It's Go Time!

It's go time! Or at least close to it. At my doctor's appointment this week, I was informed that if by chance I went into labor in a few days, our baby would not be considered premature, and the hospital would not do anything to stop the delivery. Baby's head is down and ready to go! As you can imagine, I wanted to smack the doctor after he told me all this. I'm not ready, and I at least need 1 more month!

Let's take a moment to talk about my doctor, because I need to get this off my chest. He is so kind, so knowledgeable, so open to answering my annoying questions and making sure my labor as close to what I want as possible. He is an incredible professional, and I have nothing but complete respect for him. However, some people are too handsome for their own good. My appointments with him can be a little...distracting. I hate to admit it, but sometimes when I'm talking to him, I can't seem to concentrate because I'm too busy staring into his cool blue eyes. The other day my coworker came into my office and said, "Wow you look cute today! Wait a second...you have a doctor's appointment today don't you?" Guilty! I hope he never reads this blog!

Other than me having the worst heartburn episode of my life (48 hours of me not eating because it was so bad), there is not too much more to report from the last week. My sisters and mom are throwing me a baby shower this weekend. After that it's laundry, cleaning, and organizing.

It's the final countdown!

Breakdown

How do I feel?

All the discomfort and awkwardness you would expect in late pregnancy is present. The other day a friend asked if I was more clumsy now that I'm bigger.

Me: "No, I don't think so. Jeff do you think I'm more clumsy?"

Jeff: "Absolutely! And ridiculously forgetful!" 

Apparently my pregnancy brain is obvious to everyone but me. So I started monitoring my actions:

• I run into things (usually with my stomach), and continue to run into the same objects even if I've done it 3-4 times in the last hour.
• Every time I close the refrigerator, I close it on my belly.
• Earlier today I almost hit a pedestrian with my car. I literally didn't process the fact that a man was walking directly in front of my car until he started running away from the lunatic driver who was about to kill him.
• My attention span is like that of a 14-year-old lovesick teenager. This causes me to run red lights and walk into rooms with no idea why I'm there. 
• I forget at least one item every time I walk out the door.
• I've resorted to writing everything down and triple checking my calendar to make sure I'm not forgetting anything important. 
• I say the words, "What was I doing?" at least 5 times a day.
• And naturally, I'm waddling all the time.

Weight gain?
I've been eating way healthier than I was in the second trimester, yet I've gained 10 pounds in the last month. My total weight gain is up to 30lbs.

Food cravings?
The other day I needed chips like it was nobody's business. And I wanted/needed plain Ruffles covered in Louisiana Hot Sauce. I walked around the office like a scavenger, looking for anything salty to curb this craving, and begging my coworkers to share their treats. How pathetic am I? Whilst on the prowl, I happened to glance down. To my utter horror and disgust, I discovered that my lovely ankles had turned into horrendous cankles! Salt suddenly wasn't sounding like the best option for me, and I opted for a glass of water instead. Then I went home and ate Oreos.

Food aversions?
Not really, but I have been much more picky about produce. If a fruit or vegetable sitting in front of me is not perfectly ripe, I refuse to eat it.  

Sleep?
I have no idea how I'm able to get out of bed every morning. The other night I was rolling from one side to the other (groaning of course), and got stuck on my back. Pregnant women are like beetles in this respect. You wouldn't think an action like this would be so hard, but it IS my friends. In addition, I wake up at 4:35 on the dot every morning, which is getting a little old.

Movement?
Yup! And I think he's doing a better job of sleeping through the night because nighttime kicks are almost nonexistent. He currently has the hiccups.

Stretch marks?
Probably. I can't see any, but I'll have to get a mirror to confirm.

Bellybutton?
Innie. However, the hole is getting super small from all the stretching. It looks pretty comical...I have nothing appropriate to compare it to. I'm not sure how much further this thing can stretch! Also, the other day I was putting cocoa butter on my stomach when Jeff walked into the room and exclaimed, "Woah! Your stomach is getting huge!" Nice tact.

Gender?
Boy. I should probably have the doctor check again just in case.

What have I learned?
Am I really at full term? I've had 8 months to process this fact, but it's so weird to think there is a BABY in my stomach. And by now he looks like a normal human baby (aka not like Lord Voldemort...hopefully). When I'm repeatedly getting kicked in the ribs, I can no longer be mad because I can only picture a cute, cooing creature rather than a little alien being. Instead of groaning in pain, I can sing to soothe him, and he can even hear me and recognize the song if he's heard it before. This little guy is definitely our son because he responds to classical music (he still hasn't warmed up to Radiohead or Com Truise). He especially likes hearing the piano at church, which can be quite distracting when I'm trying to sing. The bottom line, even though he is still in the womb, I can already pick up on some little personality quirks. Each day his presence is becoming more of a reality, and I can't wait to meet him face to face!

Random thought: most babies spend a large portion of the last few weeks of pregnancy with their heads down. Isn't this uncomfortable with all the blood rushing to their heads?

34 weeks