35 weeks

Yesterday I reached 35 weeks! The baby is about 5 1/4 lbs and 18 inches long, about the size of a honeydew melon. I'm almost a month away from my due date of January 17th, which is simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. It's terrifying because David and I still have so much stuff that we need and I have so many things that I still want/need to do before the baby comes. It's exhilarating because I am so ready to be done being pregnant. I'm sure I'll be eating my words in about a month when I think, "Why did I ever want her to come out? All I had to do was take care of me and my body took care of her, and I didn't really have to do a darn thing." I noticed last night that my feet were a little swollen. Curses! I had hoped to avoid that. I sat with my feet up at work all day today in an attempt to prevent them from swelling again. I'm considering wearing my mary jane crocs to work tomorrow; I defy anyone who's not carrying around an extra 30 lbs to stop me. :)

Here are some 35-week pictures for your enjoyment:

 

 Overall, I think I've had a fairly easy pregnancy. I still have four weeks to go, and I suppose that all sorts of complications and additional discomforts could appear between now and then, but it really hasn't been that bad. Reading about all of the things that could go wrong or the symptoms that I could have, I consider myself fortunate. I've never thrown up or had heartburn; I didn't develop terrible acne or seriously unruly hair (although it is a lot thicker). My legs and feet cramp and twitch, I can't sleep at night, and my shoulders ache, but I can deal with those.

David and I have our list of possible names narrowed down to four. We want to wait until we meet the baby to pick one to see which one fits the best. In the meantime, David has come up with a nickname for the baby: he calls her Baby Bug (say bug with an "ah" sound in the middle). I like it. :)

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season, and that you are all enjoying spending time with family and friends. I just hope I can stay awake long enough to enjoy that, too. :)