37 Weeks

How far along? 37 Weeks

Baby is the size of a honeydew melon

This week's prenatal appointment: Pretty standard, except the nurse got a little worried because my left foot is more swollen than my right, so she went to test my sample for high levels of protein (a sign of preeclampsia) right away. Everything was okay, though - my OB/GYN was like, "you're just a sweller!" I had also lost two pounds - I've had very little appetite for dinner this week as I get full after just a few bites. Baby was measuring right on track according to fundal height, though.

Major pregnancy symptoms this week: I've been noticing lately that the freckles on my cheekbones that were barely noticeable before are becoming really prominent - yet another thing I can thank pregnancy hormones for, apparently. I don't mind if they stick around after pregnancy because it's kind of cute. Another positive symptom is that the baby has started "lightening," a.k.a. dropping down lower in my body, so I can breathe a lot more easily! On the downside, the round ligament pain that was part of my first trimester has returned, but now it feels kind of like someone is sitting on my hips.

Movement: Baby's got less and less room to wiggle as time goes by. When I lie on one side to try to sleep I sometimes feel a sensation like a bubble moving up my side that I interpret as him telling me to roll over!

Best moments this week: I had a great time on Saturday shopping with April (despite my increasingly swollen feet) and just hanging out - we realized we've never had a girls' day with just us. We met up with Mr. Q and one of our best guy friends for dinner and Sweet Frog afterward. On Sunday, one of our friends from Bible study who is a youth minister was preaching at her church, so we hauled ourselves to the 8:30 service. I'm so glad we did because her sermon on John 13 included stories from our small group and she even quoted Mr. Q! 

Miss anything? I have to admit that I felt a little sad when the waiter walked by with a margarita flight at Rodeo Grande on Saturday.

"It's getting real" moment of the week: My co-worker's wife had her baby! He set up a group text so he could let us all know at one time, and one of my other team members had a moment where she thought the text was from me - "because you're so organized," she said. They did a water birth at our local birthing center.

How I'm preparing for birth this week: Not really a birth preparation, but I'm finally getting around to writing thank you notes for the gifts Baby Q received at both of my showers - the Southern manners guilt was really starting to get to me. The big birth prep this week was our very last class - breastfeeding! We took this one through our local perinatal education center rather than through the hospital, and I'm glad we did - the woman who runs the center was so real and honest, and told us we can call her any time we need help or bring our babies there if we're worried about how things are going. Such a cool resource I'd almost overlooked and it's basically within walking distance of my house!

Baby/Pregnancy related purchases: I'm obsessed with this Carter's overall outfit I found at Burlington with April - the little bugs in jars and magnifying glasses are one of the most adorable prints I've seen on baby boys' stuff and remind me of summer and being a kid. I also found the home childproofing kit, bottle brush, and heat-safety spoons from my registry there for better prices.