WIAW and 34 Week Update

As of tomorrow (Thursday), I'll be at 34 weeks! Baby has really grown!

Last time I did a bump/pregnancy update was over a month and a half ago, so I have a few details to document. These little updates serve as a nice virtual scrapbook for me!

Most Recent Symptoms:

• Itchy skin all over, usually in the evenings. 
• Sudden pain in my left inner thigh/groin (at first I thought it was a pulled muscle of some sort, but now I'm pretty convinced it's the baby's movements)
• TONS of kicking, which is awesome but occasionally a little uncomfortable if I'm sitting.
• Restless Legs Syndrome, which drives me a little nuts, but usually I do some leg exercises and feel better. So far, it hasn't interrupted my sleep.
• Speaking of sleep, I'm waking up at least once per night, and sometimes I go right back to sleep but occasionally I'll stay awake for an hour with my mind racing. 
• I'm noticing some swelling in my feet/ankles and hands, so I'm trying to chug water and eat healthy foods (in addition to cake). I'm thankful it's not too hot yet!

Other Recent Developments: 

• As I mentioned before, the baby has flipped out of breech and into a head-down position! Yay!
• A little bit of a nesting instinct! I get sudden urges to clean the house at random times, like Saturday evening's vacuuming marathon while Terry grilled lamb.
• We finished all of our classes! After our (seven-week) birth class, our hospital tour, the breastfeeding class, and the baby care class, we are finally done. They were so fun and informative! But now we're pretty excited to have a little more time on our hands and fewer trips to the hospital.
• We switched sides of the bed, which is awesome for getting up in the middle of the night.
• I'm gaining weight a little more steadily now, which is a relief after so many weeks of being "stuck" at the same weight.

Parenthood Preparation:

• Our baby showers are the next two weekends! My aunt is hosting a shower up north at my mom's house, and Terry's family and close friends are throwing a shower in Southern California. We are so excited to see everyone and feel all that love for our little one!
• We are making very slow progress on our baby to-do list. We have a LOT left to go, but I have a feeling those showers will kick us into motion!
• Everything we read and hear suggests that we should spend time talking to the baby, but sometimes we have trouble figuring out what to say to him or her. We sometimes tell the baby about our days, but then we end up just talking to each other. I guess as long as the kid hears our voices it's fine, but tonight we started reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland aloud near the belly. It's a nice little break for us too!
• We're still being diligent about our pregnancy exercises. Here's hoping it all helps with labor!

WIAW
I only took three pictures of food today, because I'm awesomely forgetful lately. Like that time (which may or may not have been yesterday) when I forgot to turn off the car while filling up with gas. That was a low point. My husband has declared me unfit to run errands now.

But anyway, here are today's eats:

Breakfast: a fried egg with leftover roasted red potatoes, plus some orange juice

Morning snack: 

carrots with peanut butter!

Lunch: a turkey and cheese sandwich plus Greek yogurt

Afternoon snack: a few bits and pieces of whatever I could find: turkey, cheese, bread

Dinner: 

leftover lamb turned into grilled sandwiches with caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar cheese, plus roasted sweet potato fries and a simple green salad

Dessert: more birthday cake!

Check out the other WIAWs at Peas and Crayons!