37 weeks

{thanks for the Easter dress mom!}

Full Term - I'd say this pregnancy has gone extremely fast, but I then remind myself of how freaking long the first 20 weeks were with fatigue and nausea. 

How am I feeling:
My bumper sticker should read "Ready to not be pregnant, but not ready to be a mama of another newborn quite yet!"  I wish there was a window of time between that transition so I could rest before baby arrives, but alas I know this isn't possible.  My complaints are pretty common ones for this stage - horrible sleep, lots of hip pain - in fact I don't remember this much with Finley, shortness of breath, and general difficulty with doing anything that involves me moving (tying shoes, changing diapers, buckling car seats, getting up from a chair, working - ha!)  But, overall I'd take this discomfort 50 times over the pukey first trimester. 

What's new with me/baby: A lot!
-At 30 weeks my ultrasound showed that my placenta had migrated to the right spot - a miraculous 7 cm away from my cervix which means no planned c-section for me!  I was ecstatic and celebrated with lunch at Panera after my appointment :)
-I asked the ultrasound tech to measure the size of the baby even though the MD didn't order it.  While she warned me that the accuracy is low and the size can be off by up to a pound...at 30 weeks the baby was measuring about 3.5 lbs.  I jokingly asked her "so it doesn't look like I'm going to have a 6 lb baby?" and her response was not unless it comes in the next few weeks.  And, since that has come and gone it looks like we may have another large baby on our hands. 
-The MD did say that if my cervix, etc is "ready" at 39 weeks they would consider inducing due to my previous history of GIANT baby :) but that if they induce too early the likelihood of an unplanned c-section goes up.  My attitude at this point is the longer I wait, the longer into summer I get to be at home.  We'll see if this holds up in the coming weeks :)
-My hemoglobin is crazy low (9.1) and while I was doing a great job of iron supplements and eating my bowl of Total every morning a few months ago, I haven't been that diligent of late mostly because it upsets my stomach, but I'm giving this another go so that I don't need a blood transfusion after labor.  Us Zenz women tend to have low hemoglobin normally, so the MD is not that concerned.
-I was positive for group B strep which means antibiotics during labor - yipee!
-Size wise, I'm measuring right on track...but then I remember I've always measure right on track and can evidently hide a few extra baby pounds in some cavity within my body that the doctor doesn't know about.
-Babies heart rate was most recently 125.
-This baby moves ALL THE TIME.  Bladder, hips, ribs, she likes to bump into it all. 
-I have braxton-hicks contractions nearly everytime I move - walking seems to set them off the worst.  I am not foolish enough this time around to think that this means that these contractions will actually lead to active labor!
-At my 36 week appt I was dilated to 1cm.  Maybe this time I will progress past this before my induction date!?!
Weight Gain:
I officially stopped looking at 30 weeks when my weight was 155 lbs.  I don't care to ever know what I weigh beyond that, so I just turn around on the scale.  I'm sure it's up there though because my appetite hasn't decreased this time like it did with Finley.

Cravings:
-Vegetables and Salad.  I could eat a whole bag of baby carrots if given the opportunity.  And the Panera Fuji Apple Chicken salad is something I dream about.
-I've had quite a few root beer floats lately!
-Bowls of cereal
-Oranges - I have eaten 4 cara cara navel oranges in the span of an afternoon

Ready or not?:
-Most of the 0-6 months baby clothes are washed and hung up in the closet (I forget how tiny newborns are, even10 lb ones!)
-My goal for this weekend is to get all of the baby stuff down from the attic - bouncy seat, swing, play mat, bottles, etc.
-Baby's room is basically Finley's old room.  It needs a little deep cleaning, and a new name sign, but otherwise it's ready to go. (by the way, I always thought I would re-do the nursery for baby #2, but I guess this is what that monster test, a new big girl room, a mom living many states away, and a basement remodel will add up to)
-We need to buy diapers!

Favorite quotes I receive at work on an hourly basis:
"How overdue are you?" - said about 3 weeks ago
"Are you sure there aren't 2 babies in there" - classic line that no woman wants to hear
"You're still here" - said in a surprised voice every time a returning pt sees me
"You look tired" - yep, I am
Most of the time I can keep my humor, but somedays it wears on me.

Overall, I don't take for granted the ability and strength that God is giving me to carry this baby for as long as it needs to grow.  Plus, I firmly believe that the only way I'll ever get excited for labor is that I'm so darn uncomfortable that pushing out a baby seems like the best option : )

At the most, 4 more weeks until we meet her!!