The Miracle: 37 Weeks

Ok, so things are definitely picking up steam here!! Saw the doctor again today, and she was very surprised with how much progress I had made over the past week (I wasn't as surprised...I've been walking our very hilly neighborhood, our basement stairs, and doing gentle squats and lunges to help prepare my body and use gravity to get "E" in a good low position). Today I was dilated to almost 3cm, 80% effaced, and the baby has dropped to a -2 station. The doctor said that "E" will probably arrive before his due date, and that we could expect to go into labor anytime in the next week or so. YIKES!! Maybe my exercise strategy was a little TOO effective! I feel like a ticking time bomb...so much to do, so little time! (of course, watch us be jinxed now, and "E" will get stubborn and decide to stay inside his current comfy home until the 15th!!)

I worked today on getting my bag packed for the hospital so that I can be ready to go at a moment's notice. Last night Richard put some plastic down under our mattress pad, just in case my water breaks while I'm in bed (it's unlikely, but a friend who it's happened to twice highly suggested being prepared just in case...it would stink to have to replace the mattress when you're already paying through the nose for all the baby stuff!). The carseat bases are installed in both our vehicles. We have a few more items to get at Babies R Us, but I'm hoping "E" will hold off until after this weekend...I have a coupon I want to use to get the pack n play and it's not good until the 25th!! :o) Tonight we go for our infant CPR class. I still need to call a photographer to get a nice belly portrait...before the belly is gone! The list goes on...but I'll stop boring you with the details! Just pray that "E" holds off until his mommy is through her to-do list...I'm thinking the middle of next week should suffice, but Cinco de Mayo would be even better!! :o)

Technically I will be 38 weeks tomorrow, but I'll go ahead and post about "E's" development during week 37 anyway...just so we don't skip anything important! Let's see what type of random food they compare him to this week... ;o)

How your baby's growing: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). 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 your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. 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. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.