34.5 Weeks Dr. Appt.

This picture shows how I feel these days - stressed, exhausted, and swollen! I am thankful this pregnancy has been so easy, but I am now in the last 5.5 weeks and having some of the normal aches and pains/symptoms that come along with it: swollen feet, tiny blood spots on my belly (though no stretch marks - yet!), waddling, sagging/wider breasts, restless nights, stress, more noticeable veins, and so on. When Roy took this pic, he had to get "just the right angle," of course, because he wanted to get my belly button in the pic. It's still an innie, but it is stretched out so much that it is very noticeable. But hey, look at those milk machines! LOL I bought some nursing bras and they are 38B. I normally wear a 34A, so that's a big jump for me. I am still practicing how to get the nursing flap undone in less than 5mins!

The appointment... I gained 4lbs (in two weeks!), but the doctor said some of that is the baby and some is the water weight/swelling. I measured at 34 centimeters, which is right where I should be. My BP was 130/70, and Warren's heartbeat sounded strong as always. The doctor did the group B strep swabbing, and I guess I will find out results in two weeks at my next appointment. He will also start checking me then. We talked again about induction, but he said he his moving his office on April 1-3, so inducing on the 2nd is not his preference. We may just wait until April 7th to induce, if Warren doesn't come before then. My due date is April 5, so we'll see. He said we will get a better indicator of time when he starts checking me, but one never really knows when labor will begin. You know I love that unpredictability!

I finally have a substitute for my maternity leave. I met her this week, and I think she will work hard with the kids. I have been working hard to get my lesson plans finished. So far I have through April 3 - only 8 weeks left to write. Ugh.

My next baby shower is Sat. the 7th, and then school is throwing one for me and the other mommy-to-be on the 20th, I think. I love checking my registries to take a sneak peek at what people have bought! I'm bad; I know. :)

32 Weeks Dr. Appt.

I LOST 1lb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hurray!!!!!!!!!!! I was so worried that I was going to have gained another 4lbs in these last two weeks, but I lost one! Super happy about that! I measured at 31 centimeters, and Warren's head is down now. His heartbeat is still strong.

At my next appt. (in two weeks), I will have the group B streptococcus screening. While I know the worst is yet to come, I am a bit anxious about this test, because it will be the first time my OB has seen my cha-chee while I'm pregnant. It is all so swollen and huge down there, that it is very hard to know if it's completely clean since I can't even see it without a mirror. I'm being too paranoid, I know; the doc sees women all the time with the same issue, so it would be no big deal to him, but I keep thinking about a story an old friend told me: Do you remember green stamps? You know, the stamps you got at a store after making a purchase, and you put the green stamps in a booklet and turn them in to get an item for free? Well, a former coworker told me this story about a lady who had gone for her yearly exam, and while her doctor was doing the exam, he said, "Oh, how nice, you didn't have to give me one of these," and he held up a green stamp! Apparantly she had sat on it while getting dressed, and it got stuck on her cha-chee without her knowing it!!!!! My goal for the group b test is to have no surprises waiting down there for my OB! LOL

The Abominable Snowoman - 32 Weeks

This is the name I gave myself today. My belly grew overnight, and in this white shirt, I look huge, so I tried to just make a joke of it. My students got a kick out of it! The top of my uterus has been sore all day, and that's always been my indicator of growth.

Can you believe I am already at 32 weeks? After school yesterday I had an hour long massage, which was very relaxing, and I think it may have helped my aching hip some. Today after school I got my hair cut into a bob. Roy says it looks "fresh," and I think it makes me look/feel younger. It was a good end to a day of feeling like an abominable snowoman or the Michelin tire guy.

Target had a big sale on baby stuff last week, so I got this Baby Einstein playmat for Warren - it was 1/2 half! It was on my registry, but I felt like I would be ripping people off if they had to pay full price for it when I could get it for half off. It came in and Cleo just loved it! I had to keep telling her it was Baby Warren's, so she would not bite all the toys and chew them up. I am having issues with clothes right now due to my growing belly. I have winter clothes, but none of my spring/summer clothes fit anymore. Thankfully, I have a great friend who was due in November, so she had some bigger maternity clothes for warm weather. She brought them to me this week, and they all fit!!! I told her if I were a guy I would marry her; that's how great I felt after trying them on. Incidently, the white shirt I have on today came from her, and even though it makes me look huge, I love it. It is super cute. And hey, my belly is huge, but so are my boobs, and those are some things I've never had!!!!

The Good, the Bad, and the Smelly

The Good:

I had a great surprise waiting for me when I got home today - a Valentine's box from my big sister! She had sent something for all four of us: a sweet puppy dog for Warren, some yummy treats for Cleo, a giant Toblerone candy bar for Roy, and all the rest for me!!!!

I bet this will be Warren's favorite stuffed animal!

Cleo loved her V-day treats from Aunt Kim! She picked out the sweetest icing treat first and chowed down!
On Sunday, Roy and I got a glider and ottoman for the nursery. It was the last big item we needed, aside from a highchair. I also ordered a second base for the car seat and an activity mat that was half off! Today I bought another puppy outfit for Warren. I might make this his coming home outfit.
Another good thing is that we found out we will be getting a tax refund, which is fabulous because I need to get the condenser or compressor, or something like that, fixed on my car. I will be so glad to have my a/c back!

The Bad:

Being 31 weeks pregnant brings on some aches and pains that I have not had this whole pregnancy. One of which is clumsiness. Not only do I bump into something or someone at least twice a day, but I am spilling things, dropping things, and losing my footing. I slipped on our bottom step a couple days ago. I was carrying Cleo down the stairs when it happened. Thankfully I held onto her and just landed on my butt on the bottom step, but I did hit my big toe and scratch my elbow. Nothing bad, but I must admit it was scary afterward because I realized it could have been bad and hurt Warren.

Another ache I am having is muscle cramps in my calves. I have had some off and on for several weeks now, but last night I had one so bad that I couldn't even move my foot. It was like my muscle had completely locked up. I had to get Roy to help me. After a calf rub and some tears, I was okay. It happened again in the middle of the night, but not as bad, so I was able to stand on my own. Today my calves feel like I worked them out super hard. I guess I need to eat more banana splits to give me potassium!

I also am running out of clothes that I can wear. I tried on all my clothes and had to put most of them away. I have several winter shirts, but it's the spring/summer shirts that just don't fit anymore. I found one at Kohls tonight for only $6, so that made me happy.

The Smelly:

Pregnancy gas is sour and lingers in the cushions of the car for a looooong time! (And that's all I have to say about that!) LOL