Something that you should know about pregnancy is that, at any given time, it’s hard to say just how pregnant you are. Sources vary regarding the number of weeks in each pregnancy month and, depending on what you’re looking at, you could be 7 months pregnant or 8 months pregnant or 11 months pregnant.

What I’m trying to say is, I’m dim and I screwed up at some point during the recap process and lumped a few weeks into the wrong months and now I’ve got some catching up to do. As a result, the last remaining pregnancy recaps are going to be a little heavy on the weeks.

I hope they don’t quiz me on this at the hospital…

Pregnancy recap: month 8
weeks 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34

Highlights
-Moving! We had been living amongst boxes for weeks and the time finally came for us to close on our new house and move in. Moving weekend was long and busy and we were exhausted by the end of it (if it weren’t for all of the help from family and friends,  I think we would still be sitting in the moving truck outside of our old place) but we’re settle in and we’re so happy.
-My baby shower! My mom and sister threw me a baby shower and it was a blast. Everyone was so generous and the bean is now very well stocked. I’ll try to get some pictures from my sis and do a recap because the I love all of the details that my mom and sister put into everything.
-The nursery! We got started on the nursery and so far the room is painted and the crib and dresser are set up. We just have to wash and put away clothes, organize some gear, and decorate.
-A few more uneventful (in a good way) doctors appointments. We did go in for an ultrasound just before 35 weeks and my doctors suspicions were confirmed – the Bean is enormous. The ultrasound doc took one look at the screen and said, “Wow, that is not a malnourished baby,” and then gave us a weight estimate of 6.5 pounds. I asked if that was the birth weight estimate an she replied with, “No, that’s right now. You can probably just skip the newborn clothes.” So keep an eye on the news in the next few weeks, we’ll be the ones featured of having a 20-pound monster baby.

Symptoms
-Sore hips. As a former stomach-sleeper, sleeping on my side is taking some getting used to and my hips are making their displeasure known. I usually have to hobble around like a loon in the morning until they’re stretched out a little, and as long as I’m up and moving throughout the day, they’re usually fine.
-Swelling. My feet and ankles have been getting pretty large and in charge towards the end of the day, so I’ve been trying to elevate them as much as possible when I get home. I’ve been drinking a ton of water and my blood pressure is fine, though, so I’ve been told that it’s nothing to worry about.
-Breathlessness. Same story as the last couple of months. I find myself heaving giant sighs all the time and Justin is forever asking me if I’m okay, thinking that they’re sighs of frustration. Nope, just trying to survive. Silly Bean, back up off of my lungs.

Cravings
-Candy corn. By the truckload.
-Chocolate milk. All day, every day.
-The usuals: cereal, ice cream, fruit
-This is a weird one – I’ve been craving smells a lot lately. Specifically, the inside of Justin’s new car, our garage, a new kind of soap that Justin got recently, and Home Depot. I can’t explain it, but l find myself wanting to smell those places and things a lot, but I don’t because I’m pretty sure it’s not good for me or the Bean and I’m also pretty sure that there was an episode of Intervention that dealt with something similar.

Aversions
Nothing really new here. Garlic isn’t as bad as it had been earlier in the pregnancy but red onions can still go take a long walk off of a short cliff.

Missing  anything from your former, non-pregnant life?
-Moving with the grace of a gazelle. Okay, slight exaggeration, but I do miss being able to, say, get up off of the couch without looking like a turtle on its back. And there have been a few times where I’ve forgotten just how serious my belly is and tried to fit through tighter spaces than I should, and then I have to back up and seek an alternate route.
-Sleeping comfortably. Between sore hips and a compressed bladder, a full 8 hours of sleep is unheard of these days. Then again, I’ve heard that a full 8 hours of sleep may not be the norm with a newborn hanging around, so it’s probably for the best that I get used to it now.
-As I mentioned in the last recap, cold cuts and Manhattans. You know, like any demure pregnant lady.

8th month takeaways
Hearing that the Bean was estimated to be around 6.5 pounds made me realize that he could make an appearance any day and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, thrive. It was an exciting (and nerve wracking, to be honest) realization! It definitely gave us the boot in the bums that we needed to buckle down and actually get ready for his arrival. I’m still feeling really good, so I’m not at the point yet that I’m wishing for the pregnancy to just be over – ask me again in a few weeks and I might be whistling a different tune, but so far so good.