34 1/2 weeks

 

The photo on the left was 12/24. Photo on the right was 12/27. Corbin got a SMIDGE lower.

 

 

How many weeks today: 34 weeks, plus 3 days. When strangers ask me how far along I am though, I say “almost 35 weeks!”… because dammit, I am.
Baby is the size of: I don’t know anymore. An average cantaloupe or honeydew or something? I have given up on the fruits and veggies size comparisons. Corbin is what Corbin wants to be, and this week, that is a big chunky pain in my cervix. I still love him dearly though!
Total weight gain/loss: I have purposely not weighed myself since last week, and I will continue to avoid our bathroom scale since I baked banana bread and dove into chocolates and truffles and mashed potatoes and pork with gravy and did I mentioned the PIZZA Conner and I shared? I don’t think I have eaten anything healthy in the last week. Oh wait, yogurt. I had yogurt. And lots and lots of water.
Maternity clothes: Still rockin’ the maternity clothes, and my makeup has dwindled down to just bronzer/blush combo and some mascara. “Ain’t NOBODY got time for that!”
Cravings: I have been wanting a baked potato…. Haven’t fixed myself one or purchased one. I am still enjoying breakfast foods and been sort of “blah” about lunch, and easy-to-please with dinners. What’s that? Cereal for dinner? Woohoo! 
Aversions: I really loathe my toothbrush. LOATHE IT.

Mood: I’m losing my mind, slowly but oh-so-surely. I think the proper term is “stir-crazy”. I am very anxious to get Corbin outta there and hold him and kiss him and inspect his facial features and count all of his long toes and fingers and nurse him and change him and take endless photos of him (oh just you WAIT). I have finally felt what third trimester moms-to-be feel… that anxious and impatient urge to induce, whether medically or naturally. I wonder if other moms also try to justify it the way I have been though…… I have so many pre-labor symptoms (please see next section), this baby boy has been measuring 1-3 weeks ahead at EVERY ULTRASOUND. Not just lately, not just in the beginning…. But every single ultrasound. 40 weeks is the average length of time for a baby’s gestational development, but some mature and grow at faster rates, some slower. Every little milestone we have experienced with this pregnancy has been “early”. I saw his heart beating super teeny tiny at an early week when I was told I would be lucky if we even saw a speck. We found out his gender early-ish. I felt him kick for the first time at 13 weeks when everyone around me doubted me because it was “too early” to feel him. I even felt pregnant early. I felt everything. Maybe he was further along than we calculated? Maybe my LMP of April 30^th, which was at the wrong time and wayyyy too brief, was not a real period. It was the week of our wedding, five days before our wedding, and I only remember the date because I woke up that Monday morning and said, “SHIT! Of all days. SHIT SHIT SHIT why did it start TODAY? It has to be gone by Saturday.” And it was gone less than three days later. What WAS that? Stress can do a million things to the human body, and apparently, so can being ALMOST 35 weeks pregnant. Corbin, how old are you, little fetus? Are you just over 34 weeks, or maybe closer to 37? Mommy is going nutso!

Physical symptoms: I think this sums it up perfectly….. Kelly was feeling my belly, waiting for movement, and I was telling him how to push down a little, and he pushed down, and I yelled out, “Don’t push hard! It hurts my butt!” Yes, I feel him EVERYWHERE. My ribs and lungs are quite content for the most part. My hips and pelvic bone have seen better days. Really though, the pelvic bone separation is so excruciating and so unbearable sometimes… walking is painful, sitting is more painful. Climbing in and out of an Astro van is downright ridiculous! I have some days when I experience what many women refer to as “lightening crotch” haha. Fast, jabbing, stabbing sharp pains in my cervix when Corbin is just torturing me and head-butting me, or wiggling a fist in there to punch me. It’s sort of evil! My lower back is now in constant aches and cramps. My Braxton Hicks, though no longer regular or painful, have started up again. Menstrual-like cramps are pretty regular for me now. There is so much pressure and pain in my lower nether-region that I sometimes don’t know if I have to poop, pee, or get ready to catch a baby. It all feels the same. (For some reason, a common occurrence for many women at this point is accidentally peeing themselves. I am proud to say that I haven’t lost control of anything… yet.) It’s pretty crazy how gross and miserable the third trimester gets in the end, compared to how pleasant and wonderful the second trimester was! There are so many symptoms that people don’t tell you about. Ahhh another new one for me this week…. Upset stomach, swollen fingers, and my throat has been swollen for three days. It isn’t sore, just swollen like I am having a slow allergic reaction to something. And it’s not continuing to swell, not struggling to breathe, I don’t feel the urge to rush to the ER for them to clear my airway or anything…. It’s just swollen. My ankles are slightly swollen, fingers are only slightly swollen and I notice it when I make a fist. I go back to my doctor on Friday, but in the meantime, Dr. Conner is going to take my blood pressure tonight.

Miss anything: I miss sleep…. I miss sleeping comfortably through the night, without any bathroom breaks or uncomfortable backaches or belly readjustments or BH’s.
Showing yet: Oh yes.
Labor signs: Just the usual BH cramps, upset stomach that I have had for a few days, and lots of pressure.
Baby movement: Lots of regular movements! The movements are slow, and I know it’s his knees and bony little legs I am feeling adjust once in awhile. He’s folded up like a turkey, waiting for his big launch.
Wedding rings on or off: My wedding rings CAN go on, but not comfortably. I am swollen. Conner bought me a beautiful white gold chain for Christmas that I am wearing my wedding band and engagement ring on… bling on my neck!
Items purchased for baby this week: Nada, but he got some wonderful Christmas presents from family who all love him! Some outfits, swaddling blankets, socks, pajamas, a mobile, his STROLLER AND CAR SEAT, gift cards to get the rest of his furniture, and Mommy got a really sweeeeeet glider that my mom painted grey and is in the process of re-covering (cushions) to match his nursery. It’s sooo comfy! I spent most of Christmas day and night sitting in it, gliding with my feet up on the ottoman. Oh oh oh I did find a potential going-home-from-the-hospital outfit for him.

