35 and 35...

-- 35 Weeks --

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Something else that's moving at a mind-boggling pace these day: fetal brain development! There's a lot going on inside that tiny head, which is, by the way, still soft to allow an easier exit through the birth canal. And now that he's head-down in preparation for delivery, chances are your bladder is feeling the squeeze, causing you to leak a little every time you sneeze (or cough or laugh). One way to improve your body's holding power: Do lots and lots of those pelvic-floor exercises called Kegels. They can help strengthen your pelvic muscles (important now and postpartum).

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35 Weeks. Wow. Getting so stinking close yet still so far away. I've officially reached the get this thing out of me phase of pregnancy. Of course I don't want him out yet because he still needs to pack on some pounds and cook a little longer, but my body is so sick of being pregnant. It's so much work carrying around this extra weight, I'm so tired all the time, I have to pee too often, it's HOT... I could go on and on. So excuse my pity party. I am so happy and excited and thrilled to be blessed with this pregnancy and this baby. Sometimes I just need to whine. You understand, right!?!?!


So we had the family shower this Saturday. It was fine. Relatively uneventful. One of the mother-in-laws friends was apparently confused and bought us a pink and purple Care Bear mobile... I was confused, but I think I recovered quickly and said a genuine thank you... I think. Still confused by that one. I digress. Other than that we got clothes, bottles, blankets, and a few other cute little things. So I mark it as a success. Woo!


This coming weekend we will start buying the essentials we've yet to receive. I think this will be the pack and play, a mattress, and the bedding. We're also shopping Craigslist for a recliner. I'm thinking La-Z-Boy... we shall see. I really want a recliner as opposed to a glider, but don't want to spend more than a few hundred dollars, we shall see what we can find.


I've made a little website for once the little man is born... feel free to check it out here if you're interested.


Beyond that, tomorrow I will officially be 35 weeks pregnant with 35 days remaining until my due date... And with that, here's this week's pic.