thirty-six weeks

how far along: 36 weeks

gender: yep, still a girl

symptoms: stretch marks have arrived in a big way. they have been developing for a good while now. at first they startled me. i may have cried a bit over them. then i got over it. i am a warrior preparing for the biggest fight of my life. and my stretch marks are my battle scars.

energy level: (scale of 1-10) i would say between 3 and 8 and it comes in waves. one minute i am starting a load of laundry, doing the dishes, and getting ready to vacuum. the next i have to take a moment to lay down and breathe. then i get up and the cycle starts all over again. however, while i am at school i don't really have the bed or couch option so i do take a lot of "sit breaks."

mood: i am in good spirits and getting extremely excited about her arrival. i am having a blessed pregnancy and i am very grateful for that.

cravings: red velvet cake and ice cold milk.

food aversions: meh.

sleep: with my body pillow and a few other strategically places pillows i sleep just fine. just don't ask him how much less space he has in the bed these days...

what i am thankful for this month: my own mother's sacrifice for me. i don't think you realize how much your own mom went through to bring you into this world until you experience it yourself. granted, i have yet to experience the labor and birth, but i am beginning to understand that this is not for the faint of heart. and i am thankful she gave me life.

"pregnancy brain" evidence: this is always the most difficult question for me to answer. i know there are many examples of this, i just never can quite pull them out of my brain. and i wish i could because they always make me laugh.

how my body has changed this month: i woke one night last week to a feeling of fire in my throat. immediately shot out of bed coughing. it was disgusting and it scared me a bit. my belly has gotten very big and very heavy. took my friends' advice and lifted my belly with my hands for a few moments and ahhhhh. it. was. nice.

inspiration for this post found at becoming m