36 Weeks - Gestating Like It's My Job

How far along? 36 weeks 

Technically 35 weeks here at Cary & Lucas' beautiful wedding last weekend

Baby size? Baby girl is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long

What's going on with the baby? She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. At the end of this week, she will be considered full-term. Holy Whoa.

Total weight gain/loss: Why did I even put this category in the blog?!?!?!

Maternity clothes? Yep, and I'm at the point where even some of my maternity duds are too tight. Which is doing wonders for my self esteem as you can imagine.

Stretch marks? No but I have a feeling I'm going to wake up any day now with a bunch of them. It's a reoccurring nightmare that I get out of bed in the morning to realize I have turned into a pregnant tiger.

Sleep: Getting harder and harder to do. I can't get comfortable most of the time and turning over from one side to the other in the middle of the night is a full-on grunt-worthy body workout. 

Best moment this week: First one... Parenting Class with Joe. It's a two night class we go to after work and learn about what exactly we DO with a baby. Walking into the class, there were a bunch of stations set up with fake babies for you to practice swaddling/diapering/etc. And no two babies looked alike, some were white, black, asian so by chance we sat down at the "angry white old man baby" station. The class was helpful and we learned a lot, but it took a couple of practice runs to figure out what we were doing...

OK yes, the baby doll is technically being suspended upside down from his feet, but that diaper isn't going ANYWHERE! I say successful night for Team Givens. We'll see if we can manage to diaper an actual live, moving, screaming baby girl. Piece of cake right? RIGHT?

And the pee-ess de resistance of weekly best moments.... MATERNITY LEAVE!!! So long work!!! I was planning on leaving only 2 weeks before my due date, but work was getting really stressful and oddly enough the act of sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day was wrecking my ribs and back so here I am, leaving work! I have no idea how I'm going to handle the time off, more so before Baby Girl arrives, especially since I haven't had this much time off work (or school) since High School. It's certainly a mind trip. But I am UP for the challenge! ha.

I am so NOT going to miss this desk for the next 16ish weeks. Although I wouldn't mind if it could stay this clean and free of work when I do come back. I had just cleared away my projects and tidied on my last day of work before I took this picture.

Awkward moment this week: At my doctor's appointment this week I asked my doc what the odds were that baby girl was going to be... big. When we were born, Joe was just over 9 lbs and I was... wait for it... 9 lbs, 15-1/2 oz. Umm yeah, if this whole birth weight thing is genetic, I'm in serious trouble. Fortunately the doctor said that so far it doesn't look like Baby Girl Givens is in that monstrous weight category yet (phew!) ... BUT I have a long enough torso that I could also hide her size fairly well, so you never know. (AAAHHHHH!!!)

Miss anything? Feeling comfortable. What's that like?

Movement: She's still moving but slowing down a little, as I'm sure she's starting to run out of room in there.

Food cravings: Tums, does that count? 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Food, when not followed or preceded with Tums (see above)

Have you started to show yet? Yes. 

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Still nothin. But we are entering full term territory very very soon so I've got to get my hospital bag packed. So far I've got gameboy, trashy mags and a toothbrush on my list. Did I miss anything?

Belly button in or out? Out like a trout. 

Cankle Watch 2013: At the end of a hot day, there I am in all my glory... Cankle-town.

Wedding rings on or off?  Off   :-(

Happy or moody most of the time? Well now that I'm on maternity leave, ECSTATIC!

Looking forward to: Meeting Baby Girl and seeing her face for the first time. I'm going to need the rest of my maternity leave just to stare at her.

34 Weeks - If You Can't Handle the Heat, Don't Be This Pregnant in July

How far along? 34 weeks

Waiting to see the 4th of July Fireworks!

Baby size? She now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. 

What's going on with the baby? Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Total weight gain/loss: Let's just say I'm in the positive on this one.... Actually I am a gigantic pregnant hot mess. At least that's how I feel in this heat.

Maternity clothes? Yes. And some days, they just don't make 'em big enough.

Stretch marks? Hallelujah, no.

Sleep: Sleep? What's this sleep you speak of? I'm up several times a night to pee and then plan every hour of the rest of this little girl's life. Totally normal right?

Best moment this week: Hellooooo glorious new carpet in the Nursery!!! After a treacherous and long few months of carpet issues, we have officially begun (again) the nursery move-in! It was a sketchy past couple of weeks with the Nursery being gutted for new carpet, and all of the baby furniture and paraphernalia squeezing into what became a one bedroom home but we made it! Here's a teaser of the Nursery in progress...

Obligatory Hubby Crib Install Picture

And it couldn't have been better timing because we were blessed with TONS of baby gifts from the World's Greatest Baby Shower!!! (More on the Shower and the Nursery in later posts)

Awkward moment this week: Pregnant conversations with Joe...

Me: Does my back look fat to you?
Joe: No, your fat looks beautiful.

- awkward pause staring at each other -

Joe: BACK! I meant your BACK looks beautiful!!!

Me:  >:-[

Me: What are the odds that this baby weighs a TON, so all that weight I've gained so far is just her?

Joe: You know that's not very likely right? She only weighs 4 pounds.

Me:   >:-[   

Joe: Please don't eat me.

Miss anything? Cold weather, not having to pee every half hour, feet that don't hurt, my back not aching, tying my own shoes, having an innie belly button, reaching down to pick stuff up, working out beyond a pathetically slow waddle... I sure know how to paint a pretty picture of pregnancy eh?

Movement: All over the place. And in the past couple of days it feels like baby girl dropped a little lower, which is not exactly bladder-friendly BUT it also means she can't reach my ribs when she kicks, so hooray!

Food cravings: Costco Teryaki Turkey Jerky

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not much lately :)

Have you started to show yet? Is that a real question?

Gender prediction: Girl!

Labor signs: Nothin.

Belly button in or out? Out. Boo. On the plus side, if I was a turkey it would mean I'm about fully cooked right?

Cankle Watch 2013: I still wouldnt give them cankle status just yet, but these ankles aren't getting any slimmer...

Wedding rings on or off? OFF!!! Sad, sad, sad day!!! I cried. (OK, I cry at everything, but still.) It's just too hot and I've gotten too swollen to fit my ring. Fortunately I found another ring that fits since I feel naked without anything on my wedding ring finger.

Happy or moody most of the time? Happy? OK, probably a little more moody. But YOU trying being happy in 90 degree weather, big as a whale and sleep deprived. 

For the record though, I would do it a billion times over for this little girl. 

Looking forward to: The end of my pregnant working days! Only two more weeks of work before I start Maternity Leave!!! Then... look out kitchen. I'm coming to organize you.