weekly baby bumpdate / 34 weeks

I wonder what the weather in Canta Loupe is like this time of year. 

It sounds beautiful and exotic and most importantly, warm.

34 WEEK INTERVIEW

How far along?

34 weeks and 6 days!

Baby's size?

At 34 weeks, baby is the size of a cantaloupe! (I've been loving these things lately) Measuring in at about 17 and 3/4 inches long and 4 and 3/4 pounds!

Days until next doc appointment?

8 days (:

Total weight gain?

28.6 pounds

Maternity clothes?

Some of you who are friends with either Jason or I on Facebook may have seen him post this lil dilly of a conversation we had earlier this week. But I wanted to share it again here and share the suspenseful ending to the story that was never seen online:

Scene: 

It was Valentines Day. We were about to head out to do some errands, and both pairs of my maternity leggings were in the wash. And it was just one of those days where I didn't feel like wearing a long skirt (with leggings underneath because Minnesota). So I pulled out my slouchiest, most "boyfriendish" pair of jeans that I own from my closet. I hadn't worn them since I was about 20 or so weeks pregnant, so I knew from the last time I had worn them that they wouldn't be able to button. But I figured if they still at least fit my legs and butt that that would be good enough for me because I could wear a long tank top and jacket to cover my offending unbuttoned and unzipped pants.

And ladies, we've all been there. Don't deny that you do the skinny pants dance every time you try to get a pair of tight jeans on. *Pointing* Ah! Ah! I'm sensing denial! You know you do it!

Halfway through my skinny pants dance Jason says,

"I don't think you're going to get those on"

To which I, in greater knowledge of my own posterior, said,

"Oh, I can wiggle my way into them! You don't know what my butt is capable of!"

Of course he just laughed at me after that.

So what is the suspenseful ending to my predicament with a pair of pre-pregnacy jeans?

What is the plot twist?

Well, I got the jeans on. And they weren't even stretch jeans, so I feel pretty accomplished about that. But they were a little tight around the tops of my legs and my husband's truck has the whole "closer to Heaven" thing going on and I really didn't want to be hopping in to his truck in a parking lot somewhere and split my pants. 

So I wore a skirt instead.

Also, I officially cannot zip up my Winter jacket anymore. No mas! Now I get to wear all of Jason's jackets which are both way too big and way too comfortable and smell way too good and he says I look cute in them. 

I love that guy. (:

Stretch marks?

Nope!

Sleep:

So, I've had to stop wearing my belly band to bed. It was helping me sleep better by reducing hip pain because it would squeeze my hips together. (Which when you're pregnant feels stinking awesome.) Without wearing it at night, it would feel like I was falling apart into a puddle of mush akin only that to a Life Alert commercial or the Wicked Witch of the West when coming in contact with water. 

But then after about a week or so of sleeping with it on, I started waking up in the middle of the night each night which I've come to discover was likely meralgia paresthetica. Or in English, I was waking up in a lot of stinking pain. It can be caused by a variety of things, but in my case it would have been caused by pregnancy and tight clothing (read: the belly band). Basically the weight of my belly along with the tightness of the belly band (even though I never wore it really tight), combined with having to sleep on my side was causing me to wake up feeling like my hip had gone completely asleep. But instead of "pins and needles" as I carefully rolled over to my other side, it felt more like knives and fire. Every night it happened, I cried out out loud in pain because it really did hurt that bad. Ever since I quit wearing it at night, I haven't had that problem. But now my hips ache some at night again and I feel like I've fallen and can't get up. Or like I'm melting. 

Best moment this week:

Spending time with Jason and working on projects together (: He's a lot of fun (:

Food cravings:

Adventures in pregnancy cravings part III:

I had a blueberry muffin for a snack.

Jason had a piece of pumpkin pie. Immediately following the slice of pie, he ate a pickle.

I'm not sure why any of this surprises me anymore.

Part I.

Part II.

Anything make you queasy or sick?

(insta @marlyssamarie)

Reasons to live in Minnesota:

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Movement:

The baby gets hiccups almost every day now! (: Soon before I go to bed each night I feel the same rhythmic pulse of hiccups happening near my right hip. (: I can even see the pulsing from the hiccups too! Oh, and this kid is well learned in yoga. By that I mean stretching. And seeing to which limit my rib cage can flex.

Have you started to show yet?

Yep! And none of my shirts fit anymore to show for it haha.

Missing anything?

Not having to change outfits five times because a shirt is either too tight or too short and my belly shows out the bottom. What may fit fine one week is too tight or too short the next. It's always an adventure.

Gender:

Baby is going to be a surprise. (:

Labor signs?

Sometimes I get sharp pains that I think could be the start of Braxton Hicks contractions but I really have no idea because, well, I would have no idea since this is my first time going through this. Haha

Belly button:

As of last night, dare I say it? I think my belly button is officially flat! The lower half still just barely dips if I run my finger across it, but by all matters of appearances, it. is. flat.

Wedding rings on or off?

Still on all the time! My skeletor hands really come in handy for this.
Haha. Handy.

Happy or moody most of the time?

Happy!

Weekly symptoms:

Very itchy bumps on my legs and arms, can't really bend over to pick things up (squats all day especially when our more mischievous cat finds pleasure in life by knocking one thing off a table at a time for me to bend over and pick up only for her to knock off again thirty seconds later, repeat: all day), lots of pee trips, hip pain, acid reflux, foot pain, back pain, leg cramps, aversion to smells, meralgia paresthetica, Braxton Hicks contractions (?), lots of pressure in my belly 

Looking forward to:

Finishing the closet shelves for the nursery and making some crates for the bookcases in the nursery (: I'm also finishing up the last of my "bigger" sewing projects this week and I'm hoping to make more artwork for the nursery too!

These sewing projects over the last several weeks have really helped me increase my skill with sewing. I've been sewing since I was very young, but I guess my skill set never truly increased beyond sewing straight seams. (Think curtain panels, pillow cases, etc.) But I've learned so much from making all these things for the baby that I am honestly starting to get in to the idea of quilting! Ah! I have no idea what I'm doing with any of that stuff, and I know this wouldn't be something I would start on until who knows when after the baby is born, but the idea of it excites me. Before, it felt like something I'd never be able to do. Now, it feels doable. It's just kind of neat to me how branching out of my comfort zone a little bit has paid off and I've been able to learn so much!
...A little voice in my head tells me I should really apply this to other areas of my life too haha.

I am also looking forward to going on walks/jogs with the baby. We got our jogging stroller in the mail this week and I love it! I'll have to get used to pushing around such a monstrosity of a stroller (it's huge!), but I can't get over how awesome it is. We live about 1/4 of a mile from the lake "beach", which will be perfect for walks and jogs with baby this Spring and Summer. And I can't wait for that warmer weather!

Would you like to see more?
Check out my other "bumpdates" below!

PREVIOUS BABY BUMPDATES

/ pregnancy announcement / 12 & 13 weeks / 14 weeks / 15 weeks /

/ 16 weeks / how we told my parents about baby / 17 weeks /

/  how we told Jason's parents about baby / 18 weeks / pregnancy announcement cards / 

/ 19 weeks / 20 weeks / baby is a...surprise! / 21 weeks / 22 weeks / 23 weeks / 

/ 24 weeks / 25 weeks / 26 weeks / 27 weeks / 28 weeks & babymoon /
/ 29 weeks / 30 weeks / 31 weeks / 32 weeks / 33 weeks /