38 weeks!

How far along:  38 weeks! 14 days to go!

Size of baby: Pumpkin? For real? If the pumpkin on my neighbor's front yard is what's in my belly, I'm scared.

What's going on in my belly: Baby TeeJ is 20-22 inches long and weighs about 6.5 pounds. She's preparing for her arrival into the world... She might have some hair on her head, fattening up, and is shedding some of that white goo (vernix caseosa) that's been coating her skin for most of this pregnancy. I read somewhere that her organ are fully developed at this point. Sweet!

Stretch Marks: Nope

Sleep: Still no. And no surprise, just as I get comfortable enough to fall asleep, I have to go to the bathroom. I get up about every hour or 2 to go which kind of sucks.

Symptoms: I realized that nausea has been at the top of my list for most of the pregnancy. I'm starting to imagine life without it. I'm secretly hoping it goes away right after Baby TeeJ gets here, but I know there are no guarantees.

Best Moments of the Week: My weekly appointment of course! Today I saw Dr. B. instead of the midwife, which was fine by me. She went over my Group B Strep results which were positive. My records will transfer over to the hospital so when I'm in labor, they will know to give me antibiotics. Next was my growth ultrasound. Similar to last week, there was some trouble locating Baby TeeJ's head. Why, you ask? Because her head is so low. Dr. B. found her head 6-7 inches below my belly button. Yikes! That explains so many things. Why I can't walk very well, why I'm no longer getting kicked in the ribs, but also why Baby TeeJ seems to hate it when I wear pants. Dr. B took some measurements, checked the heartbeat and gave a thumbs up. She weighs 6.5 pounds (up almost an entire pound in a week!) and is doing well. I told myself going in that I wasn't going to get another cervix check until I was 40 weeks or so but yeah, that didn't happen. I didn't ask for it, but didn't decline it either. I was talking to Dr. B. about what happens if I go past my due date, since it's on a Saturday, and she looked kind of annoyed, but in a comical way. She asked, "How do you know you're going to go past your due date?" I said, "Well, statistically, most FTMs go past 40 weeks." I think it was the word "statistically" that made her roll her eyes and laugh. It must have screamed Dr. Google to her. Her response was to slap on some gloves and there I was getting a cervix check. After the check, she says, "She's coming!" Uh, not the words I wanted to hear at 37w5d. DeeJ was in the room and I could see some panic in his face. Then she clarified. "You're effaced and 2cm dilated!" Phew... Ok, so basically, there's progress compared to last week. Then she said that if I don't go into labor on my own to call on Monday the 3rd and we'll go from there. Normally, if there is no progress, she waits 7-10 days after the due date, but in my case, she would schedule an induction sooner. Then she said that she really thinks I'm going to go into labor on my own. We'll see Dr. B. Challenge accepted.

Miss Anything: There's a long list of things I miss. But I'm too excited for Baby TeeJ to get here to care at this point.

Cravings/Aversions: My water intake has improved this week. YAY! I am noticing, however, that my aversion to coffee is back. It's starting to taste too bitter, no matter how much cream or sugar I use. Like most aversions, I'm hoping that they don't remain after this pregnancy.

Showing Yet: Yep. I'm running out of clothes that fit and I refuse to buy anything else maternity at this point.

Mood: Pretty good. 

What I am Looking Forward to: 1 more week until technically full term! That's pretty exciting! I can't believe that we're here and I'm even posting about this. Also looking forward to getting the last bit of items we need for her arrival; we need diapers, wipes, and the other half of her take home outfit (we only have the onesie and shoes). Lastly, the 24th is my last day physically in the office! I should have asked for an earlier date, but I didn't want to push it since I'm taking more than the standard 8 week maternity leave my company offers. I will be technically working up until my due date, but at least the last week will be at home. Now that everything is planned, we'll see when she actually arrives.