Yolande

Thirty Five Weeks

Since I usually write these weekly posts on Sundays, I can say that today is my 35/35. Not sure what that means? It's the really sweet day in your pregnancy when you have completed 35 weeks and have 35 days to go. Pretty cool, huh? I can't believe I'm here already/finally.



Must be the fact that my pants are lower than usual or something, but it looks like my belly dropped a bit and is more round on bottom now? I dunno.

And I don't think I've shown a full frontal shot before:)

At least I can see a hint of ab muscles up there?

This past week has definitely been one of the most eventful weeks in my pregnancy complete with abnormally high blood pressure out of nowhere, bedrest, peeing in jugs the size of milk containers, startling numbers on the scale, lots of unplanned time off from work, and two baby showers in one day. See? Doesn't it make you tired just to read about my week? Me, too. I need another nap.

Let's talk about a few of those events, shall we?

Blood pressure: I only worked for a few hours on Thursday before my pressure went up to the 'goal' point of 140/90. Then on Saturday I worked all day and it hovered right around that point all day, sometimes testing a little lower and a few times it was a couple of points higher. I lasted 6.5 hours that day and then required a 2 hour nap afterward, which I guess is a success? On Sunday I was scheduled for a full day but my nice coworkers let me leave after 4 hours. The numbers started off very high for my BP (higher than my goal for sure) but then simmered down to below the red line...so I'm not sure what to make of that day as a whole.

I can't help but wonder if I'll make it at my job for the remaining 5 weeks. My boss has said they will be flexible with me and if I need to drop down my hours, they will try to accommodate that. I just hope my pressures stay about like they are and don't spike up again and if I can hold them to this point it should be okay. If these mediocre numbers are a precursor for worse things to happen then I'm certain I won't make it until the end. Why do I have to work on my feet all day, walking/bending/pushing/pulling and talking until I'm blue in the face? Right about now I'm wishing for a comfy desk chair and a computer job but I'm sure that would get old in no time, so I'll just do my best while I can.

Showers: yes, we had TWO in one day. One thrown by Nate's PT school classmates and one thrown by my co-workers at the hospital. Both were so much fun and it left us with that familiar 'humbled and overwhelmed' feeling of gratitude. We feel the love, for sure. Baby boy got some amazing gifts and we ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed celebrating with friends outside the confines of work and school. There's always something special about removing yourself from those four walls that can be stressful and hassled, then seeing each other 'in the real world' and realizing that socializing is fun! And talking about a newborn baby is even more fun! Have I mentioned that I cannot freaking wait?

I'm sure it's because of my little scare this week but labor & delivery is seeming REALLY close these days. My initial reaction to the idea he might arrive earlier than planned was one of panic for many reasons, but mostly I felt like I had so much more to do to prepare for mister man. But honestly, all that is left on 'The List' are little piddly things like : installing the car seat, doing a final load of baby clothes laundry, packing a hospital bag, and buying some nursing bra/tank supplies. That doesn't mean you can pop out any time soon, Carlos, but if that HAD to happen I'm sure we'd manage just fine. I guess that's one of the perks of being Type-A and ahead of the game, huh?

I've definitely been more tired lately and it's getting to the point where I've reverted back to my first-tri ways of daily naps. But this time, I'm sleeping a lot worse during the night so it's somewhat justified. The other night I got up twice to pee (which is a lot for me!) and could not fall back asleep either time. I was just too uncomfortable and had too many thoughts running through my mind. I finally decided to get up and start the day at 5 am, which scared the crap out of Nate because he thought something was wrong with me. No, of course not, honey--isn't it totally normal to organize baby gifts at 5 am? :)

As far as baby blueberry Carlos goes, he is packing on the el bees right with his momma, and is expected to gain a half a pound for each remaining week, probably tipping the scales at 5.5 pounds or so at this point. He might not grow much more in length but will add a lot more fat in the rest of his time incubating. Another fun fact? His testicles should be headed south this week, descending to the outside of his little body. Growing up so fast, aren't we, baby boy?

So I'm pretty pumped for this upcoming week, mostly because on Monday I have my maternity pictures with the one and only Andrea followed by lunch with her and Erin, followed by another OB appointment (I hope she's still happy with me!). I work the rest of the week after that but I will not work another weekend until after my maternity leave is over....do you know how amazing that feels? I usually work about 7 weekend dates in a 4 month period so to have NONE on the horizon until June or so feels like a huge gift. Just working normal hours during the week? Whatever will I do with myself (oh, who am I kidding---we all know I'll be napping, reading and doing low-key projects as able).

At 35 weeks, the back cover for my pregnancy album is looking pretty darn good. (It already has 108 pages, too, don't worry). Care to peek?

Only 5 more weeks....give or take! Eek!