34+6

34 weeks pregnant -- size of a cantaloupe (about 4 3/4 lbs and almost 18" long!)

Whoa, this third trimester seems to be racing by! We have just over 5 more weeks until we get to meet our sweet little girl and that's only if she reaches a "full" full term; we might be saying hello to her even sooner! Which means I need to get to work on packing our hospital bag, finding a pediatrician and pre-registering for the hospital!

Don and I talk daily about Ravenna and revel in our excitements and share our fears of childbirth, parenting and beyond. At times we feel completely ready and in other moments, we feel overwhelmed. It is such an interesting journey, but I couldn't ask for a better partner to go on this journey with. Don is going to make an incredible father and everyday I feel like I have won the lottery! 

I am continuing to feel pretty well during my third trimester, but I must admit I am still looking forward for the pregnancy to be over and to have my body back! My hands ache like crazy and my feet and legs itch. My back bothers me, but not as much as I expected it to considering all of the additional weight. I do feel discomfort in my lower ribs when I sit up for a prolonged period of time, but this can be alleviated by simply changing positions. I read that the cause of this minor pain in my ribs is that my uterus is pushing up against them. In fact, my uterus's volume has expanded to 15 times its original size, so you can say it definitely has its fair share of real estate inside my abdominal cavity right now! Our visits to the doctor have been going extremely well. With that said, the last time we went to the doctor we brought up some red blood blister like things that were forming on the lower region of my linea negra (the dark line on my stomach). She said that this was my first sign of a stretch mark! Oh no! I suppose if that's the only battle scar I get from the pregnancy though then I am in pretty good shape! Ravenna has been getting so strong that sometimes her movements are alarming. It is especially uncomfortable when she decides to stretch out and her little feet push up against my right side. Her hiccups sometimes keep me up at night, but I know that I will soon miss feeling these little rumblings and tumblings inside of me. They make me feel bonded to her and it is fun to be able to talk to other people while feeling her because I feel like I have my own little special secret!

On the home front, we are doing wonderfully. Our house is in order and we are feeling great. I plan on posting pictures of our home once the finishing touches on Ravenna's room are made. We only have a few more items left to purchase for baby Venna, which is such a sigh of relief. Preparing for a baby has been an extremely expensive endeavor and we are so grateful for all of our family members and friends that have helped us along the way. It has truly made the difference and we are very appreciative of the financial support that we've been provided with. It feels great to be thought of! We loved our baby showers and we felt so special that so many people wanted to share in on the excitement of our daughter's impending birth. Here are a couple of pics from the shower:

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32 weeks -- size of a jicama

I have officially started my 8th month of pregnancy! I'm on the home-stretch now! Less than 8 weeks to go!

Fortunately, my results from my 3 hour glucose test came back negative, so I do not have gestational diabetes! What a relief! I can continue to enjoy sweets and carbs and I do not have to prick myself! All of which is fantastic news!

I have been very much enjoying having time off. I initially felt overwhelmed with the amount of free time that I had, but now I am settling in to a more lazy routine. I have been feeling really well recently and have been lucky to be plagued by very few pregnancy symptoms. However, my fatigue that had gone on a hiatus during my second trimester is now back. Thankfully, I no longer have to work, so I can welcome with open arms nap time! Other than fatigue, I have been continuing to experience an uncomfortable rash on my upper thighs and on my knees. I don't think that I have mentioned this before, but I have had it for a couple of months. I plan on asking the doctor about it on Friday. I heard that this is common due to hormonal changes, but there still is some concern that it could be something more serious. In addition to fatigue and my rash, I have had extremely swollen feet and fingers (the extreme heat is definitely not helping!) My wedding rings have had to take a leave of absence and for the first time, I couldn't fit my feet into one of my pairs of shoes! My feet were simply too swollen to get in them! hahaha, I am becoming a blob!! As a result, I've made a better effort lately to take time to put my feet up and have seen that it truly makes a difference in my sausage toes. Lastly, my weirdest pregnancy symptom is my tongue... I just recently developed geographic tongue! There's no harm in it, but my tongue just looks all splotchy and funny! I won't be making any funny faces with my tongue sticking out any time soon! Geographic tongue is another consequence of hormonal changes. I read that like most of my symptoms, it will disappear after pregnancy when my hormone levels return to normal.

Our home is still slowly coming together. We continue to be extremely busy and try to fit in what we can. It is looking pretty good, but still needs some fine-tuning :) We are hoping to finish up the last details in the next couple of weeks, but I am really happy with our progress. We love living here and can't wait for Venna to arrive and make it even more complete.

My baby shower is this coming Sunday. I am really looking forward to it! It is going to be wonderful to celebrate Ravenna's impending arrival with friends and family. Venna has been movin' and groovin' in anticipation!

Recently, on the 6th of July, Don and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary! Look how far we have come in just one short year!