36 weeks, almost full term!

hello!  only a week away from being considered full term.  wow.  we're just a few weeks away now buddy!  i can't believe it.  but i definitely feel like 9 months is a long time to be pregnant.  especially now, towards the end.  i understand why mommas say they are tired of being pregnant towards the end.  it's difficult.  but again, i don't have any complications so i can't complain too much.  i went to see the midwife yesterday, all is well, they did the strep b swab, we talked about my birth plan.  the midwife said that everything that i requested/listed is pretty standard there (like skin to skin after delivery, waiting for the cord to stop pulsing before clamping, breastfeeding soon after birth, etc), so that was reassuring!  i found out that i have officially gained 35 lbs since the start of my pregnancy.  the midwife didn't seem concerned since i was technically considered underweight at my pre-pregnancy weight, so gaining 5 more lbs won't be the end of the world.  i asked her about swelling, and she advised to cut down salt intake a little and drink lots of water, and that my blood pressure is excellent so there's nothing to worry about there.  whew!  so i go back in 2 weeks and hopefully we will see some progress!  i'm so excited to meet my little guy!  over the weekend i was finally able to go and visit my best friend and her 2 week old little man, he's so tiny!!! and adorable!  see for yourself:

sweet little guy.

also, hubby and i made a trip to ikea and after wavering back and forth between daybed and futon, we bought a futon to put in the nursery to accomodate guests.  but i'm slightly regretting the purchase because the futon is not as comfortable as the daybed even with the added memory foam/down alternative topper i bought for it.  grrrrr futon!  we had to re-arrange the nursery to get it in there and make it look ok, see below:

i also moved the baby boy banner to the opposite wall and added a lovely framed Bahai children's prayer that we got as a gift above the crib.  i'll be adding some other framed artwork around it so it doesn't look so stark.  and we got the rest of our cloth diaper supply, which i promptly washed, dried and put away into it's home, so that's all taken care of.
here are some other shots of nursery stuff

prayer above the crib

cloth dipes and spare inserts

lil man's stuffed animals (and cal hat hahahahah)

books, toys, more stuffed animals

other noteworthy (?) stuff:  i can no longer see my feet when i look down, my belly is pushing the limits of fitting into the desks at school, and we got the rocking airplane!  wooohoooo!

who needs to see their feet, really?

squuueeeeeze!  me and baby learning population genetics

my swollen feet and cankles.  note the dents on my ankles from my socks.  yikes!

rocking airplane!!!!!!!!!!!!  wooohoooooo!

that's pretty much all the exciting stuff from the past week.  i will continue with the pregnancy update, then off to study genetics, must get ready for finals!

How far along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: the size of a honeydew or crenshaw melon (?), he's nearly 20 inches long or so (some info says still under 20 inches) and almost 6 lbs, most of his systems are in working order like the liver and kidneys, circulation and immune system
Total weight gain:  35 lbs
Maternity clothes: yup, down to my last few shirts that fit, been able to wear dresses and skirts for the last few days since it's been nice here in seattle
Gender: boy
Movement: he rolls around a lot and it seems like his little bum moves across my belly from one side to the other, his feet constantly kick my right side
Sleep: meh
What I miss: fitting into clothes, not being swollen, being able to get comfortable, getting out of chairs and couches without grunting and being able to get out of bed without feeling like a turtle on its back
Cravings: fruit fruit fruit!  can't get enough of it!  also, otter pops, ice, i'm surprisingly NOT craving meat
Symptoms:  swelling, emotional, bigness
 Best moment this week: spending time with rae and baby, getting the nursery in order