Week 34: Big baby, Small torso or Both?

Week 34- pics to come (I broke our shutter in our camera last week, so I need to use a friend's camera to capture this weeks enormiousity- which is now a word, cuz it's how I feel)

Baby E/C:

Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long! His/Her fat layers — which will help regulate it's body temperature once born — are filling him/her out, making baby rounder. Baby's skin is also smoother than ever. His/her central nervous system is maturing and lungs are continuing to mature as well. I feel like our baby has been in crammed quarters for months now and it's only to get worse as he/she gains 1/2 pound a week from here on out (or so they say).

I am constantly aware of where the baby's feet, elbows, arms, hands, head and back are. One day last week (saturday), I was at my family's new home in Timnath and I felt the baby push off side and totally flip. I don't know how to describe it, my reaction said everything I think. I have never felt the baby move so intensely. In fact it went from head down to head at my right side, almost to my ribs. By the time I went to bed and felt the baby have it's typical bouts of hiccups, I knew without a doubt, he/she was no longer head down. It was my most uncomfortable night's sleep yet and I think for the baby too! He/she was so uncomfortable. Gosh, sometimes I feel just awful for baby! Either he/she is big or it's just because my torso is so small or (and quite possibly, both). Either way, poor baby.

*Baby E/C moved back to it's favourite and I'm guessing most comfortable, position. Head down, back and bum to my left side, feet and arms to my right. I am still waiting for that moment when Ted or I see the imprint of his/her little foot. It CAN happen and I wanna see it! I stand in front of the mirror when I feel a lot of action from within and wait, but nothing yet. Just random things poking out.*

Momma:

I am now sleeping less than before. Some nights are worse than others, but nothing unbearable yet. During the past few weeks, the pain in my back grows steadily worse, due to my enormous baby bump all out front. Part of me now wishes I would carry from side to side and not directly out front but it is cute for the pictures ;) I have also had a really hard time breathing. I am asthmatic and adding the growing baby pushing against my lungs has made my asthma really awful. I am thankful that it's only been the past few weeks that I've begun to need my inhaler a few times a night. I'm just thankful it hasn't been the entire pregnancy. I wake up some nights realizing I can barely breath and I hate imagining our baby being unable to breath as well! Please pray for our baby's safety!

I do realize with each new week, new "ailment" and new excitement, this is all bringing me closer and closer to holding our baby girl or baby boy in my arms!

Have you ever heard/read the old wives tales about being pregnant with a girl or a boy?

According to those, I am having a girl. One of the wives tales about carrying a girl, is that she"steals your beauty". I'm not talking about weight or anything like that. For me (if it's a girl), her stealing my beauty has literally been my curly hair. Naturally I have curly hair- I mean somedays it's really curly almost in ringlets. Since I've been pregnant, it is now simply wavy. It's wavy whenever and wherever it pleases! Thankfully, I rarely ever wore my hair curly, because I didn't like it curly. Ted loves it and so I would only wear it curly by his request. I hope it comes back curly after the baby is born, cause surprisingly I miss it! I've heard of women getting pregnant and having naturally straight hair go curly but never this! I'm not sure what happened in this pregnancy to strip me of my curliness!

Before I forget... number 2 of the 5 babies coming this season (here) has arrived!

Charles Brown Elijah Cobb III (He will be called Eli) was born yesterday morning; 7 lbs. 4 0z. and 21 inches long! That makes two 7lb baby boys born here in less than a week! Congrats Cobb Family! Three more of us to go, one of which we know is a boy, interesting huh? Look at all of these boys!

I am now the biggest among the 3 bellies left. In fact I am now convinced the director of our base, Peter, thinks I am due first and any day according to something he joked about in staff meeting this week. Haha! My belly feels like it goes out for miles, in fact it makes me DD chest look small and that says a lot! I am encouraged though... the mom who had baby number 1 last week, had an incredibly huge baby bump (even bigger than mine) and carried all out front as well. I saw her today with her little one in a sling (I can't wait for that) and she looks amazing. It's phenomenal to me how the stomach is just gone. I mean it's there and saggy but 10x smaller! The saggy part is going to trip me out until it's hard again, but we won't talk about that now =)

I want to give CayeDee Rhoades props for figuring out our girl's name yesterday. Seriously, I'm stillshocked and not exactly sure how she did this, but way to go CayeDee! She's been trying to guess since we first became pregnant. Now, try and keep it a secret for 6ish more weeks!

A few little side notes before I go:

- I made another new poll (and deleted one). Check it out and vote!

- I made a "baby pool" for you to guess our baby's arrival date, time, our baby's size, etc. It's to the right > and it says click here. (Idea from bump2bum)

- Last but not least... our 1st official baby shower is Sunday! I've already received some gifts and I feel more prepared with each one!

Baby E/C is coming soon!

Love yas,