35 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday, and everything went pretty good.  The baby's heartbeat has slowed down, which Dr. Huston said is because we're getting closer to my due date and that's normal.  I gained a few pounds, which unfortunately, was also normal.  He had to look at my feet again since they're still swollen, but everything else looked good (blood pressure, protein, etc.) so he's still not concerned with my swelling.

I asked about my hands being swollen when I wake up, and he said that it's pregnancy carpal tunnel.  Like I mentioned before, I know I had this with Ainsley toward the end.  He said I could get some wrist braces and wear at night, but that's about all that would help.  No thanks...I stuck it out with Ainsley, and I'll live this time without them too.  It takes about half an hour or so every morning before I can make a fist, but I'm in the home stretch and think I can handle it for another few weeks.

35 weeks... (yikes!)

For the last month or two I've had major cravings for oranges!  It seems like cravings come and go in spurts, but this one has stuck around.  I eat at least one orange a day, and between Ainsley and I, we'll eat 5-6 of the little "Cuties" clementines for either breakfast or lunch. 

Sleep is becoming harder and harder to accomplish.  Between getting up at least 5 times throughout the night to go to the bathroom, and Ainsley in the middle of our bed grabbing my hair or kicking me, I'm lucky if I get 5-6 hours of sleep a night. 

Contractions are happening more often now.  I was up for a few hours last night with Braxton Hicks contractions, and I think I had a few regular contractions over the last week.  This pregnancy is totally different than Ainsley's.  I never felt a contraction with Ainsley! 

Our precious little Lily loves to kick me in my rib cage (only on the right side though), and punch my bladder.  I can just see her in my belly making a little fist and then whacking my bladder....at least that feels like what she's doing! 

I have a feeling Ainsley may have picked up kicking from the things I've said.  Lily will be kicking me and I'll say out loud that I wish the baby would stop kicking me, or something along those lines.  Ainsley will come over and give me a hug when she hears me, but I'm wondering if she's also picking up that the baby is kicking Mommy and that's where she thinks she can kick me too!

I went to Babies R Us last Thursday evening after my doctor's appointment and got almost everything we needed for Lily.  My cart was overflowing with diapers, wipes, a hamper, bath tub, and everything else we needed.  I got lots of crazy looks from other people in the store, and some even offered to help me (that was when things started falling out of the cart because it was so full).  But, I made it.  I was completely exhausted by the time I got home, but I made it!

Ainsley loves going into Lily's room and playing.  She'll open all the drawers and look inside, but her favorite is the sock drawer.  She can spend half an hour or longer in there pulling all the socks out and separating them and then trying them all on.  She's also started walking around the house pointing to things and saying "baby".  She'll point to the car seat that we have out downstairs and say "baby", point into Lily's room and say "baby", and point to my belly and say "baby.  I just hope she's understanding that there really is a baby coming!