Coming Down the Home Stretch

Only 28 more days until our due date and I know it's going to go fast.

I'm on weekly check-ups now at the doctor's office. Last week they said I was neither effaced nor dilated, but that Baby C's head was super low and getting in position. Today the doctor said that I'm 50% effaced, but not dilated at all yet. He's still head down, still sitting very low. They also told me that he seems to be average size and I "don't have a monster in there", so that's good.

I don't know if the baby had a growth spurt or what, but over the past 7-8 weeks I only gained 2 lbs. Then just since last week, I've gained 3 lbs! What the heck!

I asked the doctor if he thought I'd probably go until my due date, and he said there's obviously no way to tell - my water could break tomorrow or something for all he knows - but with how things looked today and being that it's my first, he thinks it'll probably be close to the due date. Matt, on the other hand, says he just "has a feeling" it will be sooner rather than later.

I don't really know what to think either way. Part of me wants to delay it because I'm scared of getting him out and then having to take care of him afterwards, and the other part of me is excited to meet him and just wants to get this process over with.

Anyways, I'm a little overdue in posting these, but we got our maternity pictures back from Jodi last week. They turned out really good.  :)  I'll put a few on here, but the rest of my favorites are in my Pregnancy Pics album on Facebook. (You have to be my friend or friend of a friend to see the album.)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 35
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 36

42 more days... Not that I'm counting.

Lately it seems that how I feel all depends on the day. 

Some days I feel totally fine. Except for when I feel him moving around in there, which is usually pretty often now, I'd almost forget I was even pregnant. 

Other days, like today, I'm very aware of the fact. I just feel big - don't tell me how tiny I still look on a day like today. My head hurts. My stomach is acting up. I feel exhausted. He's pushing on my guts the wrong way. The list goes on.

This past weekend we went down to HHI for the last time before Baby C makes his arrival. It was really weird for me thinking that the next time I'm back home to visit I'll be a mom. We'll be driving down with a dog bed and a car seat in the back. My life will be very, very different. It's not a bad thing - I'm really excited - but it is a little scary at the same time. I know that being a parent is a huge responsibility and the closer it gets the more I keep wondering if I can really do it. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm all ready for the baby, and I know they're mostly referring to things like having bought clothes and diapers and getting the nursery ready, but every time I hear that question I can't help but think, "Ready?! How can you be ready for this?!?"

Anyways. Matt and I have been trying to be as prepared as we possibly can. Aside from just trying to get all the needed supplies together, we've also been happy to talk to other parents at church and stuff who have good advice to offer. I think that helps me the most. I like hearing all the different suggestions and opinions, then deciding what we think will work best for our situation. 

We also started attending our preparation for childbirth classes last week. They run every Wednesday evening in August from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. It's not like a Lamaze class or anything - basically they just try to discuss all of the different options that couples have when it comes to having their baby and afterwards, give them an overview of the labor process, what they can generally expect to happen in different situations, and some suggestions on how to best get through them. They try to make sure the mom's mind is as at ease as possible about what's going to or could happen, and that she and her "support person" are on the same page with things. We both learned a lot last week, and it's nice to meet all the other first-time couples in the same situation as us. I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow.  

That's about it as far as anything new... Scary as it may be sometimes, I'm getting pretty anxious to meet the little dude.  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 33

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 34