34 week update

STATS:

How far along: 34 weeks
How big is baby: somewhere close to 4.75-5 pounds and almost 18 inches. He's the size of a butternut squash.
Total Weight gain: uhhhh....at my 32 week appt. I had gained 30 pounds. So probably at this point I've gained 32-33.

 Maternity Clothes: Yep. And some of the maternity clothes seem to be getting smaller. Uh-oh!
 Wedding Ring: I can still wear it. 2 weeks ago I had some swelling in my feet at the end of the day. I didn't have any last week or since then. I am very thankful because I know at this point in the pregnancy a lot of women have really bad swelling. As soon as I get home after work, I try to elevate my feet. I also drink A LOT of water throughout the day which is supposed to eliminate/reduce swelling. I think it's working.

 Stretch Marks: It's hard to see everything lately with this growing belly. It's possible they are there. Probably on my thighs.

Sleep: Sleep has been really good lately. Again, I'm very thankful for this because at this point in the pregnancy it's usually back to the nightly bathroom trips. I changed my routine so I'm drinking most of my water during the day. After dinner, I try to stop drinking water except for little sips. Most nights I am able to sleep through the night without waking up at all to go to the bathroom. Whoohoo!

Best moment of the week: I've had a lot of women tell me recently that I look really good. One of my favorite complements is "You don't even look pregnant from behind." These complements are coming at the perfect time, because I became self-conscious and started worrying about my weight a lot when the doctor told me I was gaining too much at the last appointment. Whatever....Korean women are sticks. I'm gonna gain more than them and I'm okay with that!

Food cravings: No. I am trying to stay away from eating so much dessert/sweets to keep my weight in check.

Food aversions: The usual culprit- onions.

Symptoms: Really bad heartburn! Pretty much anything causes it lately. I'm trying to sit upright longer after dinner but all I want to do is lay down because my back hurts and I can't get comfortable. I've had pain in my upper back- mainly around the left shoulder blade for about the past 2 months. I know it's because of the way I am sleeping somehow but I can't figure out which position I'm sleeping in is causing it. One thing I noticed that always gives me heartburn is oats. It gets really bad after I eat oatmeal so I stopped eating oatmeal. We bought some plain cheerios the other day and I noticed it really bad after that. Last night I had a bowl of granola cereal with oats and again, bad heartburn. But like I said, almost anything causes it. I'm very thankful for a friend of mine here who was able to get me a bottle of Tums (they are not really sold in Korea).


Movement: Lots of movement still. I've noticed that he is responding more to noises outside. When Taylor plays the guitar and sings or gets really close to my belly and starts talking, the baby starts moving a lot. Last week we had a really sweet moment where Taylor put his hands on my belly and started praying for the baby. He started moving around like crazy! I guess it was his little way of saying "Amen" to those prayers.

Gender: Boy- and yes we have a name for him.
What I’m looking forward to: No more back pain and heavy belly.

What I miss: family

 What I'm thankful for: I'm thankful that in just a few months we will be moving out of this noisy apartment. The entire time we've lived here we've had really noisy neighbors above that stomp through their apartment at really late hours. Not only do we hear the guy directly above us but his nextdoor neighboor as well. Don't even ask me how it's possible; his apartment isn't directly above us but HE IS LOUD. Right now I hear a dog barking loudly somewhere below us I think. Ughhh!

Next appt: Monday, May 25. This will be my last appointment with the doctor. After that, I will be switching to the midwife that will deliver our baby.

What is baby doing this week? The baby acts like a newborn closing his eyes when sleeping and opening them when awake. His fingernails are already at the end of the fingertips. He is developing immunities to fight mild infections. He can also recognize and respond to songs that are repeatedly played.