35 Weeks and 1 Day Preggo, etc...

I started back to work this week, so blogging has been the last thing on my priority list :).  I will be off this weekend, though, and I have several things that I want to write about!!

I will start tonight with an update on baby Levi :).  I had an appointment today with my midwife.  I am 35 weeks and one day today, and I begin my weekly appointments already.  I can't believe I'm so close!  She checked everything out, and things are looking wonderful.  Levi is in the perfect position, with his head down low.  I'm measuring right on at 35 weeks, my blood pressure is perfect, heartbeat is perfect, and baby is active (more and more each day it seems).  Of course, for the most part, he's still pretty mellow during the night!  I'm still not sleeping great, but at least it's not his movements that are keeping me awake like with Ethan :).  I have only gained 15 pounds so far, but she's not worried at all because the baby seems to be the perfect size (and I only gained a total of 17 pounds with Ethan, so it's not abnormal for me).  This pregnancy is the first one out of the three that everyone HASN'T been telling me how HUGE I am (with the exception of a few people).  In fact, many people tell me that I don't look 35 weeks pregnant.  So, that makes me feel good.  With the other two, I heard all the time that I looked further along than I was.  Here's a pic that Robert took just a little bit ago (keep in mind that it's about 9:30 at night and we just got home from town about 45 minutes ago... and I worked today!):

Tonight, we picked up some of the last items that we will need for little Levi.  We went ahead and bought some disposable diapers because the BumGenius "One Size" are a bit large for a newborn (although they do start fitting pretty quickly).  I bought some breast pads, nipple cream, and another crib mattress (Ethan is using the one that we had in his toddler bed).  Of course, I'm not sure how soon we'll actually use the crib, but it's good to have.  It may be good for naps :).  We have all of the clothes that we had for Ethan (mostly all borrowed from a friend), but I'm a little concerned that many of them won't work for the season.  We will make it work, even if that means he wears "sleep and plays" a lot.  We still need to do a little bit of work in the nursery, but it shouldn't take long to put together.
Next week when I meet with my midwife, we will be discussing my plan of "action" for making breastfeeding more successful than with the last two babies... even if that means only 50% of the time.  I want to be able to continue this time no matter what... even if that means I can't do it exclusively.  I will be calling a lactation consultant to discuss my past situations and see what I can do differently.

I'm real excited about some new things that I have "collected" over this pregnancy to try with Levi.  I bought a new breast pump (quite a while ago now!) that is MUCH more comfortable than the one I had with the last two... which will be good because I plan to start pumping in between feedings immediately to increase milk supply.  It is the Playtex Embrace Double Electric Breast Pump (which I bought for $140 on sale!).  Also, I bought some Fenugreek Tincture, which is an herbal supplement that helps increase milk supply.  I have used the capsules in the past, but my midwife says the tincture is much more potent and will work much better.  I still need to purchase my own The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk book because the one that I read I borrowed from my midwife.  This is an excellent book to have for reference.   
I recently received my Sleepy Wrap that I ordered through a friend right before Thanksgiving.  I'm excited about that because I hear they are SO comfortable and they keep the baby nice and close so that they don't "dangle" when I bend down (which will be very beneficial since I have two other children).   I also have an Udder Cover nursing cover that I got for free (just paid shipping)!  I'm real excited to try these new things out with Levi!!  I think they will make things a bit easier and more comfortable. 

All that I need to do now is put together my homebirth bags, which include a bag for towels, a bag for sheets, and a bag for baby things (blankets, clothes, diapers, etc).  I have received my birth kit, so I'm all set there.

I still have a little bit of preparation around the house, such as planning meals (and making some to freeze), some organizing that I would like to get done before the birth (so I don't have to worry about it afterward), stocking up on some items, etc.  I will work on those one day at a time.  I am pretty busy now that I've started back at school, so I just HOPE that I have time to do these things before Levi makes his presence known, but I'm not going to stress about them.  Everything that is NECESSARY is done... so that's all that matters :). 

Stay tuned the next few days if you're interested in my first homemade yogurt experience, my new "love affair" with my grain mill, more information on nutrition, updates on how I'm doing with my goals, and the meal plan that I have for after I have the baby.