Week 36

Sneak Peek of our Maternity photo shoot with the amazing, talented Brenda Flowers for

this week's update pictures!

I LOOK: Large and round. Andrew is still VERY high and so my tummy is directly under my boobs. Rockin' out with a super thick head of hair (which I've chosen to let grown a bit more than normal is the front in order to have a possible half-up ponytail for delivery) and nice nails. The dryness in my hands and feet continues. Stretch marks from two weeks ago are unchanged and I'm convinced that I won't have any swelling issues with this pregnancy. Total Weight Gain: +37 (this changes daily, so it isn't accurate).

I FEEL: Nine months pregnant. I could copy and paste from 34 weeks because things haven't changed much. I'm tired, but can't sleep. I'm hungry, but can't really eat a lot. I have a HUGE desire to go and go, but don't have the physical strength. My son is showing his stubbornness early and refuses to change positions and relieve the pressure on my ribs, lungs, or stomach.

• Baby Preparations: The nursery is 98% finished. Dave needs to finish the closet trim fix and put up the wall sticker with his name above the crib and we're done. I think we have pretty much everything taken care of for the first couple of weeks of life and only need a few other things to complete my list of "must have" and "good to have" items.
• Baby Movements: Lots of pushing and everything up high. It is pretty obvious now what is his head (hard and round) and what is his back (hard and long), but I'm not sure if I'm feeling his legs or arms with the rolling and pushing.
• Weird Pregnancy Symptom: Everything has been pretty much the same. I am not experiencing most of the symptoms that the Bump tells me I should be for this late in pregnancy (pelvic pressure, increased urination, etc) and again, I'm assuming it is because he's still breech.

I CRAVE: nothing much. Food and I aren't really friends at the moment (I've increased the Zantac to twice a day most days). The only thing that I know I want is thick juice. V8 Fushion Light and I have become good friends.

I THINK: I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to be a mom. Who knows if I really ever feel like I will be ready until he's here (and has been here for awhile). The whole breech thing has continued to spike my interest level and I've continued doing a lot of reading on the internet about causes, attempts to rotate the little guy, and possible side effects of his position. I've also read a LOT about c-sections and feel pretty confident either way.

I HOPE: No matter how he comes out he is healthy and happy. Selfishly, I hope he is also on the smaller side so he can wear all the adorable newborn clothes and shoes we have a bit longer :)

I'm EXCITED: to meet our son! I can't wait to see his Bennett nose, hold his tiny hands, and cuddle him tight. I've started dreaming about him and his arrival nightly (nothing too strange or out of the ordinary which I've heard is common).

DOCs SAY: Appointment tomorrow at 4:30 pm to check up on everything, including Breech status. Brenda spent a few hours today taking pictures of Dave, Andrew, and me. It was really fun to play around with the bump, cute shoes, bows, etc. Here are two--more to follow :)