Pregnancy Update @ 35+ weeks

I love how a new week often brings with it new hope and new beginnings. Mondays aren't the easiest but since switching jobs, I have a new attitude about Mondays. I no longer dread it like I used to and I actually don't mind coming into work. I used to telework on Mondays and even though I temporarily lost that option due to my job transition, I still don't mind coming in 5-days a week versus 4-days. The work is less stressful and I truly feel like I work with people who genuinely care. Such a refreshing thing.

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

How Far Along? 35+ weeks. Less than 2-weeks to "full term" and 5-weeks to "estimated due date." As a matter of fact, as of today, I can officially say "I am due a month from today." Wow!!! I feel like telling time to SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWW DOWWWWWWNNNNNN.

Size of Baby? Now over 18-inches long (almost at her full length!). For comparison, baby is now about the size of a honeydew melon and weighs about 5.25 pounds! I was up another 2.4-lbs as of last week Tuesday. Bringing my total gain for this pregnancy to just about 6-lbs. My goal is to stay under 10-lbs. 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. But I can't always see around my round belly anymore and due to my skin discoloration, I am not sure if the mirror is being honest. For now though, I haven't noticed any new ones. The skin discoloration though is MAJOR! Conversation with hubby last week went like this. Me: YIKES! Why didn't you tell me of how much darker my back got? Hubby: Well, I noticed it but I didn't want to alarm you. Me: Ummm...you didn't think I would eventually notice it in a mirror? I mean, seriously!!! :-/

Sleep? It has gotten worse. Last Friday night, I woke up 8...yes EIGHT times to pee between the hours of 9pm and 6am. Does anyone have a cure for pregnancy related insomnia? It is kicking my butt! And to make matters worse, I was just told this morning not to drink coffee. Dag it!

Food Cravings? ICE ICE baby! Still on that. I was diagnosed with pregnancy related anemia. I am on iron meds for that. I take the meds but I still crave ice/cold stuff or the other extreme (hot foods). We're almost there so I am not too concerned about this one. I can't wait to stop waddling to the cafeteria everyday for ice though. It is my daily routine. I come to work, sign in then get up and walk over there (not a short distance either) to go get ice. 

What I Miss: I still really miss 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 next weekend. This was supposed to be done 2 weeks ago but we've had such busy weekends that I haven't had a chance to do it. So we're hoping to get to it this weekend. 
Also, I am already 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. 

Symptoms? Sleepless nights, more swollen feet which is happening more and more now so per my OB, I have to keep my feet up for at least 30-minutes everyday. She also said it will help with the frequent peeing at night. Not sure its helped with that but it has certainly helped a bit with the swelling. Per my last appointment, baby is already head down. Happy to know this because it means she is also getting ready to meet us in a few weeks.

Movement? YES! LOTS AND LOTS of movements. They are slower BUT the kicks are more intense now because they have more strength to them. 

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. 

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing this baby at her 3-D sonogram. It is absolutely amazing how much she looks like JOE. Oh and yeah, we have another one with lots of hair :-). Should be interesting doing both their hair as they grow up. I guess YouTube will be my friend.

Weekly Wisdom: Listen to your body! I often have a thing for overdoing it and then by the time I hear my body, I am way beyond a point of discomfort and am in pain. I am learning to be better at this and J has been very good with telling me to "slow down". 

Pictures? Yup. Here are a few pictures from last week and one (side by side of my bump) from this morning.

My baby girl sticking out her tongue. Funny thing is we went with JOE and every time she talked, the baby would stick out her tongue. I see they are communicating already even in utero :-).

Another picture of her. Wanna see how much JOE and her sister look alike? Check out the next picture.

 

On the left is JOE and on the right is her sister. To me, it was like looking at the same person. They even had very similar mannerisms when their 3-D was done. It'll be interesting to see how much this baby will look like JOE.

  

And here's a side by side of my bump. Not much really has changed. The left picture is the week before last and the right picture was taken this morning. I feel like I actually lost some weight in the last week since my last appointment. We'll see this evening when I have my appointment.

 

 

I am so happy we FINALLY have a week without snow. Yippee!!! Perhaps that means Spring is upon us? One can only hope. Have an awesomely blessed week!