36 Weeks

Development calendar says:

"I'm around 19 inches tall, weigh over 6 pounds and gain more than half an ounce each day!"

If that weight gain is close to correct, I am putting my guess in at right around 8 pounds for her birth weight. We will find out pretty soon....

I can't even believe how close we are. Going off of the 16th as the day they will induce me, we only have 20 more days to go. I guess it is possible that we have less than that, but I don't think I will go into labor early. I have made all the arrangements for my children to be tended, but I guess I should really pack a hospital bag just in case. I also need to teach Jason how to hand feed my baby cockatiels. I have 7 unweaned babies right now that he will have to care for while I spend a night or so in the hospital. That should prove to be interesting.

Marcella is quickly running out of room in my tummy. I am still measuring 41.5 inches around, which is the same as 4 weeks ago, but I know she is growing like a weed. When she is awake and moving my stomach rolls and twitches very visibly, and when I am in public I always wonder if anyone else notices.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I didn't think I ate TOO much, but apparently I was wrong. I was stuffed and uncomfortable for hours. There just is not a whole lot of room for food in there these days with all that baby.

34 Weeks

I finally did the 3D ultrasound on the 13th. It was amazing. It was estimated that she already weighs 5.83 pounds. That should put to rest any fears about inducing labor a week early. The whole experience was great. The entire session was burned to a DVD. In it you can see so many cute things. She had the hiccups half of the time, and once she gave a great big yawn. At one point it even looked like she was turning her head to try to suck on something that came near her face. What a sweet little doll. I cannot wait to mail the DVD to her mom and dad.

Look at those cheeks!

33 Weeks

Development calendar says:

"Baby is about 4.75 pounds and almost 18 inches tall. Her central nervous system is still maturing. Only 46 days to go."

I had to cancel my appointment for the 3D ultrasound last month because of a family event. I am rescheduled for this Saturday the 13th and I can't wait. At 34 weeks gestation, she should be fairly filled out and look almost the same as she will when she is born. Plus, they will be able to tell me a fairly accurate length and weight.

I cannot believe how close we are now. I need to pack a hospital bag, and I need to get with Margie and make sure all my phone numbers are updated just in case. I don't ever think about the what-ifs, but last week a friend of mine who was supposed to be due in January had her baby at 29 weeks gestation. The little girl is fine, but she was 3 pounds 2 ounces. That was a big eye opener.

If I am induced on Thursday the 16th, that means Jason will only have to take 1 day off of work. He is off on Fridays anyway, and since I can go home from the hospital and sleep as long as I want to, I should be fine to take care of my own kids by the following Monday.

My next OB check ups are November 15th and November 29th. After that I will be going in once a week until delivery.

32 Weeks

Development calendar says:

"Baby is nearly 17.2 inches tall and weighs a little over 4 pounds. Her skin is getting less wrinkled looking. Only 52 days left to go."

So at my OB check-up yesterday, Dr. Grose agreed we should induce labor on December 16th so that everyone could make travel plans ahead of time and we can all be home for Christmas. To be honest, I told him one of my biggest concerns with waiting to go into labor on my own was the distance between Mark & Margie and I and the amount of time it could take for them to get here on short notice. I think if they were delayed it would be very hard for me to spend a half a day in the hospital with Marcella before they arrive. I am prepared for this, but I am still human. I want them to be here when she is born so that everything is cut and dry the way it was meant to be. If that date works for mom and dad, this means we only have a little over 6 weeks to go!

I am having fun with this. I measured again today and my tummy is now 41.5 inches around. I feel good though. She is starting to drop down out of my ribs a bit and I can breath better and I am a lot more comfortable. I have, however, developed tendinitis in my right foot because of irritation from a small amount of water retention. I can't see the swelling looking at my foot, but I know the body starts to hoard fluids this late in the pregnancy to make up for what it will lose during delivery. I thought I had just pulled a muscle, so I didn't even see the doctor about it for almost 2 weeks. It is painful some days, but it isn't a huge deal. The doctor said to get an insole for my shoes that supports only the heel, and to make a point of relaxing and kicking my feet up a few times a day since I can't take anything for it. It is starting to feel better already.

My family dressed up as vampires last weekend for Halloween. It was funny because I kept getting comments from people saying 'I don't think that is how vampires reproduce. The second most common comment was 'oh boy, you are getting close, aren't you?'. I don't know how to answer that one. How close is close? I still have a month and a half to go.