Pregnancy Update: Week 34

Hello world!  The churro and I are doing splendidly during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, and I thought I'd update you on a few (okay, maybe more than a few) things going on in 'making-a-baby-land.'

How I'm Feeling
These days, I'm feeling pretty darn good, but definitely slowing down.  The runs became walks about 3 weeks ago, and even those are markedly less intense each week.  The churro is currently about 19 inches long and 5ish pounds (!!), so the belly is totally getting in the way.  I keep running into JP because I forget how far out my body extends these days!

It feels like my wardrobe is getting smaller and smaller each day; I have one pair of maternity jeans that fit, and my tops are starting to run on the short side.  Luckily, I have lots of great accessories to spruce things up, so it doesn't feel too stuffy.  Also, most of my shoes still fit, and I can even wear my wedges without difficulty!  There are a steady rotation of wrap dresses and long tanks being worn here.

What I'm Eating
One of the questions I'm asked most frequently is, "What has your weirdest craving been?"  I'm so sorry to disappoint, but I haven't had any cravings that are totally out of the ordinary for a normal pregnant woman, though I am eating way more meat and dairy than I did pre-churro.  We still don't eat a ton of meat at home, but I'll have some fish tacos or chorizo on dinners out.
Oh, and you better believe there is a lot of Waffle House and ice cream going on.  As it gets warmer, my desire for cold things is increasing, so I'm trying to balance it out with fruit popsicles, lots of melon, and protein smoothies.  Below is a splurge dinner I had a couple of weeks ago; I refuse to apologize for it.

How JP and I Are Prepping
The nesting instinct has totally kicked in the last couple of weeks.  Two weeks ago, I was in a frenzy about cleaning up every rung on our staircase and second-story railing because...the churro will definitely be chewing and licking it the second he comes home in a couple of months?  Some of the nesting makes sense (washing all our baby clothes and bedding, putting together the crib, etc) and some of it is just ridiculous (the above story about rungs, convincing JP we need to buy a crib mattress immediately when we're only at week 28, etc).
We finished up our childbirth classes this week, which we did over three weeknights through our hospital with an RN/Lamaze instructor.  I'm getting comfortable sitting on my exercise ball (which should help move the churro into a good birthing position when the time comes), and we're working on a  birth plan to go over with my doctor.

I'm also practicing my Moby Wrap skills on travel pillows, and have got JP on board with the Ergo baby carrier.  The nursery is coming together nicely, and we finally have our bookshelves up!  The little baskets below are a work in progress; they may not make it to full-term.

What I Haven't Expected
This section might be a bit TMI, especially for my father (feel free to stop here; no offense taken!).
I totally did not expect to think about my boobs so much before the churro arrives.  Buying all the nursing bras and tanks is looming in the near-future, but I just feel like they're totally in my way and all up in other people's business.  Between the spontaneous leaking (what is going on?!  Milk coming out of my nipples?!  As Murphy Brown said, 'It's like one day discovering you can get bacon out of your elbow.') and unavoidable cleavage, I think about my chest, like, 40% of the day.  The other 60% is geared toward what I'm going to eat next.

I was totally unprepared for all of the emotions that have come on strongly during the third trimester; most surprisingly, almost all of them have been positive.  This whole pregnancy has helped me put things into perspective, added an incredible layer of intimacy and connectivity to my relationship with JP, and given me this sense of empowerment and confidence I hope doesn't fade the second the churro pops out.
I've been in awe of the female body- we have the ability to gestate a person, then care for it with nothing but our perfectly-tailored breast milk.  My level of judgment has gone way down, as this pregnancy has imbued me with empathy I must have been in desperate need of.
This pregnancy has just given me a whole new perspective, which I hear is normal, and, while I don't want to get preachy, I just want to say that all of the heartburn, sciatic pain, massive cleavage, and unprompted comments from strangers have been worth the while.

Oh, and here's the 34-week photo (the bikini shot is actually from two weeks ago).  Currently, the churro is about 19 inches, and weighs 5ish pounds.  My pregnancy app is saying he is the size of a large cantaloupe, which feels apt.