Feeling like the baby is going to crawl out of me any minute!! Plus, check out my 35-week baby bump!

My husband thinks that my baby is about to crawl out of me any minute when he feels all her wiggly little movements that have intensified over the last several weeks. And I swear, if frequent movement from your baby means the baby is going to come early, then my baby is due any second! But of course, all this movement doesn’t mean the baby is almost here per se, we’re just getting down to the wire on pregnancy, so at 35 weeks, the living quarters for my little one have gotten quite cramped. And I feel every kick, summersault, elbow, and hiccup to the most intense level! Though I’ve been feeling the baby move since about 20 weeks or so, it gets weird when you literally feel like you can grab an elbow or a foot from the outside of your belly! FRRRREEEEAAKKKKKYYY!!!

If anything, it definitely makes the realization that a baby is in there and about to come out that much more real. Not that I haven’t grasped that concept yet (!!), but to some degree, in the early stages and for quite a while actually – at least for me – pregnancy is kind of a novelty. You get loads of attention from strangers, everyone is nicer to you than normal, you grow a cute baby bump, etc. The actual birth part seems like it’s light years in the future, because traditionally, 9 months seems like a really long time in the future. But it happens so fast it’s not even funny, and then here you are – 5 weeks before your baby is due and your reality is about to change forever. Or it could be in 3 weeks or 2 weeks if the baby really does decide to come early! O-M-G!

Preparing for baby

So to prepare for baby, I’ve been doing a couple things. Last night I purchased a bunch of travel sized toiletries that can go in my overnight bag for the hospital. I’ve got a list of things I need to put in a bag and have waiting by the door for when that fateful day comes! How I managed to spend $85 on travel sized toiletries at CVS, I’ll never know. I’ve got granola bars and Cheez-Its ready to stuff in my bag for snacking while I’m chillin’ at the hospital. I’ve got my reading material set aside and hmm…maybe a nice candle to make my labor and delivery room smell like home! I’ll also need to make a labor iPod playlist, and maybe bring my favorite DVD to pass the time – Twilight! Ha! I say all these things now, but I’m sure the experience won’t be as calm and serene as I’m imagining it to be. But a girl can only hope, right?

I’m also preparing for baby by organizing and washing the baby clothes I’ve received from my shower and hand-me-downs from my neighbor (which are practically brand new themselves!). I literally do not need another article of clothing for the baby, at least not for the next 6 months! The little chicki boom boom has more clothes than I do!! Her nursery looks like a cyclone hit it because I’ve got all her baby clothes in piles on the floor so I could count just how many items she has for each size group. And I seriously don’t think girlfriend needs 16 onesies to wear from 3-6 months. I mean, we have wash machines for a reason! Note to any friends or family who want to buy us a baby gift still – no more clothes please!! That is, unless they’re 6-9 months + and they’re weather appropriate for the time of year. One thing is for certain, Ms. Thang is going to be the most stylish baby around! Oh I cannot wait to dress her up in some of these ridiculous dresses I’ve received! Too cute for words!

Baby bump watch continues – week 35!

We’re getting to the point where I’m making Jeff take about 100 different pics of me until I land on the one I’ll use for the baby bump pic. I’m all; “Oh no, we need to take another one, I’m changing my outfit, that shirt made me look so huge.” As if it’s the shirts that make me look huge! I think it’s the ice cream. ANYWAY, according to Babycenter.com, the baby is over 18 inches long and weighs about 5 ¼ lbs! No wonder she doesn’t have much room to maneuver in the womb – she’s getting so big! Most of her basic physical development is complete; she’s just going to spend the next 5 weeks until birth turning into a chunky monkey.

As far as how I’m feeling; sleep has become like a chore to me now, as my sciatic nerve is making the nights almost unbearable. I cannot freaking wait to get passed this part. Lord have mercy, why does this nerve pain have to be centered squarely on my right butt cheek? I mean, when I ask my husband to massage the pain spot, he can’t take me seriously. So he ends up bringing on more pain by kneading the crap out of my butt (oops, no pun intended there!) and making me worse off than I was before his insensitivity “tried to help.” I told him the fact that he tries to give really crappy massages when I ask for his help — just so I won’t ask anymore — is really MESSED UP! Next time, he can carry the baby! Hmph!