36 Weeks

It’s May! Can’t believe we might have a baby this month!! My due date is May 28. Everyone says that first baby’s tend to be late but for some reason I feel like she might be right on time or a little early. We’ll see…

How far along? 36 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain: 25-ish pounds <– Embracing my changing body has been hard. It doesn’t matter how many people tell you how good you look, I sometimes see a picture and think “oh my gosh, I’m huge!” And I hate to say I’ve stepped on the scale and actually felt shame over the number I saw. So ridiculous!! If it was just my belly that got bigger, I think it would be a different story. It’s the growing of other body parts that takes you by surprise. I might write more about this in a later post but I’ve reflected a lot on how to appreciate my pregnant body more and not compare myself to others. Most days I am able to marvel at what an amazing thing my body is doing – the female form is really a beautiful thing.
Maternity clothes? Still wearing a mix of maternity and non-maternity though generally the maternity items are way more comfortable. I’ve definitely gotten to a stage where it would be nice to have more maternity items but I prefer not to spend the money on them.
Stretch marks: No. Still slathering on my Mio Tummy Rub Butter and oil. I still can’t believe how big and firm my belly looks and feels!
Sleep: Generally sleeping well. Some nights insomnia is an issue and I long to sleep on my stomach again.
Best moment this week: So many good things in the past several weeks. 1) Remember my work trip for Women’s Hockey World Champs? The team won gold – in many ways their victory felt like my victory too. Truly incredible. The strength & conditioning coach is also pregnant which I didn’t know before arriving at camp and we made quite the cute little pair doing everything together (eating, working out, moaning over indigestion, etc). We got the nickname of MITs (moms in training)! 2) My co-worker Marissa hosted a beautiful baby shower for me. I am so thankful for her friendship in my life. 3) We are finally making some progress in the nursery! Justin worked tirelessly over the last couple weeks to get the dry wall installed, mudded, and sanded so that we could paint (we chose a soft mint color) and hang a wall paper accent wall. We also assembled the crib and hung a chandelier. I found the perfect rug and Justin chose the glider. I just love seeing it all come together! I will try to do a nursery post with pictures and details.  4) At my most recent doctor’s appointment she did a quick ultrasound to see if baby is in the head down position. I am happy to report that she is (although I assumed she was because of where I have been feeling her movements). We got to see her sweet little face on the screen – she moved her tongue in and out and sucked on her fist. I thought my heart might explode from the cuteness. 5) J and I had a “babymoon” staycation in Seattle. We stayed at a hotel downtown and used Seattle City Passes to hit a few tourist attractions. Was fun to see a movie and eat at one of our favorite little hole in the wall pizza places in Pike Market, too.
Miss Anything? Many things but am just trying to cherish these last few weeks of being with my bump. I alternate between being ready to feel like myself again and feeling anxious about not being pregnant anymore. I have a feeling though that I’ll like my baby even more on the outside!
Movement: Wow the movements have gotten more and more pronounced and at times uncomfortable as the weeks have progressed. We love watching my belly distort and feeling her hiccups.
Food cravings: Frozen yogurt. I like the plain tart topped with mini gummy bears. My baking has slowed as my appetite has gotten less.
Food aversions:  I find that because baby takes up most of the space now that I am not hungry by dinner time. I don’t have any aversions in particular but often different things just don’t sound good. I have said it before, but eating really healthfully during pregnancy has been more challenging than I expected.
Symptoms? Reflux, SI joint/low back pain, shortness of breath (heavy, open mouthed breathing is often the norm!), fatigue. Thus far I have gotten away with not having an urgency to pee, but baby must be settling further into my pelvis because whoa my bladder was suffering this past weekend. Exercise has been less again. I have mostly stopped running because it’s too much stress on my pelvis, shins, and feet. Plus now I don’t know how my bladder would tolerate it. I walked 5 miles with my running buddy this weekend and had to stop to go to the bathroom twice (one of those times in a construction site “Honey Bucket”). One symptom I absolutely love is my healthy mane of hair. Will definitely miss it when it goes.
Belly button in or out: Very shallow but still an innie.
Wedding rings on or off: On. Luckily I have not struggled much with swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall very happy and excited, though pregnancy symptoms and fatigue get the best of me at times and I am not the most pleasant.
Looking forward to: My mom and dad are coming to visit to help us to continue working on the house and preparing for Baby J’s arrival. They’ll also come back later in the month to try to make it for the birth. I’m looking forward to continuing to getting the house to a place that will be comfortable for those first precious months with baby. It’s nice to no longer be in a stage of tearing down and ripping thing out. There is still so much to do (and probably a lot that won’t get done before the end of the month) but I am happy with our progress.

Wonderful friend and hostess Marissa

I’m not sure what’s more impressive, the Chihuly glass sculpture or the 34 weeks bump?!