37 Weeks: Full Term...Baby Shower Fun...and a Chicken

Big news, y'all: today, Baby Girl is officially full-term!!!

 

Do you feel the glory/celebration? (The chicken does.)

Aaaanyway...

 

This means that we no longer will have a preemie on our hands, even if she were to come today...Sylvia is ready for the world - and only three weeks from her due date, to boot. The Lord has been SO good to bring us all this way.

 

Being at 37 weeks means a couple of big changes: (1) I'm off the Procardia, since there's no need to slow/stop labor at this point. (Yay for no more drugs.) Also, (2) bedrest is more or less at an end. I say "more or less" because the doctor hasn't officially told me I'm done, but she'd said 37 weeks was when that would happen; I just didn't get to see her at my appointment this morning (I saw a nurse practitioner in her office instead - that happens occasionally). So, though I don't have the official word, I'm pronouncing myself DONE with bedrest. HAPPY. DANCE.

 

Also, yesterday was my baby shower! (It was also my first time back at church since late October.) I had the most amazing time getting to see and talk with everyone, and get spoiled with tons of gifts for our Sylvie. A huge shout out, by the way, to all the ladies at the church and especially to my sweet friend Lynnette for the tremendous amount of time, effort, expense, and love she poured into planning and executing everything.

 

A few pics, starting with the SUPER cute cake/cupcake tower my friend Briana made. (And, for the record, the cake tasted as good as it looks. Mm...):

 

With Lynnette:

With my mama:

 

 

Look at that side view! Hoo boy...definitely in the ninth month. (And I think this dress actually makes me look even bigger. But, hey, whatevs...)

 

Baby is the size of a: A wintermelon...whatever the heck that is.

  

 

Development: Did I mention she's full term? Woo hoo!

 

Movement: She moves a ton, but I can tell her space is getting increasingly cramped.

Weight gain: No gain since last week, so still at a total of 19 pounds.

Maternity clothes: Um, yeah. I'm to the point where I have about six shirts that fit. See the pictures above; is this any surprise?

Sleep: Sleep? What's that?

Aversions/Cravings: Not really. Just hungry all the time. (In fact, typing that makes me hungry...)

 

Symptoms: Everything hurts. Boo.

I miss: Being able to roll over in bed at night without it killing either my back or my abs.

I feel: Tired. Sore. But sooooo thankful and excited, too.

Looking forward to: From this point on, the answer to this is: baby's arrival.

Papi moment: Yesterday Alex hauled all the baby gifts from the church to the car, and then from the car upstairs to the apartment - no small task (though his skills in this area are admittedly impressive; I never knew one person could carry so many bags and boxes in one trip). He also put together the Pack 'n Play last night, so Baby has somewhere to sleep.

I told him he was in official Dad Mode - there's something so wonderfully to-be-expected about a father-to-be assembling nursery furniture (well, not that we have an actual nursery, but same idea). Oh, and, for the record, Graco's assembly instructions might as well be in Swahili - they make Ikea instructions look clear and easy. Sheesh.

On to week 38!