35 Weeks!

We are at the 35/35 mark, meaning I am 35 weeks pregnant, with 35 days to go..... where has the time gone?!  This week's highlights......

Size of baby: probably about 4.5 pounds, plus or minus 1.  I read that the baby gains about a half pound per week right now.
Movement: lots.... sometimes a bit painful.... but always welcome
Food cravings: really been into peanut butter for a few weeks now, especially on toast, with honey
What I miss: not losing my breath so easily
Sleep: not.  getting.  better..... pretty sure my nights of good sleep ended for good several weeks ago.  Oh well.
Symptoms: Fatigue, an aching back, and reflux.  I feel the way I would imagine it feels to weigh approximately 350 pounds. 
Best moment this week: several great times this week, but my favorite was probably having Chris watch my belly jump.  He has seen it before, but what he saw this past week was a lot of huge movements.  I know its bizarre to him to see it, but its so funny for me to watch his face as he sees my belly jumping all over the place.
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time...... and going to see Lady Gaga tonight!

It was a pretty typical week for us, and while we are incredibly excited about Baby getting here, we are trying to be grateful for every "typical" day that we have right now.  This morning Chris came downstairs and we laid on the couch for at least a half hour, TV off, just talking, before I made breakfast and we figured out that we have between 4 and 6 more Sundays of just us, of just the quiet.  Our usual Sundays (when its not football season) usually begin when Chris gets up (since I'm generally up before him).  He gets up, we watch the Today show if its still on, I ask him if he wants his usual Sunday breakfast (a chocolate chip waffle, the answer is always yes), we eat, and then lay around doing nothing.  How our world will be changing VERY soon.....

I spent Tuesday in the kitchen preparing some treats for a Wednesday morning breakfast for one of the Embassy offices.  I made pound cake muffins and pumpkin scones.  It really wasn't that much work, but my back was killing me afterward, and I was exhausted.

I was able to get into the gym 3 days this week.  I've been so, so tired, and I can really feel the weight of this belly.  I can only imagine how I would feel if my belly were closer to the average size of 35 weeks, instead of being behind!  I've also been having some lovely moments of nausea which seem to disappear quickly, but they are no fun when they happen.  I also get some fantastically radiating pain from my hip down to my knee when I've been on one side for too long at night...... BUT, none of that is meant as complaining, its just the honest truth of how I'm feeling.  We get a baby out of it, so its completely worth it.  I'm not "done" with being pregnant yet, but I am feeling like I'm ready to meet the little person responsible for all of these lovely symptoms!  I count myself very lucky to have made it this far without any of the swelling I usually hear about.  So far, my feet, ankles, hands, and wrists are all normal size, and I can wear my wedding rings just fine (I'm hoping not to jinx myself with that statement).  I definitely feel huge though, especially after going up and down the stairs a few times.  In the last 2 weeks, I have also outgrown my pajama t-shirts, and have switched to a couple of Chris's t-shirts that make great nightgowns. 

This week should be pretty typical of now.  My goal is to make it to the gym 4 days, and we have the first of my weekly doctor's appointments on Friday.  Sometime in the next 2 weeks, we will do our pre-admission appointment with Labor & Delivery at the hospital, and we'll have a tour of the birthplace.  Its all exciting to me, but also terrifying because this is all really happening.  We can now say that next month we will have a baby.  I have to put together our hospital bag soon, but I keep putting it off, subconsciously I think.

That's about it for now.  If I remember, I'll take a picture before we leave for the concert in a couple of hours and get it posted soon.  It should be quite a show, and I'm sure the baby will go crazy for the noise :-)