36 Weeks

Only 4 weeks to go! Wow! I can't wait. People keep asking me if I'm nervous but I'm not nervous! I'm just really excited. I feel like "bring it on baby". We are ready. We've been preparing so much. I'm sure that it will be a big change, and a big shock, but I don't care. I'm tired of waiting.

Plus, this week the hormones must be kicking it into high gear because my emotions have been all over the place. I've been super irritable and crabby, and everything seems to set me off. Also, I don't know if I'm nesting yet, but I hardly want to leave the house. I just want to stay home.

Speaking of nesting, we got a Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner this weekend! I LOVE it! I wish we'd gotten it a lot sooner. Like most people with a cat and dog, we have a pet hair problem. We vacuum with our old vacuum, but of course the carpet still has hair all over, and I didn't like the thought of Caleb crawling around in all that pet hair. The Dyson is amazing! You literally wouldn't believe all the hair and dirt it picks up. Now I can crawl all over the carpet in black pants and not be hairy! This vacuum really is amazing.

We also bought a bassinet this weekend. We were just going to use the pack and play in the bedroom, but I got nervous after reading some warnings that it's not approved for infant sleeping (only supervised napping according to Graco). So we moved the pack and play downstairs, and bought a bassinet for our bedroom. I'm glad we did, but between that and Dyson, we did drop a lot of cash this weekend! ugh.

I had a midwife appointment, and this was my last appointment before moving to weekly appointments. Everything is still going well. My belly measured at 35 centimeters, which was just perfect for how far along I am. Caleb's heart rate was a healthy range, and I have gained 2 more pounds, which was good. I'm supposed to be gaining about a pound a week now, but I don't think I will. I guess we'll see - it's getting hard to really pig out. I can still eat good amounts of food, but I get full quickly and I get heartburn really REALLY bad if I eat too much at night. I mean, painful, cannot lie down, cannot sleep heartburn. So it's pretty good motivation to eat smaller dinners.

Ethan and I are still practicing the Hypnobirthing relaxation techniques for labor. We have our final meeting with the doula next weekend. Between Ethan's school and my being exhuasted and crabby after work, it's hard to find the time to practice together, but we are doing our best. The good news is, this is Ethan's last week of school! Ever! He's finally done with his MBA. I am so happy for him and for me, because I'll finally have my husband back. Night school on top of working is really a huge commitment. We planned it out so that we wouldn't have a baby before he was done, and things did line up just about perfectly.

Next week, we will celebrate Ethan's graduation just the two of us by going to the Salish, which is the place we got married. I also have a midwife appointment, and we want to get the hospital bag packed and ready and the carseat installed so that in case Caleb comes early, we'll be good to go. Here is the baby update for the week:

How far along? 36 weeks 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +24 pounds total. Not bad!

Maternity clothes? Yeah, I'm down to three pairs of pants that I can comfortably wear at this point. I have a ton of shirts and sweaters, so at least that's good. here's hoping that my pants hold out for another 4-5 weeks! I'm not loving wearing the same pants over and over, but at this point I really don't want to buy more!

Sleep: Oh sleep was so rough this week! Monday through Thursday I think I got about 4 hours a night average. I had insomnia, combined with being sick (stuffy). The last few days have been much better thankfully.

Best moment this week: Getting our Dyson Vaccuum cleaner! I finally feel like the floors are clean enough for baby.

Movement: Movement has slowed down this week. I asked the midwife about it and she said it's normal because Caleb is getting too big to move a ton. I still feel him poking me and shifting around, but less big movements. Sometimes, it is really uncomfortable when he moves at this point. He likes to poke his knee out and it's like something sharp is poking me inside my stomach. I still like feeling him move though, because I get nervous when I don't think he's moving enough.

Food cravings: Nope - If anything its getting harder to eat. I usually have a pretty good appetite in the afternoon, but by dinner time I could care less and don't like to eat much.

Labor signs: Caleb is head down now! That's great news, but other than that, no signs of labor. Soon he should "drop" or lower down into the birth canal. That usually happens a couple weeks before birth for a first time baby, but it could happen any time really.

Belly Button in or out? I'm still an innie, but the top of my belly button sort of pokes out and makes a bump in my shirt.

What I miss: Not being crabby and emotional

What I am looking forward to:Delivery. I think this is going to be the same every week from here on out. I want Caleb to be born!

Milestones: I'm moving on to weekly Dr. appointments from here on out!

This Week: 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.