Doctor Appointment Update, etc.

Had my 34 week doctor appt this morning. Once again it was pretty routine and quick.

Baby's heart rate was in the high 140s today (and even though I've heard it about a million times, I still love hearing it at each visit). Last time she was in the low 130s. Nurse said it's perfectly normal for her to fluctuate just like we do, depending on how active she is. As long as we're above 120 and below 160 we're good.

In all so far, I've gained 31 lbs. I gained 1 lb between my last two appts (2 weeks), so I think the weight gain is starting to taper off (and that also means that most of it, if not all of it, is going to the baby at this point...which is good. She needs it more than I do, that's for sure!!). If I were a betting woman I'd say my total weight gain will be right around 35 lbs.

I am measuring exactly right for 34 weeks (for any of you who wonder what that means, basically the doctor measures your gut from top to bottom with a tape measure each visit to make sure you're growing appropriately, which in turn translates to the baby growing appropriately. I think at some point the centimeters = the number of weeks you are but I could be wrong about that). In the past week or so I have had several people tell me I'm "huge" and say things like "Bless your heart...you have 6 weeks to go? You're already so big." Hmm. I do feel like there's no way I can possibly get any bigger, but I'm sure this baby will prove me wrong!!

Matt and I went to the river yesterday and he ran while I went for a walk. It felt good to get out in the sunshine and get moving. I did get a lot of funny looks and people smiling at me. I don't think people mean anything by it, but anytime a stranger sees me, 9 times out of 10 their eyes go straight to my gut. I guess it is the biggest thing around (so big it blocks the sun like an eclipse as I walk by) so it's hard to avert your eyes. And, people love to talk to pregnant ladies. It's been a fun experience seeing how people react.

Anyway, back to the appointment. I asked the doctor how the baby is positioned and right now she is head down. The doctor said, "Keep your fingers crossed that she stays that way. We'll check her again at your next appointment and if she's head down at that time she'll most likely stay that way, but right now there's always a chance she could flip."

She still moves a lot but the movements are somewhat different than they used to be. I get lots of "rolls" and "jabs" rather than flutters. I guess she's too big to flutter. She's been all up in my ribs lately...I guess that's her feet!! She's trying to find room anywhere she can! But she makes mommy very uncomfortable sometimes. It's OK, though. Only a short time left to be uncomfortable.

Which also means there's only a short time left to take care of a bunch of things before she gets here. This week is pretty productive as far as that goes, though, so I feel good about where we are. We're meeting with our prospective pediatrician this week, and also going on a hospital tour of the Northside Women's Center, which is where I'll deliver. Matt's going to start working on the nursery this weekend (and hopefully our furniture will come soon). I'll post pictures when it's complete. I have another shower in a couple of weeks, which is exciting!! After that we'll hit Babies R Us and stock up on whatever essentials we'll need for her first few weeks at least.

Things are starting to come together! I probably have about 4 weeks left in the office before I start working from home -- just waiting to go into labor. I told my boss that probably the last place on Earth that I want to go into labor is the office (and I'm sure he feels the same way) so working from home is a good option for those last couple of weeks. Thank goodness for laptops.