I made it to 35 weeks!

Today, I am 35 weeks. That means Claire is weighing in at 5.25 pounds and measuring over 18 inches in length. She's quickly running out of extra room and packing on the weight like a bear preparing to hibernate. As for me? My uterus is now stretched up under my rib cage. I feel huge, clunky and definitely close to the end. I waddle. It's not a sway, it's not a graceful walk. It's a waddle...and when I look down at my belly as I walk, it also moves from side to side. Lovely. Since my darling little daughter likes to re-position herself multiple times per day, leaving my belly lopsided and tight, I feel uncomfortable often. The heartburn is almost a daily occurrence now. I'm still popping those Tums like candy (and I am considering sending the company a personal thank you card for getting me through some long nights).

As for the big news, I am officially 87.5% done with this pregnancy. How does it feel? Shocking! I truly cannot believe I made it this far. Some days were long, but the entire length of my pregnancy has seemed short. With only five weeks to go, I am filled with mixed emotions. Five weeks seems just around the corner but also too far away. How can this belly stretch five-more-weeks-worth? Can I make my tummy butter last through until the end? How can I wait over a whole month to meet this little creature I've grown? How can I possibly get everything done in only five weeks? How can I be completely prepared for my life to change in only five weeks? Too many questions and not enough time (or energy) to figure out the answers. So, I've officially jumped on the go-with-the-flow bandwagon. Whatever I get done, I get done. Whatever I don't, I don't. It took some time for me to realize that Claire doesn't care if her nursery isn't perfect or her quilt for her bed isn't completed or her closet isn't organized to my standards. She needs love from her mama, her papa, her family and her basic needs met. All the rest is really just stuff. At 35 weeks, I feel comforted in knowing that it will all fall into place eventually. She'll be here soon enough and that's all that matters.