Anyway.
Dual post again because there's really not a whole lot going on these days. And my brain is not functioning well enough right now to be creative enough to write about two separate weeks. Sorry baby #2, you are already getting shorted a little bit. BUT, if you are a guy, you probably will never care about these posts anyway so it's all good!
Pictures:
Week 34 side shot. Also known as FREAKING HUGE.
Week 34 front shot.
Week 33 side shot.
Week 33 front shot.
Week 32 side shot.
Week 32 front shot.
How I'm feeling?
I'm feeling ok. About as good as can be expected, I guess, given that I can't see my feet anymore but they are undoubtedly the size of my head and I'm so huge that even pregnancy shirts are looking like white trash tank tops. I really can't complain TOO much, but really want to complain a WHOLE lot. However, in week 34, Justin happened to severely tear his calf taking out the trash, so my complaining and using the pregnancy card came to an abrupt stop. All of a sudden he was unable to do absolutely anything (literally) except for keeping his foot up in the air, and was in so much pain that it made me feel like a complete a-hole for bitching that I couldn't breathe (once again) because I had someone sitting on my lungs. All of a sudden, I was the only one able to do everything that needed to be done, which let me tell you at week number FREAKING HUGE AND PREGNANT, this is not something you really want to happen when it takes an act of god just to get your shoes on every day. Throw in a crazy tyrant two year old, house work, regular work, AND now also taking care of your crippled up hubby, and it is a big potential recipe for disaster. Sidenote: thank god my mom was out here on a pre-arranged trip to see Owen otherwise we would have been really screwed especially for the few days that Justin's leg was so inflamed he couldn't get the boot on and only could get around by hopping on one foot, or via crutches. LIFE SAVER, if nothing else just to help with Owen and to pick up things off the floor since Justin clearly couldn't and for me to try, like I said, was another form of Olympic sport called "Crazy Gymnastics also sort of looks like twister". We were lucky that his injury isn't worse, though it's turning out to be much worse than originally thought. It's a 4-6 week recovery period at best but at least it's not looking like it will require surgery or anything that would really incapacitate him. THANK GOD. So until he's more healed, I am going to be firmly crossing my legs to keep this baby in... at least for another 4 weeks or so. Like I said FOUR MORE WEEKS!
I am still working out- doing laps on my old running hills which means waddling up and down them. I figure it is good for something and I do them with Owen in the stroller sometimes, too (INSANE!) I am still lifting weights a couple of times a week and am looking forward to post partum to really getting back in to shape. And to when a workout doesn't mean that the following few days mean I am toasted.
How I'm changing?
There are tons of subtle changes going on that I can feel. The baby is definitely growing. I am constantly tired despite the amount of sleep I get (and, ahem, welcome to the next two years of my life... WAH). I also am having all sorts of braxton hicks contractions which are common at this point in pregnancy. In week 34 I had a night of crazy false labor that lasted a few hours and was complete with contractions 5 minutes apart. It was terrifying, which was partly how I knew it wasn't the real thing (because when I was in "real" labor, I was totally calm). It led to having dreams about being in labor, waking up to more contractions, and then feeling like I was going to puke. It was all anxiety, so I made myself chill the hell out and by morning felt fine again. Bah. Weird.
I am most decidedly getting bigger by the day which also means more uncomfortable by the day. Somedays it's hard to breathe, others I have a kid that likes to snuggle with my ribs, I get kicked in the bladder (which means almost emergent bathroom situations). Let's just say that room is RUNNING OUT. It makes it worse that Owen is all over me. He knows that change is coming, and while I think it will be great (ultimately) for him, it is a little difficult right now to hold him while he tries to balance on my belly while I'm simultaneously getting kicked everywhere internally.
What I'm eating?
