37 Weeks - TERM!

The baby is now considered a term baby (no longer pre-term).  He is welcome to come at any time he wants and he will be fully developed and healthy.  Of course, the longer he stays in the bigger he will get, but there is no longer any fear of him being pre-mature.  Also, since nature is better at getting babies out than doctors, my doctor is encouraging him to come before the induction if he is ready.  She is asking me to stay active (as much as I can), to encourage contractions and get my body and baby ready for labor. 

Tuesday’s doctor appointment was great.  Baby has been such a stud lately going above and beyond during the non-stress tests.  I also had one measured (but not felt) “real” contraction while I was there. My health has been very volatile the last few weeks and it only seems to continue to get more so.  Last night things took a definite turn for the worse.  I noticed feeling moody (something that never happens to me), and this surge in hormones was shortly followed by massive hip flares, general arthritis flare, and contractions.  I contracted quite a bit for a few hours, but it didn’t feel like it was progressing so I just went to bed and tried to ignore it.  I have had much fewer contractions today, but my hips are still very bad.  I think the physical and hormonal changes of the last few weeks, preparing for labor, are going to present a constant challenge for my hips.  I will keep in touch with my amazing nurse Megan and my doctor to try to keep things under control.  Generally there is a team of nurses at my clinic, but Megan has adopted me and it is SOOO nice to have one person who really knows my story (it’s a long one) and can help me troubleshoot.  I’m trying to stay positive about the next two weeks, but day like today make it seem like it is going to be a long haul.  Hopefully the terrible weather we are having is contributing some and if it clears up, I will get some more relief.

We had another good productive week.  We have the full living room set finished now (pottery barn finally sent us 4 pieces without noticeable errors).  The bassinet is now assembled and in the bedroom.  The Diaper genie and laundry hamper, side table, and nursing chair are all in the nursery.  My dad has spent many hours over helping install our new pull out shelves in the pantry which look amazing.  We also dusted/vacuumed the house and finished the Christmas shopping.  Only a few things remain:  install car seat, assemble bouncer, and cooking a few meals for the freezer for the first week or two.

I feel really peaceful and relaxed about going into labor, and honestly at this point I am looking forward to the relief.  It is strange how little anxiety I have about labor, since I think normally people are more stressed, but I feel really well prepared and like I have a great team to support me.

I have been thinking a lot about all the wishes I have for our baby and all the things I am looking forward to sharing with him.  I will be doing another post shortly with a “letter to our baby.”

Tonight Charles and I went to our last Elysian Apocalypse event.  It was really fun to go to all 12 this year.  We weren’t sure if this last one would work, but my body cooperated and we had a really nice time.  We got a nice picture with our favorite Elysian manager, Lucretia, and everyone touching my pregnant belly!

Here are some pictures of our living room, pantry, bedroom, and baby room.