37 today!

Today makes me full term!  YAY.  Baby can come anytime and we will be able to deliver at Mt Midwifery Center (they only deliver babies 37 through 42 weeks).  37 weekers still scare me a little bit since they can be a little small so I hope I make it through this week.  At 38weeks I am thinking about climbing Mt Beirstadt (a 14er) to put myself into labor.

Just kidding:)

As Nate said last night, we should be enjoying these last several moments of me and him time.  Which we are!  We have had a marvelous time over the last several days walking and talking together about tons of ideas and thoughts.  It has been lovely and very endearing.  We have put the crib together and pretty much finalized the room.  We set up the car seat and stroller.  All we have left is the glider chair that will be here next week.  I think we are ready!  Praise God too!  I called our absence center for work, and they told us that I could take 12 weeks of maternity leave and Nate could still take up to 6weeks!  That is awesome, because before we thought we had to share 12 weeks!  Hopefully Nate will be able to take 4-6 weeks.  He will be starting a new job in the NICU sometime next week!  He is incredibly excited.  A job and prayer answered he has been waiting for since he graduated from RN school:)  

I am getting excited to meet this little baby.  I imagine the days over the next 3-4 weeks will move slowly.  But again I just want to enjoy this time.  Each day.  My prayers are that God is glorified in the labor process and that through it I can feel the difference in the sorrows and joys of labor and birth; that Nate and I are strong together through the whole thing, and that nothing but love and joy abound.  God has been so incredible through our whole pregnancy.  Prayers have been answered.  Fears relieved.  Love strengthened.  I think it has been a perfect journey.  Nate and I have learned a ton and discussed a ton.  It has brought Nate and I closer together and I think has set us up for continuing positively/successfully/joyfully etc into parenthood.  I also pray for the transition into parenthood- that Nate and I would enjoy each day (no matter how difficult) with each other and with our little boy and have good communication skills to rely our thoughts, feelings and needs to each other (and others!)

I feel good still.  I am having a bunch of "practice contractions" aka "Braxton Hicks" which is great to prepare and strengthen the uterus for real labor.  Baby is moving around a ton.  I hope to start walking a bit more over the next couple weeks to "help" anything I can.  Nothing has really changed body wise.  I am still waiting for oh you know, baby dropping, water breaking, hips hurting, spotting anything that might say "Change coming!"

According to BabyCenter our baby is about 6+ pounds and is about 18+ inches long!  He is ready to come out developmentally (maybe his lungs might need a bit more time, but he could still do ok) he is just gaining fat to help him in extrauterine life!

We feel a great peace these days, which I think can only come from the Lord.  So thank you for all your prayers throughout the pregnancy and continuing on.

Love Ang