33 Weeks!

Yay! Another week flown by! I have lots of happy emotions lately: love, anticipation, excitement, all about meeting this little girl. I also enjoy being pregnant, though, so I'm in no hurry...yet. People tend to smile at me more. It's the only time I've not been self-conscious about people looking at my waistline! But now that the weather is warming up, it has been a little harder to get around with the extra weight and still have energy to "glow".

The only pregnancy symptoms/complaints I'm having lately are frequent bathroom trips, bladder pressure, having to get up slower (otherwise I get dizzy), and carpal tunnel in my right hand. Honestly, the most annoying thing on that list is the carpal tunnel. I forgot to bring it up at my last appointment because it's usually the worst in the morning and then it dissipates throughout the day. So when I had my last appointment, it was already the afternoon and I forgot it was even bothering me. I'll probably just go buy a wrist brace at Target and begin sleeping in it. When I sleep, I tend to tuck my right hand underneath my chin and flex my wrist up towards my cheek, which compresses all those nerves. So it's no wonder that I wake up with tingly, numb fingers and can't make a fist. Good thing I'm not eating with chopsticks as much anymore!

Here's our stages update:

 This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby  could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side.  Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut. 

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!) 

And here I am after tonight's dinner. Please keep in mind that I also have a full belly of food! I don't want people to think that I'm in denial after my last entry about measuring larger than my dates!

I installed the carseat base in my car ("Loretta the Jetta") this weekend, I also washed and resorted all her clothes in her vast wardrobe, and assembled the Graco Sweetpeace Soothing Center that the 3AOB folks got us for our shower in Japan. That thing is really cool. I'm hoping she likes it a lot, especially when I'm home alone and need to jump in the shower. Our bathroom is big enough that I can set it up in there and watch her from our shower stall. If not, then I'll just get really good at showering in a jiffy. I think that will happen, anyway!

I start working the floor and rockin' my maternity scrubs on tuesday and thursday this week. Wish me luck! Lots of excitement lately, thanks for tuning in!