34 Weeks

Six more weeks and counting. And yes, we are actually counting. Makenna and I made a chain for the number of days left until the baby's due date and it's hanging in her room. Every night we tear another link off. I've considered tearing two off every night in hopes that it will speed things up but I that's just wishful thinking :)

As I have mentioned on this blog before, I have been blessed so far with a very easy pregnancy. Unfortunately I have to report that I am finally feeling pregnant. It crept up on me suddenly. I have backaches at the end of every day or if I'm on my feet too long, I run out of breath just going up the stairs, I wake up Josh every time I try to roll over in bed, I have to go to the bathroom at least once an hour (at least it feels like that often), my fingers are starting to swell, and I am just absolutely exhausted. Luckily I can still sleep at night, I'm just having a hard time keeping up with the girls during the day. Today it took all I had to go to the grocery store.

Some other interesting tidbits... my belly button popped out which it has never done before. Apparently I must be carrying different enough with this child to make my belly button pop this time and not with my past two pregnancies. Josh and Makenna are both quite intrigued with my new belly button. I'm also pretty confident that the baby has dropped. This typically doesn't happen until closer to labor for most women, but the same thing happened with Maryn (and most of you can probably remember the immense amount of pain I was in for that last month). So far, I don't have the constant pain, just some various shooting pains, lots of pressure and the pain in my left leg has intensified slightly.

My doctor says that I'm measuring right on. You can look at the picture and decide for yourself ... do I really look 34 weeks? I feel huge, but then a few weeks ago I had some friends tell me that they can't even tell I'm pregnant when I stand in certain positions!! Seriously? I was gaining all my weight in my belly but noticed over the holidays I have extra weight now going to my hips and butt. Bummer... I thought I was avoiding that this time around. My blood pressure is remaining in the healthy range and the baby's heart rate continues to be in the 120s or 130s. The baby has started getting the hiccups more frequently and I can tell that she is head down based on where the hiccups are coming from :) I experience Braxton Hicks numerous times each day, but typically they subside fairly quickly. I've had a few rounds of contractions for an hour or more, but as soon as I get a chance to lay down they go away. Baby is still extremely forceful in her movements and I'm waiting for that day that everyone keeps telling me about. According to all the books and my friends, baby was suppose to run out of room a few weeks ago and the punches and kicks were suppose to subside into softer movements. So far that isn't the case for this little one. As a matter of fact I think she's punching and kicking harder out of frustration that her living environment is growing more cramped every day. When she has an active period my belly seriously takes on a life of it's own.

Preparations for the baby are pretty much at a standstill until we get the basement finished. The race is on... what will get here first? The basement being finished or the baby? Hmmmm... Josh is convinced I'm going to go into labor a week early but since both of our other two girls came within two days of their due dates I think I'm safe to stick with that assumption. Until then I can still do some littler projects like wash all of our cute pink clothes and blankets. She is going to be one of the girliest girls I've ever seen! Pink pink pink everywhere!