36 Weeks: The Final Countdown

Where is the time going?!  I can't believe that in four weeks, I should be meeting Baby Baklava!  This kid is already the light of our lives.  Today, we had the good fortune of going to a friend's house to pick up a ton of baby clothes that her five month old daughter has outgrown.  It was the first time we've had the chance to meet baby Hazel and she totally charmed both of us.  She is a complete sweetheart.  We met her right after her nap, and she was smiling and happy and didn't even mind me holding her.  Spyro and I were talking about how absolutely precious she is on our drive home and he turned to me and said, "I'm screwed."  He finally came to the realization we've all had about him with our little girl: he's going to be so head over heels in love with her that he's going to dote on her all the time.  Love him so much, and the idea of him being such a big teddy bear with our little girl is the sweetest image in my mind.

I feel like baby girl is DEFINITELY growing!

How Big is Baby?: The size of a honeydew melon.  But sweeter.

Total weight gain/loss: Up to -5 from pre-pregnancy. Since my eating habits haven't really changed, I can only assume that it's our little girl chunking up in there.

Next Appointment: Monday, December 3.  I'm now to the appointment each week stage.  My blood pressure came down enough at my prior appointment that my doctor said he would not put me on medication, but it's still elevated.  I've heard that's normal in late pregnancy, but I still don't want it to be too high!  At my "36 week" appointment (which was 35w3d), I got the GBS test, which wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated.

Maternity clothes? Not really.  In the beginning of pregnancy, I bought three maternity dresses for work.  I wear them occasionally, mixed in with my other work dresses and skirts.  I'm going to make it through pregnancy without really wearing maternity clothes!!  I consider that a win, because the money I'm not spending on clothes is being spent directly on baby girl's room.

Sleep: UGH.  Man, I love sleep.  I am definitely a sleeper, and I always have been from a young age.  This has been the worst part of pregnancy because my sleep is so interrupted.  I miss having a full night of sleep, but I guess this is the body's way of preparing me.  But still, I'll be so thankful when I can flip from side to side--or better yet, sleep on my stomach again!

Movement: Yep.  Right now she's kicking and moving away because the laptop is on my lap and resting on my belly and she HATES it.  Always has.  The movements are different now.  I can feel her in vastly different places in my belly, which reminds me how big she's getting.  It's been some sharp kicks, but also some rough-feeling rolling and other types of movement.

Food cravings: This past week, I just wanted a big, juicy burger with good bacon on it. 

Food aversions: Nope, not really.  Baby Bak and I love food!

Gender: A beautiful little girl.

Belly Button in or out: Still in, thankfully!

What I miss:  A full night's sleep, wearing jeans (since pre-pregnancy jeans are far too uncomfortable to wear at this stage, but I don't want to order any at this point).

What I am looking forward to:  Finishing up the nursery!  It should be done in the next week and then I'll be able to post some pictures.

Contractions: I'm adding this one because that's been the most recent development for me.  They're nothing timeable and nothing that is out of the ordinary, but they have been awesome. :/  Basically, walking through Target anymore involves me sucking wind and pausing a couple of times to let a contraction pass.  I've found that the pain is fairly quickly alleviated if I do a set of sort of weird squats while leaning up against the couch or another piece of furniture or stable item of similar height.

Milestones: Baby Bak is closer to being able to breathe on her own.  Her liver and kidneys, as well as her circulation and immune systems are basically set.  She's almost ready to be seen by the world.