THIRTY-FIVE

 35 weeks down. 35 days to go.

 

Our sweet Ellie Bean weighs over 5 1/4 pounds and is at least 18 inches long. She's big enough now (aka: has completely taken over my belly) that she isn't rolling around and doing somersaults anymore. Although I do see her body parts moving across my belly quite frequently.
Her kidneys are now fully developed. This is great, great news. While we hope this has enabled her to rid her kidneys of the extra fluid, it would also be okay for them to remain their current size. We just don't want them increasing. Her liver can process waste (read: poo). She's pretty much done developing physically, other than continuing to fill out in the weight department. Grow Baby, grow! :)
 

How far along? 35 weeks

Baby's size? a coconut

Total weight gain: 27 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!

Sleep: Eh. I still wake up a lot. I toss and turn. I pee way more often than any human being should. However, it is what it is. It's not AWFUL. Speaking of sleeping, we have rearranged our room to accommodate Ellie's sleeping quarters. She'll sleep in a Rock n' Play next to our bed for the first couple of months.

Best moment(s) this past week: This weekend was the best! I celebrated my best friend's birthday Friday night. We looked at a couple of houses. I completely finished Christmas shopping. We went to two Christmas parties. It was an all around amazing weekend.

Miss Anything? Sleeping on my belly. Oh, and WINE, especially during the holiday season!

Movement: ALL the time. At dinner on Friday my friends were so fascinated by Ellie's hiccups. It was super cute. That was about all we were able to get our of her though. I swear, she gets shy for everyone other than mama and daddy. It's impossible to explain to someone that has never been pregnant. I can't wait for all these girls to have babies so they can feel what I feel - my little alien baby!

Cutest story ever.

Ellie is typically wide awake from 5-10pm. While she may take little power naps, it seems like she literally doesn't sleep during this time. On Tuesday my kids had their winter program performance during her prime time - 7pm. Not only was she freaking out during all the singing, she put on her own little performance on the way home. I had my hand on my belly as I was driving. She kicked my hand, nothing new. I moved it to another part of my belly. A few seconds later, she kicked it again! At first I thought it was coincidence. Nope. We continued to play this game back and forth for a few minutes. Everywhere I placed my hand, she'd kick it. It was soo cute. I couldn't stop laughing and crying at the same time. It couldn't have possibly been coincidence with the frequency.
 I really wish JP had been in the car with me to witness our sweet girl's game.

Yep. I played patty-cake with my daughter's feet while in the womb. A-mazing.

 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing new.

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I've been back on my cereal kick though.

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions come and go. I feel like I get them a little bit more frequently now.

Gender: GIRL!

Symptoms: Leg cramps, peeing, and my new favorite - heart burn. I've gotten it occasionally over the past month or two. However, I feel like I get it almost daily now. It's really annoying. Honestly though, I still love being pregnant, annoying symptoms and all. A lot of women start struggling around this time and I'm perfectly content with my little bean staying inside. Yes, I can't wait to meet her, snuggle, and kiss her all over. However, I'm not ready for her to make her big debut.

Belly Button in or out? It's streeeetching big time. It's beginning to look more and more nonexistent in my opinion.

Wedding rings on or off? on :)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and emotional. Things make me cry. Happy things, sad things, you name it. I'm just emotional.

Looking forward to: Lots of things. It's going to be a great week at work (celebrations, field trip, Secret Santa, early release Friday...). The two week winter break that begins at approximately 12:15 Friday afternoon. Yes, definitely looking forward to this and Christmas of course! :)
 

35 weeks: Mama

 Definitely not my favorite picture ever. Bipolar AZ weather = yoga pants and sweaters.
I feel like I officially have the large and in-charge look going on. Fabulous.
 

35 weeks: Ellie