38 weeks

Here is what is going on with Noah this week according to babycenter.com,

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.) For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can. Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain. Also let her know immediately if have severe or persistent headaches; visual changes (such as double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or a temporary loss of vision), intense upper abdominal pain or tenderness, or nausea and vomiting. These are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia.

As for me, I'm still feeling good, but about done with this being pregnant stage.  I'm not having any problems, or super uncomfortable, it's just that I thought that Noah would already be here by now, and this constant waiting and wondering when my water is going to break (and praying that it doesn't happen in public) is getting old.  As of my doctor's appointment last week I wasn't dilating yet, but some signs were appearing that things are starting to progress.  I've been doing the eliptical machine and walking a lot in hopes to help speed things along.  As of today my belly is starting to look lower, as if it is dropping some (at least in the opinion of me and my co-workers).  I've had random contractions here and there (usually directly after a trip to the gym), but nothing that has become regular, or intense.  My doctor informed me that she won't let me go longer than 41 weeks, and that we needed to pick a date as early as 39 weeks, and as late as 41 weeks by which if I haven't gone into labor naturally yet, I will be induced.  We chose Monday, October 25 (the day after my actual due date).  So if no later than that, Noah will be arriving two weeks from today.  It's nice to now have a date by which I know all of this will come to an end, but a whole new journey will be beginning.  I've been having a little swelling in my feet off and on for the last few days, and have been joking that my toes look like sausages and my ankle bones disappear into the puffiness that has become of my ankles.  In the scheme of things though this has been a very easy pregnancy for me, and a little swelling at this point is to be expected.  We are still unsure of which hospital we will be delivering at... it has been quite a roller coaster with my insurance company this week.  As of now it's looking like I will not be delivering at the one that we were planning on (and toured) and that I will need to go register at an alternate hospital within the next few days.

My last day of work is this Friday, and then I might just walk all day every day until it makes Noah come out.  Everything is pretty much settled and done for Noah's arrival.  I gave the house a good cleaning this weekend, hoping it will still be clean when we come home from the hospital.  And so, the waiting continues...

Shannon