33 Weeks

This update is coming several days late because I've had a busy week! Last Wednesday my parents arrived from Missouri--they'd driven cross-country to Seattle to go on an Alaskan Cruise. Thursday I spent the day in Seattle with my parents and my sister's family, who was also going on the Alaskan Cruise. My brother, Shawn, and I took them them around Pike Place Market, showed them Seattle's "famous" gum wall and we had dinner at Pike Brewery--I had fish and chips. Yum! Oh, how I longed to enjoy a beer there. Just a few more weeks. :P

My niece, Gabrielle, and I at the Gum Wall

 The cruise ship left on Friday morning and by Friday afternoon Mike and I were on our way up north to my sister-in-law's mom's (got that?) lake house. We love going up there--gorgeous scenery, kayaking, theater room, ping pong, indoor pool, loads of food and good company. Unfortunately it rained the entire weekend so we spent most of our time downstairs in the theater room. When we were getting ready to leave I realized that it would be our last time up there. The closer we get to moving to Alabama the sadder I get at the thought of leaving the beautiful Pacific Northwest...and my brother. Sigh. I hope we made the right decision.

Mike's brother and girlfriend are visiting this week and they leave on Friday. My family gets back from their cruise on Friday and will be down at our house next weekend to visit. It's going to be busy, busy! After that we don't have any more visits or trips planned. We plan to rest and finish last minute things for the baby--oh and take the L&D tour, of course.

Now...bump date time! Isn't Lake Cavanaugh beautiful? I feel like it looks like I'm standing in front of one of those cheesy Wal-Mart photo studio backdrops.

How big is baby?















Symptoms: Stretch marks on my breasts, hips and butt. Calf cramps. Persistently swollen and sore ankles and feet. Fatigue extremely easily--long naps are becoming more frequent.  Heartburn. Hemorrhoids (ugh.) Stretch marks on my belly have started as well. I'm not sure if my hips are spreading or my ass is just getting bigger because I can't fit in a lot of the shorts that I've had no problem getting into this entire pregnancy.
Total Weight Loss/Gain: +35
Maternity Clothes: Yup.
Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty well, considering my size, but it's getting more and more uncomfortable. I can no longer roll from side to side in my sleep--it wakes me up every time.
Best Moment This Week:
Gender: GIRL!!!!
Movement: I feel her all the time in there and I love feeling her wiggle. Except when she tries to straighten her legs and stretch me sideways! I love feeling her hiccups.
Food Cravings: Salted caramel ice cream from Husky Deli in Seattle. To.die.for.
Labor Signs: None.
Belly Button In or Out? Almost an outie at this point.
What I miss: Beer and having energy. Grocery shopping kicks my ass these days and it bugs me.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting her. I can't wait to smell her and cuddle her.
Next Appointment: 13 July
Milestones: She's the size of a durian fruit (what?!) She weighs about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. And she may grow up to a full inch this week -- amazing. She's keeping her eyes open while awake.
She's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.
Her bones are hardening. And she going through (more) major brain development -- that's one smart baby!