Pregnancy Update @ 33+ weeks

I am FINALLY able to do this. I set a reminder on my calendar to ensure I got to do it this week :-). I wish I had kept better updates to date because I just did an email search and found the update I did for JOE around this same time and it made me smile. Of course, hind sight is always 20/20. Plus this time, I just had so much going on, that I don't even know how/when I would have found the time to do the updates. 

Anyways, here's an update on baby #2. 

How Far Along? 33+ weeks. 4-weeks to "full term" and 7-weeks to "full 40-week pregnancy". Less than 50-days to her due date! 

Size of Baby? About 18-inches long (almost at her full length!). For comparison, baby is now about the size of a medium pineapple and weighs about 4.5 pounds! I was up 2.8-lbs as of last week Tuesday. Doc was pretty impressed and anticipates my gaining 1-lb/week until baby arrives. My goal is to stay under 10-lbs for this pregnancy. Fingers crossed.

Maternity Clothes? Fully in them now but I am still able to alternate maternity clothes and pre-pregnancy clothes. So far, I can still fit into some pre-pregnancy items.

Stretch Marks? So far, nothing new has cropped up. I checked with the aide of a mirror a couple of days ago. YAY!!! But Lord, I have a case of hormonal skin discoloration! I had it with my last pregnancy and it did go away. It is just strange noticing it all over again.

Sleep? I sleep in 1 - 2 hour spurts. I wake up to pee 4-times and sometimes 5-times each night. It is frustrating because I feel like I am not getting a good restful sleep. Not sure of how to combat this. I know I had pregnancy induced insomnia last time but I can't remember if it went away.

Food Cravings? ICE ICE baby! I mean a cup full of ice with some water. I need extreme temperatures with this pregnancy. I want my food very hot and my water very cold. I am now one of those ladies you see who walks around with a cup full of ice.

What I Miss: I had to take off my rings at 32-weeks. I miss them :-(. But I do have another ring I wear in the meantime.
Also, not all of my shoes fit before I got pregnant with #2. I am hoping since I am not gaining as much with this pregnancy, I'll be back in my pre-pregnancy shoes sooner rather than later. Same goes for my clothes.
The biggest things I miss is spending more time with JOE without feeling so tired or winded. Being able to get on the ground and play with her without wondering how I'll manage to get up with my aching hips. Carrying my baby girl whenever she asks. She is so curious and always wants to see what's going on around her but I am often so tired that I can't carry her all the time. 

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Packing my hospital bag this weekend. Looking for and pinning ideas on Pinterest for our "Sip and See". We decided since we're having a repeat gender, we will do a sip and see for after baby arrives. I am also hoping to get a 3D sonogram done soon. I looked at the picture we got from when JOE was 33-weeks in-utero and I am amazed of how much that sonogram looks like her now.

Symptoms? Sleepless nights, very recent swollen feet (it only lasted a couple of days), tiredness (was diagnosed with anemia so I am on medication for this), a little more forgetful (we drove to a friend's house last weekend thinking their son's birthday party was on Sunday. Well, turns out it is this upcoming Saturday. Ummm), more clumsy (I hate this one because I am always very careful), hip pains!!! (specifically on my right hip). I also have a very weird neck creak. I can't explain it and haven't even bothered mentioning it to my OB cause I don't know how to explain it.

Movement? YES! LOTS AND LOTS of movements. They are slower BUT the kicks are more painful now because they have more strength to them. And I think baby girl has discovered my bladder. She likes to either head butt it or kick it for fun!  

Belly Button In or Out? Still very much in. It never came out last time with JOE's pregnancy so I don't think it will this time.

Labor Signs? Braxton Hicks!!! They have moved from the "feeling uncomfortable" stage to the more "intense" stage. Not painful but enough that sometimes, I have to stop what I am doing and take a deep breathe. But I get through it better than I did when I had JOE. I guess now I'm a pro :-).

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing how much JOE already loves her "baby sister". Baby sister gets LOTS of kisses everyday. I have no doubt they'll be best of friends. 

Weekly Wisdom: Don't really have any right now. I am pretty much just trying to take each day at a time and am soaking in the one on one time I have JOE until we welcome her sister. She is just so awesome that right now, I can't imagine loving another as much as I love her but I have heard the heart does grow to accommodate another. I guess time will tell :-D. 

Pictures? Yup. Here's one from Monday.