36 Weeks

Wow - can't believe I am writing this post. 36 weeks already?! It is weird to think that in only a few short weeks we will welcome our son into our arms and introduce him to all our loved ones. In my last post at 32 weeks, I talked about how bittersweet it is to want to cherish every moment of this pregnancy but also look forward with anticipation and excitement to meeting our baby boy. I am definitely more on the "sweet" side of things now. That is due in part to how uncomfortable I am now at this stage, but more so due to simply being ready to hold my sweet blessing from God.

As mentioned above, I am now in that stage of being so uncomfortable it is hard for me to get any sleep. Even with a billion pillows surrounding me, I still don't sleep well. I have gone nights on end where I have not slept more than a few hours total and that is usually interrupted by many, many trips to the bathroom! I have had to resort to taking Tylenol PM a few times just to catch up on my sleep. So all my prayer warriors out there reading this, please pray that I would be able to get good sleep in the next few weeks. I definitely do not want to go into to newborn stage being this fatigued and exhausted.

My doctor appointments are going well. I am now seeing my doctor every week. Not much to update there except that the baby is definitely in the head down position. When I told Isaac and Julia this, they both thought it was funny that the baby is upside down. I guess that would seem pretty unusual to them.

If I can get the energy, I need to spend the next few weeks finishing up my to-do lists before our baby arrives. I have a billion lists (yes, I am an obsessive list maker!) that are not getting checked off. With my other two pregnancies I had my bags packed and everything in order by now. I don't know why, but I just keep putting it off which really only makes me feel more unsettled and unprepared. I just need to do it so I can have a peace of mind. So prayer warriors, second prayer request is that I would be motivated to get things ready for the big day.

All in all, I am still feeling really good. I have my up days and my down days which are both closely related to how much sleep I got the night before! In all seriousness, I can't complain. God has blessed me with yet another very enjoyable pregnancy.

So on to the fun stuff. Here is our fruity comparison.....

Long way from a raspberry, huh?! And believe me, I feel like I am carrying a watermelon around all the time. (thus the back pains and sleeping issues!) I have carried this baby high and tight. So it really looks like someone stuck a watermelon under my shirt! Stealing the idea from Gabe's brother Matt and his wife April, who painted her tummy like a pumpkin, we thought it would be fun to paint my tummy like a beach ball or a watermelon. If we actually get around to it, you can count on some pictures showing up on this blog. How fun is that?

Here is the progression from month 1 (raspberry) to month 9 (watermelon)....

Just a little side note: Julia is now a bit obsessed with growing up to get married so she can be a Mommy. She walks around the house with her Baby (bunny snuggle friend) stuffed inside her shirt. Oh, and she thinks she is going to marry Isaac! Little early to explain the reasons why that is not going to happen - we just let her imagination run its course and humor her ideas of marriage and a family. Every time she talks to us about growing up to get married, Gabe and I think of that scene in Father of the Bride where he has a flash back of his daughter talking about getting married. Yep, etching these moments in our memory. In a blink of an eye she will bring home her beloved and we will wonder where the years went.

UPDATE: Just got back from my OB appointment today. All is well and looking good. I have started dilating!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! From my past experience (when I was pregnant with Julia), I could dilate a few cm and stay that way right up to the due date. So I am not getting my hopes up too much for an early delivery. But at least we are headed in the right direction. Ready to meet my precious baby boy!