Pregnancy Update: 37 weeks!

Today, at 37 weeks, I am officially considered full-term! That means that Brenson can come at any time and would most likely be perfectly healthy. Yay!

Here is my 37 week baby bump:

Check out that belly button . . . UGH. Honestly, it probably bothers me more than it should, but I think it's really gross looking. And the possibility that it might not go back down after Brenson is born horrifies me more than a little bit. It is definitely worse at certain times (depending on how the baby is positioned), and this morning it was bad!

We saw Dr. N for our 37 week appointment this morning. My blood pressure was 120 over 68 (so still looking good), and I have gained 2.5 pounds since our appointment last week. Really?!? Two and a half pounds in one week? I guess I'm making up for the weight loss last week! My total weight gain is 25.5 pounds.

Brenson has dropped a bit, but his head isn't fully engaged yet. Dr. N did check me today, and I'm not effaced or dialated at all. He asked me if I was having any contractions and the answer to that is no as well. With Brianna at this point, I was SO anxious and impatient for things to get moving. However, this time, I am really okay that I'm not moving toward labor yet. I'm just trying to enjoy these next couple of weeks for the special time that they are and not rush anything. I want to soak up these last days that I have with just Brianna, try to rest a bit, and enjoy this last leg of pregnancy.

I forgot to mention that I had my first really bad leg cramps about two weeks ago. I had them two nights in a row, and they were bad enough that my muscles were sore the next morning. They came the two nights after we had done all of our travelling for the holidays, so I wonder if riding in the car brought them on? With Brianna, I had severe leg cramps pretty frequently for the last 8 to 10 weeks of my pregnancy, so I'm very happy that they have not been a problem this time. Again, I think it's the difference between sitting at a desk all day and chasing a toddler all day :-).

I still am not experiencing much swelling at all. Sometimes, after a busy day where I've been on my feet more than normal, I may have a bit of swelling in my ankles. However, for the most part, it hasn't been an issue at all. Sooooo completely different than when I was pregnant with Brianna and didn't see my feet or ankles at their normal size for like 3 months!

I have been extremely tired this week. This almost feels like the first trimester fatigue all over again (which, according to some books is totally normal). I told Chris that I don't remember feeling this way when I was pregnant with Brianna, but I think I was running on excitement, anticipation, and adrenaline. I am, of course, so excited this time around too, but I am also so much more relaxed feeling about everything. So maybe the adrenaline isn't there as much? Who knows . . . maybe it's just different for no reason :-). Also, my super-oily skin and acne has officially returned. It's so strange because my neck (as in under my chin and under my hairline in the back) is all broken out.

Chris and I were super-productive this past weekend and knocked a ton of things off of our "before baby comes" list. We did a major grocery/household items shopping trip to get our cabinets all stocked (why do I feel like I need 50 rolls of toilet paper in the house before I can have a baby???), sanitized bottles, nipples, pacis, and breast pump parts, moved furniture out of Brenson's room that didn't belong, packed the diaper bag, packed hospital bags, installed the infant car seat base, set up the Pack N Play in our bedroom (Brianna slept in this in our room until she was about 10 weeks old), organized Brenson's room a bit more, and decided where all his wall decor and such will be hung. Chris also did a bit of organizing/cleaning in the garage. I now feel so much more ready to bring a baby home!

Brianna wasn't sure what to think about all of the activity of the weekend. She is still asking tons of questions about "baby brudder". Lately, she has asked me several times if Brenson is going to sleep in her bed. She also wanted to know if he was going to be sleeping with her baby dolls. I asked her if she was worried that he was going to take her stuff, and she said, "Yes." Haha! She helped me pack his diaper bag and set up the Pack N Play and was very excited about it! I explained to her over and over that he would be sleeping in the Pack N Play, and I *think* that helped ease her mind that he wouldn't be in her bed.

Okay, wow . . . that was a long update!