38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks, 1 day

How big is baby? His unofficial fruit size is a pumpkin.

Total weight gain: 25 pounds – yes, if you’ve been following along that does mean I gained 4 pounds last week. Not really sure how that happened, but I’m actually rather proud of myself because I don’t gain weight easily.

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Exercise? Nope. I applaud women who can exercise until the end of pregnancy – and I’m also not sure how they manage to do it. Normal walking without falling on my face is an effort …and let’s be really honest, it’s definitely a waddle at this point.

Sleep: No changes since last week – sleep is elusive and uncomfortable.

Movement: His movements have slowed down this week, so I think he’s definitely running out of room in there. He’s not as active as frequently, but little man sure knows how to squirm when he wants to.

Food Oddities: I can’t really tell if my appetite has increased or if my stomach size has just significantly decreased, but I eat small amounts of food pretty much constantly these days. That may explain the 4 lb weight gain!

Symptoms: Oh my back. Oh my goodness. I’ve developed sciatic nerve pain in my lower back, which has been really painful. And let’s add my butt, pelvis, hips and lady bits to the “painful” category as well. Walking is uncomfortable; standing is excruciating; sitting depends entirely on the chair. (Strangely enough, the most comfortable chair for me right now is actually my chair at work.)

What people are saying:

People keep asking me how long I am going to work or (annoyingly) why I’m still at work and my response is generally, “I’m uncomfortable regardless so I’d rather be productive than sit home and stare at the walls.”

And, of course, given my small size everyone is commenting on the size of my belly. I love my big ‘ol watermelon belly despite the pain it’s causing me right now :)

Sweet Moments:
My husband is so supportive and helpful. We’ve been trying to get our cramped quarters organized and ready for baby, and he has just been fantastic. Literally letting me sit down and direct the operation while he does all the heavy lifting and moving. He even rearranged the dresser drawers without a single complaint when I decided I wanted the clothes and blankets in a different order.

Make room for baby: We finally found a rocker! I am so excited about our new chair!! It was a great deal and exactly what I was looking for. It was delivered on Tuesday and I am just in love with it. Big thanks to my mom for researching rockers in Greenville so that I knew what to look for here in Atlanta.

In other news, we also finally got his room organized this week. So happy about that! It now looks tidy and put together; the only things left to do are to hang the curtains and his Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star sign. 

Miss Anything? Haha…Mike took my car to get gas the other night. When I left for work the next morning, I realized I couldn’t bend down and adjust the seat. I had to actually get out of the car to do it. Definitely still missing the lack of effort it normally takes to do everyday things.

Looking forward to: My brother’s wedding! Very excited for that this weekend! (I’m doing this post early since there won’t be time this weekend.)

Worst moment this week: Decorating the Christmas tree. Sorry to sound like Scrooge, but putting ornaments on the tree at 37 weeks was an exercise in pain tolerance and patience. But it looks very pretty now :)

Best moment this week: Getting his room organized and ready to go. Now I feel ready!