Pregnancy Update: Week 35 Recap!

How far along?  This is the end of week 35…I just realized my due date is ONE MONTH from yesterday!!! 

Total weight gain:  I weighed 160.5 this morning...started at 131 pounds.   29.5 pounds so far….not bad!!

Baby’s size/development this week: Only one more week until the baby is considered full term (37 weeks).

Maternity clothes:  I had a day off today so I wore a skirt and tank top and felt pretty darn comfy J

Miss anything?  Feeling like a normal human being!!  I took a walk on the bike path today and all these people were jogging past me and it occurred to me that the experience was a lot like going to a bar and not being able to drink.  Bah!!  I can’t wait to go fast!  And run people down!!  Also there are a lot of volunteer opportunities this weekend for Earth Day (including one on our block even!) and I can’t participate because I’m too pregnant.  Boo!!  I just don’t think planting trees or picking up trash or whatever would be all that productive for anyone at this late date.

Food cravings:  Wednesday I felt like total crap (my stomach was upset and I was super tired) and I ate peanut butter puffins cereal for dinner (with some strawberries and milk).  I don’t usually buy boxed cereal, but I just NEEDED it.  The box only lasted like….16 hours.

Anything making you queasy or sick?  I was kind of queasy several days this week due to a stomach bug or something.

Sleep:  I have felt REALLY tired this week – so glad it was only a four day work week.

Best moment of the week:  Last weekend Chad and I went for a walk and we saw three snakes along the bike path (which I heard is a sign of a healthy ecosystem) – that was pretty cool because how often do you see snakes!?  Two of them were cuddling.  Aww.  Friday was nice because I just got to hang out at the house and clean or nest, or whatever it is that it’s called at 9 months pregnant.

Nursery:  I did some cleaning of the changing table Friday and this morning I lined it and put all the diapers away.  Before yesterday there were large piles of diapers and diapers hanging on drying racks even though they were dry.  Sunday morning I hope Chad can put together the pack and play so it’s one less thing we have to worry about (he doesn't know this yet – ha)

Weddings rings on or off?  Wedding ring is definitely still on.  Little bit of swelling in the hands this week though, especially after going for walks in the warm weather.

Belly Button: Dude, my belly button is still in.  This thing is amazing!!

Movement?   Moving all the time!  Yesterday afternoon when I was eating a tuna salad sandwich I felt my stomach shudder…so then I thought that the baby really hates tuna or really loves it J

Labor signs?  I don’t think so.  When my stomach was upset on Wednesday I had some pains in my stomach—that felt like the kind of pain you have with an upset stomach, and not at all what I imagine a contraction to feel like.  But then I started getting paranoid and thinking “What if this is what it’s like and I am just totally misreading it!?  Better safe than sorry – I’ll call my doctor just to make sure.”  They told me to take some tums and be sure to drink enough water.  So instead I went home and ate lots of cereal and drank lots of water.

Weird pregnancy thing of the week:  I've just been really tired this week.  My stomach is getting HUGE.  Chad said he felt like it sort of grew out of nowhere in like a day and I agree with him.  Like one day it was quite large and the next day it was HUGE.  Still though, at our doctor’s appointment on Wednesday my stomach was measuring 35 centimeters, which is spot on for 35 weeks.

Daddy is feeling:  Note from Mommy:  Daddy is still insanely busy.  I think I’ll make him update next Friday though J

Mommy is feeling:  This was kind of a stressful week.  Lots of distractions on top of feeling tired and having that stomach bug.  I’m letting all the stressors of the past week roll off my shoulders though.  Three day weekend with beautiful weather – what more could you ask for!!  I’m using the weekend to get lots done:  continuing to clean out house and take stuff to Am Vets for donation, I made more peanut butter yesterday afternoon, doing all the laundry this morning.

Workouts this week:  

Saturday:  4.5 miles/1 hour on elliptical

Sunday:  1.6 mile walk on the bike path with the husband (saw snakes!)

Monday:  3.09 miles/40 minutes on elliptical

Tuesday:  None

Wednesday:  None – missed yoga.  Super pissed about that!!

Thursday:  None

Friday:  2.75 mile walk along bike path

Books I'm Reading/Media I'm Ingesting:

Lots of interesting pregnancy-related material this week, but none of it in book form.

• The Longest Shortest Time  (podcast/blog about early parenting) – This American Life (TAL) posted a link to an interesting podcast episode about a woman who felt cheated by Ina May Gaskin's (the godmother of modern midwifery) birthing philosophy when her own birth experience didn't go as planned (and actually ended fairly traumatically with long-term perineal damage).  I can’t say that I agree with the sentiment in the podcast, but it is an interesting perspective I hadn't considered.
• Radiolab "23 Weeks 6 Days” (science podcast) – Babies “born” before 22 weeks are medically considered miscarriages and not viable outside the womb.  Babies born after 25 weeks are considered to be possibly viable and doctors will fight to save them.  This story, which aired last week, is about a baby born in that grey area between 22 and 25 weeks.  It was a heart wrenching and emotional story but we really enjoyed it.
• Call the Midwife (PBS TV show) – I watched a lot of this earlier in the week when I was feeling pathetic and crappy and spending all my time laying on the sofa.

Looking forward to: 

• A gorgeous spring day!!
• Dinner with friends at our house this evening.
• Easter dinner at Chad’s mom’s house tomorrow. Ham! Carrot cake!
• I want to die Easter Eggs!! I hope we can make this happen.
• Planting pumpkin seeds Sunday morning.
• Lazily waking up on Sunday morning with my husband with no reason to get out of bed.
• Yoga this afternoon to make up for Wednesday’s bust!

Week 35 Photo
And here is a photo of me at the start of week 35 rocking the pregnancy cut offs!!! :)