week 34

average size: 17.2 to 18.7 inches, 4.2 to 5.8 lbs.
what's going on with baby: "She's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, if you're singing them. If you're not, start! She may find them soothing after birth. She's also urinating about a pint a day."


gross about all that urine! haha...and as for the songs, i decided a while ago that i wouldn't sing/play music on my belly because what if she hates it?! i know a girl who would always play a song on her belly and her son would move around a lot while in the womb when she would play it. she played it all the time, and once he was born, she played it for him again, and he started screaming and kicking because he hated it!!! so i'll just avoid all the music stuff lol...i don't want to torture her!

this past week i made my own moby wraps! for those of you who don't know what a moby wrap is, it's a very handy wrap that you put on yourself so you can wear your baby while doing other things. here is what they look like:

i reaaaaally wanted one, but they are about $45 - $55 each! sheesh! it's just one long piece of fabric! so, i decided to make my own. i looked on fabric.com and chose two fabrics that i liked:

this one is a cotton/jersey knit, and it has a 20% stretch to it ($5.98/yard):

and this one is a 80% Rayon/15% Polyester/5% Lurex combo, and it has a 40% stretch ($2.99/yard):

i was originally only going to get the blue flower one, but the total came to $29.90 (you need 5 yards to make a wrap), and you get free shipping if you reach $35, so i started looking for an extra option and found the tan one so i would get the free shipping. and actually, i found a 15% off coupon online too! so, i got 10 yards of fabric for a total of $40.36. that meant i could make 6 WRAPS for less than 1 moby wrap! woo! i could make 6 wraps because the dimensions of the material is 60"x5 yards, so you just cut the fabric into thirds :)

so, i just measured, and marked where i should cut, then cut!

easy peasy! here are the wraps, once cut:

and after washed and folded, they are put away to wait for rem! 

i wanted a pretty pattered option, and a neutral option so i could match with whatever i'm wearing. these will be perfect! i also wanted one more stretchy than the other since i heard newborns work better in more stretchy material, and as they get bigger/heavier, a less stretchy option is better to keep babies more secure. once she gets even bigger, i'll want to switch to a different carrier like the ergo, but these wraps are great for the beginning months. so excited to use these! 

i also ordered her cloth wipes for changing diapers! i found these on etsy:

so cute! and i got 64 of them for only $22.15 after shipping! will be so handy and save so much money to use them over and over again :) if you are interested, here is the shop i ordered from: tender bottoms

the shop owner was so friendly and responded to my question within minutes! highly recommended! 

i also got a yoga ball because my midwife suggested one to help with my lower back/hip pain. it can also help with labor as i get closer to delivering! here's how the birthing ball can help during labor:

1) when sitting on the ball, it encourages a very natural rotating or swaying motion of your hips which will encourage the descent of your baby through the birth canal. using the ball will help to support the perineal area without applying a lot of pressure and will help keep your baby aligned for delivery in the pelvis. 

2) the sitting position is similar to a squat and it has shown to open the pelvis and speed up the labour and delivery process.

3) on the floor, you can kneel and lay on the ball and it has been shown to help posterior positioned babies to turn to the correct position making the birth process much smoother. 

so i hope it does all that for me! i got it for $17.54 on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/TKO-Fitness-Ball/dp/B005IRX14W

i know our hospital also has them, so i'd like to get used to it now so as i'm laboring i can use the ones at the hospital too. 

that's it for this week! i love checking more things off my list as we get closer! :D