Half Way Through Week 38... Who Knew?

Just to make everyone happy I decided to post a picture of the 38 week blimp! Every inch of my body is officially swollen. I got a pedicure last week and the nail people were making fun of me in whatever language it is that they speak! I've had doctors say that I have one of the worst cases of edema (swelling) in my legs and feet. It's pretty ridiculous. At least it has given Trey and I something to laugh about. I don't remember what my body looked like pre pregnancy.

Surely I won't get bigger than this...?

We've had lots of progress this week. On Tuesday I was 3 cm, 70 percent effaced and her head was at -2 station. Station refers to how far the baby has descended into the pelvis. The scale goes from -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4. At 0 the baby is fully engaged in the pelvis and labor is well on its way. At +3 you are ready to push. Anyway, I went back today to see my regular doctor who had been out of town. In two days I made a lot of progress. Today I was a little over 3 cm dilated, 90 percent effaced and the baby was at -1 station. She said she would be surprised if I made it through the weekend. I don't want to get my hopes up but I hope she's right. I've been hard to predict this entire pregnancy so who knows what's going to happen. I've been having a lot more contractions with greater intensity the past few days. I'd like to get this show on the road! I haven't slept in a week.

Here's a look at what's going on this week...

Your pregnancy: 38 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I'm getting so anxious to meet this little person! I can't believe how close we are!

6 Day From Full Term

I can't believe it! I'm almost to full term. Three months ago I didn't think I would come anywhere close to full term. I remember thinking , "If I can just get to 30 weeks everything will be ok." Who knew I would come this far? I'm so thankful to be at this point in the pregnancy. I have to keep this in mind when I start to complain about how tired I am of being pregnant. I feel like I've been pregnant for years!

We had another "normal" appointment today. I am measuring right on target which means the baby is growing appropriately. The doctor didn't check to see if I have dilated more since last week. I would like to have known if I'm making any progress. I assume they will check next week. I've been off total bed rest and all medication for a little over a week now. I asked her when she thought I would go into labor and she said it could be today or weeks from now. I can't imagine being pregnant another 3 or 4 weeks! It seems like an eternity.

On another note I've turned into the always complaining pregnant woman! Trey has to be so sick of hearing me complain and dealing with my irritability. I don't sleep these days because Natalee decides it's time to practice kickboxing in the wee hours of the morning. After her workout she tends to get the hiccups for at least 30 minutes. In between her activity and my peanut sized bladder I'm up at least every hour. My joints and muscles have come out of retirement and they don't like it. My feet swell up and look like balloon animals after using them for a small period of time. My hands, elbows, hips and back feel like they've been taken over by arthritis. I tried writing yesterday morning and I struggled to hold a pen. Surely this isn't normal...? Between all these issues and the lack of sleep I've been a joy to live with:) :) Oh, and I've officially started nesting. Last Friday night I got a sudden urge to clean out the garage. I decided it couldn't wait one minute longer. Trey is trying his best to deal with my temporary (i hope temporary) insanity! I hope Natalee gets here soon. There's a good possibility I'm going crazy!

The End is Near!!!

Well... she flipped!! I couldn't believe my eyes! I was convinced she was going to stay breech. Looks like I'm going to be putting more effort into getting her out than I anticipated. She also has a full head of hair! The ultrasound tech laughed at how much hair she has. We were also able to see her breathing. Everything looked great! They tried to get a 4D picture of her face but she had her face buried in my placenta. That's what you see coming from the side of her face in the picture. I swear she looks just like Trey!

Things also went well with my exam. The pregnancy is right on track for 36 weeks. They actually used the word NORMAL! Can you believe it...? I haven't been referred to as normal once throughout this pregnancy. I find it humorous. I am one centimeter dilated. My body has started preparing itself for labor. I've been having terrible contractions at night. I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a time this week. Once again they said this was all normal for this stage. Apparently I have an irritable uterus. I was also given the okay to walk around the neighborhood. I feel like I was released from prison today! I don't know what to do with myself. I guess we start playing the waiting game at this point. Miss Natalee will make her entrance whenever she's ready.

Trey insisted on buying her a pair of Vans this week. He was quite excited about his purchase. I must admit they're pretty cute. I can't wait to see what kind of crazy outfits he puts her in. I keep reminding him that she's a girl!

I'll try to post an updated belly picture this week! Lord knows it's getting huge! I don't know how I can get much bigger!

Natalee's Nursery!!!

Natalee's nursery is almost complete! I just have a few more things to hang on the wall and we will be finished! It has definitely been a process. I wasn't sure how everything was going to come together but I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I didn't originally plan on making her room this "girly." One thing lead to another and it just evolved into what it is. Luckily Trey and I both love it! It's so weird to think she'll be here this time next month. We are getting very anxious! I'm ready to put all this baby gear sitting around my house to good use.

I think we have everything we need for her arrival. We just need to put the car seat in the car and we should be good to go. I packed her bag last week which was very strange. I had no idea what to pack. I also got my bag ready to go. Now it is just sitting in our bedroom staring at me. Each time I walk past it I wonder when I'll be picking it up! Now I know why women say the last few weeks are the longest. I just feel like a ticking time bomb. Each day gets longer and longer.

They have taken me off all medicine and total bed rest! I can't believe the day finally arrived! From this point forward Trey will be at all my doctor's appointments just in case anything happens. It doesn't look like he'll be traveling anymore with the due date approaching. Every time he goes out of town I worry about going into labor. If you remember the last time he went away for a week I ended up in labor and in the hospital for 3 days. We go back to the doctor Wednesday to check her position and see what kind of progress I've made. My contractions are more frequent and a lot stronger than they have ever been. I hope I can make it to at least 37 weeks but if I go into labor now they won't try to stop it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!!

Maddy loves the nursery

We're slowly but surely filling her closet

My flash makes the green and pink a lot darker. It doesn't look like a

green apple in person, haha!

I still have to hang the letters for her name above the crib

Here's a look at what's going this week...

Your pregnancy: 35 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.