38 Weeks

Today is November 15th and we are 15 days from d-day!  It's been a while.  I know.  I'm sorry.  But it's also been ridiculously busy.  The good news is that as of last week we are officially full term!!  Baby Ginny could arrive at any moment and be considered a full term baby.  We're hoping she stays in there just a little longer though, to give me time to finish up school and of course to go see the new Harry Potter movie (I really want to see it!).  We got through October, where I had front loaded a lot of school work just in case I happened to go into labor early, then my mom was in town for the first week of November, then I had work and school catch up, so now I'm doing blog catch up!  My mom was like a one-woman baby shower so we got a lot done while she was here.  We had waited to buy most of our stuff until she got here so she could go with us.  All the stuff we got, combined with the cloth diapers (yes we are cloth diapering and no we're not crazy) and clothes we are getting from Henry's parents, and some awesome hand-me-downs from my sister and some co-workers, I think we're pretty much set!  It's hard being so far away from family during this whole process, but we've never once felt like we were on our own and that's totally due to both our amazing families. 
Since it's been so long, I'll just dive right in to the good stuff.

• What's the Baby Doing?: 33-36 weeks: Baby is continuing to gain weight at a rapid rate, about a half a pound per week.  Eyes are developed enough to detect light, lanugo has disappeared, vernix becomes thicker, crowding in the uterus means less movement from baby.  37-38 weeks: Baby is full term!  Weight gain has slowed, brain and nervous system are working better every day,
• Weight Gain: I think in total I'm right in the good range of weight gain for a "normal" person.  That said, I'm definitely not giving a number, suffice it to say that I've never ever weighed this much in my entire life and it definitely feels that way.

• Showing?:  Random people are much more comfortable giving comments the last couple weeks.  It doesn't hurt that I look like I'm going to pop at any moment, however it does get annoying when every stranger on the street, UPS delivery person, randos in the ladies room, people in the checkout line, etc. wants to ask you about the contents of your uterus.  Just because you're pregnant doesn't automatically mean you should have no privacy, people!
• Symptoms: Of what?  Of pregnancy, I'm as big as a house and super uncomfortable.  I can't wear my wedding ring any more because my hands, feet and legs are swollen beyond the point of recognition.  I couldn't even get slippers on the other night!  My face is swollen too, so much so that my OB was worried about my blood pressure, but thankfully it's just fine.  It's all just so magical.  Of labor, we are definitely getting ready!!  At my last appointment I was already dilated (yay!) and the doctor could actually feel Ginny's head.  I've started having some non-painful contractions and there's a host of other, sort of icky body things going on that tell us there's probably not a lot of time left!  We finished packing the last of our hospital bag last night.
• Sleep:  No sleep.  Hips hurt too much to stay on one side for long, I'm not allowed to sleep on my back, I still have some heartburn when lying down, and I have to get up at least three times a night to pee.  I tried sleeping in a chair the other night but that was a no-go.  Last night I used pillows to prop myself up but I was having regular contractions and somehow sitting up made them worse.  Tonight we're going to try me sleeping on Henry's shoulder because I passed out that way for about an hour on Sunday afternoon.  By the amount of drool I left on Henry's shirt it looks like I was out pretty good!
• Movement: She's definitely slowing down, for the last few weeks it's been much more stretching and swiping than kicks and punches.  Her movement has gotten noticeably slower in the last couple days, in fact I did kick counts after lunch because it was worrying me.  She's still in there for sure, just in position and getting ready!
• Best Moment of the Week(s):  Getting our baby list taken care of was a huge one!  Also we got to see her again on her last growth ultrasound last week.  All you can really see anymore is a bunch of circles that is her head, abdomen, etc. but it's always fun just the same.  The next time we see her she'll be here!  Also being told we're progressing a little towards labor was fantastic.  Really help you see that there is in fact a light at the end of the tunnel.
• What I Miss:  Sleeping comfortably is a huge one right now, I'm just really really tired. 
• What I'm Looking Forward To:  Getting some semblance of my own body back. As much as I've loved being pregnant, and I have, I'm more than ready for it to be o-v-e-r!  I know that I'll be a baby feeding machine for a good while, but not having twenty-plus pounds hanging off the front of my body will be wonderful.
• Milestones:  Full term!  Dilated!  Next stop, baby!!
• Henry's Quote of the Week: In response to me worrying about my tumors hurting during labor (they hurt with the practice contractions): "Isn't that like saying I hope I don't get shit on my shit?"  I did ask him for another quote but we're both pretty brain dead from me not sleeping at night.  His offering (actually insisting) that I try sleeping on him, when he will definitely not be comfortable that way, earns him one of his many, many gold husband/father stars.  He also gets them for being my chauffeur for the last few weeks, even sitting outside my class in Evanston for 2.5 hours every Tuesday reading pregnancy books while I'm in class. 

Given that we are so close to the end now, and with the holiday and my last two weeks of school, etc., this will likely be my last pregnancy post.  Keep checking back though because I will post, with lots of pictures, when Ginny decides to make her grand entrance into the world!