My Baby Boy Belly Bump

Go ahead and say that title real fast a few times. Have a little laugh on this early Friday evening!

So, as the title says, HERE is my baby boy belly bump for week 36!

So that is about 5 1/2 pounds of adorable boy cuteness and......20 pounds of......red grapes, chicken, grapefruit, pinto beans, ice cream, water.....and who knows what else.

36 weeks. Whew! One more week and baby Lee will no longer be considered premature if he decides to come early. So, how am I feeling? TIRED. I still have bouts of crazy energy where I do tons of stuff and clean EVERYTHING, but then....I crash. According to the fantastic pregnancy book: What To Expect When You're Expecting, here are some common "symptoms" of month 9 (which is 36-40 weeks):

* Changes in baby's activity (more squirming and less kicking) - Check. I'm feeling TONS of movement but no "pounding" like I did a month or two ago.

* Heartburn - Heartburn is at a minimum which, I personally attribute to drinking lots of ionized water and not eating late at night.

* Occasional headaches, faintness, dizziness - Yup. Headaches? Eh....that has been the thorn in my side for the past week but, thankfully, I have upped on more sunshine, less reading, and plenty of rest. So it's better. Faintness and dizziness is occasional. Usually when I get up quick or early in the morning or late at night when I get out of bed.

* Sensitive gums - Mmm...a little.

* Leg cramps - Wooo....there for a month or so, I was having them often. Thanks to some awesome exercise stretches that I do constantly, I am not having leg cramps anymore. Yay!

* Increased backache and heaviness - Youuuuu betcha. I have always had bad posture when I sit, so I've been trying to keep my back straight ALL the time instead of just when I'm standing or walking. It's helped and my back doesn't hurt quite so often. However, with the baby boy growing and pushing me forward, it does get difficult...and heaviness? Um, yeah. lol

* Increased swelling of ankles and feet - I have noticed that I swell only when I'm on my feet a lot. If I take breaks, it's better. If I'm on my feet for an insane amount of time, get ready...

* Itchy abdomen - Goodness, yes! And like I blogged in a recent post, it's mainly when I'm outside of the house in...front...of...people. Weird.

* Easier breathing after the baby drops - Not....*takes a breath*....not quite yet.

So....there's an update. In other news, I finally finished washing all the baby's stuff that I have so far. All the blankets, sheets, clothes, socks, cloth diapers, burp rags....you name it! The crib is made and ready and so is the little cradle in our bedroom. Want a sneak peak? Look below!

The crib in the nursery:

The cradle in our bedroom:

Sooooo cute! Whew! 36 weeks down and.....maybe 4 more to go?