39 weeks

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

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay. While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

As for me, I'm feeling okay, but about done with all of this pregnancy stuff.  I'm not completely miserable, but I get more and more uncomfortable each day.  I'm still really fortunate though, and have only a tiny bit of swelling in my feet every few days.  I have a little back and hip pain, mostly in the evenings, but nothing unbearable.  I'm still sleeping through the night most nights, just with frequent (hourly) trips to the restroom.  Stretch marks are starting to form right around my belly button and I want to get this baby out of me before they spread all over my stomach.  I've been walking for an hour everyday, but still don't have any signs that Noah will be making an appearance soon.  I haven't had a single contraction in over two weeks.  If I haven't gone into labor naturally before then, my doctor will be inducing me Wednesday Oct. 27, but I'm still praying that things progress naturally on their own.

As of now I'm a stay-at-home wife and mom, just without the kid.  It's been nice to sleep in a little, relax, and have some time to finish up last minute things that I wanted to do before Noah's arrival.  All this waiting and unknown is starting to get old though, and I'm just excited to welcome him into our family and begin this new season of life.

Shannon