35 Weeks! (aka 2 weeks to full term)

At 35 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a pineapple (yeah, I'm trying not to think too much about that one). Baby measures about 18.2 inches from head to heel. From here on out, he won't get much longer, but will keep plumping up. He should now weigh about 5.3 pounds, and will put on a pound or more of baby fat before we meet him. Fun fact - at 35 weeks my uterus has grown to about 1,000 times it's normal size (OMG). Baby’s hearing is now fully developed, and he responds best to high-pitched noises. At this point, if we had an ultrasound we would see that his testes have probably fully descended (TMI alert!).

How far along? 35 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 35 lbs :-/

Sleep? Not so great. I wake up to pee constantly and because my back is in so much pain, it is pretty miserable getting up and walking each time.

Best moment this week?Hmmmmmm...Hard to see through the back discomfort these days. I guess I will go with coming home Tuesday to a very clean house after our new cleaning lady came. She's amazing and more type-A about cleaning than I thought possible. A little on the pricey side but given my inability to do much around the house, worth every penny. Thanks for agreeing to the super fancy cleaning jay ;-)

Movement:I really don't think either of my other kiddos moved this much. It's incredible and consistent and visible to others.

Food cravings:Miguel's Jr. Haha. I think mostly because it requires no cooking or cleaning by me, which is my top priority these days.

What I miss? EVERYTHING about not being pregnant. I am mentally and physically done.

What I am looking forward to? This 4 day weekend is well timed. I am hoping it involves me lounging quietly on a very frequent basis and doing very little else.

Milestones: 35 weeks is a big one. My OB is basically not worried about labor at this point from a health of the baby standpoint, so that is a relief. I, on the other hand, really want to get 2 more weeks in, despite how miserable I am. Making it to 37 weeks to avoid the preemie treatment at the hospital is worth it both because of the trauma to the baby (endless foot pricks and that darn car seat challenge) and because of the cost to me (we are out-of-pocket 20% of the cost on this birth so there's a huge incentive not to rack up big bills).

What I'm nervous about:Trying to stay sane with this back pain and feeling the need to still get my work done, keep a relatively tidy home and take care of the kids. It's a lot of being pulled in many directions when you are physically limited.

34 Weeks (AKA 3 weeks to full term)

At 34 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a butternut squash. Baby should weigh in at about 4.7 pounds and measures about 17.7 inches, although based on our last ultrasound I think this baby is a bit bigger than that, at least in weight.

How far along? 34 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 33 lbs :-/

Sleep? This is getting worse due to back pain issues.

Best moment this week?We had a great Father's Day on Sunday at the pool and going out to dinner with my dad. It was also the last day my back felt okay, so it was definitely the highlight of my week.

Movement:I think he had the hiccups the other morning.

Food cravings:Eh. I'm not that hungry lately. Maybe fruit and ginger beer.

What I miss? Walking without pain. Starting Sunday night my back went from normal to very painful quite suddenly. After dragging myself to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I decided to stay home yesterday and today to see if it helped. It has a bit but I think this pain is here for the rest of the pregnancy. Doctor Google is telling me this is "posterior pelvic pain", which is essentially caused by the hormone relaxin letting my ligaments stretch out too much and thus my pelvic bones are moving farther apart and providing less stabilization and support for all of the extra weight I'm carrying in my stomach, which then makes my muscles work over time, none of which feels great. Apparently this gets worse with each pregnancy (i.e., starts sooner) so I am thinking #3 is our last baby because this is pretty miserable and I can't imagine if it had started any sooner.

What I am looking forward to? Being about to do things for myself. I like to do things. Sitting still is not fun for me. There is also something to be cleaned, put away or worked on in our house and it bothers me immensely to sit around and see everything I could be getting done and being able to do very little about it.

Milestones: Each week is now a huge milestone for me. I cannot wait for this pregnancy to be over. At the same time, it is extremely important to stay pregnant for at least 3 more weeks, but preferably 4-5 for the health of the baby. So the count is on but I still have to try to be patient.

What I'm nervous about:Keeping myself from going crazy with my limited mobility. Some people might relish an excuse to lounge around but it is the very definition of torture for me to be forced to stay home all day.

In other news: On Monday, I think partially due to my back pain, I started having a lot of BH contractions. So my OB sent me to Hoag L&D where I hung out for about 4.5 hours being monitored, getting IV fluids and getting a dose of Procardia. So, pretty much the same drill as my previous pregnancies. It was not the most fun evening but I am glad I went in to make sure everything was okay. But this triggered me starting on procardia regularly and may force doctor-ordered modified bed rest soon (she hasn't gone there yet). Apparently the whole giving birth thing works for me but the late pregnancy stages are really just not for me.

Ultrasound Pictures

I've been slacking on uploading these so apologies for the delay. Here are a few ultrasound pictures from my last two scans.

