Cantaloupe- 34 weeks

Well, it definitely looks like I have a cantaloupe under my shirt :]

Baby Ana Lynn now weighs around 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers- which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born- are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother that ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Luckily, babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine, so that's reassuring seeing as she could come next week!

We've been doing our birth classes with my mom and it has been good. We're all done with them now. Being that I grew up with her being my mom I've always known everything there is to know about birthing a baby. And I just went through nursing school, so I'm pretty up to par with my knowledge on how to have a baby and everything the body goes through. It is totally different being the one going through it though, rather than watching someone else go through it. Charlie has been a very good birthing coach, to my surprise (sorry honey). At first he was more interested in getting boob grabs instead of doing the effleurage (rubbing my tummy along with my breathing), but he has gotten much better! That's my husband :] We've been practicing our breathing and pushing techniques- it's really weird, but will be worth it when I'm actually having to go through labor.

Not much has changed in the past week... My hips are still basically useless. They're just getting ready to let Ana Lynn come out, but it isn't fun not being able to move normally. My chest is slowly getting bigger and more sore every day. Ana Lynn is just as active as ever! I love feeling her move around inside of me. I've realized just how much I'm going to miss feeling her move around in there. It's a very weird feeling, but so magical at the same time. Knowing that I'm growing a little human in there and will be bringing her into the world in a few short weeks is mind blowing. I even get emotional thinking about not having her in there anymore. I'm ecstatic to get to meet and hold her, of course, but I'm definitely going to miss this special bond I have with her right now. Charlie can and will never know what it feels like to have a baby inside him so he doesn't understand why I get upset thinking about not having her in me anymore. It's hard to explain, but any woman who's ever had a baby in her understands. It's just such a magical time that MUST be treasured and enjoyed. Granted I have had an amazing pregnancy with no real complaints, but I can't imagine feeling any different about having Ana Lynn in me even if I had had a tough pregnancy. I am just so madly in love with this baby girl of mine!

I've hit the 25 pound weight gain mark! Not too fond of that, but it means Ana Lynn is growing so I'll take it. I'm supposed to gain 25-35 pounds, so I'm on the low side. Technically I still have a few weeks to get bigger, but I'm really wondering how much longer this baby girl will stay inside me. I've had a few more painful contractions lately. My options for having her are pretty limited though. Charlie leaves July 14th and won't be back til July 29th for Annual Training(AT). So, I have to have her next week, or wait until August 1st. I'm not entirely sure I can hold her in for another three weeks, but I'd kinda like to have Charlie there when she's born ;] Here's to hoping I have her next week, or I can hold her in until he gets back!!