Week 36

As typical, the last week flew by in a whirlwind.  I ventured to Medford after work on Wednesday.  I enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving at my Mom's with family friends, my grandmother, my brother, and my cousin.  I loved getting to catch up with wonderful people!  I enjoyed a second lovely Thanksgiving at my Dad's with my brother, little sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and mass chaos.  Thanksgiving was a busy day and my stomach was stuffed, even more than usual!  My good friend Leslie stopped by with her little guy.  He prepped me for motherhood by puking on me.  It certainly wasn't the first time I have been puked on and definitely will not be the last!  I went back up to Eugene on Friday to be with Dan.  He spent Thanksgiving at his Aunt and Uncle's in Eugene.  On Saturday, Dan's parents came to our home for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.  Dan roasted a duck and it was marvelous!  We had the Civil War on the radio because we did not get the televised station.  The Ducks pulled off a win so that was exciting.  Sunday was filled with relaxing and errands and getting to be with each other.  Monday was filled with work, a doctor appointment, and a Mary Kay meeting.  My dr. apt. went very well.  I learned the super tight belly was actually a contraction, go figure!  I have had that feeling for a while were my belly just feels hard when touched and some pressure but no pain.  I do get painful contractions but not ofter.  At this point, the contractions are not at regular so my body is just practicing for the event to come.  Tuesday was the day from Hell!  I did not realize it was a full moon but that explained so much!  I was running late to work and passed an intersection with last gas station for a few miles when my gas light turned on.  I got gas.  Walked into work late.  Sat my stuff down when Dolce started to pace and whine.  I thought she just needed to calm down and went to soothe her when she started to squat.  I put the leash back on and grabbed the plastic bag for a quick dart outside.  She made it to three feet in front of the entrance doors, next to the Front Desk, when she had spastastic diaheria....  Not exactly a good impression!  Thankfully, Facility Services cleaned up the mess quickly and thoroughly but I am still incredibly embarrassed.  No more Dolce at work!  She continued to have a bad butt 4 more times that day, all outside!  She also puked in my office which is how I learned she had eaten the gauze from her tail which created the lovely situation...  The joy of dogs...  The rest of the day was terrible with work chaos and I just wanted to crawl under my desk and cry.  Thankfully I made it home to a wonderful and loving husband.  Wednesday was significantly better.

Week 36

Baby Size: a crenshaw melon or honeydew melon!  He weighs almost 6 pounds and is 18.5 inches long!

Baby Development: According to BabyCenter.com:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day...She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.  At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term...Most likely she's in a head-down position.
How I feel about being pregnant: Excited!  Only four more weeks left, unless he listens to me and comes two weeks early.  The week of Dec. 10 would really fit my schedule better!  Somehow I doubt he cares...

Symptoms:  Pressure and achiness in my girl parts so I think he is dropping.  My ribs are still pretty sore.  The line down my belly is getting darker.  My stretch marks continue to grow.  I have to pee every 90 minutes now.  My breasts are tender and getting larger. 

Cravings:  Nothing really.  I was able to enjoy wonderful pies over Thanksgiving and yummy cranberry sauce! 

What I am most excited about:  The last month has begun!  

Something sweet your daddy did for me:  He was super supportive and caring on Tuesday.  He took care of dinner and the dogs!

Funny moment: Showing off my weird belly button bump!  My belly button is still a very shallow dent but now the top has a little bump sticking out!  I think if I did not have the surgery scar from my gallbladder that my turkey timer would have popped when the bump showed up!

Special moment:  The outpouring of love for our little guy and our growing family.  It was a joy to be around family and friends who are family!  Dan, Bebe Claric, and I are very loved and it's neat to see the joy and excitement that people have for Tadpole.  We are blessed and loved!

T Minus 5 Weeks

I can't believe there are only 5 weeks left...FIVE!  The last week has flown by.  I feel like I state the every week...