At 28 weeks:

An ear shot:

And at 32 weeks, he's a little cramped but still cute:

33 Weeks

At 33 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a head of celery. On average, babies at this stage weigh about 4.2 pounds and measures about 17.2 inches—and may grow up to a full inch this week. However, we went in on Monday for an ultrasound and found that he was about 4.5 pounds then so he's probably getting a bit closer to 5 lbs now. Baby's keeping his eyes open while awake. Baby's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing—an important skill for life “on the outside.” His bones are also hardening. And baby's going through (more) major brain development at the moment.

How far along? 33 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 32 lbs :-/

Sleep? I have had some early meetings this week so it hasn't been as good as I'd like. But still not terrible. No pregnancy insomnia yet - yay!

Best moment this week?My mom has been here this week to help with the kids. Emi has no school or camp this week so this is a lifesaver. It has been a pretty nice week having someone around full time to take Joaquin to and from school and all of his activities.

Movement:I am now starting to get some pretty strong kicks to the ribs on occasion - not my favorite.

Food cravings:Roasted broccoli rabe with salt, pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes and parmesan. A

What I miss? Walking fast. I am moving really slowly these days and my gate isn't exactly lady-like. It will be nice to get back to normal in a couple of months.

What I am looking forward to? Maternity leave. I am suddenly starting to look forward to the change of pace. It's not exactly vacation but at least I get to wear comfy pants more often. haha.

Milestones: I think Monday was my last ultra sound, so we are in the home stretch. In two weeks I will feel pretty good about everything - 35 weeks is a good milestone to get past in terms of baby's development. Almost there.

What I'm nervous about:I've been a bit nervous about work lately. It was one thing to go out on leave at a law firm - other associates just sort of absorbed my work while I was out and there was never really any true concern about being busy enough when I got back. But this time we are hiring a temp for my job, which is just a strange thing, and with the recent merger I am feeling a bit vulnerable.

32 Weeks

At 32 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a squash and measures about 16.7 inches and should weigh around 3.8 pounds (although based on our last ultrasound, I'd say he's well over 4 lbs by now). At this point he is busy gaining weight and developing his lungs. Just 8 weeks to go. How far along? 32 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 32 lbs :-/

Sleep? No changes here. And I am fairly sure I'll be missing even this kind of sleep when baby arrives so I am trying to appreciate it.

Best moment this week?Joaquin's swim meet Saturday was so much fun. He got first in 4 out of 5 of his heats and second in the other. He was so excited and having so much fun - he's definitely a kid who likes to win (hmmm...not sure where he got that gene from). It was nearly all day at the pool, which sounded awful in theory but ended up being a really pleasant day outside surrounded by happy kids.

Movement:Still going strong here. I think my stomach may have even been distracting people in a meeting this week because it was visibly moving around so much.

Food cravings:Sparking water and cherries.

What I miss? Free time. I can barely remember those pre-kid days where the big question was - what should we do today? Although I'd never go back, it would be nice to have that problem once in a while.

What I am looking forward to? Meeting this baby. It's starting to feel much closer all of the sudden. Maybe it's because I got my new (ginormous) car and have been ordering all of the baby stuff. Either way, I simultaneously feel like I still have forever to go and that we are getting really close. That probably makes no sense to anyone who hasn't been pregnant. Moms, you get me. OH - also, we get another ultrasound on Monday so I am really looking forward to that!

Milestones: Nothing major this week. I guess there's the "I bought a car seat and a stroller" milestone. But that seems like a stretch.

What I'm nervous about:We are still working out childcare for the summer so this is making me a bit nervous. I also need to find a good housekeeper and handy man. I am more nervous about who we hire now than I ever was before after our experience with our nanny, so I am trying to go off of recommendations of people I know and trust, but I am finding that good recommendations are not as easy to come by as I expected.

31 Weeks

!

At 31 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a bunch of asparagus. Baby's about 16.2 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds. Baby's getting so big, he is definitely crowding my lungs. He is going through major brain and nerve development. His eyes are developing too—the irises can now react to light! (A little light does shine into my belly at times!) In fact, all five of baby’s senses are in working order. How far along? 31 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 31 lbs :-/

Sleep? I'm dreaming of sleeping on my stomach again.

Best moment this week?We had a beach cleanup day this week at work. It was nice to be out of the office and outdoors doing something good for the community and getting a chance to get to know some new people in the legal department.

Movement:Tons. I think he moves more than my other two. It is crazy sometimes to just see my stomach moving around from the outside.

Food cravings:Still on the roasted veggies. And kombucha.

What I miss? Energy. I am getting really tired very easily these days and it bothers me to feel like I can't push my body anytime when I want to. I really want to get things done at home but find myself unable to do it all.

What I am looking forward to? Joaquin has his first real swim meet tomorrow and he was chosen to swim all 5 races by the coaches. He is definitely Jay's son. It will be fun to see him and I am so proud of him.

Milestones: I'm calling only 2 months left. Technically 2 months and 2 days, but I've never made it to term before so I think it's a safe call.

What I'm nervous about:Well, we had to let go of our nanny on Tuesday. It's a long story. It is very stressful and we need to find a new nanny for at least the summer. We have the next two weeks taken care of thanks to my step mom and mom (thank goodness!) but childcare issues are very difficult. We have one interview scheduled for this weekend that looks promising. Fingers crossed.