Sunday, September 16, 2012

Life at 35 Weeks

Admittedly, I am less and less motivated as the weeks go on to take and post pictures of my pregnant self.  Below is a picture of me (at 35 weeks), David, and our good friends Jeff and Sam.  We go to all the football games with Jeff and Sam and it's lots of fun - though I imagine it will be much more comfortable for me in a month or so! 

Before I move on to Paisley and other exciting events from the past few weeks, a quick update on the pregnancy.  Newest developments include: 
  • Major sciatic nerve pain.  Ouch!!  Where I used to walk 4 miles a day, now I feel lucky to be able to walk up and down the stairs as many times as it takes to keep up with Paisley. I walk like a grandma, sort of a mix of waddling and limping.  It's humbling. :P  
    • Me: "Doctor, is there anything I can do to lessen the back pain?"  Doc:  "Yep.  Give birth!"  Thanks, Doc.  
  • Puffy hands and feet.  I have taken off the wedding ring, and my large belly will now be the symbol of my being off the market.  
  • Super sore tailbone.  Why?  I think the question is, why not?!  Sigh.  
  • The baby is sitting very low now, and moving around lots.  
  • Doc says my belly is measuring a bit small, and the baby's head circumference is measuring for a due date around the 23rd rather than the original 17th of October.  But he says we're sticking with the original date, and I'm hoping that's accurate!  
  • I've come to the conclusion (once again) that the last month of pregnancy is to help women be excited and even anxious to give birth.  If it weren't for this back pain, I think I might have been comfortable being pregnant for quite a while!  I have no complaints, but I am getting anxious and excited to meet our little girl.  
On the Paisley front, things are going great and we couldn't be enjoying her more.  She's getting to be so big and grown up.  She's starting to speak in sentences, which is so much fun for us.  It's like getting a little glimpse into her thoughts.  She's always super excited to see her friends, and she gets along well with other kids.  She's very concerned when she hears a crying baby, and will forget about anything else until she knows the baby is ok.  She's a cutie.   

Here's where I need your help:  A couple of weeks ago we started brought out the bunk beds and got ready her new "big girl bed".  She was very excited about it.  For the first few nights, she slept great in it.  Nap time was a little trickier, but all in all she did well.  In the past week, however, she's been struggling.  A few times I've stayed in her room with her until she fell asleep, something I never used to do for fear of her becoming reliant on it to fall asleep.  Now, every night is a struggle.  Where she used to go to bed quietly and happily, lately she's been screaming and getting out of her bed.  We usually find her in the morning, happy as can be, cuddled up at the foot of the door.  It's not that she doesn't like her new bed, in fact she's always excited to be in it as long as I'm there with her.  But it's so torturous to listen to her scream herself to sleep every night. I've let her cry it out in the past and it's always worked within a few days, but this time she's really screaming, and it doesn't seem to be letting up much as the days go on.  Fellow parents, any suggestions?  

Just some cute pictures. :)