Week 37

Three more weeks to go!!!! Can you believe it??? It is now week 37 of our pregnancy and that means that we are finally on the home stretch. Three weeks sounds SO doable at this point and like such a short amount of time in the scheme of things. I can’t believe just how fast the whole process has gone. When we first found out we were expecting, 9 months seemed like forever!

Yay! Our baby is finally full term! This means that if B-C arrives now, his/her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though my official due date is still three weeks away. Our baby now weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard…doesn’t look to appetizing to me). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if our baby's hair isn't blonde. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes (i.e. Alex and Andrea Hart). And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz…that is totally going to be B-C…I just know it! No worries because I like peach fuzz…and if B-C is a girl then there are always those little stretchy headbands that we can clip a bow to if necessary! Whatever God gives us is great!

Mark and I had a great Labor Day weekend. Unfortunately, we cannot say that we actually went into baby labor on Labor Day but I really wasn’t expecting to. We drove up to Gainesville for the Gator game on Saturday morning. We had an awesome time at the game...thank goodness we were lucky enough to have box seats from Turner. I am not sure if my poor feet and legs could have taken all the standing, heat and rain that we would have experienced in the stands. As it was, the box was plush with air conditioning, lots of free food and as many Arnold Palmers as I wanted…don’t worry that is just a fancy name for a sweet tea and lemonade mixed…no alcohol! Going up to the games in Gainesville is always fun for us. We love getting a chance to watch the Gators crush their opponent and the opportunity to see old friends in the process.

The rest of the weekend was great too. We actually got the chance to put together all of our new baby furniture and to organize the “nursery”. Once we finished, I felt so much better about this whole “having a baby” thing. It now feels “real” and that we are actually ready! I just love our new changing table/dresser combo unit. It provides us with SO much storage for all the baby clothes, diapers, books, pictures etc… And I really LOVE the crib. It is so pretty and it even has a storage drawer underneath it for extra sheets, mattress pads, quilts, etc… We definitely had to do a little rearranging of the bedroom to make it all fit but I think both Mark and I are satisfied with the results. It is not ideal but it is functional. The dresser that was in our room got moved out to the living room and now acts as the entertainment center…good thing we have good looking furniture. The crib went into the space where the dresser once stood and the changing table/dresser fits snugly behind the bathroom door (i.e. along the wall that use to be my “growing belly” photo opt wall). Like I said, not our first choice but it works.


We had a good doctor’s visit last week. We got all sorts of information on what to do when it is time to go to the hospital and where to go and that sort of thing. My doctor also checked me for any sign of progression and she said that I was a “finger tip” dilated but that it didn’t mean much because the baby’s head has not come down in my pelvis yet. We had to have a quick sonogram done to check to make sure that B-C was head down and all was good with that. It was so cool to see just how much that little sucker has grown since our last US. It was hard to distinguish what was what…we definitely saw eyes (that were open this time) and the baby’s mouth. The nurse kept saying that the baby was pursing its lips together and I kept saying no that was just cute set of Batia lips! I am so excited that the baby probably has Mark’s lips!!! We also had good news that I tested negative for Group B Strep so that means I will not have to have antibiotics during my labor. I went and registered at the hospital today and that was the very last thing on my “to-do” to do to get all the way ready for B-C’s arrival. I practically had sign my life away but other than that it was pretty routine. I think it is so cool that our baby will leave the hospital with an actual state issued birth certificate and its own social security card. This is possible because the hospital where we are delivering is so big and all they do is deliver babies (over 40 a day…that’s 2 kindergarten classes!!!)


So as you can see we are definitely ready for B-C to arrive. We are continuing to read our “Pregnancy: week by week” book and our “Babywise” book to make sure that we are mentally prepared but as for all the physical things I think we are set! 3 more weeks is all until we all get to meet our precious B-C!!!!

PS...the last picture is of a sign that our friend Audrey Jones painted to go above the crib...isn't it adorable? She always does a fantastic job! I love it!