Bumpdate - 34 Weeks

WOW!!!! It is hard to believe that in 3-6 weeks, our little guy will be here. I say 3 weeks because Kendall came early at 37 weeks, so we are preparing ourselves that the same could happen this time. With Kendall, I was shocked and completely unprepared when she came early. With this little guy, I'll be perfectly fine if he arrives at 37 weeks.

How far along: 34 weeks and 1 day

Thoughts: Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm at the end of my pregnancy! I'm seriously shocked it got here so fast. I've certainly enjoyed being pregnant (hello, I LOVE that I get to proudly display my bump and don't have to suck in my stomach) and Tolar tells me that I have handled this pregnancy much better than my first. I think there is a compliment in there. I'm ready to meet our son and begin life as a family of four. It is so fun to feel him move, but a lot of his movements at this point really hurt so I'm ready for him to be in my arms instead of my belly.

I will admit, this past week it really hit me that we will be living with moving boxes and clutter and tons of baby stuff for a few months before our house is done. And it has already started to bother me. I'm a person who hates clutter and stuff just being there and that will be my reality until our house is built. I recognize this is a first world problem, but it bothers me nonetheless. I'm trying to prep myself for how life will be and focus on the positive: having a precious baby to snuggle.

Advice Received: Recently I've been seeking advice from friends on how to celebrate with Kendall while she is still our only child. It is so important to me that she not feel any less loved, because she isn't. We are just making room in our hearts for more, but I still want to celebrate her. She and I went to the salon to both get our hair cut, we took her to the circus as a family and have plans to do lots more outings with her. One sweet friend told me to ask Kendall for things she likes to do with mommy and write them down. We plan to do that this weekend and we will refer to the list even after brother arrives. I plan to make sure and spend one on one time with Kendall once the baby arrives (and I'm able) as much as I can.

Baby: The Ovia app tells me that he is the size of a Savoy Cabbage. He definitely feels HUGE and my belly has really popped in recent weeks. The app says he is around 18 inches and could weigh 5 pounds, but you can't completely trust the app. We will get another ultrasound at 37 weeks and will be able to get actual measurements on him then.

Movement: Oh this kid LOVES to move. He is constantly punching and kicking and scooting around inside the womb. Unfortunately, I've found myself up several times each night and he is constantly moving around even then. I'm sure we will have our hands full with this little one since he moves so much. He hangs out on the right side of my body almost exclusively and he also stays at the top of my bump. I wish he would move down some because I think I would feel a bit of relief (especially when I sit down or bend over).

Sleep: What's that? A full night's sleep is gone as I get up 2-3 times each night to use the bathroom and have to fully wake up in order to turn from side to side while I'm in bed. Turning over is seriously a full body workout! Two nights ago when I was up, I was a bit upset because I know my sleep will be interrupted once the baby is here. But I had a quick talk with myself and reminded myself that I'm just getting prepared for being up several times and that I need to keep looking to the positive. I'm bound and determined to find joy at 3 a.m. when I'm holding my precious son.

Food: I've not really had any specific cravings, but my most favorite things are lemonade and anything with buffalo hot sauce. I haven't bought lemonade concentrate to make at home in YEARS, but I've bought probably six cans in recent weeks. And if I'm at a restaurant and something on their menu includes chicken and buffalo sauce, then you better believe I'm ordering it. The Super Bowl is this weekend and I've already told my friends I'm making the Buffalo Chicken Dip!

Weight Gain: This isn't up to date as my last doctor's appointment was a few weeks ago (I actually have an appointment later today). At my last appointment I had gained 12.5 pounds total. I know I'm up several more as it is that time in your pregnancy where you basically gain a pound a week. My goal was 15-20 pounds to gain (with 15 being my ideal goal) and I'm still hopeful I will stay in that range.

Preparing for baby: My sister and two dear friends are throwing me a baby shower tomorrow, so I know after that I will feel much more prepared. There isn't a ton of preparation we can do since we won't have his nursery until we move. But we have the necessities already: clothes, diapers, wipes and bottles. And I have a ton of stuff that I saved from when Kendall was a baby.
We plan to use the rock and play for him to sleep in until he gets bigger. And I will set up the pack and play in the living room to use during the day for naps and changes.
One thing we do need to get is a car seat. We no longer have the infant carrier that we used when Kendall was a baby because she and I were in a car accident and we had to throw it away. That is on our list for the weekend as well.

Prayer Request: This is a biggie, but I'm trying to not worry about it. However, with my age (I'm 35) there are tons of risks and the chances for a stillbirth go up when you are 35 or older. Praise The Lord every other risk the doctors have talked to me about have been fine and I've had a very healthy pregnancy. But the thought is still in my mind. So I ask for you to pray for peace for me and for a very healthy and happy baby to born. I'm praying for complete protection over my son and for the delivery to be just as smooth as my first.

Bump progress: