Week 34 appointment and photo

The last of our bi-weekly appointments, from here on out, we're once a week! What?! It's insane how fast this has all gone, and as I was telling Brad this past weekend, I'm so ready for it to be over, but mainly because I am so darn excited to meet this girl. I think I will actually miss being pregnant - I've become so used to her wiggles, jabs and hiccups, and I think I'll miss them when they're no longer just mine to enjoy. In a few short weeks, I'll have to share my buddy with the outside world, and the task of keeping her safe will no longer just be up to me. It's a crazy thought.
We're basically set up, with a place for her to sleep, too many clothes, the car seat base waiting to be installed, bouncy seat assembled, and diapers and wipes strategically placed throughout the house and ready for use.

She's been able to hear us, particularly me, for quite awhile, but around now is when they say she'll actually start to remember things we say/sing when she is on the outside. Starting tonight, we'll be doing some reading and singing before bed each night. If nothing else, it will be an interesting experiment to see if she is soothed by these things in about 5 and a half weeks.
The doctor will start checking me at the next appointment to see if I'm dilating/progressing and will check how far she's dropped (I know she's dropped some - I can breathe so much easier these days!). My weight seems to have plateaued, just as Dr. Castilla said it would as we neared the end. I guess things are just evening out in there (more weight for her, but less water weight for me, maybe?) as I am still at the same weight I was two weeks ago. She says this is normal, so it's looking like for now I'm still at a total weight gain of 16 pounds. She still has a strong heartbeat - she's getting so big, my skin is stretching so much, and the heartbeat was so strong, in fact, that it was almost like an echo on the doppler. My strong, healthy, happy girl continuing to make me smile.

Weeks 33-34: tiredness came back with a vengeance, round ligaments very sore after being in one position too long, sleep is fleeting - falling asleep is particularly rough, using the bathroom at least twice every night, heartburn is a nightly occurrence, skin is surprisingly still looking pretty darn good!, not very hungry and can only eat a small amount at a time, enjoying honey nut cheerios with bananas, blueberry bagels, peanut m&ms for a treat, juicy fruits like nectarines and pears, and still loving my morning decaf as well as half lemonade, half soda water while at work.