Happy 4th of June!!

I have officially been pregnant for 250 DAYS!!!  That sounds so long and sometimes it feels like it's been so long yet sometimes it feels like things are happening too fast & like I'll never be ready enough for this baby.  The kids are home for summer break, my house often feels like a dumpy mess, I haven't sewed or made anything for this baby, and the list goes on.

I went to the Dr yesterday at 35 weeks + 4 days.  I am 50% effaced & dilated to 1cm, which I know means pretty much nothing but it's a lot better than any news I ever got with Turkey.  Everything was closed up pretty tight at 40 weeks with him, so some progress is better than nothing.   And I HATE getting checked.  I've googled this "checking" business and it sounds like there's no rhyme or reason as to why is doesn't bother some women and then can be extremely painful for other women.  For me,  getting checked burns & stings like CrAzY!  I was good & didn't scream or cry but I was definitely breathing hard ... it all kinda seems like a blur a day later. 

I am having a lot of contractions - some days more than others.  Nothing that I can't walk or breathe through, but they are often painful, not just uncomfortable.  The swelling and my feet/ankles are reeee-diculous!  I'm swollen up into my thighs and my feet and ankles are so tight it feels like my skin it going to rip open & start bleeding.  Yesterday I started getting burning heat rash on my feet & lower legs too.  I went & sat in my mom's pool for a little while - I think that was, by far, the best part of my day!

My blood pressure has gone up, but not enough to alarm my Dr.  Towards the end of Turkey's pregnancy, I had to go to the Dr every other day to get my BP & swelling checked, but for now a weekly visit until this baby comes is the plan.  Dr says he's not going to do anything to stop labor at this point but I'm hoping this baby cooks another couple weeks.  Let's see ... oh, I've been gaining a lovely 2lbs/week since about 20 weeks with this baby.  I lost a decent amount of weight during the 1st trimester and then eventually got back to my normal weight & hung out there for a while.  I really don't want to gain another 8-10 lbs with this baby, but I'm hoping a lot of the weight disappears when my body decides it no longer has to hold onto all this extra water & fluid and I'm also counting on the baby being another champion eater and sucking a lot of fat out of me. :)

Yesterday I was feeling the need to buy some things for baby so I dragged my family to Wal-mart and another local store ... Baby Town ... which by the way has very competitive prices ... while in the store I compared prices to Amazon & some other online sights.   I got some personal-after-baby-comes items for myself, the cloth diapers I like to use as changing pads, a few nursing supplies, baby blankets, hooded towels, a cup holder for my new stroller, baby nail clippers, etc.  Babies are expensive.

One other worry ... how big is this baby going to be???  People have been looking at me funny since March.  My stomach just sticks straight out like a bullet or big basketball.  Last Friday, while out running errands,  I was asked twice if I was having twins ... nope & I still  have another month ... thanks for asking!  I really don't want to birth another  8+lb baby ... 7 to 7-1/2 lbs would be good. :)