Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks + Another Baby Shower!

Hello, hello everyone!  It has been a busy week so far, so I apologize for getting this post up late.  I feel like I have something going on every night this week.  Things are just hectic!  That's what happens so close to spring break, though, I guess.

Well, it's time for another pregnancy update!  I wanted to wait until today to give you the up-to-date weight total and everything after yesterday's doctor's appointment.  So, let's get to it!

Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks (and 3 days)

Baby Bump progress: 

Baby's Size? a honeydew melon! Around 6 pounds and 18-19 inches long.

What's happening this week?  

• Liver, kidneys, circulatory, and immune systems are pretty much in working order
• Baby is getting close to be able to breathe on his/her own!
• The skin is getting smooth and soft, and gums are rigid

Total weight gain/loss: 28.6 pounds total since my first doctor's visit.  I was happy to see I gained just under 2 pounds in the last two weeks (unlike the 5 pounds from the last two weeks!  yikes!)

Stretch marks?: no new ones!  I'm continuing to put the cocoa butter on regularly.  I feel like the baby is growing a lot faster than before, so I don't want anything new to start forming this close to the end!

Sleep: still waking up a few times a night to change positions, but I'm still able to get back to sleep.  Monday night was the first time that I woke up having to pee so bad that it hurt!

Best moment this week: having all of my visitors!  Mom was here from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law were in town for a few hours on Saturday, and my friend Kristie was here all day Saturday!  So much fun to get to see everyone :)

Miss anything?: having plenty of clothing options to wear (I should probably go buy some more maternity tops...I only have 2!), alcohol, not being able to sit how I want--legs straight out/propped up is not the way I like to sit!

Movement: Still lots of moving in there!  The movements aren't as sudden--just more of a push or a slow roll.  I guess that's because Baby Fish is getting bigger and there isn't as much room for him/her in there!

Food cravings: nothing in particular!  I ate good while my mom was here (we went out for dinner each night, which was fun)

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!  Still doing well with that, though my acid reflux is back after a brief break for a week

Gender: We'll find out when Baby Fish is born :)

Labor Signs: nothing specific, but I do think that Baby Fish is slowly starting to drop.  I've noticed he/she is sitting just slightly lower than before.  That's normally, though, since I'm less than 4 weeks from the due date!

Symptoms:

• Swollen feet/ankles LIKE WHOA--it's been pretty bad this week!
• Feeling tired/out of breath very easily
• Some acid reflux (not as bad, but more frequent)
• Being really, really hungry
• Having trouble getting up from sitting on something that's low (my car, the couch, etc.)

Belly Button in or out? still in, but it's really flattening out!  I have a deep belly button, so seeing it this small is kind of freaking me out!

Wedding rings on or off? on, but getting tight!

Happy or Moody?: Pretty happy most of the time, but I do get very easily annoyed!

Funny moments this week: This week, I've really started to have to prop my feet up at work.  I think the funniest thing is when one of my office mates walked in on Thursday and saw me sitting like that.  I explained to her that I was having ankle swelling and that I knew sitting here with my feet propped up looked bad, and she said, "Girl, you are 8 months pregnant!  If anyone comes in and has a problem with it, I'll handle it for you!"  It cracked me up.  Luckily everyone is being super understanding and empathetic, so I'll just keep sitting with my feet propped up!

Looking forward to: doing some baby shopping soon to pick up the rest of the necessities!  Oh, and meeting Baby Fish!

Exercise this week: After getting in a workout on Monday and feeling great about it, I thought I would work out more.  Yeah....not so much.  I think the only things I did this week was take a walk on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday.  Hey, that's better than nothing, but I really do want to get back into my normal workout routine!  I'm hoping to make it to a BodyPump Express class on Thursday, which will be nice to get back to.

Baby Fish Feature: Another Baby Shower!

I'll be honest--I NEVER expected to have this many showers thrown in Baby Fish's honor!  The amount of love that people have shown us over the last few months is just so overwhelming!  I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart (and I know Joe does, too!).

This past weekend, my mom and sister-in-law came in to town to throw me a baby shower!  While I knew it was happening and who all was invited, I didn't know anything else!  Katherine (my sister-in-law) thought having a Dr. Seuss theme would be a great, and she pulled it off wonderfully!

We started off by eating and chatting.  There were lots of people there from different aspects of my life, so the first game we played was a perfect ice-breaker!  It involved this set of cards that you read and the last person with the set wins.   The cards said things like "pass to the person with the most kids" and "pass to the person who first yells 'baby'".  It'd never seen that before, but we all had a lot of fun playing that game!

Next up, everyone decorated bibs!  To make it a game, when everyone finished, I chose my "favorite" one!

They were all so cute--it was hard to choose!

Of course, there were presents to open.  We received lots of things we needed for Baby Fish, including some cute outfits, books, nursery items, and baby medicines!

And before the shower ended, I had to get a picture with my friends there who are also pregnant!

Then, Ashley and I took this "chest bump" picture.  It's one of my favorites!  Haha!

I had a great time at the shower, and I was so thankful to have everyone there.  I am also so grateful to all the work that Katherine and my mom put in to throwing the shower!  It was such a nice time and I really enjoyed every minute of it :)

Meanwhile, Joe and his friends were having a "Diapers and Beer' party!  Needless to say, he had a fun time with the guys, and we wound up with lots of diapers!  Thanks, boys!

Question for you: What's your favorite baby shower game?  Have you ever heard of a "Diapers and Beer" party?