37 weeks

How far along are you?: 37 weeks - ready when you are, baby! 

Baby is: somewhere around 6 pounds and somewhere around 19 inches

Movement: baby's movements seem to be happening less, which leads me to worry sometimes, but just as I start to notice and think about it and sit down to count kicks, he/she picks right back up! Definitely head down, this little one's bum and back are always showing themselves across the middle of my stomach and I can feel feet up near my ribs while there are hands punching on my bladder! Constantly getting the hiccups and constantly moving when I lay down at night. Can't wait to watch these little kicks from the outside! 

Weight gain: At my appointment last week I was very surprised to see I hadn't gained any weight since the appointment before at 34 weeks, in which I hadn't gained any weight since the appointment before that either, at 32 weeks! So I'm still clocking in at 146, having gained an overall 24 pounds. I have no idea how I managed to hit a plateau in weight gaining since the baby is still growing and my nap time chocolate snack hasn't gone anywhere, but I'll take it! Happy to see I'll be ending this pregnancy around the same weight as I did with the others. 

Stretch marks?: I think I've been able to avoid too many new ones thus far, which would make sense considering I'm about as big now as I was when Ezra arrived, so my stomach hasn't had to stretch much more than before, but it's been itching like crazy for the last week so I'm assuming there are some new ones forming, though really, you'll probably never be able to tell amongst the crazy that already existed! Constantly putting on lotion and praying they stay away ;) 

Maternity clothes?: AND Stephen's shirts! Several of my maternity shirts only conceal my belly if I keep my arms down, but my kiddos rarely let me stay too still ;) so this big belly is constantly poking out the bottom. 

Currently craving: sweets! Chocolate (in any form!), ice cream and sugary cereal like Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Also, bread! Good, soft, white bread! Thai food still really hits the spot, too! But really, all of these things are things I eat and crave regularly so not much has changed ;) 

Aversions?: I was able to make pizza without gagging at the smell of the sauce! So that's an improvement! The smell of salsa still gets to me and I'm not a fan of cleaning out the leftovers but I don't think those are exclusive to pregnancy ;)

Sleep: sleep has been really come and go the last few weeks. I've been in a lot of pain recently and it's been preventing me from falling asleep at night - there's just no getting comfortable or easing it. Or I'll be able to get comfortable enough to fall asleep ok, but then I wake up several times and struggle to fall back and stay asleep. Still making at least one bathroom break a night doesn't help with that. Regardless, I still wake up tired and not quite ready to start my day, though I can make it to bedtime without napping so I'm calling it a win! 

Feeling: so very ready! And that's easy to say, I know that when the time finally comes I will be feeling all sorts of unprepared, but for now, I'm feeling ready ;) Not just physically - anxiously awaiting the day I can stand up, walk and sleep without feeling pain! - but emotionally. I feel like I have been thinking about and planning on this babe being here and apart of our lives for so long that it feels almost odd that it hasn't happened yet! He/she should be here already! 

Working on: those final to-do list items! I got a huge nesting urge around 34 weeks (I remember getting one at the exact same time with Ezra, too!) but it's been a few weeks since and all that cleaning could stand to be done again ;) I was able to sneak quite a few "missions" in while my mother-in-law was visiting last week (hair cut, Target run, dentist appointment...) and I have a few things left to get done that I plan on recruiting my parents' help with over the next couple weeks (thanks for coming so early mom and dad!) 

Thinking about & anticipating: we are still going back and forth on middle names and while I would love to pair it down before this baby is born, it might just have to be a wait and see sort of thing! We are also in the midst of ranking our fellowship programs, which isn't exclusively baby related, but trying to decide were to go for the next 3-5 years while dealing with pregnancy hormones is no easy task! Our rank list is due shortly after baby's due date and we will match in the first week of December, so yeah, you could say we're thinking about and anticipating that...! Also thinking about this babe's birth date! My doctor gave us the option of getting induced somewhere in my 39th week. I know a lot of people are against this but after being induced with Uriah and set to be induced with Ezra, I'm honestly all for it! Ha! Baby is getting bigger, I'm not, it's running out of room... so long as the baby is healthy, I'm not against getting him/her here sooner rather than later! My 39th week, though, hits right at Halloween and I do not want a Halloween baby! So we're discussing dates and ideas and still hoping he/she decides to show up before that ;) 

Recent baby purchase: burp cloths. Exciting right?! Though there are still several things I'm convinced this babe "needs", I think we're all set to bring him/her home! There are also several things on my "purchase before baby arrives" list I'm wanting to get for myself... But that wasn't the question ;) 

What are you most looking forward to?: finding out the gender of this baby!! How has that not been my response every single update?! The closer we are to finding out the more I change my mind! And the more anxious I get! It's honestly been really hard and not a lot of fun to not know and as of right now, if we have a fourth, I'd say we won't be waiting again! But maybe that delivery room surprise will be well worth the wait and I'll be glad we did this! I guess we'll see! 

Favorite moment this week?: I could tell you my least favorite moment since my last update! We went into my 36 week appointment sort of expecting to discover I was dilated a little. We had to do the strep B test and my doctor had said at 34 weeks that he'd like to check my progress. I was dilated to a 2 with both Uriah and Ezra this far along and I have been having so many (and painful!) contractions and cramping, I just assumed it would have been doing even a little bit of work! ...nothing. Not a thing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Closed and tight and no sign of baby coming anytime soon. Which is good! I know! And totally normally and ok. I just assumed...! And would have loved to know that all of this unpleasantness was doing something to get us in the right direction. Sigh. I realize I could go from a 0 to 10 in a matter of hours, especially with this being my third, so not being dilated at 36 weeks doesn't mean this baby is hanging out until it's due date, but it was defeating to hear nonetheless. Stephen, however, was thrilled because he was leaving the following day for his final away interview and neither of us wanted anything to happen while he was away (or before 37 weeks!) but still...! My real favorite moment this week happened just a couple of minutes ago when my parents walked through my door (with a bag of groceries no less!) So happy to have them in town!