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.