39!

It is so strange starting this weekly update knowing that it very well could be my last one. Maybe that is just hopeful thinking, but for some reason I feel like little Lydia might make her arrival before December 15th. Maybe it is because I don't understand how I could possibly get any bigger or because I don't want to think about having to walk up stairs, put on my boots or try to shave my legs for more than one more week. I am getting... uncomfortable. I was feeling great until yesterday and now all of the sudden I just hurt. I feel like I need to lay down most of the time and my belly just feels so heavy! The pain isn't constant, but what I can physically do in a day is becoming very limited very quickly. Maybe this means the end is near.

 

How far along? 39 weeks.

Updates on Baby: (Thanks to WhatToExpect) Coming down to the wire, your baby weighs around seven to eight pounds and measures 19 to 21 inches. Those measurements won't change much from now on, but her brain is still growing at an astonishing rate, a pace that will continue for the first three years of life. Her pink skin has now turned whitish (even babies who'll eventually have darker skin appear whitish now — they haven't yet developed pigment). Her head may have dropped into your pelvis by now, which makes your breathing easier but walking harder.

Labor signs: She continues to drop slowly I think, and today I am pretty sure I had some contractions. Nothing regular or sharp at all yet, but there are definite cramps which I am assuming has to do with labor at this point.

Symptoms/Body Changes: Because she is sitting lower I have to go to the bathroom all the time... it is so ridiculous. My swelling is still mild, as well as my heartburn. Mainly my body is just sore; my lower back hurts and my legs are starting to get achy by the end of the day. A few times she has rolled onto a specific nerve which sends shooting pains down my legs... ouch! Other than that nothing is really new... my belly is just huge.

Exercise: I wake up in the morning, get showered, dressed, put on my own shoes. Then David drives us to school and I walk 10 minutes to my office, I walk up and down about 20 flights of stairs each day, I walk to another building to teach, then I walk back to the car. I also sit up during class which requires some serious back and ab strength at this point. We come home and I lay on my side on the couch. After that if I am lucky I walk Rooney for 20ish minutes and if I am really feeling good I stand up to do the dishes. At 39 weeks pregnant, that is a workout!

I should try to stretch more this next week... and once my topology exam is over on Monday it is on! I will be walking as much as I can to try and induce labor :)

Movement: Bittersweet everytime. I love feeling her move, but I just want her here. And it is very painful when she moves at this point. Sometimes she will move kind of slowly so it doesn't hurt too bad and I will just feel her tiny knees and legs and it hits me for a brief second that she is a real baby... that she is a tiny one of me, of us. It is amazing. But again, these moments are almost just teasers at this point because I just want to hold her and see her beautiful face. I am starting to feel impatient for the first time in my pregnancy which is good because in general I am not very patient and at this point she will be arriving soon.

Cravings/Aversions: Food just tastes really, really good lately. But I don't feel as though I am craving anything in particular. I drink mass amounts of water in a day... and I definitely consume a lot more milk and other dairy products than I ever did before being pregnant. I had a peppermint mocha today and it was AWESOME, so now I might start craving those.

What I miss: I want to paint my toenails... but I can't. So strange.
 

What I am looking forward to: Meeting this little girl!!!! And being finished with the semester.

And below, a comparison of weeks 19, 29 and 39. I remember feeling so big the day that this 19 week pictures was taken. Now I look at it and think, "How was I ever so skinny???". I think that once I get back down to my normal size I will appreciate it so much more now.

I hope that you have a fantastic evening. As my due date gets closer keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I am getting a little nervous about this whole labor and delivery part, but to be honest I don't feel like I can think about all of that right now. Perhaps I will reflect and prepare a bit more once school is finally finished, and perhaps I won't and it will be better that way. Just pray for our little girl to stay perfectly healthy! We would greatly appreciate it.