Thirty-Six Weeks (Also known as Nine Months!)

Baby's size this week: According to the app, she is more than 18 and a 1/2 inches long and weighs around 6 pounds.

Latest update from the OB:  No appointment this week.  Next Tuesday begins the weekly meetings.

Are you craving anything? Sleep and feet and hands that are not swollen

How do you feel?  Tired.  I slept pretty well, but I am so tired.  And by the time I get home in the afternoons, I simply have no energy left to do things like laundry or cook

What have you crossed off your to-do list this week? I helped Aunt Stacey finish the curtains and pillow.  By the time I'd gotten to Atlanta, she had already finished the crib skirt.  I also got the car cleaned very well so that it's ready to have the car seat installed.

What's left on your to-do list? 

1. Iron coming-home outfit
2. Install car seat
3. Pack hospital bag
4. Hang pictures in nursery
5. Get burp cloths
6. Get blinds for window
7. Hang blinds and curtains
8. Put on crib skirt

How is Ray doing? Very well.  I'm sort of anxious for him to get home.  I know I've gotten a lot bigger since he left, and I think he'll be surprised.  He said he was excited to see the changes and also really excited that Wolverina's arrival is getting so close.

Confession

I realized yesterday that I have become an angry pregnant woman.  Up until this point in the pregnancy, I haven't really been angry.  I've cried pretty much every other day over something ridiculous, but I've not been angry.  And this week, I feel like I could just throw a serious temper tantrum.  Here is a sampling of the things that have made me ready to riot:

1. Saying Thoughtless Things to a Pregnant Woman
1. Example One:  I was walking from the Capitol to the Senate Office Building when I heard someone behind me call my name.  I stopped and turned to see one of the guys from the Sergeant's office.  He said, "I thought that was you by the way you were walking, and I just wanted to be sure.  You're walking like you're carrying a heavy load."  Really?  Was that necessary to say to me?  He might as well have said, "I knew it was you because you're waddling."  Thanks for that, guy.  You know, I know I'm not the most graceful person at this point, but was it necessary to point that out?
2. Example Two: I went to get a pedicure, and when the tech sat down to begin working, he said, "Wow, swollen feet, huh?"  Again, is it necessary to point this out to me?  As I cannot fit my feet into anything other than flip-flops at this point, it's pretty obvious to me that my feet are, indeed, swollen.  Thanks for making me feel even more self-conscious about my Hobbit feet.
2. Purple is the Color for Fall
1. First of all, I am not a fan of the color purple (the actual color, not The Color Purple or "The Color Purple").  And yet, it appears to be in every women's clothing store I walk past in the mall.  It's the trendy thing to be wearing.  And while I appreciate that Motherhood Maternity is trying to stay with the trends while providing pregnant women with things to wear, I wanted to scream when I saw how much purple they were pushing.  I mean, really, people.  I will be nine months pregnant next month.  Do you honestly think that wearing purple is going to do anything for me except make me look like Barney: 

or Grimace:





3. The Non-Existence of FSU Maternity Tee-shirts
1. Garnet and Gold doesn't have them.
2. Bill's and the Bookstore don't have them.
3. Of those three FSU-apparel stores, only www.garnetandgold.com has a maternity shirt, and it looks like a scrub top and is more than $30.
4. When I googled for other places that might carry such items, I found only www.footballfanatics.com (which carried one shirt that was clearly for a baby boy) and www.cafepress.com (which carried shirts about "garnet speartinis" and "Xavier is our Savior"). I just want a plain, normal FSU shirt that is a maternity shirt.
5. On my quest to find an FSU maternity shirt, I had to listen to a worker at Bill's suggest that I could just wear an XXL.  Um, I'm pregnant.  That doesn't mean that buying a bigger size will work.  Why don't people understand that?

Okay, so, yes.  All of these things are pretty trivial.  I know that.  I even know it in the moments I am most frustrated or angry.  And yet, I am still thoroughly irritated.  I'm going to make my own FSU maternity shirt, I'm refusing to wear purple, and I'm going to try to buy some compression socks today.  Hopefully, that will help get me through this last month! :) 

Thirty-Five Weeks

At this point in the pregnancy, Wolverina is pretty much done developing.  According to both my OB and my pregnancy app, really the only thing left for her to do at this point is put on weight and grow some more.  For this reason, I'm going to change the format of my weekly update posts.

Baby's size this week: According to the app, she is over 18 inches long and weighs in at 5 1/4 - 5 1/2 pounds.

Latest update from the OB:  My blood pressure and protein levels are both good.  Wolverina is in the correct position (head down), and she doesn't really have enough room to change positions.  I explained to him that I was concerned that she was transverse on Sunday because I felt a solid lump on either side of my stomach.  Dr. Dixon helped me feel her head and shoulders, then had me feel her abdomen and bottom, and then her legs and feet.  He explained that because of her location, what I felt was more likely her stretching her legs all the way across my body.  That was a pretty big relief.

Also, in addition to being head-down, her head is way down.  I was really surprised to learn that the pressure I've been feeling on my right hip bone is not her head, but it is actually her shoulders.  Her head is on my cervix.  But, I'm not dilated or effaced, so she should be content in there for a little while longer.

