Weeks 33, 34, & 35

WOW!  I'd say I'm a tad bit behind.  School has been crazy busy this year.  I can't seem to get anything done at school (even though I'm constantly working on something) and end up bringing home way too much work.  You know it's bad when things start piling up at home and you're not even the one doing the cooking and cleaning!   I was hoping to be further ahead of things by now but that's not the case. 

Last weekend we got Levi and all of our stuff moved into the apartment in Midland.  Friday afternoon Levi and my sister's husband got all the boxes unloaded out of storage and into the Uhaul.  Then Saturday morning Levi and I left for Midland with Levi in the Uhaul and me in Levi's truck.  My sister and nephew left a little later in my car and Levi's brother and my sister's husband left in the plane.  We all ended up getting into Midland about the same time; just in time to get our keys, grab some lunch and be ready to watch the movers unload the truck.  (We are in a 2nd floor apartment so Levi decided to get movers).  After the movers were done the guys went and got us another storage unit (yes, we have that much STUFF) and my sister and I unloaded most of the kitchen boxes.  Then brother, sister, bro-in-law and nephew all loaded up in the plane and came back leaving Levi and me with all the rest of the unpacking to do.  So what did we do...well we went to dinner and rented a movie naturally.  By the time I headed home Sunday evening we had accomplished quite a bit.  Sadly none of that included doing anything in Lydia's room except using it for a stacking boxes place. 

This weekend was just as busy but quite a bit more enjoyable.  Little Miss and I were VERY spoiled with a beautiful baby shower.  It was a garden tea party theme and it was SO great to have so many friends and family share in this special time with us.  I will hopefully get some pictures up soon.  They are currently on several different people's cameras. 

Overall I've been feeling pretty well.  Before this past week I had been feeling the best I had since the beginning.  This past week though, I started feeling really tired and sometimes achy.  A couple of days my back was really killing me.  It all just kinda comes and goes.  And a new development today is possible Braxton-Hicks contractions.  I feel just a little twinge every now and then but nothing serious enough to worry about yet.  We will have to keep an eye on it and see what happens.  I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and then every week from here on out.

Here are Little Miss's goings-on for the last two weeks and the one coming up.
Week 33
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.


Week 34
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.


Week 35
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.