36 Weeks!!!

How far along? 36 weeks! It's going so fast!

Total weight gain/loss: It's up around 27lbs. now

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Got 'em

Sleep: Sleep? What's that? It has been HORRIBLE!!! I can't get comfortable on either side, I pee constantly, I have horrible heartburn that wakes me up, Elijah wakes me up about 5 times a night, my back hurts, my arms and hands go numb...I could go on and on. I can't wait to sleep on my belly again! When the baby comes, Mike and I will switch sides on the bed so I can be on the side with the baby swing...right now, I'm right next to the bathroom door, which I need every 20 minutes at night, and that's the side that is closest to the bedroom door, which means it's the side that the kids come to first.

Best moment this week: My Dr. appt. yesterday...got to hear his heartbeat, of course, and it was in the 170's! He was moving around right when she took it, so it was elevated. My dr. checked me and he's head down! I'm only dilated 1 1/2cm and effaced just a tiny bit, which is basically what I figured I would be with the effacement. I didn't really start effacing a whole lot till I was in full blown labor with Isaac.

Movement: Okay, he's on the move again. Last week, he must've just been really tired or something? I don't know...but he's constantly moving and it still HURTS! What's up with that?

Food cravings: I ate my weight in Kit Kats this past weekend! They were so yummy! :)

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: I have horrible contractions here and there, but not enough to start timing. They get worse when I'm out walking around alot, of course. I'm okay to keep him in there another 3 -4 weeks if that's what he wants though. ;)

Belly button in or out? It's pretty much stretched out as much as it can get. Mine has never popped, so I'm not expecting it to do it this time either. It's basically just flat.

What I miss: SLEEEEEP

What I am looking forward to: Seeing his gorgeous face :)

Weekly wisdom: Ask for help when you need it. That's so hard for me...especially when it comes to other people cleaning my house. Poor Mike. I have such a horrible OCD when it comes to how everything is arranged and cleaned. It drives me crazy when he does it wrong, but it also drives me crazy when he doesn't help. It drives him crazy when I'm nagging about the way he does it, and it drives him crazy when I'm nagging him about not helping. The problem here is me, I know that. I just can't help it. Not right now, at least. Maybe after the baby is born, I'll be so delirious I won't even care. But while I'm nesting, it has to be done my way! Okay, so maybe this weekly wisdom is that you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Milestones: We got the van all cleaned yesterday! It has been driving me nuts for the past week. We still need to install the carseat base (I've got the carseat all washed and ready, with the little headrest in it) and I need to pack my bag and Mike's bag, and we'll be all set!

36 week belly



Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. 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. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

4 of 5

I sure do love my babies :)

35 Weeks!!

How far along? 35 weeks! Eeek!

Total weight gain/loss: Still around 25lbs...

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Got 'em

Sleep: It's alright most of the time. I have to sleep with 3 pillows, and I have to adjust them every time I turn over, but other than that, and getting up to use the bathroom 10 times a night, it's good. :)

Best moment this week: My birthday was yesterday, so last Friday, Mike and I had a little date night. We went out to eat at Red Lobster (all you can eat shrimp!) and then to the mall to do some shopping. I scored big at the Children's Place...I got 2 shirts, 2 skirts, 2 pairs of pants, a pair of tights and a headband for each of the girls and only paid $50! Basically $6 for each item...not too bad!

Movement: His movements have slowed down quite a bit. I'm thinking he had a growth spurt or something, because we were out last night walking around, and I mentioned to Mike that my belly feels so much heavier than it did just like a week ago. I think he's running out of room pretty fast in there! :)

Food cravings: I could go for some more of that cajun shrimp!

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: I have braxton hicks all the time, and a few painful ones here and there still. I honestly don't think I'm gonna make it to my due date. My dr. is out of town my whole 39th week, so hopefully I go before that! If not, I don't mind waiting till my due date or even after, as long as she can deliver me!

