38 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His 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 he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he'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 he'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.)

Most Improved!!!

After putting my parents to work, the nursery is officially the most improved room in the house! I love going in there and just hanging out. I can't wait to have a little person to go in and visit as I am now just visiting an empty room. I sit in the glider and just day dream about our little man. I have all the excitement of "what will he look like? what personality will he have?" and also filled with the anxiety like "will I be a good enough mother? will labor be as bad as I expect?". Mostly I just can't wait to meet him! More photos can be found here.

Truly now a soccer mom...

The Lexus has a car seat in it now.

I finally installed the infant car seat base. It was actually quite easy once I figured it out. We have an appointment with the fire department tomorrow morning to "check my work" and make sure we are all set. Having said that, I think this is pretty fool proof and did it right. (Famous last words, right?!?!) Well, we'll find out tomorrow.

I also installed a rear view mirror so I can watch our little man as I drive. How cute is this!

Leap Year Baby

...pretty sure, given we're just a few minutes from Feb 29th, that Monday will not be a Leap Year baby.

Monday, Mom and Dad are doing great - basically just waiting now for big show. We're getting our heads around the fact that any day now we could be panting and pacing, sweating and swearing, grinning and groaning...

We've been so busy as late with marking off the final items from the to do list. Our family and friends have been a great source of help and encouragement. Thank you all for the emails, calls, gifts and time. We hope you have more in you as we will likely hit each of you up for some bit of advice in the next few weeks.

Sleep patterns - getting into the rhythm

It's become very clear to me that my sleep patterns have totally changed, and I just need to go with it. I can't sleep through the night any longer at all! After I have to pee for the 3rd or 4th time, I am usually awake. OR, I am awake from about 3 - 5... Monday's River Dance Hour. That basically means that I slog through the day - except now I get to nap!

I still feel guilty about taking a nap on a Tuesday while Tim is at the office, but I am getting over the mental barrier of napping and am embracing it. It does shorten my day somewhat, but makes me far more productive while I am awake.

I am still doing laundry, making lasagna (baby brain has made this an epic task), doing thank you notes, and napping! Though far from accomplishing what I used to do in a day, I am 10 days shy of my due date and giving myself a little leeway - the world will be there tomorrow for me to conquer it tomorrow.

Gravity

Gravity hasn't always been my friend. I have had trouble staying on my feet, walking downstairs, and basic navigation of this world from a vertical position (read: totally klutzy!), I have a new found respect and appreciation for this universal force.

It seems that our little Monday is dropping. What were once serious kicks to my rib cage are mere dalliances to my belly. I noticed it at 3:00 am 2 nights ago. I kept tickling his feet, and he kept moving them around, but he never once kicked my ribs. Both my dad and Tim think that my figure has adjusted accordingly. Dropping is a great sign as he is getting ready to make himself known.

I have another doctor's appointment on Monday. Hopefully I will get some information back from them on how I am progressing -- and hopefully it will be that he indeed will soon be here. I am anxious to meet our little man.

37 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.