The Merkel Family: 35 Weeks

Friday, December 19, 2008

35 Weeks

35 days to go! The doctor said if I go into labor after Christmas, they won't stop it, so I'm trying to get myself mentally ready. I'm becoming less and less comfortable as the days go by. The baby really enjoys pushing its body parts out, especially into my ribs. I've just started having some weird baby dreams. The other night I dreamt that we had the baby, but never changed the diaper so we still didn't know what we had. I was walking around calling the baby an it. And then last night I dreamt that the baby was a stuffed animal and people were looking at me like I had 3 heads when I would show them my baby.

I'll have to make sure that we're aware of the sex of the baby when it's born (now I'm going to check a dozen times after the baby's here to be sure). And that it's an actual baby and not a stuffed animal.

Here's what the baby's been up to according to WhatToExpect.com.

At about 20 inches and five and a half pounds (but with about five more weeks to grow), most of your baby's growth over the next month or so before you meet will be in weight (with a gain of anywhere from one pound to several), not height (baby's pretty much reached the in utero limit in that department). Accordingly, fat continues to accumulate at a rapid pace these days (on baby, not just on your hips). Back in the middle of your pregnancy, your baby's weight was made up of only two percent fat; now at 35 weeks pregnant, that percentage has soared to closer to 15 percent (and will increase to 30 percent at term). Which means your baby's once skinny arms and legs are now quite plump…and irresistibly, squeezably soft.

Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is your baby's brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain — the skull — remains soft. And for good reason: A soft skull will allow your baby to squeeze more easily through the birth canal. (Mother Nature was really thinking this one through — imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head…ouch!)

And now for the weekly pictures.
Parents.com - I have no idea why it's the size of a throw pillow. Weird.