Belly button in or out? It's pretty much stretched out as much as it can get. Mine has never popped, so I'm not expecting it to do it this time either. It's basically just flat.

What I miss: Nothing

What I am looking forward to: My dr. appt. next week. After this next one, I start going every week!!!

Weekly wisdom: Take one day at a time.

Milestones: All of his clothes are washed and put away, his diaper bag is packed, the carseat is washed and ready, and we finally got his home-coming outfit! We also got him a sweet peace soothing center off craigslist. I wanted one of these when I had Isaac, but didn't want to pay full price for it, and it had just came out at that time, so no one had any used ones for sale, so we passed on it. Well, we needed a new swing and a new bassinet, since our old ones were literally falling apart, so we're just gonna use this for both. I also figured that once he's done with it, we can just put it back on craigslist and get some of our $$ back from it! I really LOVE it though!!! I can't wait to use it...he better LOVE it too, that's all I'm sayin! =)



Here's a pic of the swing



Here are some pics of his home coming outfit.






A close up of the little hat :)





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.

Birthday present to myself

I'm the big 29!!! Well, it's not really the big one, so to speak, but it's a big one for me. It's the last time I will celebrate a birthday being pregnant and it's the last birthday in my 20's. I'm seriously so ready to be done with the 20's and be in my 30's! really. At least I can say I had all my kids by the time I was 30...right? :) So onto the gift to myself. I've been overweight for most of my 20's, what with being pregnant 5 times (I know, it's not a good excuse, but I don't care...I'm still using it), and not really losing alot of the baby weight after each one. Laney's pregnancy was the worst! I gained about 55 or 60 pounds with her....yikes! Anyway, I'm ready to shed all this accumulated baby weight! Knowing that this will definitely be my last baby, I'm ready to start eating healthy and working out every day. I know I can do it...I was doing really well before I got pregnant this time, and I lost about 15 pounds. I felt so much better about myself! I would really love to lose about 40-45 pounds. I'm also ready to have my breasts reduced. =) That won't happen until I stop nursing Jett, which will be next Oct. most likely, but getting alot of this weight off will probably help me recover better from it and all that good stuff. I know I'll look way better in my 30's than I did in my 20's, but that's not the only reason I'm ready to do it. Heart disease runs in my family...my mom and grandma have both had heart attacks, so I'm like a sitting duck unless I lose this weight. My blood pressure and cholesterol have always been fine, but I know it gets worse as you get older. I really want to be around for my kids, and to be able to take them fun places like the pool or the beach without being self-conscious the whole time. Of course, I'm still going to treasure these next few weeks that I'm pregnant and can eat the things that I won't allow myself to eat after he's born. :) I'm not insane! Happy birthday to me!

Updates

This blog has turned into more of a pregnancy blog, and I don't know why that happened. I have 4 other kids, and a husband :) It's probably more or less due to the fact that every day around here is pretty much the same. Mike leaves for work, I get up and dressed, get the kids up, feed them breakfast, send the girls off to school, break up fights, clean, do laundry, break up more fights, make the boys lunch, clean some more, put the boys down for a nap, eat lunch, watch dvr recordings, mess around on the computer, change diapers, take Elijah potty (ahem...yeah, he still won't go on his own. Moms of boys, I could use a little help on this one, but I'll get to that later), ask the boys questions just so I can hear them talk ;), break up more fights, and that's pretty much it. See? Not really that intersting.

But I figured I should probably give some updates about the kids.

LANEY

Laney is in 2nd grade still. :D She thinks it's pretty much just okay. She's getting to the point where she has homework every day, not just weekly. I usually make her do it when she comes home from school, but there are days when I let her do it after dinner or whatever. It really depends on what the assignment is. She's so smart and learning just comes really easy for her. Wish it was like that for me! She's still in karate, and goes every Monday night. Every week, they come home with an assignment they have to do that week. This week, they are to make their bed every day. We got her a starter guitar for her birthday, and Mike's been teaching her alot lately. She really enjoys it!!

