34 Weeks!!

We are officially at 34 weeks and one day as I write this.  Baby Hoffman is about 4.75 pounds (about the weight of a canteloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.  Dang!  Hard to believe there is that much of him all curled up inside me. 

I haven't been writing a post for each appointment I've had lately--and there have been quite a few of them since I am seeing Dr. Stempel and seeing the Andaluz midwives concurrently.  I also got in two visits with Dr. Dramov, my naturopath whom I had not seen in at least a couple of years.  My plan is to catch up on posts starting next week, when I become a woman of leisure.  Okay, okay, when I start my maternity leave.  :)  I only feel slightly guilty about leaving work five weeks before the baby's due date.  Part of me is feeling like he might arrive a couple of weeks early, and I would really like to have some time at home to prepare.  It's kind of funny to say that since I have been "ready" for him for so long.  But now that it's getting down to the last few weeks, I find that there are so many things to do to get ready for his arrival.  And one of those things is me--the mama.  I need to prepare (or try to prepare) myself mentally for labor so that I can go into it feeling like I am in the best space possible.

For a quick update on how we are doing: we have his carseat (installed!), his crib and dresser/changing table (both unassembled), the crib mattress (still in plastic it came in), a slightly used glider rocker and ottoman (ready and waiting in the nursery), and a mountain of gift bags overflowing with sweet baby clothes and assorted gifts.  :)  I'd say we're doing all right.

This week I need to order his first set of cloth diapers and covers and get a couple of diaper changing pads and covers (one for upstairs and one for downstairs).  I also need to go shopping for a couple of nursing bras or tank tops.  If anybody has favorites or suggestions, I am open to them!

Mentally / emotionally my biggest challenge right now is feeling like I am not gaining enough weight.  The most I have gained thus far in the pregnancy has been 10 pounds, and Dr. Stempel has said that it's fine because the baby has been measuring appropriately at all of my checkups.  But the three midwives I've seen all think I need to gain more . . . especially since last Thursday when I was weighed and found to have lost four pounds in about a week.  I think maybe the problem is that I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, but they don't have a lot of calories.  And now that our little guy is putting on weight in preparation to join us in the outside world, he is taking more than before. 

It's been stressful, but today I tried eating all day even when I wasn't hungry in the least--when I was in fact, still full from my last snack/meal.  My stomach feels stretched super tight, but the crampiness I've been having off and on since Saturday has gotten better.  Maybe more calories has helped . . . the french fries I got on my way home from work definitely tasted good! 

More on this later--and I'll keep you posted on how much weight we put on between now and our little one's birthday.

<3