The home stretch

My pumpkin on Thanksgiving Day.
Just in case you missed it, UT won!

So pregnancy is going well.  I'm currently 36 weeks, which means I'm 4 weeks from my due date.  Everyone keeps telling me that I'm not going to make it to January, which is kind of fun ... I wouldn't mind if baby came between Christmas and New Years.  But the fact of the matter is, no one knows when baby is going to come.

We have an appointment tomorrow, and normally this is when the doctor starts doing weekly pelvic exams.  However, my team of certified nurse midwives don't do pelvic exams (unless you really want one) until you are past your due date.  The reason being that it's not that great of an indicator: some people sit at 2cm for weeks, some go from 0 to having a baby in a day.  I assume like most things in pregnancy that most people are somewhere in between.  The bummer is mostly for the first group.  I'm sure knowing that your body is dilating causes quite a bit of excitement, and it would make the last weeks feel even longer.  I don't know, I've never done this before.  In order to combat the overwhelming opinion that baby is coming early, I have changed his due date to January 16th.  Why that date?  It's the longest my midwives will "let me" go without inducing.  January 16th seems like a nice day to have a baby and who wants to stress when the "due date" comes and goes without a baby!  Not me.

We are very excited.  Ready enough, but I'd still like at least another 2 weeks to prepare.  Mostly I just don't want to be in labor on New Years Eve.  A very good friend is getting married and the Hubs is supposed to play it.  It would be really nice if I could attend and even do some dancing!! :)

I was honored with another "shower" up at the dance studio.  It was a week long event, where the teachers and staff took turns putting out snacks and a nightly game for parents to stop by, eat and play.  I got tons of wonderful things!  Now it's just a matter of purchasing the last things for the room.  Crib mattress, sheets, and a few decorations.  Fortunately I have a small fortune in gift cards to Babies R Us (unfortunately: the crib mattress & sheets aren't sold at babies r us).

Tomorrow I will be packing the hospital bag, finishing up some thank you notes, and Hubs will be installing the car seat.  This is the last week at dance, and next Monday is my last day massaging (other than a few friends, who I'll massage at home).  WOW, Christmas is just around the corner. Maybe I should work on buying some presents?  But really, isn't gestating a grandson/ nephew/ son enough of a present?