34 Weeks: Six weeks to go!

The last week or so has been a reminder of just how pregnant I am. From shitty doctor appointments to realizing that as a new mom, I'm going to have a lot of sticking up for myself to do, it's becoming more apparent that I am at the end of the journey. So, what's been going on with me?

Nursery

It is, for the most part, finished. We are still waiting on a couple of showers, so there are a few items that aren't in place yet, since we don't yet have them. My lovely friends came over to help me paint the room, since the husband had lots of homework to get done and could only help out every now-and-then. It was so much fun, and now that the nursery is more together than it was before, I feel like I can properly nest. :) Here are some pictures:

Monsters on the Wall

The Door

Crib in Place

Diaper Cart

Glider!

Work

School is back in session as of yesterday! I have loved being back at work, but it is also reminding me that I will be leaving sooner than it feels. Unless some other reason comes up, I can't leave until my due date, so I am glad that my schedule is lending me some down time to rest. I really have to make sure I am taking care of myself in the next six weeks and limit how much I am taking on. 

Yesterday was the first day students were back, and though I don't have many, I still left work feeling absolutely exhausted. I had some back contractions during the day, and when I got home, they came back. The head cold is still persisting into a second week, which is making me think that it might be a sinus issue and not a true head cold. It is keeping me from breathing well, and this little boy cramming his butt against my ribs doesn't help out either. I gave up after an appointment last night and came home and got into bed. I couldn't take not feeling like I couldn't breathe, and sitting up was getting to be too much. 

Here is hoping that the weather stays nice (since my classroom is not air conditioned) and all goes well for the next month!

Baby

The baby is doing well! He's growing right on schedule. My last appointment was at 33w3d, and I was measuring at 34 weeks, so that is good. He is super active, some days more than others, and those hiccups are still going strong! He's been head down for the past couple of months and was still head down as of last Thursday, so here's hoping he doesn't flip last minute or anything. 

I had a horrible OB appointment on Thursday with an OB I've never seen before. Long story short, she basically called me fat a couple of times, then violated my HIPPA. Needless to say, I was not happy. At all. I'm in the process of filing complaints, which I never do, but I felt so violated that I can't just let this go.

All in all, I can't believe there's only six weeks left. This little guy can come at any time, which is crazy to think about. I am so happy that my body has been growing my baby without any issues at all. After twenty-seven months of wanting to give up on it, and hating it for not doing what it was supposed to be doing, the last nine months have been a blessing and a reminder that there's nothing wrong with my body at all...it just needed a little bit of help. 

Oh! Shady Grove also invited me to share my journey with them for their new e-book, so if any of you new readers are here from Shady Grove, welcome! :) I hope my story can inspire you to keep strong. 

Here's a bonus bump picture. It's not great, but it's what I could manage on my own: