Baby Update: Week 36

How far along?: 36w4d
How big is Baby?: He's about 6 pounds and 18.5 inches long! I can't believe that big of a child is growing inside of me. From the change on the scale at the doctor's this week, one of us is obviously gaining weight. I hope it's him, not me. :) Someone please take all of the Halloween candy out of our house immediately. Thanks.
Maternity clothes?: Yes. I am not starting to return some items to friends because either they fit too snug and I'm all about maximum comfort right now, or they are in need of them. Lots of pregnancies all around. I did discover a store called Clothes Minded (my friend Liz told me about) that has lots of maternity wear... I'll be visiting that place for baby #2 when that occurs in a few years (had to put that for my mom who will likely start asking me as soon as Baby W is born). ;)
Sleep?: Yes... this week was rough. I slept only a few patches at a time and I think it is because my skin has been so incredibly itchy. It's turning winter here. I took Baby W's humidifier and placed it directly next to me while I sleep, I have used massage oil and gobs of lotion, and we've now turned up the humidity in our house. It's almost unbearable. But... not sure that has anything to do with the baby-- though having to use the restroom a million times and having a basketball attached to your abdomen doesn't really warrant the best sleep anyway. Thank goodness for the last two restful nights, though.
Best moment of the week?: Having dinner with our friend Nik! He and Solange are great friends and some we miss dearly from California. Nik was out here for a job training and we were able to have Lou Malnati's for dinner with him. Since he couldn't experience "Chicago" since he was carless and working the majority of the daylight hours, we made sure he at least had a deep dish experience.
Movements?: Yes... but not the ones I want. We found out via ultrasound #2 (in two weeks time) that he is still breech. He moves all the time but none have been the 180 degree movement I am hoping for.
Food cravings?: Like I said, food is just always appealing.
Aversions?: None.
What I miss?: I miss fitting into clothes. Last Saturday (1 week ago from when I am writing this), I bought a vest. I can't zip it now. I'd just like a few more options.
What I'm looking forward to?: Baby W! I think it's safe to say that at almost 37 weeks! I'm also looking forward to accomplishing a few things on our to-do list this weekend.
Anything else?: Baby W is continuing to pack on pounds and the only thing left is to make sure his little lungs are developed enough to sustain life outside of my body. In just about 9 days, he will be considered "full term" and able to live without additional support of any kind. Though, I think he'd be fine if born today, honestly.
This week in history: Not that this is newsworthy... but something that happened this week. Oprah just announced her "favorite things" on that show she does annually and plugged two things that affect us: Groupon (a website we use all the time) and the Nikon d3100 camera. We just bought it this week before her show aired. Thank goodness because now the prices are likely to spike and they'll be sold out everywhere! We needed a great camera to take pictures of our little man. We also made sure to buy the insurance so we wouldn't have the same debacle as our last camera tragedy. Take note, Canon, we've moved on to Nikon.
What's going on this week (with us)?: Ray is working a bunch and traveled to Minnesota for one day where he said there was snow on the ground. We still haven't had snow {yet, knock on wood}, but the temperatures have been a lot cooler. We've been hanging out in the 20's-40's lately. I've been subbing a bunch this week and just trying to get things done. Laundry is now in order since Baby W could really come anytime. I am in the process of washing everything, we just put the carseat in the car, and we're just prepping as we should. I am convinced that "nesting" is nothing more than "holy cow...we're going to have a baby and need to get this done now since we won't have time or energy later" as we are coming to realize. Ray played volleyball again last night and we're about to head out to run some errands. Productive, busy, and good.

Picture comparisons:

Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 5.5, Month 6, Month 6.5, Month 7, Month 7.5, Month 8, Month 8.5

Here's Month 9! He's still "high" on my belly because he's breech. No "dropping" has occurred, sadly.

We received another cute and creative gift in the mail. The package came from our friends Samiya, Ali, and Norah (their little lady). It's a really cute train of magnetic letters.

Carseat installed! We used the latch system in my Accord and read both the manual and car manual. It's quite tight and secure.