Attack of the Nine-and-a-Half Pound Baby

I've been saying it for months...This baby is BIG! I'm huge and Twitch packs way too strong of a punch to be a puny baby. No, no, everyone says...you just feel that way because you're tired and sensitive and your belly feels like it's been toting around a tiny kung fu master for too long. Besides, you're not so big! (Yeah, right.) We found out the truth this week, though, because due to my non-existent pre-eclampsia (see here), the Dr felt that I should have another ultrasound to check up on Twitch because hypertension can lead to low birth weight.

So my appointment this week started with the ultrasound technician drenching me in goop, pressing in the magic wand, and taking measurements of the baby's head, waist, arm bones, leg bones, and whatever else she could catch. She was very excited about getting some clear shots that, as she informed us, would lead to some "very accurate predictions." Then she plugged all the measurements into the machine, and...bleep, whir, grind...the machine popped out the baby's weight. SIX POUNDS FIVE OUNCES!!! Yikes! I'm growing a sumo wrestler! Mind you, I still have 6 weeks left to go, so at the average growth rate of half a pound per week, Twitch will likely be NINE AND A HALF POUNDS by her due date!

I told you so.

After my Drs appointment I made a beeline straight to Starbucks and indulged in a coffee. I am no longer worried about stunting the baby's growth with caffeine. She could do with a little stunting, and I could do with a little caffeine. I'm going to need that extra energy if they expect me to push out a NINE-AND-A-HALF POUND baby. Lord have mercy.

So here's the belly update for this week:

Total weight gain since conception: 16 pounds
Weight of baby: 6 pounds, 5 ounces
(expected average weight: 4.75 pounds)
Fundal height: 35 cm
Belly circumference: 47 inches
Centimeters dilated: 0

Twitch at 35 weeks. Her face is partially obscured by her umbilical cord,
which I'm pretty sure she's chewing on. Mmmm...meat.