37 Weeks

19 Days until my due date!!  According to What to Expect, if BGL were born today, she would be considered full term.  That doesn't mean that she's finished growing - or getting ready for life on the outside.  She's still gaining about a half pound a week, and the average fetus weighs about 6.5 lbs.  Fat continues to accumulate on BGL, forming kissable dimples in those cute elbows, knees, and shoulders, and adorable creases and folds in the neck and wrists.  To keep busy until her big debut, she's practicing to make perfect:  inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking on her thumb (to prepare for her first suckle), blinking and pivoting from side to side. 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 Weeks, 2 Days (37 Weeks in the picture)
Total Weight Gain: 22.5 lbs
Sleep: Still about the same as last week. I am definitely more uncomfortable these days, but I'm sleeping ok.  I still have a lingering cough from my headcold that is not helping with the sleeping.  I'm hoping it goes away soon.
Best Moment This Week: Spending some time with the girls (first Becky & Val and then Melissa & Crystal) this weekend! 
Movement: She's still moving and sometimes it actually hurts a little bit! She loves to be on the right side of my stomach.
What I Miss: No big change from last week.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting BGL.
Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, swollen hands/ankles/feet. Carpal tunnel.

The Weekly Bump Picture:

36 Weeks

We're starting the 9th month this week!  Once again, I am in shock that my due date is so soon!  Although The Bump considers week 37 as the start of month 9, I thought I'd go ahead and post the last fruit picture that shows BGL's size....  A watermelon!

According to What to Expect, BGL is weighing in at about 6 pounds and measuring somewhere around 10 inches tall.  Right now, most of her systems (from circulatory to musculoskeletal) are just about equipped for life on the outside.  Though the digestive system is ready to roll, too, it hasn't really gotten a workout yet.  Up until this point, BGL's nutrition has been arriving via the umbilical cord - no digestion necessary.  As soon as she has her first feeding, her digestive system will be jump-started and those diapers will start filling... Woo-hoo - can't wait for that!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks, 1 Day (36 Weeks in the picture)

Total Weight Gain: 22.5 lbs

Sleep:  Still about the same as last week.  I am definitely more uncomfortable these days, but I'm sleeping ok.

Best Moment This Week:  Celebrating my first mother's day.  Ryan was so sweet and bought me a bluetooth speakerphone for the car (so I'll be a safe driver with BGL in the car) and also a cute picture frame that says "Mom" at the top and also says "Before you were conceived, I wanted you.  Before you were born, I loved you".  The frame is going to be perfect for my desk when I have to go back to work!  He also made me breakfast on Sunday. 

Movement:  She's still moving and sometimes it actually hurts a little bit!  She loves to be on the right side of my stomach.

What I Miss:  No big change from last week.  I am still really thankful that my pregnancy has been relatively uneventful.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Meeting BGL.  Having girls day this weekend. 

Symptoms:  Braxton Hicks contractions, swollen hands/ankles/feet.  Carpal tunnel. 

The Weekly Bump Picture:

And Just Like That, I'm a Blubbering Mess

My pregnancy books told me that my hormones would be a little crazy during the first trimester, then kind of level off for the second and come back during the third.  They were right. 

Every morning, when Ryan and I get ready for work, we turn on the local Fox station and watch the news, mainly to get the traffic and weather updates.  Last week, this commercial came on and it really pulled at the old heartstrings for me - all of a sudden, I was fighting back the tears!  I don't know if it was because of how cute the dad is or if I just thought it was so sweet about what he was saying about grandma's reaction to the baby.  Either way, I thought I'd share my new favorite commercial from Kodak.

35 Weeks

We've reached a milestone!  I'm at 35 weeks with 35 days to go until my due date.  According to What to Expect, BGL stands tall this week.  If she could stand, she'd be about 20 inches and continues to follow the 1/2-pound-a-week plan, weighing in at about 5 1/2 pounds.  While growth will taper off when it comes to height (the average full-termer is born at about 20 inches), BGL will continue to pack on the pounds until delivery day.  Seomthing else she'll be packing on in the few weeks that remain are brain cells.  Brain development continues at a mind-boggling pace, making her a little on the top-heavy side.  Speaking of tops, it's likely that she has settled into a head-down, bottoms-up position (I'm not sure I agree with this since I can feel her hiccups under or near my ribs most of the time). 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 Weeks
Total Weight Gain: 20.5 lbs
Sleep: Not a huge change from last week. I am happy that for the most part, other than waking up with burning hands or needing to use the bathroom (every hour), I am sleeping ok.
Best Moment This Week: My second baby shower!  This little girl is so lucky to have so many people that are excited for her arrival! 
Movement: The movement has slowed down a little bit as she is starting to run out of room, but when she does move, sometimes it's a little painful.
Food Cravings: No real cravings this week, I still just like to eat.
What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach. My ankles. Hands that don't go numb/start burning every few minutes. My wedding rings!
What I am Looking Forward To: Meeting this little girl.   Getting rid of this stupid headcold that I picked up this weekend!!
Symptoms: The ever-changing belly button (it has started to pop). Lots of heartburn. Swollen ankles/feet/hands. Definitely feeling more tired. Carpal tunnel syndrome - my hands are pretty much numb and/or burning all the time. I also think I have started having Braxton-Hicks contractions (the practice ones) - they're not really painful, just uncomfortable. Weird dreams.  I have had 2 different dreams that I've slept through BGL's birth and woken up to find her in my arms!

The Weekly Bump Picture: