36 Weeks

This week was a great week! I finished packing up my classroom and studied ocean animals with my 2nd graders.  Kannon and Clark had their PreK graduation on Monday and a field trip on Friday.  They went to a planetarium and butterfly house and Clark is really convinced that "they took a rocketship to outer space".  To be 4 again :)  

My cousin Sarah flew in for the weekend and we had a blast kicking back, swimming, and shopping.  The weather was crazy and we woke up to tornado warnings and lightning on Sunday morning.  In fact there was a tornado just 3 miles from our house!  

We had a home visit with our midwife on Thursday. Baby is great but is still transverse (lying sideways).  I've been doing all sorts of exercises to get this baby to turn!! I think he finally turned but I will confirm next week.

Week: 36 weeks 5 days

Estimated baby size: romaine lettuce
Total Weight Gain: +23 pounds 
Symptoms:
THIRSTY. Hip pain, restless nights, LOTS OF MOVEMENT, emotional ups and downs,TIRED!!!
Cravings: Water!! I'm so thirsty!

What is baby doing? Head: Your baby is probably in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery, and the head may be dropping lower into your pelvis.

Uterus: Your Braxton Hicks contractions may be a little more frequent now.

35 weeks

Saturday we celebrated Mother's Day with my mom.  We had a lovely lunch at the Kemah Boardwalk and got frozen yogurt. YUM!

Sunday, Dale and the boys SPOILED me with coffee and breakfast in bed!  Dale took the kids out for a few hours so I could get a nap in.  After a nice hot shower and bath, the boys came home with a beautiful gift--a locket in the shape of a book with two pictures inside.  I felt so loved!!  I couldn't decide if I wanted burgers or Indian for dinner but decided burgers would be easier.  We went to Bernie's Burger Bus and I felt like I won the food lottery because their special for the night was Indian style burgers! Ha! Best of all worlds!

With only a few weeks of school left, I have been letting my students explore the OCEAN! We have had so much fun learning about different ocean animals each day.  This is what teaching should be everyday! They have had so much fun researching, writing, and learning more about ocean animals.  Letting them have independence to create their ocean projects has also allowed me time to pack my classroom--which is bittersweet. 

Thursday, was Teach for America's Alumni Induction.  It was very inspiring to connect with friends I haven't seen in a while and learn about the work that has been done across Houston. The boys also came and had fun dancing to the music!

9 more days of school.  Baby can arrive anywhere between the next 2-6 weeks.  We are officially in the final countdown!

35 weeks w/Quinn

                                                                35 Weeks w/Kannon

Week: 35 weeks 5 days
Estimated baby size: winter melon
Total Weight Gain: +20 pounds 
Symptoms:
THIRSTY. Hip pain, restless nights, LOTS OF MOVEMENT, emotional ups and downs!!!
Cravings: CHOCOLATE!!! Seriously, it is an uncontrollable urge!

What is baby doing? Amniotic fluid: The amount of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby has peaked and will start to diminish now.

Fat: Your baby will spend the next few weeks putting on weight at the rate of about an ounce a day.

34 Weeks

 Epic playground at the stadium!

 Home-run! The train is moving!

We started off the week with an Astros game! We had so much fun! The boys love going to Minute Maid field, especially when there is a home-run and the train goes!

We have 13 days of school left!!!  EEK!!! This week was IOWA testing which was exhausting! My poor students had hours of testing everyday this week, by Friday we were all zombies!  I have started packing up my classroom and have printed and laid out everything I need to teach for the next 13 days.  

I had a midwife appointment on Tuesday and we went over final details as we approach the end of my pregnancy.  We filed the birth certificate information, ordered a birth kit, and are finalizing a list of supplies for baby.  I spoke with the midwife about my fears of being overdue as Kannon and Clark were both overdue (Clark was almost 2 weeks late!). But she reassured me that there are lots of options that they will try before recommending a hospital-induction, so I felt a great sense of relief!  Baby is measuring great but the little sucker is laying sideways right now which explains my EXTREME back-pain right now!  My midwife gave me some exercises to encourage baby to flip.  Our next appointment will be at HOME! She will be coming to our house to make sure we have all the supplies we need and do the final lab work.  This pregnancy has just flown by! 

