Week 36

Hello all and Welcome to Week 36!

I guess this makes me 9 months pregnant, or at least a few days shy of that official mark. I am due in 36 days, November 29th. As far as my physical body is concerned the actual birth day can’t come soon enough. In terms of everything else I can afford to wait the 4 weeks or so. I feel a little like Jabba the Hut. When I’m down I stay there for a long time and it takes a huge effort for me to move. My couch just sucks me in. Eric called me a Weeble the other day. All of these analogies work. Pregnant women are funny. Our bodies are completely taken over by this alien growing inside us and we don’t mind. In fact, we find it exciting, even though our daily activities are dramatically altered by this unknown being in the bulging belly. My abdomen is a rock. If only it was this solid when I wasn’t pregnant! Eric is amazed daily by the hardness of my belly. It may give me the motivation to do some sit-ups after the baby is born. Probably not, but who knows.

I was speaking to my mom last night about how long it takes me to walk home now (about 36 minutes, just so you know) and how much it bothers me. In my head, pregnancy is a small issue and I should be able to overcome the physical limitations. Logically I know that I have to take it easier and that I shouldn’t be discouraged about how long it takes me to get places. But in my head I know how long it used to take me (22 minutes) and I feel that I should be able to still make that pace. I would actually rather take a 15-20 minute walk after I get home because I have no time or distance pressures being generated from my own head. It doesn’t make sense logically, but it makes sense to my ego. Some days I can get over it. Yesterday was not one of those days. Yesterday I didn’t get much sleep and was awoken by the worst Charlie Horse of my life. It brought tears to my eyes, my ears started ringing and I saw stars. My calf was sore all day and when it came to moving around my pelvis screamed out every time I took a step or tried to get comfortable. I was very happy that a co-worker offered to drive me home otherwise I would have probably taken a cab. Even with the ride I got home at the same time I would have had I walked. I need to get over this time thing and soon because, let’s face it, walking around with a baby I’m not going to be winning any time trials.

Everything continues to be going well. I have gained 25 pounds so far, which is completely normal. I was freaked out about gaining 6 pounds in 2 weeks, but the baby probably went through a growth spurt and I haven’t been shying away from the Halloween candy that has been lurking in my house and office. Generally speaking I eat healthy, but there is something about a tiny Snickers bar that calls my name and sings in my ear. Not a big deal, but I think I did my part in the 6 pound gain this last time.

Eric surprised me earlier this week by putting all of these weekly messages on a blog website. So if you ever want to go back and read previous weeks emails without the hassle of looking through your inboxes, you can now just go to the blog. Here’s the link: http://desireesbabyupdates.blogspot.com/
You can also reach Eric’s website and blog from my page as well. Let me know if you have any issues.

Now for the fun stuff: the baby is considered full term at this point and it looks completely developed. The soft, fuzzy hairs that once covered the body begin to disappear. The baby continues to add fat layers, which will help it stay warm once it leaves the womb. During these last weeks the baby has developed sleeping patterns, and it often has very little to do with night and day! The baby weighs in about 5 pounds, 10 ounces and stretches to around 12 inches from crown to rump. Weekly rendering are below.

Love,
Desiree