37 weeks, and full term

Baby's now the size of a Watermelon!
At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.

How Far along: 37 weeks.

Total weight gain: Slowing down. I have a number (that I won't be sharing) that I do not want to exceed. We will see how that goes.

Maternity clothes: Oh, yeah.

Sleep: Its... ok. Definitely getting more uncomfortable. Between the pelvic pain and carpal tunnel that is now in both hands, I have a hard time getting settled, but once I fall asleep I'm usually out for the count. Except for my 1:11 AM pee break (I kid you not, 1:11 AM every morning).

Best moment this week: Since this covers the past two weeks, I'd say Labor Day weekend. I had Friday off and I took Thursday off, so I had a nice 5 day weekend. My parents came up on Friday evening and brought the recliner for Claire's room, and the valence and crib skirt that my mom made. Her room is pretty much ready for her now. Its really surreal. I will try to remember to take pictures and post some.

Movement: Oh yes. She still has not dropped, so she is still all up in my ribs. Claire is getting really strong. I will be sitting still or laying in bed, and she will give me a strong kick or roll and cause me to move. She kicked so hard the other night that it shook the bed. Even Jonathan felt it.

Gender: Sweet baby girl.

Labor signs: No working labor. I had my weekly appointment this morning and everything is still locked up tight. My Braxton-Hicks aren't increasing, so nothing is happening yet. But I'm ok with that. I need a few more weeks to finish things up at work.

Belly button: Flat. I thought it was starting to stick out, but it was just the hard scar tissue from my belly button piercing that I was seeing.

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

Cravings: Back to fruit. Namely Nectarines. I love them and I hate that the season is starting to come to an end. I only like them when they are hard - when they start to get soft like peaches I just can't eat them. Its a texture thing.

What I am looking forward to: I am getting a growth ultrasound this Friday. I asked my doc this morning what she thought Claire's birth weight might be. All she could tell me is the "average" based on my measurements, which has been right on this entire pregnancy. But seeing as how both Jonathan and I were over 8 lbs at birth, Its a pretty good possibility that Claire will be over 8 lbs (yikes!) She ordered a growth u/s to satisfy both of our curiosities, which makes me happy. I like to have some semblance of control, even if in reality I can't control her weight.

Milestones: Full term today. If I go into labor, they won't stop it. That's a humbling/frightening thought...