Bump Watch: 35 Weeks

Welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of the Bump Watch! Because I'm getting to be pretty far along (and pretty uncomfortable in cars, never mind plane seats), we'd decided not to travel to see family for Christmas this year. Both sets of family will likely come up for visits after the baby's born, though, so we'll be seeing everyone pretty soon!

And it's really nice to have a Christmas alone together -- the first one we've ever had! And, let's face it, likely the last one we'll ever have... So we've been savoring this quiet time together!

Here's how the bump is looking this week:


I'm not sure how much of a visible difference there is between this week and last, but I can definitely feel a difference -- Eggi has started to really settle down into my pelvis, making it physically difficult for me to go from standing to sitting and vice versa.

I've also officially started waddling this week. I knew walking felt a little uncomfortable lately, but apparently, that discomfort has translated into the pregnant lady's crazy hip-swaying, bow-legged waddle action... David has taken to waddling in sympathy with me, which is actually really hilarious. I love how he knows exactly how to make me laugh, right when I need it!

Oh, and the other big milestone reached this week: the nesting impulse has definitely kicked in, with a vengeance. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the quilt is no longer just folded over the back of the crib in the picture above (and thereby presenting a suffocation risk to a baby sleeping in it) -- it's now hanging on the wall behind the crib. And I've washed all our baby clothes and blankets, and put away the gifts from the shower, and started organizing the nursery closet, and come up with an organizing principle for the bookcase and dresser... And I've taken over doing the laundry and running the dishwasher, which David has faithfully done for the last three and a half years.... And I'm having a blast with it all! (Nursery progress photos to come, hopefully sometime next week!)

Finally, here's the weekly blurb from BabyCenter.com --

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

I think that's holding true for us -- Eggi hasn't been doing too many sweeping rolls lately. But he's certainly still asserting himself and kicking merrily away in there! It's also really exciting that most of his basic development is complete. We're still not quite full term yet (we reach that milestone at 37 weeks -- just a week and a half away!!), and we really want him to stay inside and keep developing in utero for the full 40 weeks, but it's so encouraging to know we've gotten this far!

Coming up next week: the beginning of once-weekly OB appointments and exams to see whether dilation and effacement have begun!