Week: 34 weeks 5 days
Estimated baby size: cantaloupe
Total Weight Gain: +20 pounds 
Symptoms:
THIRSTY. Hip pain, restless nights, LOTS OF MOVEMENT, emotional ups and downs!!!
Cravings: Clementines, black beans, milk, cereal.

What is baby doing? Fat: Your baby's layers of fat are filling out. She'll need them to regulate her body temperature once she's born.

Lungs: Your baby's lungs are well developed now. About 99 percent of babies born at this stage can survive outside the womb, and most have no major long-term problems.

33 Weeks

In Sedona, Dale is FREEZING because its 42 degrees....me, I'm sweating!

Dale and I headed to Phoenix, AZ for a kid-less trip to a friend's wedding.  I am so glad we took the trip because it was the first time in 3 years that Dale and I got some quality (AKA more than one-night) away from the boys.  We had so much fun!!!  

We stayed at my Aunt Leah's house and were greeted with delicious steaks and fresh veggies from her garden.  We stayed up late and made smores over a patio fire.  Saturday, we slept in, had breakfast, took a nap, and ate at a cute pub called, Spoke and Wheel.  We went to the wedding in Gilbert, AZ (about an hour from my aunt's) and it was beautiful!  Sunday, we woke up early and drove to Sedona, AZ.  Dale had never been there before and I really wanted him to see the beautiful red rocks.  We drove up Oak Creek Canyon (where I have many childhood memories of swimming and hiking) and into Flagstaff, AZ (my birthplace!!).  We ate at Flagstaff Brewing Company and got the best cup of coffee at Flagstaff Coffee Company. The weather was very cold--poor Dale froze to death while my pregnant self continued to sweat buckets even at 42 degrees! Sunday, we watched "The Substitute" with my aunt and uncle and visited.  Monday, we slept in, said goodbye and headed out for one more kid-free lunch at Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Heritage Square.  The pizza was so GOOD!!!!  We had enough time before our flight, so we decided to see "50 Shades of Grey" before heading to airport.  The movie was terrible.  I loved the books but the movie was a horrible, chopped up version, that skipped some of the best parts of the book--oh well.  We had such a nice time, talking (uninterrupted) and sleeping (again, uninterrupted!) and it was the perfect little baby-moon before #3 arrives.  Oddly enough, we realized on our trip that the last time we had a kid-free weekend like this was in Phoenix in June 2011 when I was doing institute for Teach For America. Go Phoenix! 

 My Aunt Leah and I

 There was fresh SNOW in Flagstaff!!!

 At the top of Oak Creek Canyon, about 12 miles from Flagstaff.

 From Sedona, AZ

 Melissa and Paul's wedding, her dress was stunning!!

Getting bigger every day!!! Wedding attire :)

Work this week was mainly busy getting ready for Iowa Test of Basic Skills testing for next week.  I did have a chance to observe at my new school, Parker, and was so impressed!!!!  It is going to be such a different environment from Wesley and I couldn't be more excited to make the transition!! 

Pregnancy this week is back to normal.  I've been monitoring my blood pressure with the school nurse and it is back to normal again!  I'm feeling really uncomfortable now, especially at night, and am getting anxious to be done!!  I have a midwife appointment and chiropractor appointment (HELPS SO MUCH!!!) on Tuesday.  We will also have one more ultrasound done around 36 weeks just to make sure baby is still growing properly and low-risk for a midwife-attended birth.  

At Tlaquepaque in Sedona! 

Week: 33 weeks 5 days
Estimated baby size: durian fruit
Total Weight Gain: +18 pounds 
Symptoms:
THIRSTY. Hip pain, restless nights, LOTS OF MOVEMENT, emotional ups and downs!!!
Cravings: Clementines, black beans, milk, cereal.

What is baby doing? Skin: Your baby's skin is becoming less red and wrinkled.

Skull: Your baby's skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. This will help him ease out of your relatively narrow birth canal.