37 Weeks (tomorrow)

This is a little bit crazy how fast time is going now.  Only about a month until we become a family of six.  The other night Jon and I were discussing how weird it would be to have a newborn again.  I'm sure I've said it before but I'll say it again anyways...I'm nervous!  I feel like a first-time Mom again.  Not for the delivery, because I know exactly how much that is going to suck, but for the parenting aspect.  EEEK.  Don't get me wrong though, I'm also excited.  Just also nervous.  But excited, too.

Anyways, I had an ultrasound today to see how big Miss Baby Struik is.  It was more to provide me with the right frame of mind going into the delivery...if she is going to be big like Nathan then I want to be mentally prepared for that.  The ultrasound technician says she is measuring average at 6lb 6oz so far (at 36 weeks 1 day), so if you account for the typical weight gain of 0.5 pounds per week then she'll be a nice 8.5 pound baby.  I'm not going to complain about that!  Not tiny like Matthew and Kayla (6lb 2oz and 6lb 4oz) and not huge like Nathan (10lb 8oz), but right in the middle.  Just right :)  I'll get the ultrasound report on Thursday at my next appointment so it will be interesting to see exact measurements.

I've gained 42 pounds now.  This might be my pregnancy with the greatest weight gain.  It's crazy too, because I think I eat significantly less than I ate with the other pregnancies.  Oh well, "as long as it all comes off" is what Jon says.

Since going camping all of last week, I now have permanently swollen feet.  They hurt at night because they are so swollen.  Jon has been great about massaging them for me each evening for a few minutes, to give me some relief.  It actually helps reduce the swelling too.  It's nice to be done with work because I could only imagine what sitting at a desk would do to them.  I'm assuming I'm having trouble with swollen feet this time around because of the insanely warm summer we've been having.  I've actually been coping surprisingly well, I think.  Last night was our first night back from camping and I managed to fall asleep in our 32.5 degree bedroom, and fell asleep after being woken up by the kids a total of about 7 separate times, too (4 for Nathan, 2 for Matthew, 1 for Kayla)!  I was a tad tired today, so as soon as I can get the last of my thoughts out then I'm heading to bed.

35 weeks.  We were about to take the kids swimming at Greenaway Pool when I remembered we still needed a picture taken.  I thought it was the perfect opportunity to capture what I look like in my maternity bathing suit...especially since I've worn it so much this summer (wearing it two times a day every day we are camping!).  I'm self-conscious, but at the same time I'm not.  At least with a tight-pregnant stomach you can't see my stretch marks from previous pregnancies (as easily!).  Wearing a bikini after this pregnancy will...well, probably never happen.

36 weeks (and 5 days).  Yes, it's hard to remember to take weekly photos when you (or your photographer) are not home often.  End-of-the-year + summer vacations = Jon and I not being home in the evenings together very often.  Now that school is done, it should be easier to get the last few photos done, on time.