I had a doctor appointment on Friday which went really well.  So far I have gained 25 pounds so I am on the low side of normal weight gain.  For the last month, I have gained about a pound every two weeks.  Dr. Reilly said that everything is looking really good.  Tadpole is in the head down position.  She is not concerned about my contractions and says that might be a good hint that Bebe may decide to come early.  I got my Tdap vaccine which gave me a sore arm from Friday through Monday.  I am not sure how but my cold hung on solidly for two full weeks and is now almost gone, just the tail end of it left.

Dan played all day Saturday by brewing with a friend and then going to the Duck game.  The dogs and I had a very relaxing time by ourselves.  I became impatient and tired of staring at boxes so I assembled the Pack N Play and the stroller and I took the car seat out of the box.  I am sure I was the sight to see putting the Pack N Play together with my giant belly.  The stroller was amazingly easy!  I also was able to work on two more quilt blocks over the weekend.  Sunday was nice and calm with church, football, napping, and sewing.

I finally made it to a Mary Kay meeting on Monday which was awesome and much needed!

On Tuesday, my ribcage started to revolt.  I have previously broken three ribs that are NOT happy right now because the coughing fits from the cold and Tadpole stretching my ribcage.  They are not broken but it hurts whenever I cough, sneeze, laugh hard, breath deeply, twist wrong, or sleep on them.  They are ribs so there is really nothing to do except for grin and bear it.

I am super excited to head down to Medford for a quick Thanksgiving this afternoon.  I will get to see a lot of family and friends that I have not seen in a long time so I am really looking forward to getting down there.  I wish someone would hurry up and develop teleportation! I will go up to my Mom's in the late morning on Thanksgiving, stay up there until the late afternoon, and come back to Dad's for dinner part two.   Sadly, Dan cannot make it because of Dolce's tail and he has to work on Friday so I will be coming back on Friday.  He is going up to his Aunt and Uncle's with the dog for actual Thanksgiving and then we are going to do our own celebration with his parents on Saturday.   I think I am going to be one tired girl after this weekend!

Week 35

Baby Size: a honeydew melon or a coconut!  He weighs 5.25 pounds and is over 18 inches long!

Baby Development: According to BabyCenter.com:

Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
How I feel about being pregnant: It hurts! 

Symptoms:  My ribs are super sore and tender, my joints are loosy goosy, and I can't get a good nights sleep.

Cravings:  Nothing...except for Thanksgiving food but that's just because the holiday is tomorrow!

What I am most excited about:  Getting to see family and friends that I have not seen in a long time.  One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is getting to visit and catch up with people.  My trip to Medford will be quick so I have a lot of people to see in a short amount of time.  Then, Eugene Thanksgiving will be on Saturday.

Something sweet your daddy did for me:  He rubbed my back and shoulders because they were so tight and irritated.

Funny moment:  Dan laughed when I said "My belly button has probably never been this clean before" because it is so shallow.

Special moment:  Sleeping with a full bed all weekend!  Dan and I had both dogs sleep in the bed.  I was feeling really sad for Rose who gets crated during the day and at night when her sister has been sleeping on the couch or bed and going to work with us because of her tail.  We let both doggos sleep with us all weekend and my Rose was a wonderful dog!

Darn Cold

My darn cold has hung on all week.  On Nov. 4, I had a sore throat and an evil cough that progressed to being stuck in my face on Nov. 11.  I really do not think it is fair to be sick while pregnant!  It was hard enough to get a good breath of air with the growing tadpole invading my upper abdomen so adding gunk to my lungs made it that much worse.  Then there is the constant coughing which taxes the already stretched-to-the-limit stomach muscles and ribcage.  The coughing also puts extra pressure on the already squeezed bladder which made for fun little surprises.  I felt like a fool, a grown woman coughing to the point where a little pee would sneak out but such is life.  I have been told that that is only a precursor for post-baby.   The sore throat stripped my voice so I sounded like an old man or a dieing frog.  The sore ears filled with fluid made the ability to hear more difficult.  And as if being in the third trimester wasn't tiring enough, there was the complete lack of energy and lightheadedness.  By Sunday, my chest cold migrated to my face.  At least the cough and sore throat were less painful; however, the congested, stuffy, sore nose got old quick!  My poor sinuses were so tender that I almost bought the baby's humidifier just to try to get some relief at night.  I spent most of Friday and Saturday with a scarf or shirt over my nose in hope that my breathing would add some moisture and heat to help.  I went from a completely clogged nose to gushing nose at the drop of a hat which was stellar at church when the flood gates opened.  Thankfully, someone handed me a tissue.  I sincerely do not believe that a woman should be able to get sick while pregnant.  Pregnancy is taxing enough on the body!