************************************************************************************

CHLOE

Chloe is in 1st grade and loves it! She loves to do her homework right when she gets home...which I'm sure will change as the year progresses. Learning doesn't come as easily for her as it does for Laney. She has to work harder, and that's okay...I know she'll appreciate her successes that much more! She is such a free spirit! She has the most amazing personality...she honestly blows me away sometimes with the questions she asks or the things she says. Her mind is constantly going, and she's always so concerned with how everyone else is feeling. She's also in karate, but doesn't love it all that much. Mike and I have decided that we will keep her in it for now. If she's not into it after another year or two, we'll probably pull her out. We just want her to stick it out for a little while longer. Hopefully, once she advances another belt color or two, she'll start getting more used to it and she'll be proud of her accomplishments. She's already a green belt with a white stripe...which basically means she's 1/4 of the way to her blue belt! Her and Laney are currently at the same level.

************************************************************************************

ELIJAH

Elijah is still a wild man. We've been cutting back his sugar intake, which I really think is helping. I can tell when he's had sugar and when he hasn't. I'm 100% positive that if we took him to the dr. to get diagnosed, they would tell us he has ADHD. The kid can't sit still, even if his life depended on it...no matter what. He's very very smart though. He knows every single letter and their sounds, he knows all of his numbers and can add, and he's sounding out words! Seriously, this child amazes me! Who knows what he could do if he would actually sit and listen to someone try to teach him. He's completely potty trained, even at night, but will NOT go on his own! Every now and then, he'll go pee by himself, but that's only if I force him to do it...and I know he can! I always take him when he has to poo, but that's just because I have to wipe him, and sometimes he'll pee while he's sitting and it goes all over the place. He does have a hard time pulling his pants back up when he goes on his own, but other than that, he does really well! He's talking so much now!!! The kid doesn't stop talking now. :) And I'm not complaining! I'm so proud of him! For someone who didn't start really talking till he was 3 or so, he's doing excellent!

************************************************************************************

ISAAC

I posted not long ago about how much a momma's boy Isaac is. That hasn't changed one bit. He's talking so well now too! He puts together 3-4 word sentences, although, if you don't know his dialect, you probably wouldn't be able to understand him. ;) He's learning very quickly how to get his opinion across when Elijah is taking something from him or tyring to bully him. He's actually been known to start some wars. What am I saying? He's just outright mean. alot. We're working on that. We're also working on controling our temper. His very favorite thing of all time is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He LOVES it! When I ask him what kind of birthday cake he wants, it's always MM Clubhouse. Always. I was walking through Walmart a while back with just him, and we passed a shelf with a bunch of stuffed Disney characters on it. He pointed to Pluto and said, "puo". I let him hold onto it for about 5 minutes while I did some shopping, and figured I had better take it from him before he thought it was his. I told him to say bye bye to Pluto and I set it on a shelf. He gave me the most pitiful look I'd ever seen from him and with the biggest poochie lip ever in the history of mankind, said "bye bye puo". It honestly brought tears to my eyes. I picked it up and handed it to him and about 5 minutes later, tried the same thing. He pulled out the same big poochie lip and in that second, I decided that I didn't care if it was the last $8 I had to my name, I was buying that Pluto for him. He never actually started crying or throwing a fit for it, but it was like he was honestly heartbroken that he had to say goodbye to that stuffed Pluto. He sleeps with it every night, and will ask for it all day long. He loves that thing. I have never once regretted buying it for him just because he was crying. Best $8 I've ever spent, to be honest.

And here he is with said Pluto....

weeeeee

Givin' him kisses


He holds him like this all the time, no matter else he's doing.

So that's basically it. If you've made it this far, hopefully you weren't all bored to tears!

34 weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks! 6 more weeks to go, people!!!

Total weight gain/loss: Still around 25lbs...I think I've lost a pound in the last month.

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Got 'em

Sleep: It varies...depending on how much I drink before I go to bed. Of course, I could drink nothing all day long and still wake up 3 times to use the bathroom. I've also been having some pretty odd dreams lately that wake me up and keep me up for a while.

