Baby Watch 2008

How your baby's growing:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her 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.

And I'm actually at 37 and a half weeks! We're getting closer and closer. When my grandmother found out I was already dilated, she told me to drink some caster oil. I'm not sure that stuff is even available anywhere anymore. My Aunt Bebe just told me to start taking lots of walks. Memaw of course, is telling me to stay off my feet and not to move. And everyone knows that with Riley running circles around me, that's impossible!

I'm pretty tired lately. And it seems like Riley doesn't need his morning nap that much anymore, and he's staying up later too. He only had one nap today which means I only got to relax and prop my feet up for about an hour until he went to bed at 8. Last night he didn't go to bed until 9. Last week after our doctor's appointment, Steph and Gus came over for a while so I could get a nap while Riley played with Gus. I told her at that time that I'm vaguely aware that I don't have any clue what real exhaustion is, but I'll find out soon enough!

Our ultrasound is at 11:00 tomorrow and the doctor's appointment is right after. Aunt Janet is coming over to watch Riley, which does make the doctor's visits a little easier. Ryan and I can't wait to see the pictures of our little girl!! I'll have to scan them later tomorrow and post them. I hope the doctor tells me that things are progressing rapidly.

I'm so ready to be done. Everything on me hurts and I am so emotional it's not even funny. Ryan and Riley started watching an animated movie called Ice Age last night. I'd never seen it. For those mother's who haven't seen it, let me warn you... It's set in prehistoric times and opens with this Mom and her baby going over this waterfall as this tribe of Neanderthals migrates to a new area. Well, the baby is fine but the Mom dies... and I couldn't tell you anything that happens after that because I started crying and Ryan, after apologizing to Riley that he couldn't watch the cartoon, changed the channel. Yep, I realize that's pretty pitiful.

And I'm about ready to have normal dreams again. I've been having some wild ones lately running the gamut from being Superwoman in one of my dreams, to another with a crazy lady in the delivery room telling everyone the baby was hers even though everyone just saw me give birth, to yet another involving me and Ryan on a cruise ship that blew up (but Ryan had found the bomb before it went off, so he saved us and quite a few others), and another in which as I was giving birth to Katelyn, she just kept growing and growing and wouldn't fit so the doctor said she'd just have to stay put since she was too big to come out... Sometimes my dreams are like watching an epic movie. I'm sure I'll have some interesting dreams tonight anticipating the ultrasound and doctor's visit...

I've made a lot of progress in the few days. I've washed all my hospital clothes in Dreft and packed a bag for me and Katelyn. I'll get Ryan's bag together tomorrow most likely. Most of Katelyn's clothes - and some of Riley's old ones - are washed and hanging neatly in the closet just waiting to be filled. I found the Bundle Me thing for the carseat to keep her warm. I found my Boppy pillow and washed the pillow case and it's with the bags to be taken to the hospital. There are a few things yet to be done, but I feel good about what all we've gotten done so far.

Now it's off to bed for me... I'll keep everyone posted about what happens tomorrow!