8 POUNDS!

38 weeks. I'm huge. My feet are swollen. I feel like I've been kicked in the crotch. Moving at all is a chore but staying in the same position hurts too. There is no happy medium. But I couldn't be more excited to be THIS close to meeting my little monkey. And that's what I've taken to calling him lately... is that mean? I think it's cute, and endearing...

Anyway, I had my Dr. appointment last Thursday. Sorry if this is TMI for some of you but, I'm a "fingertip" dialated and "still thick" meaning there is some progress, but not much. Which really... means nothing. The doctor said that he is by no means a small baby and guessed that he weighs about 8 pounds. Oh boy.

I was sent to the hospital after my appointment when I said he was moving, but not nearly as much as usual. I was hooked up for a non-stress test (NST) and baby was perfect, just sleeping. They gave me some juice and I got to listen to his heartbeat for about 40 minutes. He woke up toward the end and they said he sounded PERFECT. I was also having contractions every 3-5 minutes but couldn't really feel them, so again, progress, but not.

I got the final few things we needed this weekend including batteries for all the baby stuff, the changing pad and cover, and some stuff for me and my hospital bag. The only remaining to dos are to get the second car seat base installed in Jimmy's car and to get my hospital bag packed. I'm hoping I need that hospital bag sooner than later. Although no matter what, the end is in sight! He is a big boy, so hopefully he's ready to come out and meet the world!

Here are some pics of the nursery. We're in a rental, so we really couldn't do anything with the walls. I still need to hang up the football pics (need the frames still... oops).

And here is me at 38 weeks. He's starting to drop making it very uncomfortable to do anything... especially walk. And I have to pee every 2.5 seconds...

God Bless.

This video is from last night's premier of America's Got Talent. They were the last act of the night. Their story is truly inspiring. Their mother was in a head on collision with a drunk driver. She was in a coma for 8 months. During that time, her children sang to her and to other patients in the hospital. After 8 months, she woke up.

As some of you know, singing is near and dear to me. It's a passion I had for a long time and pursued heavily in high school. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with doing much with it since then, but I still enjoy sining in my car... :)

These kids have amazing voices and an awesome talent. I hope you take the time to listen to them and watch the video.

I can only hope that my children are half as great as these kids obviously are. You can see the adoration for their Mom in their eyes. It's incredible.

oh you.

Someone needs to tell GP that her stomach is hanging out of the bottom of her shirt and her goucho pants are permanently stuck in her butt crack. It can't be comfortable.

That someone should not be me.

That would not go over well.

At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.
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Full-Term. AH! Feels like such a milestone has been reached. And feels like I've been pregnant FOREVER! Which I have. I tell him nightly that he can now come whenever he wants... which means now. GET OUT! Just kidding (kinda).

Anyway, I'm more than slightly uncomfortable. My feet are super swollen and hurt, I can't sleep, I have to pee all the time, it hurts when he moves, I feel like I've been kicked in the crotch... I could go on and on. But all of that is irrelevant becuase I will be meeting my baby in three weeks or less. AH! Let me say that again... AH!

Nursery is mostly ready. I need to buy a changing pad and cover and wash a few more minor things. I need to get my bag packed and I need to find a dog sitter. Other than that, we are pretty much set. The house could use one more deep clean and I think I'm going to stock up on some freezer meals.

This weekend we installed the car seat, still need to install the base in the other car and put together the pack n play for our bedroom. I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep him in our room for the first few weeks while we get into the swing of nursing and understanding each others sleep patterns and all that fun stuff. We shall see. I'm usually a planner, but I've been pretty good about being nonchalant about all this and will be okay with learning it day by day.

Jimmy is getting excited I think. For Father's Day, I blew up some of his action shots from his football days at the University of Idaho to frame and put up in the nursery as decor. I didn't get to the store to get frames (long story), but I gave him the pics anyway. He seemed to like them. Anyone who knows my husband knows he isn't one to put his feelings out there, but I think I saw a hint of pride... :) I think it's pretty cool for Jace to have some action shots of his Daddy's glory days on his bedroom walls. Not many kids have a Dad who has pics like that!

And here is the pic from this week. My belly is starting to take on an odd shape.

My Banana.

This is my best friend. Her name is Anna. (Also in this pic is her husband Joey's finger...).

Anna and I "met" August of 2003. We were sophomores at Washington State and had both just moved in to the Alpha Phi house on campus. It was immediate love. Well, it was immediate drunken love. Her and I bonded on our walk home from a frat party and declared that we were going to be roommates. That semester and the following year or so were super hard for Anna and all I could do was be there the best I could. We shared a lot of great ups and downs in our time at WSU and I know I couldn't have made it without her.

That spring her and I drove down to Idaho to visit my Dad. He had no idea we were coming, that is the last "great" memory I have of him and I share that with her. She was there for me in every possible way that May and the following year after he passed away and she kept me sane. The next spring, Anna lost her Mom. While we both acknowledged that losing a Mom vs. losing a Dad are very different things and very different relationships, having each other to lean on was a life saver for both of us and made us even tighter. This is the root of our deep friendship, but all the fun we've had has made it even stronger.

Everytime we'd get in her car we'd play Usher's "Yeah" and roll down the windows driving around campus.

We'd ditch class on some days just to lay in our room and watch back to back seasons of Friends.

Working at the Fieldhouse as Beer Wenches selling beer tickets to old drunk alumni.

I started a lot of fights for her that she was too meek and nice to start herself... :)

There are so many more amazing memories I have with my Amazine Anna Banana Hammock.

She was a bridesmaid in my wedding, I was one in hers. She's been the best support ever during our loss of our first baby and through this entire pregnancy.

I just wanted to put it out there to the world that Anna is my best friend and I love her more than life. You mean the world to me. I love you!

Now come visit me dammit!

I'm officially 9 months pregnant today.

That is all.

Pics for this Week

Here is me in all my gigantic glory at 36 weeks:

From the side -

From the front -

Looking down -