35 week pics posted on day one of week 36...

I seriously cursed myself when i predicted that my blogging regularity would fall apart... 'cause it IMMEDIATELY did. Good news is, I am here with both an update AND some truly frightening belly pics. Joy! :)

The past month has also seen MANY babies born to loved family members (welcome to my new cousin Daxton, 1st boy of my cousin Amy... AND to my new beloved Adele, 2nd daughter of my bestie Rachel) and many friends (welcome Candice's Annabelle, Lea's Brody AND Melissa's Isabelle) whew what a fantastic list! I am sitting here trying to decide if I forgot a baby... it is a serious possibility, and yet my pregnant brain (resembling swiss cheese as it does with all the holes these days) makes it impossible to confirm. Suffice to say, I am filled with HUGE amounts of joy and excitement for each of these ladies and their new wee ones, and if I forgot one to them I say: I SEND YOU BABY LOVE TOO! What a fun month of baby excitement...

As to the squirmy lil dude I carry around all day: things are going well. He has developed a habit of shakin' me up with hiccups 1-3 times a day (distressing his father each time, which in turn makes me laugh maniacally.) At my 36 week appointment on Wednesday, they estimated his current weight at 6 lbs, 9 ounces... which would make his estimated birth weight in the upper 7's or low 8's. I am seriously hoping for the former, just for my sake when it comes to future children (who are generally larger, I am told.)

Hey! Before I chat too much, let's do this survey...

How far along? 36 weeks, holy moly!

Total weight gain/loss: I have OFFICIALLY passed the 30 lbs mark... by an extra 2 lbs. So, 32 pounds. WOOT WOOT.
Maternity clothes? I had planned on erasing this question entirely, and did in previous weeks... however there has been an update so here I am sharing about the clothing again. The belly is quite, well, low. As a result, even most of my darn MATERNITY shirts won't cover it completely, leaving a delightful little strip of bare white belly on display. This has gotten quite distressing, and has made dressing a bit of an adventure this past week.
Stretch marks? Awww yes... still only the 2 on the right hip, but the 4 on the left are expanding into quite a little mess o' red. We will see where this goes...
Sleep: Just save me the time of describing my frustration here by picturing a really angry and tired Michele face in your mind. Got it? Okay, that is my answer here.

Best moment this week: Realizing that after next week (or at most the week after) I would be TOTALLy happy with the Eagle making his appearance... and then totally freaking out over this fact as well.
Movement: He is so epically large that EVERY little movement makes giant quakes across my gut. Seriously. All things delightful except for when I am trying to sleep, and I am pretty sure that my laying down is his cue to LET THE ANTICS BEGIN!
Food cravings: This week... salads and fruit. Yum.
Labor Signs: My "Braxton Hicks" simply resemble cramps... specifically cramps in my thighs. They happen every now and then, but it is by no means regular.

Belly Button in or out? As I said to Eric the other night "Fred the Groundhog is out to play, nothing is holding him back anymore." Fred the Groundhog, you may have guessed, is what I have named our delightful new friend.
What I miss: SLEEP....sleeep....sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

What I am looking forward to: SLEEP! Oh wait, that probably won't happen again anytime soon... hmmm, I'll go with BE's impending arrival then. ;)
Weekly Wisdom: Sleep! (wait, have I talked about sleep at all? Let's talk about sleep some more...)

Milestones: I have reached the 9th month... WAHOOOOO!

Okay, about these pictures. There has been a new development in the positioning of this child, resulting in a distinctly new profile... it is more difficult to quite put your finger on in the first picture, but the up close belly shot tells the story. Just look at where Fred (the Groundhog) is pointing... I have turned into a strange and droopy flower. Oh and I also gave you the head-on shot of the gut, because that classic shot is almost as terrifying to me as the delightful alien-faced-baby ultrasound pictures we all have. :)