34 Weeks (!?!)

Weeks:  34

Baby:  Ava is doing great!  We actually cheated and scheduled an extremely random ultrasound at the last minute (went in this morning!)  We were just dying to see her again. :)  So I'm happy to announce the Ava is head-down and facing my back... which is ideal conditions for labor.  With any luck, she'll stay that way.  Here's a little photo of her great-looking, downward-facing head...

Weight:  156.4  (+21.1 lbs)   This week was a doozy, I gained 3 lbs in one week!  That's a record!  Hope it's not an indicator of the kind of gain I can expect during the next 6 more, or things could get pretty darn uncomfortable...

Maternity clothes?  Yes.  And I'm even bursting out of some of those.  If only the weather would cool down, I could switch over to my roomier Fall stuff.

Stretch marks?  Still debatable.

Favorite moment of the week: No huge highlights this last week.  It was very busy for me... in fact I'd say I over-committed a bit.  So to be honest, my favorite part was probably grocery shopping on Saturday.  I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I manage to come in under budget and get everything we need for the week ahead.

Miss anything?  My general joint comfort (more detail below.)  I definitely miss that!

Movement:  Yes!  She lets me know regularly that she's in there and doing well, Praise God!

Cravings?  Ice is the most major one.  Otherwise I feel like my eating preferences are pretty normal for me.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  No :)

Gender:   GIRL!  I can say it confidently since we checked for the third time today, haha!

Labor signs:  Seems like the Braxton Hicks have slowed down a bit.  I don't know why that would be, but I've definitely felt them less these last two weeks since my last update.

Symptoms:  Lawdy Lawdy... my poor sacro-coccygeal region!  (We have my brainy husband to thank for that term.)  Basically I am referring to the area just to the left of my tailbone, which randomly protests with shooting pains whenever I have the audacity to put weight on my left leg, make any remotely sudden movements, or try to lie down.  Most of the time my walk looks more like a limp, which is just sooo glamorous.  Other than that, heartburn.

Belly button in or out?  Out!  I think outies are cute. :)

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Mood:  Wooooeee, don't ask!  (Of course, I think my pregnancy woes are only partly to blame.  The other half of the equation has to do with blogging stresses such as finding an affordable supplier for my 2015 calendar, finding a way to sell it online that doesn't completely eat up whatever margin of profit I might be able to squeak out... and server issues making my site un-reachable about half the time.)

Looking forward to:  Having the calendar finished before Ava is born!  (See what I did there?  The power of positive thinking.)  Also our babymoon getaway in two weekends. :)

Freak-out moment of the week: Today might just take the cake.  Elsa had a very "2-year-old" morning where she did not want to do ANYthing if mommy and daddy were the ones suggesting it, and the circumstances with my blog certainly did not help my mood.

Thankful for: Chris having today off work!  It allowed us the special time to go in for Ava's spur-of-the-moment ultrasound.  And although Elsa really struggled during every other part of the day... she was quite well-behaved and enthralled during the actual ultrasound and got to see Baby Ava and hear her heartbeat, which was very special.