35 week update... Surrogate Side

Date:  November 27th, 2013

How Many Weeks:  35 weeks!

Total Weight Gain:  Well, drum-roll please... officially 20.5lbs as of Monday's OB appointment - woot!  I only gained half a pound since my last visit a week and a half ago!  (*insert happy dance here...)  But, just to ease everyone's fear that the baby isn't growing - he's perfect and measuring right on target.  My belly is measuring at 35.5cm and that is just perfect. Nener, nener, nener!  Lol!

Baby Size:  Coconut!  (A coconut?  Really?  Those just seem really small to me.) 


What is going on with this baby:

• Now, his hearing is fully developed, and he responds best to high-pitched noises. (Let's just hope he keeps that fully developed head down!  And, K&J - get ready for all that goo-goo, ga-ga in the "baby voice"...  It can be a beautiful thing, right??) 
• If it's a boy, his testes have probably fully descended.  (Definitely a BOY.  Clearly a boy...) 

Maternity Clothes:  New trick for me - I have begun to wear my long maternity camisoles underneath my jammie tops.  Good enough - for the time being...  And, I continue to wear my hubby's t-shirts.  He continues to just love  that.  

Sleep:  Not too bad!  I am still able to get relatively comfortable pretty easily.  I toss and turn more often than normal, but that's par for the course at this point!  At least I'm able to get through the night without having to get out of bed to use the potty!!  (Maybe I shouldn't write that - I don't want to jinx myself...)  Oh well.

Movement:  All the time.  Sometimes he really hurts me!  He will tend to really extend his extremities and it stretches my belly lining quite a bit and that sometimes REALLY hurts.  It's not too often, but it happens.  Still preferred to the tap dancing - that's for sure!

Symptoms:  I'm having a hard time catching my breath.  I feel like my lungs are squeezed shut (and they probably are close considering that there isn't much room left) and that makes it pretty difficult to breath.  I get winded easily.  On a very different note (but probably related somehow), I had the most beautiful thing happen to me the other day!  I thought I had seen "stars" before, but obviously I hadn't since I was in awe of the beauty of it when it happened to me in the shower on Sunday!  They were AMAZING!  So stunning!  I know "seeing stars" is not necessarily a good thing, per se, but they were awesome!  Watching the twinkle from one to the next...  Glorious.  Okay, okay - I'm a weirdo, but it was really quite cool.  Getting back on track, my back continues to hurt and the onset is beginning to get earlier and earlier in the day.  Oh well!  All worth it!

Food Cravings/Aversions: Actually (my son's new obsession with that word is obviously rubbing off on me), I haven't been really hungry lately.  That may explain my little weight gain this past week or so.  Don't worry - that'll all change tomorrow!!! 

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful with persuading my husband to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year.  However, in all honesty, I really don't mind cooking the meal - it's a lot of work, but totally doable.  I would much rather cook Thanksgiving dinner than clean up Thanksgiving dishes; wink, wink.  This mindset only applies to Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.  Any other day of the year, I would much rather CLEAN than cook.  Cooking just isn't my thing.  Never did like it much. 

I'm looking forward to: Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Gobble, gobble!  Although we won't be having any visitors at our home or traveling, we will enjoy the holiday together as our little family - my hubby doesn't have to work!  WooHOO!  We'll be baking our pies tonight (apple and pumpkin) and somehow making a turkey face on them for my son.  My daughter is notorious for "decorating" the pumpkin pie on her own by poking her fingers in it...  This happened last year and was the cutest thing ever!  The look on her face when she was caught will forever be a great memory. 

Belly:

Happy Thanksgiving!  Love, Butterball...