37 Weeks

• How Many Weeks: 37 weeks 0 days

• Weight Gain: Unfortunately, I have hit my 20 lb. goal...with 3 weeks left. I really hope the weight gain stops, or even decreases like a lot of the baby books say I should.
  

• How big is baby?: well according to Baby Center "Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier). 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."
  

• Maternity clothes?: I made my final purchase this past week. A nursing tank from Target. My mom is also going to attempt to return my maternity jeans because they shredded in the crotch. I have very little faith in Motherhood Maternity exchanging them though. They are just awful when it comes to returns and customer service.
  

• Stretch marks?: Who knows at this point. I just put more olive oil butter on them right before I sat down to type away.
  

• Sleep?: I am sleeping well. Just not at normal times during the day. I get sleepy around 4am, and Justin's alarm goes off at 5am, and he leaves for work at 6am, so most days this past week, I went to bed at 6am. Minley has slowed down a lot and I am actually not feeling so uncomfortable when I lay down. It is a good thing.
  

• Movement?: She is starting to be really cramped in there. She does not move much at all. To the point where she sometimes scares me. Poor baby girl, just a few more weeks and you will have all the room you need.
  

• Food cravings?: This week has been caprese salads and hearts of plam wrapped in prosciutto. I ate an entire Costco sized jar of hearts of palm in one week.
  

• Labor Signs: Other than our scare on Wednesday at 36w3d, nothing. No contractions, no Braxton Hicks. I have been losing my MP for a week or two, so that is a good sign. As of Wednesday, I was still 1cm and 75% effaced. My next appointment is this Thursday, so we will see if there is any progress.
  

• Belly button in or out?: It is flat, and stretched to the max. Occasionally, the top half pokes out just a little bit, but that is only when Min shoves her butt in there.
  

• What I miss: This week, I have been longing for energy, the ability to walk without hurting. But I am also starting to wonder if I may actually miss being pregnant in a few weeks. I for sure will not miss throwing up in the mornings. That is for sure.
  

• What I'm looking forward to: This week we are getting our carpets clean and I am going to pack our hospital bags and Minley's diaper bag. I am also looking forward to my water breaking. It will be so much easier to know if it is real labor if my water breaks versus just having contractions.
  

• Milestone: Well, apparently we are full term? But I thought full term was 38 weeks. Oh well, close enough. I really cannot believe how fast the time is going these days.
  

And here are some belly shots from today.


36 weeks above, compared to 35 weeks below