The last week was pretty boring and dull due to an evil cold!

Week 34

Baby Size: a cantaloupe or a butternut squash!  He weighs 4.75 pounds and is almost 18 inches long.

Baby Development: According to BabyCenter.com:

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.
How I feel about being pregnant: Pregnancy is hard and not for the faint of heart! 

Symptoms:  In case you were wondering, practice contractions are not fun!  I had them very inconsistently throughout the last week and usually in pairs.  I would get two in a row and then nothing for the rest of the day.  I have also been experiencing a tender tummy.  It just feels off so I really have not wanted to eat.  Plus, it has been a bit tender to touch on the outside.  Tender tummy on the inside and outside!  My hips have been sore and the muscles involved in the area (pelvic, hips, upper leg, lower back, etc.) are feeling strained and tired.  I also noticed a big drop in energy!  On a final note, my breasts are definitely growing and changing while preparing to feed this kiddo.

Cravings:  Nothing.

What I am most excited about:  Being mostly done with Christmas shopping.  All but two gifts have been purchased.  Now I just need the energy to wrap!

Something sweet your daddy did for me:  He takes good care of me!

Funny moment:  Realizing that the belly bump is a food magnet!  I am not the cleanest eater in the world but my goodness does food seem to gravitate to my belly!

Special moment:  This may seem lame but taking a nap on Friday was the best.  I was sick and left work early.  I let Rose out of her crate.  I had had Dolce at work so I let both the girls go potty.  I let the dogs back inside and put a movie on that I knew I would fall asleep to because I have seen it so many times.  I was out within the first 10 minutes of the movie with two cute girl dogs cuddling with me.  I slept for a solid 3 hours and it was MUCH needed.

Week 33 with 7 Left

Only 7 weeks left...CRAZY!  

Halloween was fun.  We actually had a good showing of tricker treaters.  It was so fun to see the costumes and watch Dan pass out candy.  I organized all the gifted baby clothes into sizes on Wednesday night to see what we are really in need of.  Turns out that we have a TON of socks and bibs!  We are also set on newborn and 0-3 sizes so that's a nice relief.  Thursday was a All Saints Day, aka a holy day of obligation, so I went to the noon mass.  Father Bryce asked if he could give my baby a blessing during communion and I almost cried.  Bebe Claric got his first blessing!  Dan went off to camp for the weekend with his family as they hunted.  He was a scout looking for herds.  I enjoyed a lovely weekend full of busy work!  I cleaned the kitchen, cleaned my bathroom, cleaned the bedroom, packed summer maternity clothes away, got out fall maternity clothes, got the laundry ready, went grocery shopping, took out two loads of trash, baked a quiche, and made spaghetti carbonara...phew!  I had an awesome surprise visit from my brother on Saturday evening.  He was in town for a hard cider and craft beer festival that K Fall Brewing was in but the event was volunteer run so he was not pouring.  After a good three hours with him, I took him to the festival and crashed!  My poor feet were done!  Sunday greeted me with a lovely sore throat and evil cough that stuck around for the rest of the new week.  Dan came back on Monday evening and the rest was calm after that.

Week 33

Baby Size: pineapple or durian!  He weighs over 4 pounds and is over 17 inches long!

Baby Development: According to BabyCenter.com:

He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal...These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
How I feel about being pregnant: Tired...being sick and prego is not fun!

Symptoms:  No new pregnancy symptoms.

Cravings:  Nothing.

What I am most excited about:  Getting ready for the holidays.  I have been thinking about what traditions I want Bebe Claric to grow up...I love this time of year!

Something sweet your daddy did for me:  He went to the store after coming home late to get candy for the cute tricker treaters!  He is such a good man!

Funny moment: Dressing up my belly for Halloween.

Special moment:  Bebe getting his first blessing.