35 Weeks

5 weeks left to go! It’s nice to be at the point where I can count the remaining weeks on one hand!  Although 5 weeks seems like a long time away, I try to think back 5 weeks ago to 30 weeks, and that doesn’t seem like so long ago.  So, I know that these next 5 weeks are going to fly by!

Since we have made it to 35 weeks, if Michael chooses to come early, he will not have to be in the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit).  After enduring these many weeks of pregnancy, I would hate to have to leave Michael at the hospital in the NICU after he’s born.  I want to bring him home with me—his mommy! J

On Monday night, Mom came over and helped me organize the nursery.  I had been looking in the room and was getting overwhelmed with where I was going to store all of Michael’s things!  So, my mom came over to help.  We organized the nursery and the hall bathroom.  My previously NYC themed bathroom has now been taken over by rubber duckies, hooded towels, and baby wash and I think it’s great!

I introduced all of Michael’s new toys and outfits to our curious pup so he wouldn’t feel left out. J He politely stands beside me and I’ll hold out each outfit or toy to him and he’ll give it a quick sniff of approval.  I thought it would be difficult to make him understand that the baby will have separate toys than he does, but he’s doing pretty well!  He doesn’t try to take the baby’s toys—although I’m sure when Michael is a toddler, I will find his and Akuna’s toys all mixed up together! J

On Wednesday night, my church family gave me a baby shower!  Everyone got a yarn necklace with a toy pacifier on it, and if you said the word baby then the person who heard you say it got to take your necklace.  The person with the most necklaces at the end of the night would win!  I totally lost that game.  It’s hard not to say baby when I’m continually thinking (or getting kicked by) my little one! J Then, we passed around a baby bottle filled with m&ms, and we had to guess how many were in the bottle.  I guessed 225 and there were 254 m&ms in the bottle, so I won and got to keep the bottle!  Next, we had to look at eight jars of baby food (sans labels) and try to guess what flavor each of them was.  We were not allowed to open the jars to taste or smell them—we had to guess the flavor solely on looking at the colors.  I got four out of eight correct because I mixed up carrots and sweet potatoes, and applesauce and pears.  At the end of the night, the labels were taped on appropriately, and I got to bring the jars home and stick them in our pantry for Michael to use several months down the road! J  We snacked on sausage balls, chips & dip, fresh fruit, pimiento cheese sandwich triangles, and pigs in a blanket.  The punch was one of my favorites—lime sherbet with 7-up.  Mrs. Kim made a fabulous cake, and I got to keep the rubber duckies for Michael to have for bath toys!

I opened presents after we finished eating.  Once again, I am a very blessed mom-to-be.  Baby stuff Is just too cute, and I got a lot of practical gifts as well.  It was a very nice shower and I am very thankful to have such a great church family.

When Aaron and I got home from that shower, I immediately got to work at putting away all of the new items.  I didn’t want to be overwhelmed again, and I didn’t want to mess up the organized nursery! J It felt great to get everything put away and ready for Michael.

I think our next organizing project will be our bedroom.  For the first few months, Michael will sleep in a cradle that Aaron’s great-grandfather made.  We already have an area set up beside the bed for the cradle to fit into.  I have moved a piece of wicker furniture from Michael’s nursery into my bedroom so I can store diapers, wipes, diaper-cream, etc for the mid-night diapers changes we will experience.  Aaron and I are going to organize and straighten up the rest of our room this weekend.  We know that life happens and laundry explodes, but we intend to start out with a clean room! J

Here are my belly pictures this week:

You can see the wicker shelf that houses diapers, wipes, diaper-cream, etc.





Michael's cradle will go about where I'm standing.

You can see my hospital-bag to the right of the shelf.  I am attempting to finish packing it today!

This Week:

-Most of Michael’s development from here on out will be packing on the baby pounds

-As Michael settles into the head-down position, his movements will become less jerky since he has less space to move around.

-Instead of kicks and punches, Michael is more likely to make his presence known by stretching, wiggling, and rolling.

-He is accumulating an extra layer of fat, and this will be seen by his cute little elbow dimples and knee dimples!

-Little Baby P.’s liver is now processing his waste products. 

-Little Michael weighs about 5 and a half pounds and is a little over 18 inches long, which is the size of a COSTCO sheetcake:

(Photo credit: theflyingpig.com)



Yum!

 

My Craves:

-Melon & pineapple. (Watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, & pineapple spears were all on sale at Winn-Dixie.  I felt like I hit the jackpot!)

-Milk.  We were out of milk at our house for several days and I developed such a huge milk craving!  We have since restocked our fridge and I drank two glasses the next morning at breakfast!

-S’mores.  I made s’more brownies the other night in order to alleviate two cravings—the craving to eat a s’more and the craving to bake something. 

-Ice cold water. A wonderful remedy for swollen ankles and feet.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up on our pregnancy happenings of the week!  Sorry the blog was delayed—this Mom-to-be is increasingly tired these days! J It’s not to much longer now until I’ll get to meet my sweet little boy and share pictured with you!  Until then, pictures of my belly will have to suffice. J  Love, Reba