Best moment this week: Getting to see my baby boy yesterday at my Dr. appt. She thought he may be breech, so she did an ultrasound, and thankfully, he's not. His head is down, it's just off to the side a little bit. It's so hard to make anything out on the u/s when they're this big...just the head takes up the whole screen :) I was able to make out his little nose and lips though...he's so sweet!

Movement: He's still moves constantly! And his movements are always in the lower part of my uterus and off to the left. When we did the u/s, we saw his little hands down there by his face. Although, at this very moment, he's kicking and it's at the top...so he's making a liar out of me. ;)

Food cravings: Again with the chocolate...

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: I had 3 or 4 painful contractions last night while Mike and I were walking around CVS with the boys, waiting for the girls to get out of karate.

Belly button in or out? Flat

What I miss: Nothing

What I am looking forward to: My 29th birthday next Monday...which means Mike and I will probably get a date night this weekend!!! =)

Weekly wisdom: While I'm completely and totally excited to meet him, I'm trying to savor every moment I feel and watch him move. I know I'll miss it when he's here.

Milestones: Every day




Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 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.

33 Weeks!

This was actually taken at 32 weeks, but whatever...



How far along? 33 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: Still around 25lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Got 'em

Sleep: Every time I wake up to use the bathroom, I can't seem to go back to sleep for at least an hour...:(

Best moment this week: Getting to spend the weekend with Mike's parents. They came down on Saturday and just left this morning. We always have alot of fun with them and the kids are always sad to see them go. Just a few more years, and they will be moving about an hour and a half away!!! We can't wait!

Movement: It honestly HURTS when he moves sometimes. I've never felt such hard, sharp, painful movements with any of my other pregnancies. I'm gonna ask my dr. at my next appt. if it could mean that my fluid is low.

Food cravings: I've been eating alot of mushrooms lately. :)

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: A few painful contractions here and there still.

Belly button in or out? Flat

What I miss: Nothing

What I am looking forward to: I'm really looking forward to the 2 day stay at the hotel, uh, I mean hospital! :)

Weekly wisdom: ?

Milestones: Every day is a milestone considering how tired I've been feeling lately.






How your baby's growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32 weeks!

How far along? 32 weeks...moving right along!

Total weight gain/loss: Still around 25lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep

Stretch marks? Got 'em

Sleep: It's been not so great lately. I'm so incredibly tired when I lay down, and I just lay there and start feeling itchy everywhere, and the insides of my eyes start burning (I know...it's weird), and I just get really restless. It's extremely annoying...

Best moment this week: My dr. appt...everything went great! I'm measuring right on target and his heartrate was in the 140's again. I actually lost a pound since my last appt. Yay for that!
Oh, and completing his room was definitely one of the best moments as well!!!

Movement: He's everywhere...it's starting to feel like he's trying to claw his way out. Funny story: We were sitting in Laney and Chloe's first karate class last night listening to the sensei go over everything, and this baby was moving all over the place. At one point, he startled me so bad, I actually jumped and made a sound. Only a few people heard me...Mike and I just started laughing. :)

Food cravings: I've been craving chocolate alot! Has anyone ever had the coconut M&M's?? Oh my...heavenly!

Gender: I'm assuming he's still a boy...should I just keep this answer every week? I'm pretty sure he won't morph into a girl! ;)

Labor Signs: A few painful contractions here and there still.

Belly button in or out? Flat

What I miss: Nothing

What I am looking forward to: My weekly dr. appts. Is that strange? I always look forward to my dr. appts. I love talking to my dr...she's so sweet and compassionate and funny, and never makes me feel like an idiot when I ask questions I should already (and usually do...I just want confirmation) know the answers to, ya know, this being the 5th time around and all.

Weekly wisdom: Painting for nearly 12 hours straight will make your feet swell.

Milestones: His room is done!





How your baby's growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.