Barf. Nothing sounds good. At all. Literally every meal I have to force it and it's been this way for two weeks. Meat sounds repulsive. Veggies sound disgusting. Fruit, gag me. Peanut butter (my favorite!) I have not touched in DAYS. I manage to choke down some cereal in the morning, usually a protein bar for a snack, lunch is whatever I can stomach at the moment and same with dinner... usually some sort of an attempt to get some vegetables in. I don't remember this with Owen, but it's entirely possible it was a similar scenario. And the cruelty of it all is that if I don't eat, then I REALLY feel like I'll yak all over. So basically right now I want to give pregnancy a big fat middle finger.
Weight I'm gaining?
148 pounds for both weeks 33 and 34. I was 147 in week 32 so this is good. Probably has something to do with the fact that I can barely make myself eat. But, either way, I expect week 35 will probably be a 2-3 pound gain. We'll see.
How I'm sleeping?
BAH. That is all. Toddler plus pregnancy insomnia plus now my bladder is about the size of an almond.
What's the baby doing?
Week 33:
-The baby is 17 inches or the size of a pineapple. The baby weighs 4.25 pounds. WOAH, they gain a 1/2 pound a week.
-Basically the baby is just gaining weight and putting on fat.
-The baby's skeleton is also continuing to harden (although we all know the skull doesn't totally fuse together)
Week 34:
-The baby is 17.75 inches or the size of a cantaloupe (finally, these past two weeks are produce I have heard of!) The baby weighs 4.75 pounds.
-The waxy coating (vernix) is much thicker this week as the lanugo sheds (and is almost gone)
-Again, basically the baby is just gaining weight and putting on fat.
-The baby's skeleton is also continuing to harden (although we all know the skull doesn't totally fuse together)... additionally, the lungs are continuing to develop. (I might also add that we're really working out that diaphragm too...holy hiccups! WAY more than Owen, literally multiple times a day).
What we are doing to prepare for the baby?
I had a panic moment after the false labor night and woke up the next day feeling like HOLY HELL, time is running out. And have since had that thought about 5 times an hour. So, I made a list of everything I really needed to have pre-baby and tackled it all the very next day. We have bottles now, pump is all cleaned out (I seriously despise that freaking thing... breastfeeding, ugh, shoot me...next on list: deal with that feeling), Owen's bag of clothes and food are packed for when we go in to labor, our bag is mostly packed (just need some snacks), we got a double stroller which will fit our infant car seat, and we got the car seat out and all cleaned up. We have diapers, we have some gender neutral clothes, and I think we are set. Need to set up the pack and play but if I remember right, we did that the night we got home after Owen was born so I'm not TOO worried about that. At least as much as "not too worried" means to a very pregnant, nesting mom.
Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)
Call it pregnancy hormones or being close to the finish line or really having to let go of the fact that a lot of things aren't going to get done pre-baby that were intended to (house related) due to Justin being a bit laid up as a result of his injury, but I had a big cry in week 34. Big, big cry. Ugly cry. A cry unlike I've had in YEARS, despite being pregnant for the past 8 months (literally haven't hardly had any meltdowns or teary moments this pregnancy). Mostly what got me going was that Owen was being very clingy to me and Justin made the comment "well, he knows he's totally going to lose you." And I completely lost it. I'm really having trouble with the thought of TWO. I keep thinking, well, I like Owen, how is there room for one more? He is perfect (clearly biased), and he's my baby... what is adding another going to do? Will I like this one as much? Will I still have time for Owen? And then there's the whole newborn PLUS toddler thing, which surprisingly doesn't freak me out as much, it's just I don't want Owen to feel like he's "losing" me. I know this is all a little irrational as we've all had siblings and never knew any different (and are completely blessed by them!) but, still, I don't want my first baby to hurt. I know there will be a day probably not too far in the future when they are making each other laugh, or later when they are both ganging up on me and I'll look at them and think, "gosh, what a gift we've given them to give them a sibling" but right now, I'm just struggling with the transition. More so than I think Owen will EVER struggle, but I guess that is mom thing. I'll get there, I know, we all do, but it's all part of the process right now of getting my head around it.
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