Although I have really liked Dr. Dixon from our first appointment, I found yet another reason to like him at the appointment yesterday.  He was about 15 minutes late getting into the exam room with me, but the nurses had explained that he'd been called in to assist with a c-section.  When he got to me, he apologized for being late and then explained that he'd gone to the Cesarean because it was his patient.  At the end of the appointment, he explained that he really likes to be there for the birth if it was at all possible, even if he isn't the doctor on call.  He gave me an Rx slip instructing staff to page him when I went into labor, and he asked me to give it to the staff when we checked in to the hospital.

Are you craving anything? Sleep?  I am sleeping okay, but I'm tired all the time.  I could take a nap right now.

How do you feel?  I feel much better today than I did over the weekend at the beginning of this week.  Short of being very tired and a little unwieldy feeling, I feel pretty good.

What have you crossed off your to-do list this week? Washed all crib sheets and put them on the mattress using this time-saving technique in the event Wolverina has an accident, washed the Boppy cover, and washed the outfit we'll bring her home in.

What's left on your to-do list? 

1. Help Aunt Stacey make the crib skirt, curtains, and pillow for the glider
2. Iron coming-home outfit
3. Have car detailed
4. Install car seat
5. Pack hospital bag
6. Hang pictures in nursery
7. Get burp cloths

How is Ray doing? He is doing very well, but I think that when I explained to him that she was very much head-down and that from this point on, we're just waiting on my water to break and/or contractions to be five minutes apart and increasing in intensity each hour... Well, he asked if he needed to come home from his training immediately.  I assured him that everything was fine, but I think that news made him realize that she's coming soon.  I get it.  Hearing that from Dr. Dixon was sort of a shock.  But, it's also a good shock.  It feels nice to know that there's very little to worry about at this point. :)

Thirty-Four Weeks

This week: According to the pregnancy app on my phone, Wolverine Baby is almost 18 inches long and weighs probably 4.75 pounds. Based on her knees under my ribs and other body parts of hers that seem to be poking out, I would guess that she's going to be a very long baby.  18 inches seems a little short... :)

Development: This week, she's putting on layers of fat, and her central nervous system and lungs are continuing to develop.  And now, her eyes are open while she's awake (and closed while she's asleep).

Are you craving anything? Water.  I'm thirsty all the time.

Is there any food that turns you off? Spicy foods.

How do you feel? So, so tired.  Also, I feel heavy, swollen, and grace-less.

How is your sleep? Not great.  It's hard to get comfortable.  And once I get comfortable, I have to get up to use the bathroom.

Most surprising thing you've noticed or experienced: How when I try to take a very deep breath or when I slouch to reach something at my feet while sitting, her little knee bones crunch against my ribs.  It hurts, and it's kind of scary because I'm worried that I've hurt her.

Something you're surprised you haven't noticed or experienced: More discernible body parts of hers. People keep telling me about feeling or seeing hands or feet.  So far, it all just seems like lumps of different sizes.

Favorite/most comfortable article of clothing: Anything that fits.

How is Ray doing? He is good but very busy with work.

Thirty-Three Weeks

This week: Wolverine Baby is a little over 17 inches long and weighs more than 4 pounds. We had an ultrasound on Friday, and at that point, she was 4.3 pounds.  At this point in the pregnancy, she is rapidly putting on weight and continuing to grow.

Development: Wolverina's skeleton is hardening, and her lungs are finishing up their development.  Our ultrasound showed that she's got a head full of hair, which makes perfect sense given my heartburn and reflux.  What I thought was her feet in my ribs are actually her knees - she's so long that she's folded her legs.  And when I thought she was kicking my hips?  Nope.  That was her head.

Are you craving anything? Water.  I'm thirsty all the time.

Is there any food that turns you off? Spicy foods.

How do you feel? It's been a rough several days.  Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions that are increasing in intensity, and she's moving around a lot.  While I love it when she moves, sometimes, she seems to be doing her best to push her way through my skin.  It's very hard to get comfortable, and I'm exhausted.  But all of this is normal, so yay!

How is your sleep? My sleep is fine, but Ray says I'm snoring a lot.  I don't doubt it - my nose is very stuffy.

Most surprising thing you've noticed or experienced: I think the drastic changes in how I feel this week are pretty surprising.  I would say the shift is dramatic.

Something you're surprised you haven't noticed or experienced: Nope.

Favorite/most comfortable article of clothing: Anything that fits.

How is Ray doing? Pretty well considering he's not getting much sleep.

Thirty-Two Weeks

This week: Wolverine Baby is about 16.75 inches long and weighs 3.75 pounds. That's about the size of a large jicama.  

Development: At this point, Wolverina has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (at least peach fuzz).  At our last doctor's appointment two weeks ago, Dr. Dixon noted that she was head-down.  Based on the feet I feel wedged under my left rib cage frequently, I'd have to agree.

Are you craving anything? Ice cream.

Is there any food that turns you off? Spicy foods.

How do you feel? Cumbersome.

How is your sleep? It is okay.  Sometimes, it's wonderful.  Other nights, I toss and turn all night long.

Most surprising thing you've noticed or experienced: Yesterday, I had a complete stranger tell me she hoped my baby was healthy and that my labor was easy.  All other strangers wish me luck getting through summer while huge or tell me how great having a kid will be (except for that one guy who told me it was a terrible mistake).  This woman was actually concerned about the health of my child and my ease of labor.

Something you're surprised you haven't noticed or experienced: Nope.

Favorite/most comfortable article of clothing: Anything that fits.

How is Ray doing? Fantastic as always.