34 weeks - A Big Milestone

On Friday, I hit 34 weeks and this is a big milestone. If I go into labor at this point, the doctors will not try to stop it. Eeek! This is getting REAL.

This little milestone got us really working on the nursery. Adam painted while I was in Iowa last week and it looks amazing. He's actually installing new baseboards, door casings, and a chair rail as I type. I must say he's impressed me - each room he redoes in this house is better than the last! Not that Zyggie will be the wiser...but WE will. :)

While in Iowa, my coworker (Tiffani) surprised me with a baby shower! We took an extra long lunch to have everyone celebrate. The shower had a book theme, with everyone bringing their favorite children's book for Zyggie. I continue to be overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. Here are some pictures from the shower:

And last, but not least, my 34 week belly picture:

Oh the heartburn!

I've experienced heartburn off and on throughout this pregnancy, with a bit of relief in the middle of the 2nd trimester. Now it's back with a vengeance. Well, I guess it's more acid reflux because I feel it up in my throat, but it's uncomfortable nonetheless. I don't really feel like I have room to complain because I know some many other women who've spent their entire pregnancies throwing up, fainting, gaining insane amounts of weight, etc. Overall, this is really the worst thing I've had consistently throughout the pregnancy.

I'm steadily gaining weight, but at a healthy rate. Granted, my last doctor's appointment was about 10 days ago, but I was up about 18lbs at that time. Even if I gain 2lbs per week from that appointment on, that's still within the "recommended" amount of weight gain for a woman of average weight pre-pregnancy. I'm fairly pleased with that. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way dieting. I just try to be somewhat mindful of what I eat and how much. Fortunately, the heartburn really helps with portion control as well. If I eat too much, I'll suffer the consequences later. Of course, now I suffer the consequences no matter what I eat! I sleep propped up most nights. But I disgress.

As far as I know, the baby is still transverse, bordering on breech. We learned at childbirth class this week that I can try putting something cold at the top of my stomach and something warm at the bottom for 20 min at a time, several times a day. I guess babies tend to prefer their heads near warmth. I figure it can't hurt to try!

Class went well this week. We learned what to expect at the hospital, how to differentiate between true labor and false labor, the different stages of labor, etc. Next week's class will focus on comfort techniques among other things. We'll see how it goes.

Here is the latest picture of me at 33weeks:

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

I apologize for not having been more diligent about my updates. We're starting to get down to the wire here and while we don't have a ton going on yet, fatigue is starting to get me. I just get home and want to veg. I've gotta do it while I still can, right?

I owe you all a lot of updates. First, here are the requisite belly shots.

31 weeks

32 weeks:

This past weekend, Adam signed us up for a purse-making class at a local sewing shop in Shawnee, KS. He'd mentioned it a few times and a woman from his leather guild highly recommended it for learning how to make functional interiors. Adam was interested because he wants to make a leather diaper bag. Last Tuesday, I found out he'd already signed us up and paid the deposit. Being the dutiful wife, I repaid him by making him go to the hospital tour before he dragged me to class. Our tour went very well - we learned where to check in, saw labor and delivery rooms, then the after-care rooms, etc. The tour ended around 11am. Since our class wasn't until 2, we killed time around town, buying a few things for the baby.

We grabbed lunch around 12:45, then stopped by a friend's house to get some leather from her (long story). Lo and behold, there was no class! Adam had been in cahoots with Gretchen and she'd arranged a surprise baby shower! I was completely surprised and totally relieved I didn't have to go to a stupid purse-making class. :) Here are a few pictures from the wonderful shower (Thanks again, G!):

Finally, Adam took some amateur maternity photos of me this past Sunday. Seeing my belly in its full glory is weird. I don't feel that big, but I look big in the pictures. Maybe he found a stunt-double...