Bluuuug

I'll be 34 weeks tomorrow, which is beyond awesome really.  I mean, 34 weeks?  That's "still have awhile to have your baby in you, but you're getting close to the end"!  I'm no longer worrying about premature labor so much.  It's still a possibility, but it's not as much a danger as it was (as in, she'd probably end up just fine if she came now with a bit of extra care at first).  According to the internet, she's probably somewhere between 4.5-5 lbs and around 18-20 inches long.  Sounds so little until I look at my stomach and think "there's a five pound human being living inside of me?" 

I should probably mention that I'm uncomfortable.  Like, not unbearably so (if I were, I don't know how I'd make it through the next ~6 weeks) but not where I was even a week ago.  I have a big head squished against my bladder half the day, and the other half I have a little butt and two teensy legs squeezing my stomach and making it nearly impossible to eat.  So I either get to eat but need to pee constantly, or I get some relief from the urinary pain and instead can't eat and sit here feeling hungry and listless and nauseous.  Granted, I could have far more/worse symptoms.  Yeah, I get some minor swelling and some cramping in my joints (didn't realize the front of my ankles could cramp) but all in all I'm pretty lucky.  Even when she's in a bad position for me, I can usually find a position where I can take a complete breath.  I am able to sleep at night, usually at least 6 hours which may not sound like much but reading pregnancy forums makes it sound like heaven compared to others who have it worse.  I really haven't gained any weight anywhere but my stomach and thighs, and for the most part while my torso area isn't comfy at all, the rest of me is doing okay.  Even my back, shoulders, feet and ankles have been relatively unscathed thus far.  No bad acne, reflux pretty under control with Tums, and I'm not 100% "stopped up" most days, which is great haha!  I've so far missed all the big, bad, common complications (gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, placenta previa) and, oh oh! my nails grow super fast and strong, and my hair looks woooonderful!  Seriously, I could keep this hair forever, it has NEVER looked this good!  I'm sure I'll be bald by Christmas :-P

The best part, of course, is that there's a healthy little baby girl growing inside, a little angel who kicks and moves and reminds me always of her presence.  Like I could forget :)  Every time I start to feel a little sorry for myself (the boys start fussing at each other, dinner's half cooked and I need to keep at it, a nesting project has gone awry, Nik late from work, etc), and oh the emotions can flow easily now, I just have to remember how lucky I am.  I had honestly come to a place where I thought we would never experience this, where I thought that I would never feel a child growing inside of me.  And really, I was at peace with it, even if I had my sad days.  But it happened.  And it's still happening.  I happened in the best way possible: natural pregnancy when we were ready for another child, no bed rest, no complications, healthy child, and here I am only a month and a half from delivery.  I get to feel her move and kick.  Unlike with my boys (oh, I wish I could have experienced this with my boys!) I've been with her from the start, felt her first flutters, felt her first kick, felt her turn over.  I am so lucky, and so in love!

Ooh, my food has arrived!  I'm not sure who these sudden and swiftly changing cravings are going to destroy sooner, me or Nik :)  The fast food industry must be loving me right now!