Photo taken 33 weeks, 4 days.
How far along? 34 weeks, 3 days.
How big is baby? 4.75 lbs, almost 18 inches long. We were grocery shopping and I put two two-pound bags of sugar in Mike’s hand and said, “OUR BABY WEIGHS MORE THAN THIS.” Mike said that’s why he’s been working out so much lately.
Total weight gain: +22 lbs. I haven’t started waddling when I walk, I can still shave my legs and paint my toenails, and I tie my shoes easily. However – my pregnant thighs in the summer heat means they rub together like WOAH. I have to plan my skirt-wearing according to how much I expect to sweat. It’s hot.
Maternity Clothes? 80% of what I wear isn’t officially maternity. 80% of what I wear shouldn’t be worn out in public. See: video blog from yesterday.
Stretch marks? Stop rubbing it in. YES, OKAY? (But still not on my stomach. Or maybe I just can’t see them because my stomach is so big.)
Sleep: A nap a day seems to work better than actually expecting to sleep well during the night. The amount of times I get up to go to the bathroom is a little out of control. I mean, really, body.
Movement: We had a great moment two weeks ago when my friend’s husband was forced to feel the baby move. He apparently is afraid of touching pregnant bellies, but Mike literally dragged him over to my stomach and put his hand on my belly. You should have seen his face. It was priceless. Mike continues to be subject to my whining about how much the baby is jabbing my insides, and sometimes gets freaked out by just how well you can feel the baby’s heel, spine, butt, and so on because my skin seems super thin.
Food cravings: I didn’t blog about my pregnancy during my first trimester, but I had a pretty strong aversion to lettuce. As in, I had to take my purse and put it in another office because I was convinced it smelled like lettuce. It was bad. It’s weird – because I used to love salad. I still don’t really like it, but I’ll bribe myself to eat some with a baked potato. I’m st obsessed with all fruit and I have a bowl of cereal every single night (Hey, it’s my ice cream. And probably a bit healthier.) Out of nowhere, I had a craving for these cupcake-ice cream cones that I used to bring to school on my birthday when I was little. I made them with my 5-year-old niece, and HOLY YUM. They totally lived up to my memories.
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, less hormonally-induced mood swings, and hugging my husband really tightly. In some ways, it’s sort of sweet that our baby is between us when we hug, but mostly, I just want to be a normal person without a twenty-two pound bowling ball on my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: Sitting on Mike’s lap without crushing him. Getting up off the floor without grunting and panting. Also, not having heartburn. I get it pretty much anytime I eat now, instead of only if I eat before bed. I take some Pepcid if I can’t sleep because of heartburn, but during the day, it’s just obnoxious.
Milestones: Babies born after 34 weeks have no long-term problems. Holla! Although I’m fairly certain (and happy!) that I won’t be going into labor anytime soon.
Say What?:
I went to a family reunion, where most of them hadn’t seen me pregnant. Here’s what they had to say:
“You’re so skinny and then BAM! That stomach!”
“You look just like your mom when she was pregnant.” – Really? Because I so do not.
“It’s like you’ve just got a soccer ball stuffed under your shirt!”
“You look like you’re four months along!” – I’ve heard talk of pregnant girls who get annoyed when people make comments about their size. But, in my opinion, as long as they’re saying things like this and not things like, “You look huge! You’re going to pop!” I am a happy girl. Being told I look small when I feel pretty gigantic is absolutely wonderful.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but how far along are you?” – Man outside of McDonalds. For some reason, I think it’s absolutely adorable when men ask questions about pregnancy. It always makes me happy. I assured him that he wasn’t being rude at all. (And my niece who was with me asked, “Who is that man?” I told her that people like to talk to you when you’re pregnant. Heh.)
Taken at 33 weeks, 6 days. In the bathroom at Chuck E Cheese. So very classy.
Oh, and THIS: You will never hear me say that nine months have gone by way too fast, or wishing away the rest of my pregnancy. When I hear girls who are newly pregnant mourn the fact that they have nine! whole! months! to wait, I cannot sympathize. I’d like MORE time, not less! There is so much to figure out and get in place and, also, this. Plus! Sure, I am a bit uncomfortable now, but it’s not like when I’m done being pregnant I’ll get to sleep lots and be all comfortable. I’ll be figuring out how to take care of a teeny tiny human being. With a husband that has just started a PhD program. And a drastically reduced income. Hold me.
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