36 weeks = 9 months

the doctor has officially put us in the 36 weeks gestation mark. 4 more weeks til we get to full, full, full term (40 weeks)!

hmm.. if we give birth any day now, no one is going to think we got pregnant before our church wedding. LOL. imagine how scandalous that would be, considering that aldo and i weren't physically together til a week before the wedding. hahaha.

what i've learned during the past 3 trimesters:

the first trimester
- sleeping was a favored activity
- a crazy craving for oranges was an early sign of pregnancy
- i got to practice may gag reflex a lot
- smells are much, much stronger... even if it was just the neighbor bringing home curry from the nearby indian restaurant
- eating wasn't that appealing
- hello breakouts... much like those you get before your period starts
- swallowing folic acid tablets made me gag
- i was crazy-emotional... everything annoyed me, most especially winter in vancouver
- for the first time in my life, i had cleavage. hahaha.

the second trimester
- no more sleepy afternoons and late mornings... i got my energy back!
- i started to outgrow closed jackets (thank God it was spring!)
- maternity jeans were a lot more comfy than pre-pregnancy jeans that were covered with a tummy tube
- food was my friend again. LOL. and the pounds just kept on coming.
- no more pimples or skin breakouts, but i did have an annoying pregnancy rash due to the hormones
- had to take the glucose test twice because my doctor found it weird that i was gaining weight so rapidly. good thing both tests came out normal!
- i had major migraines, but couldn't take more than 1 Tylenol a day for them.

the third trimester
- we found out we're having a girl!
- my clothes have now moved into our storage locker. nothing fits except maternity stuff. and when i pulled out my pre-pregnancy jeans... damn, i wonder how i'll ever fit into them again!
- braxton-hicks contractions started somewhere in the 8th month.
- swollen everything --- feet, legs, and hands. not an easy symptom to handle. the doctor said the only solution? get the baby out. hay.
- sleeping is quite challenging these days... pillows don't seem to do the trick.
- i can no longer cute my toenails.
- picking up something from the floor requires creative flexibility... instead of bending forward, you bend sideways.
- stretch marks are inevitable. good thing i only got them this month!
- even pregnancy jeans get too small apparently.

but best of all... i'm proud that i have never, even once, worn a maternity dress! (those things that look mala-duster or mala-tent). LOL. yaay for me!

apparently it is true... around this time, all you want to do is have the baby because it gets uncomfortable and feels like i've been pregnant forever. (which also signals the start of worrying about finding a daycare centre - or at least sitting on their waiting list!)