How is Daddy doing: Daddy is doing great! He is starting to understand that the phrase “due date” doesn’t mean February 4^th for sure, and saying things like, “We have plenty of time!” is becoming less and less of a part of our conversations. Last night, he sort of helped me pack one of our hospital bags…. It’s the Mommy’s-clothes-and-our-toiletries bag for AFTER we are moved into our room and are resting and healing and getting to know Corbin. The other bag we will pack is Conner’s, and it’s more of a labor-and-delivery bag with his clothes, swim trunks to get in the shower with me during labor, tennis balls, gum and mints, massage oil, etc. All that fun stuff that we will probably not even use during labor. Conner is very much on board with our plan to NEST all weekend, starting with putting Christmas decorations away and hopefully ending with some solid rest after we put more of Corbin’s clothes away and move our furniture around to accommodate a pack-n-play. He is very much aware of my increasing symptoms, my aches and pains, and the red flag labor-related symptoms that seem to come and go and intensify one minute and disappear the next day. He’s watching me, and he’s ready! Yesterday after I got home from work, I napped for almost four hours, woke up at almost 8pm, and Conner had been checking on me…we ate dinner, we hung out for just a little while, and then I was ready for bed. (Did I mention I am EXHAUSTED these days??) Conner was all pumped to put his music on and keep his earbuds in and fall asleep to his music, so he got set up and I got in bed, with two pillows under my head, one pillow between my knees, one pillow under my belly as I laid on my side trying to breathe the aches and pains away. Corbin was moving quite a bit! (“What do you mean by ‘bedtime’, Mom? I’m ready to play!”) And then, my dear sweet loving husband that I adore so much started to rub my back, and my legs, and massage me all over, and even Corbin got a massage that he actually responded to…. And Conner spent a good hour just making me feel better, and laying his head on my belly to kiss Corbin and feel him stretch and roll over and readjust his knees and elbows, and I fell asleep feeling soooo much better. I also told Conner, “It’s almost over…. I am almost done complaining about being in pain.” And he reminded me that it’s just beginning! Not the pain, but everything else… it’s all just now beginning. I told him soon we can both complain about lack of sleep. :-)
Favorite moment this week: Christmas was fun… last night’s massage was fun and very relaxing… my favorite moment might have to be a tie though. Conner really enjoyed the gift that I got him (pictures below): a toolbox that he has been wanting, plus I filled it with “tools” for our labor day- gummy candy, granola bars, Vitamin Waters, a roll of quarters for the vending machine, a custom Daddy t-shirt with Yoda on it and a phrase about starting training with his new young Padawan (thanks, Mom!!!), some new pajama pants because the hospital specifically requested that new dads NOT sleep in the nude if they are to room in, some batteries for the camera, etc… and not in the toolbox was another small gift: a photo frame that holds a 4x6 photo, but to the left is another big space that has the words “Daddy & Me”, and in the photo slot I put a cardstock card that says “Reserved for the first photo of Corbin with his D.A.D.D.Y.!!” Conner LOVED the whole gift, and said it was very creative and he looooves personal gifts like the photo frame. Seeing him open it all was a favorite moment of mine, tied with seeing Kendall open her gift (I will explain in a minute), and tied with all of the wonderful new things that Corbin received as Christmas gifts this year…the glider, his new stroller and car seat travel system, gift cards to get his dresser and nightstand from Ikea, outfits, pajamas, swaddling blankets, thermal blankets, toys, mobile, etc… it’s all so much fun to open and know that it’s for HIM! He will get to enjoy it so soon! :-) Every year since we were young, my family has done a Secret Santa system for the five of us kids. Our group has grown to five “kids” and their significant others now, and this year, I drew Kendall’s name. I was pretty excited about her gift…. I couldn’t stop thinking in terms of wedding stuff, bride-related, bride-to-bride, Catalina, beach, ocean, etc. so I made a mini relaxation gift box of fuzzy socks, chocolate covered pretzels, and sea-or-ocean scented skincare (lotion, hand treatment, etc.), and a diamond cleaner stick for her new shiny engagement ring. Also in the box was a beachy ornament….clear glass bulb with sand and small shells, and all wrapped up in a brown “fish net”. I painted “TOBIN 2013” on it. Her other gift was a framed black and white photo of the two of us on my wedding day, each with a drink in hand, smiling huge and having a good time… it’s a very nice photo of the both of us, in my opinion, and Kendall loves stuff like that. She was very happy with her gift! :-)

Looking forward to: I am looking forward to my doctor appointment tomorrow, but I have no idea why. It’s nothing exciting, I have probably gained weight, there is no ultrasound planned, and even if I do get checked, I probably haven’t dilated or effaced even a little bit….. and if I so much as hint at a baby coming early, my doctor is quick to burst the bubble so that moms don’t get their hopes up. He doesn’t even like to tell me how big my belly is measuring because he says it can be off, baby could still come past my due date, etc. BUT I am still excited.