Week 34 - 6 weeks to go!

Countdown: 9 days till my 22nd birthday, 13 days till my baby shower, 40 days till baby Michael arrives!

How far along: 34 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain: Not entirely sure as of right now, but I’ll find out on Tuesday at my next appointment! I probably gained another 2 or 3 pounds. Ugh.

Maternity clothes?: Yes although in this heat I would rather be naked.

Stretch marks?: Nada! Shocking because my stomach feels HUGE.
Belly button, in or out?: Out and about
Sleep: Hard to fall asleep with the heat, back pain, cats, small bladder, kicking baby, inability to breathe, sore stomach muscles…etc.
Cravings: Brownies. I went back to Panera and got one the other night. It was AMAZING.
Showing yet?: Yep. I’m officially absolutely enormous.
Happy or Moody?: Happy! Laura is here, mom comes home tomorrow night, I’m a happy girl! Although the heat is making me quite unhappy…sweaty and miserable mostly.

Movement: Still moving like crazy – I read somewhere that this week is usually when most babies will turn in preparation for delivery (head down feet up) sooo I’m hoping it happens soon; I’d rather not have a breach baby!
Best moment this week: Hanging out with the girls in NYC! Reunion of the triplet trip + Melanie!
Things I miss: Being in non-pregnant shape. I hate getting easily tired, hate feeling fat and unattractive, hate peeing every 5 minutes, hate not fitting into my regular clothes, wah wah wah.
Gender: BOY!
Looking forward to: Baby shower!! So many of my favorite people will be here and I cannot wait to see them all!!
Due Date: August 11^th

This week just flew by…I feel like I just updated my blog! And I can't believe I'm already at 34 weeks. I'm nearly in my 9th month. Yikes! Well in terms of being pregnant, this month is definitely going to be kind of rough, especially if it continues to be 100 degrees every day. Let me just say that being 8 months pregnant in this heat is absolutely brutal. It makes me feel even bigger and fatter than I am; my feet are starting to swell a little bit and I have the worst hot flashes. The only thing I can really do is periodically stand in a cold shower and just rinse off to cool down, put my feet in cold water, put ice packs on my neck and drink cold water or tea. Other than that, I suffer. I don’t remember if I mentioned this in my previous post, but my stupid arm rash is back. I have concluded that it is definitely a cat allergy; I can’t understand why it completely disappeared in DC and instantly came back when I got home. Its just SOO itchy and I look like a leper. 

My back is still killing me and my stomach muscles are really sore, especially up top right smack in the middle. Hard to explain the exact location, but it kind of hurts. I also pulled a stomach muscle last week while rolling over to get up off the couch, so that has been pretty sore as well. I know I should be enjoying every minute but I'm kind of tired of being pregnant. I'm so ready for Michael to pop out!

I made a really delicious dinner this week that I personally think was quite healthy! It consisted of swiss chard, sweet italian sausage, basil, onion, garlic and other seasonings all over spaghetti. So delicious and I was happy to be able to use the swiss chard from the garden. Check out this picture - YUM!

Update: my stroller arrived! I know that pretty much everyone who reads this is friends with me and saw the picture on facebook, but it is so perfect that I need to post another picture on here. I can't wait to use it and once I do I'll be sure to give it fabulous reviews (hopefully). The color is what really got me hooked. Blue is my favorite color and this shade of blue was just perfect. It's the 2012 edition, so this guy is fresh off the conveyor belt. I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm not biased, I swear. Thanks again to Chris/Grandma Mimi who got this for her little grandson Michael!

This weekend was a Laura(s) + Fiona reunion in NYC. I'm so happy I got to see them! Laura T is still here staying with me even though she'll be back in just 10 days for the baby shower! I decided to take her to a nearby mountain that I (used to) hike where the view is absolutely amazing. It was brutally hot so we didn't stay long but I really cannot wait to be back there and hike the trails with Michael as soon as he's big enough. Check out this fabulous view!

In other news, I got a job! Part time of course, and really only for the next month or so, but I'm so happy to get out of the house for a few hours during the day and make a little cash. The one thing I really hate is being idle and this is going to help keep me busy and help the time pass a little faster while I wait for Michael to arrive! My family is also currently in the process of redoing the outside of our house completely - siding, doors, deck, paint, gutters, the whole 9 yards. I'm getting super excited for everything to be completed as my house has pretty much looked the same since my parents bought it 18 years ago. I'm just hoping that most of it gets done before the baby shower....eesh. Either way, I've had a hand in helping to pick out the paint for the doors, siding and shutters; its gonna look goood! 

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 ¾ pounds, like the average cantaloupe, and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers, which help regulate his body temperature once he’s born – is filling 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.