34 - 35

Well...today I'm officially 36 weeks pregnant.

Gulp.

I know that every one of my pregnancy posts starts out by saying how fast time is flying, and though this one is no different, I do feel as though I've been pregnant for a loooooong time and am entering into the 'let's do this already' phase.

As Shaun keeps saying, 'there's definitely a baby in there.'

How I'm Feeling

Overall, I'm still feeling pretty darn good. Huge, but good. I get tired quickly and continuously switch between needing to sit and needing to stand when I get restless. I have started some new symptoms over the last couple of weeks.

Swelling. Ugh. I've been so lucky thus far to not really have had any swelling...until now. My hands feel continuously swollen and I really hate that feeling. Almost like sausages stuffed into a too-tight casing :( I'm trying to down as much water as possible and am also trying to not get too warm as that also seems to aggrevate the situation.

Contact lenses. Somehow, I went from not being able to wear my contact lenses at all to being able to wear them a little bit. This is an exciting development! My eyes still do get dry, but I can comfortably wear them to go out for a little while or to a party or something.

Heartburn. Ack. I've never had heartburn in my life, and here it is, creeping up at me at random times. I haven't found a rhyme or reason to why or when it's going to happen but am looking forward to starting my post-holiday detox today in hopes that will help. Last night I woke up around 4 with raging heartburn. Here's hoping I can get that under control.

Serious stuffiness. Ok, I feel like I haven't been able to breathe in weeks, especially at night. My sinuses are constantly swollen, making it so tough to breathe at night. I've been sleeping next to the vaporizer which seems to help a bit...but it's still not great. I know that the wintertime makes this a situation in itself, but I'm blaming pregnancy for my overly-stuffed sinuses, which in turn causes some major sleeping issues.

Sleep is getting less and less by the day. I'm ok with it though...I sort of think it's like mother nature prepping me for many a sleepless night to come.

And with all of that in mind? I still overall feel ok and just excited to meet my baby girl! I know that all of these weird symptoms will feel like a distant memory very soon.

How I'm Getting Ready

The nursery is so close to being finished. We've got the crib, changing table and dresser all set up. Her closet is almost totally finished. We have some little things to do, like finish washing baby clothes, hang artwork and organize a few more things. 

I've also been working on picking out Baby H's going home from the hospital outfit! We received so many gorgeous outfits for her and I can't wait to dress her in them all. Right now, I'm thinking of this blue floral gown that my parents gave us for Christmas. Blue is my favorite color and I am so excited to see her little self in this pretty number:

Though I'm thinking we may need to go with a pink hat so that she looks like a girl :) 

Oh and with that in mind, I'm starting to work on my hospital bag, including things for the baby. I plan to bring some receiving and swaddling blankets, some hats and onesies, and stroller/car seat blankets for the chilly ride home. Moms out there - what do I need for the baby in the hospital? Some people say nothing, and others have told me to bring lots of stuff...I'd love some recommendations!

Lastly, we also decided on a little sleeper for our bedroom for the first few weeks. After a LOT of research, I purchased the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play Sleeper:

I love that it's small (perfect for our limited space), on an incline, can fit right next to the bed and is easily folded and portable. And the fact that it looks like a soft little lamb is just the icing on the cake. Eeee, it makes my heart melt just looking at it!

I looked into pack 'n plays w/bassinets, actual bassinets, and more but was super excited to come across this great mix of all of the above. Thanks to my friend Carly for the recommendation! I'll be sure to let you all know how it works out for us.

Well, I think that's it for this week. The 4 week countdown has begun!

Comments

[Ellen]

If you are planning on breastfeeding, I would recommend taking a Boppy to the hospital. I didn't pack mine but ended up having my parents bring it in.