34 Weeks Along

Sooo, this pregnancy is 85% complete. 85%! It's weird to think of it like that, but it's another way of saying I'm 34 (and a half) weeks along at this point. It's gone so fast! All of a sudden I had the realization that I don't even remember when my last pregnancy post was - 24 weeks maybe? Regardless, I have much to make note of, so without further ado...

The baby continues to move, wiggle, and at times perform wild acrobatics within the confines of the womb and at all hours of the day (and night)! Sometimes I'll have my arms crossed resting on top of my belly and one nudge from the baby will literally cause my arms to bounce up and down. It's happened during meetings at work - a great conversation piece ;) 

Within the last couple weeks, I've really noticed the baby's frequent hiccups. They usually come around once or twice (or more, on occasion) every day. The steady, consistent beat is a giveaway that it's hiccups and not just normal fetal movement patterns.

So far, I've gained 27 pounds and will probably gain a pound a week or more for the duration of the pregnancy. Sometimes it feels a lot more than that - oh wait, that's probably when I'm carrying 31-pound Katelyn in addition to the melon belly. No wonder I'm out of breath so often! Oh, and I'm outgrowing some of my maternity clothes. How is that even possible?! Tops are the main culprit as they don't fully cover my belly. One word: cruel.

Physically, I feel pretty good. Compared to some pregnancies that women suffer through, I really have no room to complain! I'm still seeing my chiropractor and those visits are helping with the low back pain and tailbone tension I've experienced. My joints are shifting and expanding which brings some discomfort and general slowness when getting up from a seated position, but overall I feel fine. 

The baby's heartbeat has been on the lower end of the spectrum for my last several appointments ranging from 142 - 138 (at my most recent visit). I think the old wive's tale is that anything under 140 means a boy and anything above 140 is a girl. So, there you have it - even that little predictor doesn't give us a sign. It's a toss-up at its finest!

It's been pretty fun to be surprised by the gender this time around. So many people have asked me if it's a boy or a girl and when I say we didn't find out, it usually prompts one of two responses. 1) "Oh really?! Good for you! There aren't many "good" surprises these days and this is a great one!" 2) "Oh really?! I don't know how you do that. I'm too much of a planner; I would just have to know!" I think Michael and I have actually surprised ourselves at how comfortable we've been with not knowing.

Another common question from people is, "do you have a boy and a girl name picked out?" The answer to that is no, we don't. We have SO much work to do in this department! We have a top 5 or 6 for both boys and girls, but have not been able to make any progress on either list in terms of narrowing down. And this is only first names, folks! We haven't even started on middles yet. We may or may not have the child named before we leave the hospital...

Lately, Katelyn seems to have more of an interest in the possibility of having a brother. For the longest time, she would say the baby is going to be a baby sister, but more recently, she's randomly said (out of the clear blue sky), "I would like a baby brother." She might be on to something, but at the same time of her shift to a boy, I've had some feelings shifting toward a girl - so it might be considered a wash!

Well, I better go read up on my magazines, my free reading book, the baby name books :)