Appropriate activities for being 36 weeks along

So what would be considered an appropriate activity for someone who is 36 weeks along? Why mountain climbing and snow sledding of course! That is just the sort of thing you do if you want to get the water retention to kick in and you want to say good by to your ankles and a giant hello to a brand new set of "cankles" (as Scott calls them). Cankles, for anyone who has never heard the term, are when your ankles blend into your calves and your cute little ankle bones that usually stick out are sort of non-existent... half calf, half ankle - cankles.

That is what happened to me. This is the first pregnancy where this has ever happened. I have always been really good about drinking enough water and not swelling, but this weekend has taken the cake. And it probably sounds whiny, but swollen legs actually *hurt*...who would have thought?! It is a weird sensation to not be able to curl in your toes because your foot looks like the marshmallow man's feet - I wonder if he has that problem as well. Anyways, It might not look like a lot from your side of the picture, but those really aren't my legs... someone did a great job on a leg transplant when I wasn't looking. I usually have unusually (almost unnatural looking) long and skinny toes, and ankles bones that protrude so much I was never able to wear high-tops in the 80's and 90's because they were so uncomfortable. And all the veins that usually stick out on my feet are gone... those just aren't my feet. So, even though it sounds silly, this is a highly weird thing for me... yet another thing to chalk up to pregnancy!

Okay, hopping (or rather, carefully rolling down from since there is no more hopping for me at this far along) off this little soap box, we are down to less than a month to go before we meet our newest little guy. We still don't have a name picked out for him; it is narrowed down to two, but that is as far as we can get. He has a middle name already, just not a defined first name. For our kids we give them a family name of someone we admire and respect...someone our kids would do well to emulate. So we have a Ruth, a Ryan, and a Frank - and this little guy will take on "Erick" after Scottie's older brother. But whether he is "Duncan Erick" or "Emmett Erick" we don't know. (And to answer that question that just popped up, no, we did not get the name Emmett from Twilight, I just happened to like it before it became that well known!)This is Erick last Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa. He's a really great guy ~ polite, kind, witty, intelligent, spiritual... someone Hoppy would do well to grow up and be like!

So our little Hoppy Erick is now about 6 pounds and is about 20.5 inches from head to foot. He is just biding his time and getting fatter at this point, and as of this week he would be considered a full-term baby if he were born now. I on the other hand, am much bigger than 6 pounds and am also biding my time until he comes. His bones are harder now and more stable for newborn life, and he has the grabbing reflex that newborns are so famous for. (Did you know that that reflex is so well developed that a minutes old baby can hold his weight like he was hanging on monkey bars because of it? I don't think I am brave enough to try it with my baby, but I have seen it done before!)

He is losing the waxy-cottage-cheesy covering that has been on him to protect him from being in water 24/7. He is swallowing and digesting this and the amniotic fluid to prepare him for that first tarry diaper that we all love to change. (That meconium is stubborn stuff to get off of tiny hineys!)

I got a bit of a nesting urge a week ago and set up his port-a-crib that we will use as his bassinet, and I washed all the newborn clothes and put them into a Rubbermaid dresser thing that we are going to use for him. And, being the sappy mom that I am, I made the little bassinet part with the blue blanket and a cute little stuffed animal, and then laid out a teeny tiny outfit in it. Very cute, but very cheesy since I still have over three weeks to go! (there's always the chance he will come early though, right?!)

I have stopped having so many black/brown outs, which is nice, since now I have the swelling and exhaustion from being so far along to deal with. I get winded quite easily since his little tushy is pressed right against my lungs. I did have an ultrasound at my last appointment to check and make sure it was his cute little hiney that was sticking up so high (she thought it might have been his head) and I got to see his little skeleton head again. I didn't get any pictures to take home, but I did get to smile at him. The midwife said he can't flip anymore, so he is head down and ready for landing. They did already give me an induction date, so I can now see a definite end in sight. They say so many people are choosing to induce, that if a lady needs one because she is overdue, there are no available slots, so they go ahead and set up one for past your due date just in case you do need it later on. Hoppy Erick's eviction will be no later than January 30th. But hopefully we won't have to resort to forceful evictions, if he follows his namesake's personality traits, he will be considerate and will come early and easily and will be a perfect little guy... A girl can dream right?!

I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions... some days more than others. Apparently too much mountain hiking can bring on a evening filled with fairly painful contractions! But it wasn't anything that glugging a gallon of water and soaking in a warm eucalyptus oil bath with your feet up couldn't handle!

I have been sleeping on the couch for a couple of weeks because that way I can't roll over and get stranded on my back like an upside-down turtle. Plus it is easier for me to hoist myself up in the middle of the night when I have the back of the couch to grab. I make sure I drink extra water at night so I am getting up every couple of hours... my thought is that this is a good way to prepare for when Hoppy Erick is here and he is waking me up every couple of hours, my body and mind will already be used to it, so it won't be such a shock to the system. We'll see how that goes!

Okay, well that is enough for tonight. I have some pictures from Christmas to post in another posting, and then our sledding trip yesterday will be another post. But Owen and Daddy are asleep, Teagan is reading and Garrett is coloring quietly in his bed. That is the perfect set up for me to go grab a quick kitty cat nap as well! Here is a picture of Hoppy Erick and I at the end of our 36th week.