I feel like there's so much I/we could write about. There was a lot to still catch up on for the week 32 entry and now another month has passed with a million more baby details behind us! I'll start with our recent baby appointments. We had an exciting one right around week 31 where we got to have a surprise ultrasound! We hadn't seen baby on screen since our anatomy scan back in October so it was cool to do it again. Although I barely got to see anything because the screen was pointed towards the doctor and Aron. But Aron assured me our baby boy was in there and adorable! :) The reason we ended up having the ultrasound was that I was getting a little anxious about all the downward pressure I'd been feeling the week prior to the appointment. First-time-pregnant fears! Our OB is awesome though and was quick to offer both an internal and external ultrasound just to check everything out. Turns out baby boy was just very very low in my belly and also...in a breech position! Not worrisome since we still had plenty of time for him to shift into position, but good to know. Good to know it was his big butt causing me all the discomfort. :-p
By the time we went to our next appointment at 33 weeks, baby boy was head down! We did another quick check up ultrasound (again...I didn't even get to see him! Our doctor was too quick with the machine! argh!) and the OB confirmed he was head down...very, very down. Translate: still very, very uncomfortable! But good news that he was already in position for the final countdown...not to say he might not move again, but as space is running out in there, it's highly unlikely. I wish we would have had time to request a quick ultrasound printout, but we were pushing the limits of our 15 minute appointment already.
We just had our week 35 appointment last week, which went really well. We saw a different OB because ours was out for the week. We've now seen 3 different OBs at the practice, which is actually kind of comforting because any one of them could pop up at the foot of my bed when we're in labor! It's nice to at least know a few of the faces. Now that baby boy is so big, the doctor was able to point out exactly where his butt, knees, and feet were. We were fortunate that he was so squirmy during the appointment so she could feel quite a bit of him pressing out. Also during the appointment, I was surprised with my Group B strep screening. Even though it was sort of on my radar, I wasn't expecting it that day...and for those of you who have been pregnant you'll know why this test is even more of a surprise than other routine ones! Ha! We have another appointment tomorrow (and we'll be going every week now!) where we'll find out the results of the screening.
A few weeks ago, I also scared myself into thinking I had pre-eclampsia. All of a sudden one day, my hands and feet swelled up HUGE, and I started reading all about swelling and of course, any possibly related problems. I'd been lucky the entire pregnancy not to have any swelling at all until that day, so it freaked me out. But I was reassured at our appointment that I'm just fine and it's normal swelling. No high blood pressure and no protein in my urine. Phew! Now, how many more times can I freak myself out in the next month before baby is born?! The swelling went down quite a bit for a few weeks, but now it's back and seems to be back for good. I need to remember to take some time every day at work to put my feet up. I also had to take my wedding rings off, which is so sad! I can't wait to wear my beautiful rings again.
What else has been going on? My left shoulder/upper back has been killing me the past few weeks, and I'm sure it's because I've been primarily sleeping on my left side. I'm not normally a side sleeper and I think my body isn't loving it. Luckily, I have a Massage Envy account so I've been able to get fairly regular prenatal massages. Can't complain about that!! I need to remember to do more icing to bring the inflammation down. I'm soooo looking forward to being able to sleep on my back again!
A few weeks ago, I think during week 33, there was a stretch of days where I was really nauseous and dizzy. I ended up taking a day off of work just to chill and relax and get the symptoms to subside. From what I've read, both of these things are pretty common, from a squished-up tummy, extra heartburn, and the constant flood of hormones. It lasted 3-4 days and then I felt much better again. I'm lucky to still have a ton of sick time to use for days when I feel miserable. That week I also got pretty moody and emotional between feeling really crummy and stressing out about last-minute preparations and wrapping up my last few weeks at work....luckily the moodiness has also passed for which I'm sure Aron is very grateful!! He's really been such an amazing partner during this whole journey. He brushes it all off, but he's been there for me every second, whether I'm extremely happy (and possibly/probably annoying!) or feeling blue. I honestly don't know how I would have made it through this pregnancy if I was going at it alone. I know so many women do and I have so much more respect for them now!! It takes a whole lot of guts and strength, sometimes just to get through the day to day. I sent Aron out to go drinking with his buddy Arun on Saturday night, figuring he could use some time away from me and my craziness. :) Plus, I have a feeling boys nights will be somewhat limited in the next few weeks and will certainly be non existent for a few weeks after baby is born!
In happy pregnancy news, our nursery is now finished! Next week I'll post some pictures. We also have the glider chair, the bassinet, and the baby monitor set up in our bedroom, and the swing and bouncer set up in our family room. We've been turning the baby gear on to get the dogs used to the new sounds, but both pups are pretty indifferent at this point. I don't think we'll have any problems at all with the pets and baby boy, but we're trying a few "prep" things just for the heck of it. We also got the car seat installed in my car this past weekend! Now that "full term" is looming on my mind, I want to be totally ready...at least with the easy things. Some of the books say we're full term NOW (yay! I like those books!) and some say it really isn't until week 38 now. Who knows...and who cares! Baby is almost here either way!! I'm not-so-secretly hoping he arrives early, but only if he's really ready. I need his brain to be as developed as possible pre-birth, to prepare him for a lifetime of being a nerd like his mommy and daddy! :) But if he happens to think his brain is ready 2 weeks before his due date...I'd SO be okay with that. I mostly hear stories of first-born babies being late, but every now and then I hear an early-arrival story which gives me hope. Hehe. I can't wait to meet our son!!!!
Time for some pictures! Oh man, my weight gain jumped UP in the past few weeks. I've now hit 30 pounds gained...eeek! Still within the perfectly normal range, but not exactly where I'd hoped to be. Especially since these last few pounds have definitely not been baby weight gain, but rather double-chin and pudgy-arm weight gain. Agh! More salad, less pizza. :)
Here are some shots from Week 32. The blue dress looks so different on me now! Check back in the blog and see how little my belly was when I wore it to my work Christmas party!
Bare belly! Aron was snapping shots as I was readjusting my jeans belly band and I really liked this one. :)
We're having "casual clothes February" at work which means I can get away with comfy dresses at work this month!
Somehow we missed week 33 (what was that I was saying about being so moody and cranky?!), but here's a few pics from Week 34.
Man, I'm as big as a house here but I love this family photo (minus the hubby)! Rory's being a little antisocial on the back bookshelf, but at least he made an appearance. :) Baby boy is going to have to learn at a young age to stake his claim on the couch!
Finally, here are some Week 35 pics. Pink for Valentine's Day weekend! Aron was playing around with his camera a bunch that day so there's some fun black and white and sepia shots too.
I love this one! Aron caught me laughing at something baby boy was doing in my belly.
Puppies! Ignore our dying lawn...stupid California drought!!
One more pregnant in pink shot!
