35 Weeks: What's New...

Due date: November 21st - five weeks away! Doctor's appointments will start becoming a weekly occurence now as we get closer to d-day.

Weight gain: 0 pounds (16 total pregnancy). Had a bit of a scare this morning when my doctor thought he was measuring small, but after an ultrasound at Bergan it showed he is quite the opposite and growing just fine (check out the details here).

Baby developments: Lil Mango is now the size of a honeydew - from here on out his growth is mostly in the plumping up department. I found out today at our doctor's appointment that he is weighing in at about 6lbs 1oz - so he's a BIG boy - my online source states he should be around 5lbs at this point and is over 18 inches long. Most of his basic physical development is complete - he will spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Also, according to my appointment this moring, this little guy has started to drop and will only continue to do so as we get through these next few weeks. He's completely head down in preparation for birth.

Cravings: Blueberry Morning cereal, water, Powerade Zero, sandwiches (Subway, Jimmy John's, etc). I had fresh pineapple last week at my MIL's house and it was so good...I've been craving it all week and finally picked some up this weekend. Nick & I finished it between last night and today so I picked up another today. Yum!

Aversions: nothing to note

Symptoms: cramping, a few cases of heartburn (although I can't pinpoint what it's from), frequent urination, Braxton Hicks. This weekend was extremely busy at work - 12+ hour days Thursday & Friday and full days Saturday and Sunday resulted in some cramping and round ligament pain just while walking the casino floor.

I'm also starting to become a big more emotional....this was evident in my little break down this morning, but I'm also finding that I tear up at the littlest things - a song on the radio, a commercial on TV....just about anything.

Sleep: continues to be good. I've still been getting to bed later than normal, but sleeping through the night really well. It's starting to get more uncomfortable, so I'm working the pillows and placement.

I am loving: spending more time with Nick. As much as it's hard that online poker is gone, I have been enjoying going with Nick to work at least 3 days a week and spending our nights at home. This past weekend he went with our group to Iowa City for the Hawkeye game and was going to leave straight from there and drive to Chicago for a week for poker tournaments. Late last week, he decided he wasn't going to Chicago - he is getting more nervous that little man could come any day now and said he wants to make sure he's here....just in case. While I want him to be able to get out and make some money when it presents itself, I'm happy he's thinking about our family and I know he is so excited for Cruz to get here.

One of our gifts that arrived last week was his pompesan from Barbara & Steve Amundson - I put it together today and it's so cute. I know Tessa used this with all of her kids and it helped put them to sleep and keep them relaxed. I can't wait until Cruz can try it out.

Pompesan Chair

I am looking forward to: the Omaha baby shower this week, hosted by the Manganaro/Gardner girls and my girlfriend, Patricia. Plus, Shauna is coming up from Kearney with three MAJOR packages - the chair for the nursery, the bedding AND the car seat that mom & the girls got us at last week's baby shower.

I'm spazzing about: the fact that little man could arrive any time - and while we are in the safe zone now - it's a bit scary....and so exciting. I had mentioned last week that Marcy made it a bit more real when she reminded us that Sicily had arrived 4 1/2 weeks early. Then this weekend I was talking to two women at the same time and both had early arrivals - one 6 weeks early and the other 5 1/2 weeks early. Nick & I were talking about it last night - he has a feeling Cruzer will arrive right on time and for some reason I have a hunch he may arrive early (although not weeks early, more like days).

Best moment this week: we had our hospital tour which was very helpful and reassuring...I think Nick is now feeling better about knowing where to go and what to do when I go into labor. My favorite part was learning about the "big rooms" - evidently if you're expecting a lot of family & friends, you can request a "big room" when you check in. The big room has a double bed, a pull out couch, multiple chairs and just more space - we are definitely requesting this when we go in....cross your fingers!

Movement: crazy movement from this little guy. It was great to see him in the ultrasound today and finally find out that it has been his foot giving me all that trouble up near my rib cage - he is a kicker, that's for sure. It was also pretty amazing to see one of his lungs contracting and his heart beating.

Milestones: 5 short weeks remaining - he could be here any time, but let's hope its much closer to his due date!

It's a...: boy! I feel like EVERYONE was asking about the pregnancy this weekend, some customers I've seen sporadically over the past few months hadn't even realized I was preggo, so there were many questions. It's a boy, 6 weeks left, Cruz Nicholas, feeling great.....those were the words out of my mouth all weekend.

Exercise: has been any walking or movement I could fit in this week. I didn't have a specific workout but I was at work early all week and seemed to work late each night and walked around the casino floor a lot. I need to get back into regular walking....I think that can only help. Plus I want to get back into a workout routine, so it's not too difficult after Cruz gets here.

Diet: has been a good mixture of fruit, sandwiches and sweets - I've also been drinking a TON more water and other liquids.

Goals for the upcoming week: we are going to the New Parent Class tomorrow which both Nick & I are excited about - this is the one class we wanted to be in from the beginning because how in the world do we know what we are doing with a little baby. I'm also hoping that after the shower on Sunday, I will be able to get in and organize the nursery. I completely cleaned and organized it from the first shower today - it feels good to have that done.

I also started my hospital checklist and have a bag started! I want to finish that as much as possible over the next week...just in case. I'm going to wash up a couple of his sleepers and NB and 0-3 month outfits as well as some of the receiving blankets to pack them for the hospital.

Belly shot:


35 Week Belly Bump