37 Weeks and FULL TERM!

**This is a pregnancy-related post, so please feel free to skip this post if you're not up for it. God bless.**

Or am I? I don't know really, the internet is full of so many conflicting figures. 

(Emily, get off the internet and stop googling pregnancy stuff!)

I know, I know...

But I guess I figure, if I have a chance to say that I am FULL-TERM now, then I might as well take it!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!

Remember this?!

7 weeks, and while I GUESS you can see the slightest hint of a bump, I had no idea what was in store...

Which brings us to...

...my sweet and nearly FULL-GROWN baby...

...and my hopefully FULL-GROWN belly!

Let's get right into the details, shall we?

How far along?  37 WEEKS AND FULL-TERM. Holy cow. I can't believe I just typed those words.

Clothing? Rotating the good ole stand-bys...recognize that striped shirt?!

Stretch marks? Yes, and a new one, too! My belly looks like a road map. Bring it on, little one.

Sleep? Not good, at all. Super sore. The last two nights in a row, as soon as I have settled into bed some really uncomfortable cramps/practice contractions (?) have hit and lasted for about an hour. That leaves my body pretty tense and doesn't make for the most restful sleep! Also, bathroom breaks are a JOKE...3+ a night now. And sometimes, while I'm up, I will eat some chocolate/corn flakes/chug some OJ out of the container. It's getting super classy up in here!

Best moment of this week? SEEING MY BABE ON THE ULTRASOUND, first time in 17 weeks!!!

Worst moment of this week? Work. Enough said. I am DONE with work.

Miss anything? There is nothing that I can’t live without until January, which by the way starts TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!

Movement? Still feeling those bumps and rolls, but of course panicking whenever I don't. As long as I get a few "hard" movements every day I feel okay. The doctor explained it to me like this...the baby started out swimming in the ocean, then in a lake, then in a pool, then in a bathtub, and now she's in a bucket. Not a lot of room in there to wiggle! 

Symptoms? Definitely ramping up, though I know I've been complaining since the very beginning! Pregnancy is just rough on the bod, let me tell ya! Achy hips and pelvis (although I discovered at the doc on Monday that the baby has not dropped AT ALL yet),  breast tenderness, increased hunger (especially for sweets), pregnancy brain, swollen (and sore) fingers/joints, upper/lower linea nigra,nesting, fatigue, heartburn/acid reflux, and CONTRACTIONS (at least, I'm pretty sure). Yeah. Ouch. 

Food cravings? SWEETS, especially chocolate. Cornflakes. Orange juice. 

Gender? I'm still going with girl. When we were doing the ultrasound, we told the doc (it was my regular doctor's partner, who I don't see very often) that we did NOT want to know the sex and he assured us that he wasn't even gonna look, but when referring to the baby on screen he said "she." Accidental slip? Or was just he playing along with my game? WHO KNOWS?!?!?!

Labor Signs? Possibly. Painful/very uncomfortable cramps/contractions for about an hour the last two nights before bedtime. Owie.

Belly button in or out? Out and gross.

Wedding rings on/off? Off, and I miss them dearly. This replacement ring just isn't cutting it.

Mood? Getting so so so so so so so so excited.

Rituals? Nighttime lullaby, holy water on the belly in the morning, holy oil on the belly at night. Routine bedtime chats. And a few playful poke fests to watch the baby squirm around in my belly!

Milestones? Baby's reflexes are super developed, and if I put my finger in her palm right now she would squeeze! Baby could also have between 1/2 inch to a full inch of hair on her head! WOW!

Looking forward to? My 38-week appointment next Monday, ONE MORE WEEK OF WORK (if I last that long), NYE tonight with my little sisters, and, duh...BABY'S BIRTHDAY!!!

This week's pregnancy-small-talk-gems (aka things other people say to pregnant ladies without thinking): Another "are you sure you only have one in there?!" comment from a male neighbor. People, let me clear this up once and for all. This is NOT cute pregnant-small-talk. Trust me, we KNOW how big we are, and if we are having twins/multiples, we will find a way to let you know. Otherwise, please do not assume...it makes us feel like garbage. Big, humongous garbage. Next time someone asks me this, I may freak out or bite someone (since the rest of my motor skills are pretty compromised these days). You've been warned, universe.

Notes from doctor’s appointment: Positive for Strep B...ugh. I knew it was a possibility, but I am annoyed just the same. Still, not the end of the world, I know that. Not dilated yet, but cervix has changed from 100% hard to quite soft in a week, so that's something. My doctor's partner really threw me for a loop when he told me during my exam that he thought the baby might be breech. HUH?! So we went in for an ultrasound and discovered that no, the baby is in fact head down, thank goodness. He did mention, however, that I have a VERY narrow pelvic canal, and he wants me to prepare myself for the likely possibility of a C-section. This is devastating news for a woman who wants to have as many children as God will allow... a C-section with my FIRST baby?! Again, I know it's not the end of the world, and I will do whatever is safest for the baby... but it is NOT what I wanted to hear. If you could spare a prayer for us, especially for a safe and healthy natural delivery if that's God's plan, we would sincerely appreciate it. I will be at peace with whatever happens, but I would prefer to experience the miracle of childbirth without surgery if at all possible! And I will be interested to see if all of this cramping/possible contracting has progressed me any further...hoping for YES!!!

Well, I guess that's all for now. As baby's birthday approaches, and the year 2014 comes to a close, I can't help but feel a little retrospective and a lot grateful. Thanks to all of you who bother to read my updates, and who have been praying for us since day one. You will never know how much it means to me, my family, and especially my little one.

Have a safe and BLESSED New Year's Eve...see you in 2015!