34 & 35 weeks!

I didn't post at 34 weeks because life's been busy and I was simply tired.  Since we're temporarily down to one car, we've adjusted to sharing a car and borrowing cars as needed.  J's car should be fixed by next week!  The past 2 weekends were busy with many celebrations...my baby shower, our nephew, D, turned 1, we partied with E for turning 10 years old, and J's cousin got married!  Also, before the baby comes, I'm cranking out my continuing education classes and took a 6 hour class at 34 weeks...it was a long day, baby girl was moving a lot, and glad I have one of the two live classes finished.          

Sleep:  It's pretty restful.  I sleep on my left side and get up only once.  Getting out of bed takes some effort since baby girl has grown!


Movement:  I feel her move, but not as much as before since she's running out of room. 

Cravings/Aversions:  Still craving chocolate, esp. dark chocolate peanut m&m's and honey crisp apples!  Linvilla Orchards has honey crisps for sale at the market for $1 something per pound...so yummy and cheap for honey crisp!  My SIL and BIL never tried these delicious, crispy and juicy apples and gave them some because they were missing out on the best apples ever!  I think I parted ways with 5 of them, my BIL ate 4 and SIL ate 1.  I don't think my nephews got a taste of these awesome apples.  I'll just have to buy some more!

What I miss:  Nothing at all.  Feeling really content.   

Symptoms:  Bloated hands and feet mostly.  Numbness in some fingers and stiff hands. 

What I look forward to:  I'm officially seeing my OB once a week now...we're close to meeting our baby girl! 

Baby Shower:  Thanks to my family and friends who hosted an awesome shower...it was perfect! xoxo! The shower was beautiful and I feel abundantly blessed by the loving family and friends we have in our lives, those near and far, who have prayed and been there for us during our bumpy road of trying to conceive to becoming pregnant.  If numbers weren't an issue at the venue, I would've invited the elementary school staff from my previous workplace who cried with me and prayed for me after my ectopic pregnancy last year.  They will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Our 5 year journey is thankfully coming to a close as we venture into the next phase...parenthood!  I'm truly thankful and humbled. 

                                           

                                          

J came for desserts and helped me cut the cake!

A nice keepsake for Isabella to read when she's older.

Nesting:  The nursery is almost done.  I have to pick some curtains and order some shelfpalooza's to store her toys, books, etc.  After the baby shower, the living room was filled with presents and there wasn't much room to move.  Thanks SR for sorting the gifts and removing all the tags!  Thanks YM for organizing everything since I didn't know where to begin and making the house livable again!

Milestones:  Our baby at 34 weeks 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. 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.

Our baby at 35 weeks 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 my 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.