Bumpdate: 36 Weeks and Full Circle

This blog post really feels like coming full circle to me. To those of you that have been reading since the beginning, you may recall that I started blogging shortly before Jackson was born. My first real post was my 36 week bumpdate. Jackson was born the following day. So, needless to say, I have been feeling slightly paranoid this entire week, and will feel so relieved once this Sunday has come and gone and baby is still safely baking away. While having a 36 weeker showed me that they can be born perfectly healthy with zero complications (which I am so incredibly thankful for every day), I also have a laundry list of things that I still need to get done and I am so NOT mentally prepared for our little guy quite yet. Between wrapping things up at work, getting as much accomplished for our house as possible, and hoping to have a maternity leave that doesn't end until after Jackson's 2nd birthday (which is when he is technically able to start at daycare based on their regulations), I really want this baby to stay put! I have joked that me being so paranoid will probably result in this little guy going a solid week overdue! Despite my discomforts, I would be totally okay with that :-) 

Despite being a believer in jinxing things, I thought it would be a little bit fun to recreate that first post for this blog. Don't even ask me how emotional I got when I compared pictures and realized that adorable, smiling little boy wearing Darth Vader jammies in the middle picture is what made up my baby bump in the bottom picture. Cue the crying emoji face. Time is such a thief, and I cannot believe that I will have another little man to squish and love up on in the coming month!

Me and Baby Boy #2

Me and my darling, precious Baby Boy #1 who loves taking bumpdate photos with his mama

Me and Baby Boy #1, with our very first chalkboard. Let's also take a moment to acknowledge the wonder a little bit of color can do, and just how 'Minnesota White' we truly get here in the winter! This mama cannot wait to get a little bit of a tan!

Baby Boy #1, all of 24 hours after we took our bumpdate photo

 

How far along? 36 weeks

Gender: Boy

Total weight gain: My scale is saying 29 pounds

Maternity clothes? Lots of maxi dress, maxi skirts, and yoga pants, like always. Definitely not investing in a single item that is maternity for the rest of this pregnancy, so whatever I have will have to do!

Stretch marks? I THINK there may be a tiny little one, between my belly button and where my old belly piercing hole is..it's actually a spot that when I am not pregnant is technically probably 'inside' my belly button, so I really can't tell for sure, it's one of those where I look at it from twenty different angles trying to figure out..

Belly button in or out: Out/flat on top, just barely in on the bottom. It doesn't poke out like the typical pregnancy belly button, but it is definitely just strange!

Sleep: Praise the Lord hallelujah Jackson has been staying in his bed almost every night for the past week until 5am or so, and if it is any indication of how sleep deprived I am from the past two years, 2 or 3 of those nights I did not wake up to pee. Not once. I have honestly had my first full night's sleep the past few days in as long as I can remember, and am actually feeling more tired! I think my body finally recognized what it needs and what it has been missing ;-)

Exercise: Mostly just walks this week. I am hoping if I feel up to it to maybe sneak in a run on the treadmill today, but we will see. So glad to be able to get outside though and enjoy a little exercise with my little guy on our walks.

Best moment this week: SLEEPING. You just never realize how much you will appreciate sleeping through the entire night until you never, ever, ever get to do it.

Miss Anything? My normal clothes. Especially as things are warming up, I so badly want to wear some of my cute t-shirts and tank tops, and I am dying to throw on my favorite jean shorts! And as always, I am counting down to when I get to enjoy a Mike's Hard Lemonade.

Movement: Yes, definitely more rolling, and the 'whole belly shaking' that is so creepy to watch. I have had multiple instances where he jabs super low and up in my ribs at the same time, which I assume means he must be getting in a good stretch, OR trying to bust out. Those ones take my breath away!

Food cravings: Still craving sugary cereals. Eating apples by the dozen. And give me all the Lemon Oreos.

Symptoms: Lower back pain. Just last night, I started having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions too, nothing painful or alarming, but definitely way more frequent, about every ten minutes or so..eager to see if that means anything has changed in terms of dilation at my appointment tomorrow. Happy to say insomnia is totally not on the list this week, though!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I have just had random bouts of nausea here and there for the past week or so. I think it is the worst if I go too long without eating or don't get enough protein. Nothing that has been lasting long or giving me too much trouble.

Labor Signs: Nope, and hoping with everything I have to do we keep it that way!

Wedding rings on or off? On. Most days I really don't feel like I am swollen at all, although some days my fingers are a bit puffier than others.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week, but a bit stressed out realizing how many things I need to try and get wrapped up at work before I go out on leave! 
Looking Forward To: Checking in on baby today, picking out a whole bunch of things for our house this afternoon, and seeing our siding on our house hopefully go up in the next week or so! 

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