Feeling a little bit pregnant...35 weeks and 4 days.

How far along? 35 weeks and 4 days

Weight gain? 36ish lbs.

Stretch marks? Nope.  It amazes me that there aren't any, my belly is huge.

Sleep:  It feels like there is never enough of it.  And I do not know what the heck is up with Thor lately.  He has been getting up and waking me up starting at about 1am to 3am (if i'm lucky) every morning for the past 5 mornings or so.  He will come to the bed, breathe on me or lick my hand or my back until I wake up, and then whimper till I go downstairs with him and let him out.  Then he will repeat around 4 or 430am which is when I will usually get up for the day and we go for our walk. 

Best moment this week:  I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday and the doctor confirmed that Olivia is head down, my cervix has begun to soften and I'm 0 centimeters dialated and 0% effaced.  More than likely she will remain head down until her birthday because there is not much room left in there for a turnaround.  This was reassuring. 

Movement:  She is a wiggle worm, especially immediately following anytime I eat something.  She is also still much calmer in the mornings, and busier in the afternoons.  There have also been a couple of times when she was so active in the middle of the night I have a hard time falling back to sleep. 

Food commentary:  I've been getting really hungry and must eat RIGHT NOW lately, but it does not take much to fill me.  Anything and everything gives me heartburn at this point so I just deal with it. 

Labor Signs: Aside from getting BH contractions, nothing really new.  Lots of heavy weight feelings & pressure in my underbelly by the end of the day, but I'm pretty sure that's just a result of carrying baby around all day. 

Belly Button in or out? Out, however, my growing belly is finally starting to strech it out and make it a tad bit more discreet. 

What I miss: This week I miss not having heartburn, I miss being able to move quicker, I miss not being able to wear everything in my closet,  I miss not being exhausted at the end of the day from doing absolutely nothing, I miss wearing my wedding ring :(, and I miss being able to wear heels. 

What I am looking forward to: We have finally reached that point in the pregnancy where I'm not required to go to the doctor once a week until we are done.  I'm not so much looking forward to going to the doctor every week, but I am looking forward to being able to leave work early for the appointments once a week. 

Weekly Wisdom: Do a birth plan if you want to!!!  Don't feel like you have to listen to everyone who tells you, oh, I had a birthplan and it all went out of the window the minute I went into labor.  Or don't listen to the people who just plan on going into labor and just seeing how everything goes.  Yes, I know we are going to be required to be flexible if situations arise that are out of our control, but I refuse to allow the medical team to make decisions about my body & my babies body without having knowledge of all risks, pros and cons.  The only way we can really know all of that information is by going into L&D as knowledgeable as possible.  We have learned so much in our Bradley classes about situations that can arise, and how we will want to handle them should they happen to us.  Dave is aware of a lot of my hopes and wants for O's big day and he will be the big advocate of our birthplan when the time comes.  I plan on being a little bit busy, that's why I have appointed him :).   Luckily, I talked to my doctor at my last appointment about having a birthplan and she was all for it. 

Early on when I first started preparing for O's birth I read an example that has stuck with me the whole 9 months.  A mommy needs to approach her labor as though it were an athletic event, because in reality it is.  If you were told one day that in 9 months you would be thrown into the ocean and be required to swim such and such a distance, you would spend the next 9 months training and preparing for that event.  Similarly, when you find out that you are pregnant why wouldn't you prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for labor and delivery to bring your baby into the world?  Sorry if all of that sounds preachy, it just amazes/frightens me how little women in the United States know about giving birth and leave it all up to the doctors and nurses. 

Weekly WTF: My wedding rings no longer fits!  I'm heartbroken.  For a little while I truly believed I would be able to wear it the whole time.  I never ever take them off, but the other night before I went to bed I noticed my rings were a little snug.  So, I took them off to sleep and figured once the swelling from the day went down I would be able to put them back on in the morning.  No luck.  I feel naked without them. 

Nesting madness:  Moving along as usually.  There is always something to be done at home.  Because we are getting closer and closer to the due date, we will be staying home on the weekends much more.  After this coming weekend's planned visit to my parents in Harker Heights on Saturday I do not think we are going to be leaving town again until after Olivia is here. 

Milestones: We are almost in November which is baby's expected arrival month!!!  Please please please be a November baby!