Baby Update: Week 33 & 34

So behind. Didn't get around to a week 34 photo, unfortunately. Now it's time for 35. Oh well.

Due date: July 22, 2013 

Baby size: 18 inch, 5.25 lb honey dew melon

Total weight gain: about 27 pounds

Maternity clothes: Considering a pair of maternity shorts or capri pants...it's getting a lot warmer and sometimes you just don't feel like being in a skirt. My friend Erin was super sweet to loan me some of her cute maternity clothes she doesn't need since her baby boy was born last month.

Sleep: Jet lag is long gone and I feel so much better. I am getting plenty of rest, although getting comfortable is tough.

Movement: She is still moving like crazy. I am surprised because I thought it might slow down as she gets bigger and bigger and runs out of room, but apparently she still has some.

Food Cravings: blueberry bagels and cream cheese, chips and salsa, Colby jack cheese

Symptoms: heartburn, swelling, carpal tunnel, bad vision, fatigue ... The norm.

Gender: Girl.

Name: The way we spell the baby's name, it is nine letters long. Poor girl.

Labor Signs: I guess the tightening I feel is Braxton Hicks...it doesn't hurt, but it's uncomfortable, definitely. Lower back pain. Pressure. Keeping watch, but things are pretty normal, I guess.

Goals for the Week: Count kicks. Eat more eggs and whole wheat. Find some lower back pain relief. Make a gift registry. Spend some time with good friends. Read lots.

Things I am am doing well: Drinking water, getting rest, not over-eating.

Things Kenny is doing well: pass. it's tough to be a supportive father-to-be and husband when you're seven times zones ahead.

Feeling toward pregnancy:  Mom and I went to the big pre-natal class last Saturday. It was all day, but it passed quickly and we really enjoyed it. I can't tell you the things I learned, it was mostly about the way the hospital does things and the labor and delivery, but I feel better prepared and that makes me less nervous. I am really enjoying being with family and sharing this special time with them.

What I miss: It's tough to get down on the ground and play with my sweet nephew...BIG bummer.

What I am looking forward to: Just so excited to see this baby! Lots of wondering who she will look like and how God has created her with parts of us and her own uniqueness.

Struggles, worries, fears to surrender: How will being parents affect our marriage?

Milestones: I shopped with my mom for some baby clothes! Lots of fun and it's unbelievable how cute little girl clothes are. Happy that it is easier than I thought it'd be to stay away from pink-ness. I am mostly focusing on 6-9 month cold weather stuff that I find on clearance because winter seems so much longer in Albania. Can't wait to see the things we bought on her!

Albanian Culture and Pregnancy tidbit: I don't know if it was just because I was a foreigner, but it seems like I was asked about my pregnancy a lot in Albania. Everywhere I went, strangers and people I knew always asked me...how far? Boy or girl? How I feel. And certainly the people I know here ask me about it...more about pregnancy than Albania, actually. But the strangers around don't ask. I can't think of even one random person that I've told a thing about myself. It seems like Americans are just much more private. Something I struggled with in Albania, but now I am missing, I guess.