37 Weeks

Since I'm not working and in front of a computer all day, I haven't felt the compulsion to blog as much recently. Apologies. The last few days, I have been making up for lost time with running a few delayed errands. And, it doesn't seem to take much, 2-3 hours before I get exhausted and just want to go home and veg. However, today, I only have one, a haircut, and then I should be pretty much homebound for a while. The nursery is pretty near done. I have a couple things to hang on the wall and then we're just waiting for the occupant. I'll post a few pictures soon.

The cloth diapers came in yesterday and I spent a good hour or two breaking in the new glider while I adjusted all the elastic adjustments for newborn. They seem incredibly small. They're in the wash now, and then I'll probably have another half hour when they've dried to stuff the absorbent pads in them. Then, I'm pretty much done with the baby laundry. I've got more blankets than I know what to do with, onesies coming out of our ears, and hopefully enough socks so that when Zeus absconds with some of them (as he inevitably will), it won't leave Potus with popsicle toes. Now, we're just waiting to see what Potus is, so that the Grandparents can start buying him/her some cute more gender specific outfits.

Had my first "non-weird" baby dream last night. Everyone asking how I'm sleeping has finally caught up to me, I guess. For the record, I sleep just like a rock, until my bladder wakes me, generally between 2 and 4:30am. This morning though, the call of nature coincided with a baby dream. It's fading pretty fast now, but I seem to remember riding in the back seat of my parents' Grand Marquis with my parents and both sisters. I believe we were on our way back from Merrillville when my water broke. Apparently, I delivered in some sort of small conference room with a gymnastics mat on the floor. The midwife was there in the only chair, and somehow the labor was non-memorable, quick, painless, and very clean. Potus was a largish boy with a sprinkling of light brown hair and was apparently able to crawl a little and hold his head up while looking for a milk supply. Realistic, I know.

Tuesday, we had our 37 week checkup with the midwife. I don't think we'll see her again unless she ends up "catching" Potus. We've got the other two docs scheduled for weeks 38 and 39, and then they don't let the midwife make the call on whether to induce if you make it to the 40 week appointment. If you'll remember, I was 80% effaced last week. This week, I was 1 cm dilated, which apparently can last for a while. Midwife L did say that there was a possibility we could go into labor before our next appointment. However, I think the odds are pretty small. Current fundal height is 34 cm and weight gain is about 44 lbs. I have been experiencing pretty frequent Braxton Hicks, and they have gotten a bit stronger so that I don't necessarily have to put my hand on my stomach to determine where they are. Potus is still really active. If I sit down to do kick counts, I find I only have to count for a few minutes to get 10 movements. At our appointment, Potus had apparently been in the midst of an exercise session when we listened to the heart rate. It was up to 150, whereas before it had been around 130 each time.

Haven't noticed a return of the elephant feet. There is still some swelling, and I've noticed my hands getting a little edema. I think I'll leave my rings off for a day or two since they're starting to leave marks.

Also, I got good news last night. My parents and both sisters are going to be able to make it up for Christmas. I honestly wasn't sure it would work out, but I'm glad everyone was able to arrange it.