36 Weeks!!!!

36 weeks and I am OFF WORK! YAY!!!!! How sad is it that at this point I am most happy about not having to figure out what to wear to work every single day! LOL

I have a billion things to do at home while I am off, so hopefully I can get it all done and then maybe relax a little!

I am THRILLED to say that our laminate flooring is finally in! It looks amazing! I will post pics soon! Craig is still working on the finishing touches… base, painting, etc.

I have an appointment for tomorrow to have some maternity pictures done. I am crossing my fingers that they turn out half as good as I have seen of others. I am racking my brain trying to think of ideas for poses... and what to wear.

Your pregnancy: 36 weeks

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

How your life's changing:

Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs!

You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes.

Lets just say I have NO trouble eating! I am used to eating smaller meals all day long so maybe that's why I am not having any issues in that department. I am hoping that any weight I am gaining is going straight to the baby… BUT she's not getting TOO big in there =) She still has to come out, you know!

I had an appointment this morning with my OB. Let's just say things are locked up tighter than Ft Knox! LOL No progress yet, which is ok with me because I have a lot to do before she decides come out and play!