way of preparing, eff you body. Shouldn't you be letting me take it all in now, while I still can? That's what a nice body would do...

I've also been having stomach pains and problems lately. Just another side effect of pregnancy apparently. I know I only have a month to go, but I think this is gonna be the longest month of my life.

Regular weekly update to come later. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by then, and be in a better mood.

Baby shower gifts

So here are a few of the bigger gifts from the shower, the ones we have set up so far (or that didn't need setting up). There are more that I will add later, once I get them in order. But I thought some of you might like to see these, rather than waiting for the rest. More to come later.

Crib all set up with the mattress, bedding and mobile (I didn't take a picture of the mattress itself, but you can see it in there)

Crib bedding

Mobile

Jim. He is our pelican laundry hamper. Super adorable.

Glider rocking chair. So great and comfortable!

Homemade, personalized and super-soft blanket

Closeup of the picture on the blanket

Stroller and carseat. It even tells the time and temperature!

Really soft swing

Bouncer (even comes with a teething ring)

Bathtub

Bumbo seat

Nursing pillow

Where did they go?

I've lost my ankles. I went to look for them a few days ago, and they were gone. Nowhere to be found. I miss them. Hopefully they will come back to me one day.

35 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Baby shower was a success! At least, it seems so from this end, haha. We had fun, and I believe everyone else did as well. We got so many awesome gifts and I can't wait to use them all! :)

Yesterday I set up the glider rocking chair and stroller/car seat. Tonight, Brandon is gonna help me with the crib. There's no way I can do it by myself. Then we have to get a changing table/dresser, and then just organize everything (I have no idea where it's all gonna go, haha).

Once we do get it all set up and stuff, I'll take pictures of everything to post on here. Right now, most of the stuff is just in a huge box.

I forgot to take a picture last night, so here is one from the shower. It's a little different than the normal ones, but you get the idea, there's a basketball under my shirt. More to come later.

34 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

I have been so scatterbrained lately. My mind just refuses to focus on one thing at a time. I can hardly even read books anymore. I can't concentrate on what I am doing, so I have to read sentences or paragraphs several times. In the end, it's just easier not to read. I have to find more simple entertainment, haha. Been watching lots of movies and tv shows lately.

Brandon got home Saturday night. It's definitely nice to have him back. And he even brought me all kinds of goodies. Very fattening goodies. My doctor won't like these, but I sure do :)

One of these being a butterfinger, which I ate last night. I forgot how good they were! I can't seem to find any place that sells them here, sadly. But it's probably for the best, haha.

Melissa is coming up in two days. And then Joseph and Jessica will be here Friday. And then the baby shower is Saturday. Should be a fun week! I'm pretty excited :)

Confidence, Overconfidence or Arrogance?

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm nervous about having a baby. And honestly, I'm really not. If I had to say something, I would say I'm more anxious. I am ready to get the pregnancy and birth over with. With so many people asking me, I feel like I should be nervous, but I'm just not. I know it won't be easy; it's gonna be hard and stressful and exhausting, but it's just something I know is gonna happen. I've worked in several daycares, babysat plenty of times, and helped take care of my niece from the time she was born. So I've been around children and babies of all ages. I know it's not the same as having one yourself and taking care of it 24/7, but I know that I have enough experience that I'll generally know what to do, even if it's not easy. And I also have an amazing husband who will be here with me every step of the way. He may not realize it yet, but I know he is gonna be a wonderful father.

Maybe there is something I'm missing. Maybe my brain is blocking something out. But I feel like I have no reason to be scared. I know we can do it. And I think we're gonna do great :)

Brandon is still in New York. I must say, I'm a little jealous, but it's probably best I didn't go this time. I wouldn't have the energy to do everything they have been doing and I don't wanna be the party pooper. It was bad enough having morning (and day and night) sickness last time I was there. I'll be seeing Melissa and Joseph soon anyway :)

Two more days until Brandon comes home though. I've definitely missed him and it will be nice to have him here again. No longer will I have to hug a pillow at night ;)

Today, I woke up really wanting some bean, cheese and bacon tacos. We didn't have any tortillas, and even if we did, the store bought kind just weren't the ones I wanted. So I decided to try my luck at homemade tortillas. First try, not so good. No flavor at all. Tried again, not changing anything except adding a little more salt to boost the flavor. Still not so good. Then I found a whole new recipe. It was easier and tasted just like the kind restaurants make back home in Texas. Success! They were definitely what I was wanting.

Though due to my uncontrollable snacking while I was cooking, I'm not hungry anymore. Tacos will have to wait. But I'm super proud of myself for finally knowing how to make good tortillas!

33 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

I feel like a parrot sometimes, always repeating the same things. But when nothing changes, I guess there's not much else to say. Everything is still going well. I feel good, other than getting tired so quickly.

Our little gremlin is moving more and more in there. Sometimes I think she has dance parties. And what better time to have one than at night? This makes getting comfortable and falling asleep a little more difficult. But pretty soon she'll be able to wiggle and dance all she wants. In her crib :)

Since both my husband and my camera are in New York this week, there will not be a picture. Don't worry, you're not missing anything ;)

Regular picture posting is expected to resume this time next week. Have a nice day!

Busy morning

Brandon left this morning to go to New York to visit his sister, Melissa, and their dad (he's visiting at the same time). I packed most of Brandon's suitcase for him last night, so I thought it would be an easy going morning. Wake up, finish packing, head to the station. All that went pretty well and we were on our way. Two metro stops away from Amtrak, we realized that we forgot his passport at home. Yea, I don't know what we were thinking. So I got off the metro to head back home while he went and waited for me at Amtrak.

As much as I love Montreal's public transportation, it's times like this that I hate depending on it. If I had cash, I would have taken a cab, but I knew of no atm nearby, so metro and bus it is! I ran every time I could, caught buses and metros as soon as possible and barely made it back to Amtrak in time for him to board the train. It was close! I was actually afraid he was gonna miss it.

So I said goodbye and made my way home. And now I am completely exhausted. My legs feel like jello, and it's really hot in the living room, but I don't even want to get up to move the fan in here. Not to mention we have a ton of boxes (yay presents!) surrounding this desk, so it doesn't reach well anyway.

I am amazed at all the stuff we've gotten so far for the shower. Toys R Us prints some of the item names/pictures on the outside of their boxes, so I know what a couple of things are. But even the ones I don't know came in big boxes! I didn't expect this and I'm so thankful that we have families that are willing to help us out so much. I was worried before about not being able to afford everything we were gonna need, but I don't think we are gonna have any problems at all thanks to everyone. It really is amazing. (But very hard not to open them for two more weeks!)

So now Brandon is gone until next Saturday. The apartment will definitely be lonely, but I'm sure I can find things to keep me busy. I have a few projects I want to get done anyway. Maybe this will be the motivation I need to do them.

32 Weeks

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Why does time seem to pass slower as the due date gets closer? I was really hoping it would go by faster. On one hand, I'm like "Yea! Only 8 more weeks" (give or take a couple of course), and then on the other, I think "Ugh, 8 entire more weeks..."

I'm starting to run out of things to say in here, haha. Everything is still good. Just starting to get more impatient. I'm also starting to get really excited for the baby shower and to see everyone (even if half of them are on webcam). I think it will be fun.