38 Weeks Tomorrow

Another week has passed and I'm still pregnant.

New developments this week:

• My knees are really stiff. I guess they're tired of lugging around this extra weight and standing up/sitting down really hurts.
• I snore so hard my nasal passages close up. I wake up gasping for air because all of a sudden my nose isn't cutting it anymore and I have to breathe somehow.
  
• My hips can't handle me sleeping on them anymore. I think they're relaxing to let my pelvis spread, but it's very hard to find comfortable sleeping positions. Combined with the snoring, I'm not sleeping well. And either is Dan.
  

So what does babycenter.com have to say about week 38?

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and he's nearly 20 inches long. He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old.

That's about that. We're still waiting, gently coaxing him to do what he's got to do to get out here. Every morning I wake up a little disappointed that I'm still pregnant. I've had ups and downs, but overall this pregnancy hasn't been too bad. But I'm ready to be done and start the next phase. And I'm dying to know if he's a redhead!

Eating for Eight

Since I got pregnant, I've read plenty to dispel the "eating for two" idea. In all reality, you only need about 300 extra calories by the end of the pregnancy to meet the caloric needs of being pregnant. And until recently, that hasn't really been an issue. I definitely wasn't extra hungry for the first trimester while I was hugging the toilet. I got a little bit of my appetite back in the second trimester, but mostly for a bowl of ice cream or a brownie at night. But now? I can't eat enough! In the past week or so, my appetite has gone through the roof. Dan and I barbecued burgers tonight, and ate them with baked beans and chips. I had inhaled my entire plate before Dan was even half way done with his burger. Then I went back and finished off the beans before I made myself stop.

So that was like 20 minutes ago...and now I'm dreaming up dessert! Our friend Nicole made chocolate chip cookies for us, so that's an option. We have several ice cream options. Or I could make a fresh batch of brownies. Then again, I could just have a little of each!

I'm supposed to slow down on my weight gain in these last few weeks, huh? I doubt it!

Preparations

We're getting ready for our little bundle of joy. His nursery is ready. All of the newborn clothes and blankets have been washed. Our first diaper service bundle was delivered today. Tomorrow, we'll put the car seat in our car. Wednesday I'm going to Dinners Ready to make food to freeze for after his birth.

It's funny how I think we're getting ready, but we can't possibly be fully prepared for him. We don't know what to expect. I guess maybe the preparations are to help us feel better and pass time and I'll keep doing what I can. These days, that means napping a lot which is only building up energy for lack of sleep when he gets here, right?

He moves so strongly and we can always feel him. Dan and I are both trying to talk him into coming out now but he's not budging yet. We tell ourselves that if it were up to him, he'd be here. But it doesn't seem to be up to any of us. It's just a matter of time now. So we'll keep prepping the best we can and hope he doesn't keep us waiting too much longer.

37 Weeks - Full Term!

We made it! We're at full term now. The baby can come any time. Like now. Or now. Or...

3dpregnancy.com says:

Huge news this week: You're carrying a full-term baby! If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven. Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he's born. More great news for your birth canal.

So if he's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can't practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he's hungry—but he'll do plenty of that in a few weeks.

At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 and a half pounds. About the size of an average large-mouth bass caught in Minnesota by your cousin Earl.

The weeks have been flying by and we've already passed 37 of them, but I feel like our due date isn't getting any closer. 3 more weeks?!?! If I have the same labor luck as my mom, he'll be here sometime this week. I could totally handle that! But I'm also sure that I won't be so lucky and we'll have to be induced mid-April since he's too comfy in there. As hard as it is to not know, I think I prefer not knowing to having an exact date to look forward to. This way, I can hope every day that it's the day without being too disappointed if it's not.

But really...any time now, Baby!!

I Cheated

I've been so good for a whole year now - no drinking, no diet pop, no caffeine (except a little chocolate here and there), no sushi...But Wednesday night I gave in and cheated on my pregnancy diet. I had a Coke!

I grew up drinking diet and have never really liked the real stuff - it's too sugary for me. But Dan and I were making tacos and there in the fridge was a can of real Coke, staring at me, taunting me. So I gave in. And I drank the whole thing. Then I was up for hours. And it wasn't just me. Our little baby boy went bonkers for HOURS. He would not stop moving and grooving! It's pretty amazing what some caffeine and sugar will do to an unborn baby.

But then last night, I did it again. I couldn't stop myself! I went to dinner with Stephanie, Sharon and Lisa, and I had Coke with my steak. The second time wasn't as good as the first, but it was still pretty darn great. I don't want to get in that habit, so it's back to water and juice for me, but just for a few minutes it was nice to splurge on the Real Thing.

Centering Pregnancy - Session 8

We met for our second-to-last Centering group today. My blood pressure is still good, and I gained 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks (which is right on schedule!). Our baby boy is engaged, which means he is head down and his head has dropped into my pelvis. I've had a lot of pressure down low, so I'm not surprised. My uterus is measuring 38 weeks (we're technically at 36 weeks and 3 days) so that could be an indication that he's bigger than "normal" but the way they measure isn't that exact. Either way, we are definitely headed in the right direction (pun intended)!

We're down to 4 couples in our class, and two are due before our next class on St. Patrick's Day. I'm not-so-secretly hoping that our little man will be with us before then, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. Oh, who am I trying to kid?!!? I wish he'd come tonight! I had a good set of contractions tonight, but as soon as I started walking they died down. I know it's still early, and I have as many as 5 weeks until I can count on him being here, but I can hope right?

Here are a few pictures of our group, taken today:



It's a fun group, but I can't believe we're almost done!

Monday Again?

Seriously...take me out of work for two weeks and I lose all track of time. Today, I'm spending a domestic day at home. So far, I've already cleaned the kitchen (including reorganizing some of our cabinets), vacuumed the downstairs, and started the laundry. That may not sound like all that much, but it's much harder than you'd think when you're lugging around extra weight and your ankles are the size of your thighs!

It's a beautiful sunny day, and the bright blue sky makes me feel good. I've spent the past year in a window-less office where I rarely saw the outside world in daylight, and it really makes a difference. I'm still adjusting to not going to work. It's especially hard for me to say goodbye to Dan on Mondays. I miss him a lot now that we don't spend all of our time together and I feel guilty that he's giving me this amazing opportunity. But I guess when I'm a feeding, diapering, bathing machine in a few weeks, I won't feel quite so worthless!