Week 37

Week 37

Charlie is the size of a baby!  He's full-term.

Total Weight Gained: 24.5 pounds

This week:

Well, there have been many happenings in the Wheawill home.  We have baby items everywhere.  Car seats are in the cars.  Pack and play is up.  Swing is set up.  His sleeper for our bedroom is together and waiting for him.  Wally hasn't been real thrilled with all of these items but for the most part, he seems to have ignored them.  Matt and I managed to get it all accomplished last weekend.  I was more of a supervisor than able to put things together but I tried to do my part.  I'm not very good at sitting back and watching so this has been a new role for me.  I think it's probably been good for me to sit back and let someone else, who is more than capable, do it.  And, Matt has done a wonderful job getting everything ready for our baby boy! 
 
My weight is steadily growing which my doctor thinks is a little bit of swelling that is attributing to the growing number.  (Don't get me wrong, I see a noticeable difference in this growing belly, so it's not all swelling.)  My doc. said that during the last month, weight fluctuates so it's hard to tell a lot from a number.  My feet stay a little bit swollen even when I wake up in the mornings and my fingers and hands are swelling more.  I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings for a while but now my watch is getting tight.  I'm still wearing tennis shoes which I understand a lot of women can't wear.  I've had to give up a few pairs of my shoes because they are too uncomfortably tight.  Despite a little bit of swelling, my blood pressure is still good (116/80).
 
So, Charlie was happy at the doctor's appointment and had a strong heart beat.  I'm not getting as many kicks from him because he just doesn't quite have the space.  But, he's still moving around which I love. 
 
This week, I've been uncomfortable and since last week was so good, I'm not willing to say this is for sure the new normal.  In fact, I have no idea what is normal (every pregnancy can be so different and every woman is different in how their bodies respond).  My doctor says that he's dropped even more from last week and I'm dilated 1 cm and my cervix is continuing to thin so I'm progressing as she would expect at this point. I think the worst is the hip pain, especially at night.  My doctor says this is due to my pelvic bones separating.
 
So, I don't know when Charlie will make his debut and can't wait for him to do so.  However, I am okay with the idea of him staying put for another week or two.  It's been hard to prepare for leaving work.  I'm certainly excited about my maternity leave but will miss work.  (I know to some that sounds crazy!)  I like my job and I like routine, both of which are going to be a little different for me.  I know I will adjust to a new normal which will take me some time to figure out.  :-)  And I also know work will do just fine without me.  But, if they want to miss me, that's fine with me too.  Even if they just miss me a little bit!  :-)  As my due date approaches, I've been working on transitioning much of my duties over.  It's hard to think that everyday I need to leave like I may or may not be in the next day.