36 Weeks

36 weeks seems kind of like a limbo week . . . we had the wonderful 35/35 milestone last week, which, though ultimately meaningless, is a fun day to note regardless. And six short days from now we'll hit 37 weeks, FULL TERM by most measures. 36 six weeks sits right in the middle, almost full term, but not quite, kind of like the back straightaway on a track . . . you know you still have that last curve to go before you reach the finish line, so you're not gearing up for the final push quite yet, but you're . . . gearing up for gearing up, but still holding yourself back for fear of peaking too early. Like I said: limbo.

The most notable occurrence to mark this week was that we began our weekly doctor's visits yesterday! I have to say I am excited to finally be at this point. With my anxiety on the rise and the end so near in sight, if I have any questions that arise at this late point, I only have to wait six days before I'll get to see the doctor again, before I get to feel reassured by seeing my squirmy, wiggly, healthy daughter on the screen.

With the onset of our weekly appointments, we have also begun our internal exams where they check me for any signs of progress towards labor!! TH and I firmly believed we would have ZERO progress at our appointment yesterday . . . in fact, I was (am?) convinced that I would deliver late. My body has dealt with this pregnancy so well, and I've been so comfortable, that I had no trouble imagining my body continuing to deal comfortably with the pregnancy far beyond my due date. The exam itself wasn't too bad at all, and I was shocked to hear the nurse say my cervix had "progressed about a fingertip." Um, a fingertip dilated?? I know in the world of labor and delivery dilation and effacement really have little predictive indications of when baby girl will be making her appearance, but you still could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard that I had, indeed, made a teeny-tiny bit of progress in that direction.

I guess I should not have been so surprised, though. The other bit of news we found out is that baby girl is once again HUGE. Her brief pause in her tremendous growth two weeks ago was merely that--a pause, perhaps a joke she played on her mom and dad just to throw us off our game. She is back in the 95%, her HEAD is measuring more than three weeks ahead, and her tummy and legs are not far behind. That's right. Her head is already measuring 39+ weeks. Good grief. I knew I'd been a little more hungry than normal in the last couple of weeks, but that kind of growth spurt is ridiculous! The thing I hold onto is that growth estimates can be off by as much as a pound, and usually they measure bigger/heavier than the baby actually is.

So, my big, healthy girl is weighing in at 8 lbs, 1 oz. at 36 weeks!! Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed she decides she is done cooking either early or on time. I do not need her to keep packing on the pounds well after her due date, as that could create complications around the actual delivery. My doctor is fine letting me attempt a 10-pound baby (and the nurse complemented me on my "very roomy pelvis," so I am in as good a shape as possible to attempt such a feat), but anything bigger that and they start to talk surgery.

We had our final shower over the weekend, a small, family gathering at my house. It was wonderful to get to see my cousins and grandparents, my aunt, my mom and step-mom, my sister, and a couple close friends of our family who live in the area. We finished off the nursery, hanging the final touch--Alina's name letters that TH painted himself--just before the first guests started to arrive. I can't believe her little home is finally ready for her! The shower provided us with the final few pieces of gear that we needed, including our pack-and-play and our swing (yay!), and we are planning on making our last runs to the store to get those other few details we still need sometime this weekend. We made it to the end of our busy stretch of traveling, guests, and showers, and from here on out we can just focus on getting our house, our lives, and our minds and bodies ready for Ali!

Here are the stats for this week:
How far along?: 36 weeks
Total weight gain: 21 lbs
How big is baby?: 8 lbs . . . yowza!
Maternity clothes?: lmao . . . I'm toting around an 8-pounder in here. What do you think???
Stretch marks?: I know there's still time, but nothing yet and my fingers are crossed!!!
Sleep?: getting more and more uncomfortable. I have upped my necessary pillow count (finally broke down and stole TH's pillow to add to my stack last night and made him get another one) and spend the night rolling my girth from one side to the other, massaging my poor hips and praying that I can just find sleep for more than 3 hour stretches at a time. This must all be preparation for life with a newborn! The nice part is that I'm so tired by the end of the day that I am falling asleep faster than ever . . . I'm usually asleep before the nightly song we play for her ends!
Best moment this week?: Hearing that progress has been made, discussing our birth plan with our doctor and feeling that he is completely supportive of our wishes 100%!
Movement?: Poor baby is running out of room. I still feel her all the time . . . it's just not as acrobatic as it used to be.
Food cravings?: No cravings, but I seemed to have returned to something reminiscent of my first-tri eating habits. Nothing really sounds appetizing, I can't eat much in one sitting, and I have to eat more frequently or else I feel nauseated. Must be something about my stomach being squished into oblivion in order to accommodate my ginormous baby . . .
Labor signs?: Holy cow. I am a fingertip dilated. My crotch has been sore for weeks, which the doc said is the chemical relaxin helping my pelvis get bigger, and I have random shooting pains and menstrual-like cramps off and on all day. No contractions yet, but like I said before . . . gearing up to the final push. Oh, and I leaked. From my boob. Yeah. I know it's not a labor sign, but I didn't know where else to note that event. Kinda crazy.
Belly button in or out?: Still in for the most part. Maybe it'll never pop??
What I miss: Being able to sit down (or stand up) without grunting.
What I'm looking forward to: getting all the final details ironed out: assembling all her gear, packing our hospital bag . . . how exciting!
Milestone: Into our weekly appointments and officially less than one month to go!