37 Weeks Pregnant

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Feeling: No surprise, super tired. In the last couple weeks I've started passing on activities that take place in the afternoon and I'm starting to do the same for the mornings. I don't mind having people over, it's going places that drains me.

I've become even more of a nap dictator too- Gabriel will nap at home in his crib and no activities or plans are going to interfere with that. I try to be flexible most of the time with this but I'm at the point where I too need to nap or at least lay down in bed for an extended period of time in order to make it through the rest of the day. If Gabe falls asleep in the car right before nap, even if it's just for 10 minutes, his nap is ruined and therefore I no longer get the break I need too. 

Weight Gain: 22lbs

Belly Button In or Out: Totally out. My mom calls it my 'button.' You can see it sticking out under my clothes.

Wedding Rings on or off: STILL ON! I cannot believe it! Those sucker were off before 30 weeks When I was pregnant with Gabriel.  

Stretch Marks: None. Not surprised since I didn't get any with Gabriel but still nice considering the varicose- it's my 'bright side' with all this pregnancy stuff. Completely hereditary, I haven't been smearing anything on. 

Linea Nigra: Nope! This WAS a surprise to me! I guess I still have a couple weeks left to develop one but it seems unlikely. With Gabriel I had that crazy thing I believe near the beginning of the 3rd trimester or even by the end of the 2nd. Some have told me this means I am having a different gender baby (i.e. girl), we shall see! For those oh you who have no idea what I'm talking about is a super dark line that runs vertically up the center of your belly due to extra hormones. 

Exercise: Walking Gabriel to the playground at the elementary school and dumbbell routines is what I'm doing mostly right now. I'm trying to still do TurboFire but my hips started feeling a lot looser, down to 2-3 times a week compared to previous 5-6. 

Maternity Clothes: My maternity clothes from last pregnancy are still a little big on me. It's amazing how different my body is this time than last. This doesn't matter much when it comes to tops but many of my pants bag and sag. 

Nursery: Should probably work on buying a mattress... 

Movement: Baby moves a lot but typically gentle movements. So different than Gabriel! Gabriel was also hiccuping 99% of the time however this baby has only noticeably hiccuped twice. I do wish s/he drops some more so I can get lung space back!

Symptoms: I've been starting to cramp and getting some lower back pain. Still no Braxton Hicks or any type of contraction. I'm assuming I'm not really going to have any until after my water breaks like with Gabriel. I know it's not very common to have your water rupture completely before labor but this is how my mom had all us kids and that's how it went with Gabriel. I had some cramping and back pain from time to time the week or two before and just a couple contractions, but nothing else. Friends, it was right out of the movies how they tell you it never happens- stand up and BOOM! Water everywhere. Contractions came on about 2 hours later. 

Sleep: It has been really hard for me to fall asleep before midnight. I'm so tired all day but once everyone else falls asleep I can actually hear myself think and my mind begins to spin faster and faster. I'm started to try and focus on breathing techniques it slow my mind and calm the anxiousness and that has helped a little. 

Cravings: Just food in general but like how baby is taking up lung space, baby is also stealing my stomach space. My normal sized meals are currently settling like a Thanksgiving Day feast. 

What I Miss: Basically everything about not being pregnant. 

Best Moment This Week: Chris and I got to get out for a nice date. We snagged a fabulous Groupon deal for the Melting Pot so we got to enjoy that this week! We've been a couple times and have always enjoyed it but I've decided that fondue dinner (i.e. slow single bits) is too tantalizing for a super hungry pregnant woman! It was so hard waiting for each bite of food to cook in the pot! Meal aside, it was very special to have that time with Christopher. 

Looking Forward To: Having a baby in 0-5 weeks... 

Here's my post from week 37 during my first pregnancy if you're curious! 

{HERE}