Baby length: 18.75 inches
Baby weight: 5.75 lbs. - the weight of a gallon of apple cider (or a crenshaw melon, depending on who you ask)
Bump size: 43 inches (up almost 3 inches from last week!)
Weight: +33.5 pounds (+3 lbs. from last week)
Cravings: Chips and cake (not at the same time - chips for dinner and cake for dessert)
So yes, week 36 is technically supposed to be a crenshaw melon. I had never heard of such a melon but after a little research, discovered it is a cross between a cassaba melon and a cantaloupe.
Supposed to be very tasty, too. So I was excited to have an excuse to buy (and eat) one. But as it turns out, I don't think such a melon actually exists - not at my grocery store, anyway.
After a brief panic attack and a near meltdown in the fruit department at Giant Eagle (and a threat of giving up on the weekly fruit pictures all together), I spotted the gallon of apple cider and thought it looked mighty tasty (and it is) so I decided it was going to be my "fruit" of the week.
Truth be told, a gallon of apple cider actually weighs much more than 5.75 pounds (yes, I actually weighed it) but sometimes when life throws you lemons instead of crenshaw melons, you have to get creative. I'm sure you understand.
Maternity Lessons
We already know that I'm absolutely terrified of the life changes that are coming my way with this baby so no need to belabor (no pun intended) that issue. But there were a few things that happened this week that actually made me feel much better than I was feeling at this time last week.
First of all, my best friend since ninth grade in high school became a mom! And right after last week's post where I spilled my guts about my motherly fears, I get a text message from her saying, "Emily, being a mom is awesome!!"
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| Sweet baby girl Karter |
On Saturday I got to spend the entire day with her and her new baby girl Karter and I learned SO much just by observing and talking to her which calmed a lot of my fears too.
Then on Tuesday, the ladies I work with surprised me with a shower! It was so cute and so nice of them. They all left me wishes on a card and I felt like so many of them were saying the same thing, "Life will never be the same - it will be better." This is exactly what I needed to hear and it was so comforting.
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| I work with the sweetest ladies ever! Such a nice surprise work shower! |
We practiced giving the baby (doll) a sponge bath, swaddling it, picking it up, changing its diaper, etc. We went over basics about choosing the right bottles, tummy time, trimming the baby's fingernails and lots and lots of other really useful information. Now let's just hope I remember it...
I had my weekly appointment and the doctor said everything is looking good. The baby's head is still down and is measuring about a week ahead which he said isn't too bad but he suggested that I have the baby soon so it doesn't keep getting bigger. Then he laughed. If only it were that easy!
Next Friday he will begin to check me for "progress." So now it's just a sit and wait game. I will be considered full term on Thursday, September 20, so he said hopefully I will go into labor soon. Now I just walk around like some sort of ticking time bomb and wait for something to happen! Such a weird feeling.
We still don't have our hospital bag packed so we should probably get that taken care of soon, just to be on the safe side.
Baby Movements
Still feeling lots of movement and when the baby gets hiccups now, it actually moves my entire belly.
I got some great advice from one of the weekly email updates I receive. It was a reminder about how easy it is to wish the remaining weeks of the pregnancy away because of the aches and pains but instead, it is important to try to enjoy what time I have left of this special time feeling my baby move inside of me. So that is what I'm trying to do.
Symptoms
Still having some cramping on and off and I would say they are a little stronger than they were last year but definitely not unbearable and they don't "hurt like hell" which is when my doctor said I will know I'm getting real contractions. But hopefully my body is doing lots of practicing and getting ready for the big day.
One day this week I had the worst heartburn to date. And once again, my lips flared up too - swollen and felt like they were on fire. Someone told me that the lips could be a side effect of the heartburn. Who knew?
My feet are pretty swollen and I am officially wearing flip flops to work - except for today because it was too cold. Fall isn't really great flip flop weather but desperate times call for desperate measures and other than tennis shoes, I really have no other options.
I still don't have much energy. I want to scrub our house from top to bottom but I have no energy after work to even start. I have the most energy on the weekends but haven't had a free day on the weekend in a few weeks.
I'm hoping this Sunday (my only free day this weekend) will be my cleaning day. We'll see how that goes.
Weight Gain
Yikes. Baby only gained half a pound this week and I gained three. But considering my bump grew almost three inches in the last week, maybe the baby and I are both gaining more than we should be. But guess what? I stopped caring.
If I want to eat my baby shower cake, I'm going to eat it. If I want a pumpkin spice cookie, I'm going to eat it. If I want a zucchini brownie, I'm going to eat it. You get the idea. And if I want to eat all three instead of dinner, I just might.
Gender Prediction
Everyone has their opinions about what we are having and now you can make your guesses official on our baby website. Click here to enter the pool and pick when you think the baby will be born, how much it will weigh and whether it will be a boy or a girl. You can also suggest names for us. We are getting some good ones like Shelby Whippet Robinson.
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