Week 35

Weight: 133 lbs. (+20 lbs)
Fundal height: 33 cm
(determined by measuring from the top of the pubic bone the top of the uterus (called the fundus) which is quite a bit above the belly button right now)

I know...I know...I'm late!!! I apologize for not posting on Monday. I have been fighting off some sort of illness. I'm not seriously sick by any means, but that's what I'm trying to prevent - especially with a weekend full of events coming up including my shower. So to do that I took Monday off and have been laying low. Laying so low that we ended giving up our club level tickets to the Sabres game on Wednesday. Of course, it had to be one of the most exciting games of the year - argh!!

Enough with being sick! Last week was a full week! Tuesday I had dinner with two of my girlfriends - Kendra and Michelle T. It was great to chat with both of them - there's nothing like hanging out with the girls! On Wednesday my kindergarten teammates and aides threw me a shower. How fun it was! I'm so lucky to be working with such great women! We had a wonderful sit down dinner, received SO many cute gifts, and then had a yummy cake. Todd joined us near the end and requested a tutorial on everything we received. We ended up staying at Maria & Russ' house until 10pm! Now we can officially begin the prewashing of all clothing and blankets stage.

On Thursday I had my 34 week appointment with Sarah, one of the midwives. Luckily, I gained back some of the weight I had lost in Florida - 5 pounds in two weeks! Other than that everything checked out. The baby is still head down and Sarah predicts the baby is at least 3.5 pounds.

I ended up calling two pediatricians last week - Town & Village (where Dr. Cavalieri (family friend) and Dr. Roehmholdt (my former pediatrician as a teenager) practices) and Suburban Pediatrics (where many of my students go to since it's right in Clarence). We have an appointment with Town & Village on April 1st where we will meet with Dr. Roehmholdt.

I then called Suburban Pediatrics (who has a great website). After choosing an option, the phone service hung up on me. So I called back and did finally get someone to speak to. Unfortunately, we cannot go during their Open House times (Wednesday evening) so all they could give us was a lactation consultant to talk to and give us a tour. However, when the receptionist tried to find us an appointment time, she couldn't find their schedule. So she asked me to call back on Monday. Needless to say, I haven't called back and not sure if I will.

After going through that with Suburban Pediatrics, I really appreciated calling Town & Village having a human answer the phone. Getting the answering options at Suburban reminded me too much of what I just left at Audubon Women's Medical. In the end, whatever decision we make isn't permanent.

This past Saturday, Todd's parents went with us to pick up the baby's dresser from Whites. We also placed an order for our glider and ottoman - thanks to Mom and Dad Rassman! It's going to be so comfy. We then came back to the house so Todd and his dad took the extra mattresses downstairs and brought the dresser upstairs. We ended the evening with a great dinner with all the Rassmans!

Unfortunately, I think it was all the exciting events of last week that wore me down and here I am today - home from school for a second time this week. So here's to getting back to my happy healthy self!

Baby Development (from Pregnancy.org)

• The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
• Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
• Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
• His/her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your son/daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
• It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
• Your baby is 18.2 inches long and weighs 5.3 pounds.
• The testes have completed their descent in males.

(pictures from Pregnancy.org)