36 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: #4 is approximately the size of a honeydew melon ~ 5.5 lbs (although I would venture to guess more than that, due to the size of my kiddos at birth -- high 8 lbs!  Will this one be the biggest?!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Oh, I've definitely gained....don't know the exact number, but it's a lot, and I blame some of it on heavy sweaters and winter boots....ahem.  Yeah.  Again, confirmed it's a LOT at my OB appointment yesterday.  But Dr. L keeps saying my "weight looks good".  Definitely gained more than the "average recommended for pregnancy".  Harumph. 

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. Outgrowing some of them ~ it always makes me so self-conscious to get to this point!  I have been rotating through 3 pairs of "going out pants" (one a pair of jeans ~ they're my favorite thing to wear this pregnancy) and wearing stretchy yoga pants or pajamas bottoms while at home!

Gender: 50/50 chance at either, right?   :)  I've been feeling BOY the whole time through...

Movement: very active baby -- especially in the evenings after the big ones go to bed, and I'm able to sit quietly on the couch. So far....a "good sleeper" ~ I haven't been woken up by this Little One (at least very much?) having a dance party, unless I wake up to pee or attend to the other kids in the middle of the night.  Movement is slowing down a bit ~ making me worry on less active days, but I know that this is normal at this point in pregnancy.  I find myself doing kickcounts and nudging the baby to ease my mind every now and then throughout the day. 

Sleep: Ah, sleep... I'm sleeping fairly well. I could easily go to bed around 8 PM each night, but I like to "torture myself" (AKA have a little "me time") in the evenings, and end up staying up until 10 or 11 PM. Makes those mornings come a LOT quicker.....

We are back to sleeping pretty well around here, thankfully.  My congestion is still an issue, but not quite as bad as it was.  I have had several nights where I actually slept a solid 8 or 9 hour stretch and felt like a new woman! 
Jacob has been accident-free at night for over a week now ~ I'm amazed!  He is able to wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, then get right back into bed.  The next step is getting him to sleep IN longer in the mornings and not have a fit if/when we close their door in the morning (to prevent noises and lights waking them, of course).  But....we'll see if that ever comes! 

What I miss: nothing really, though I am looking forward to having a glass of wine soon!

Cravings: Nothing in particular at this point in time. Occasionally I will get intense cravings for things like milk or protien, or a fruit or vegetable. Probably my body's way of telling me I need more of certain things!   I've also run out of room to eat much at once ~ I find myself mostly too full for dinners, or picking at foods.

Symptoms: heartburn, reflux, hips going numb from side-sleeping, lower back pain, feeling like I want to start "hibernating" instead of going out, BH contractions and some real ones, major congestion, irritability, and a few other things I won't be mentioning on the internet!

Best Moment this week: identifying body parts, feeling hiccups several times a day, preparing my nest for this little one, talking about the New Baby with the big two boys, Nate patting my bare belly and looking for his "own" baby down his shirt ~ he also pushed my (outtie) belly button the other day and said "Off!".  What a funny kid!  And I'm loving dreaming of my arms and heart being full with four kids!

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and will go weekly from now until delivery.  Wow!  It seems so close, yet still so far away....

I talked to Dr. L. about my fears of delivering at home or in the car due to my quick labor with Nate.  She acknowledged my fears and reassurred me that I probably won't putz around at home as long this time around.  (her reassurrance was illustrated by a story that the last time she had an in-car delivery was during her residency!)  She also agrees that I will probably be watching more closely for signs of labor, and will be able to pick up on some red flags earlier on this time around.  She said if I was really afraid of delivering at home, that we could pick an induction date (if my cervix was favorable) for the 9-10 of March, or whenever she is on-call.  Whoa.  I'm definitely not ready to agree to that option (doubt I ever will be ~ I'm all for the least interventions as possible) but it was amazing to realize a possibly birth date that is pretty darn close. 

Everything on the home-front is as ready as it needs to be.  I have a few more loose ends to tie up at work, but then we'll be good to go!  And I'm sure when all that is done, it will be on to waiting, waiting, and more waiting.....