{Baby} 37 Weeks!

We made it! We are officially "full term" according to our Ob-Gyn. Baby girl can come and meet us anytime and she should be perfectly healthy and developed well. Although, it's fine if she stays in there a bit longer to grow even more and get even chubbier. We wouldn't mind some nice little fat rolls on her legs, arms, and back to nibble on!

Things are definitely changing inside, as I'm having more and more contractions (still of the "practice" type). I'm starting to feel more pelvic pressure and a bit of soreness in that area. Dr. Hebert said that baby girl is head down and spoke to my belly the other day, saying, "don't flip around!" We've also had a few other signs that our little one is preparing to make her arrival. Dr. Hebert said I'm 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, and since it's my first pregnancy, who knows when she'll come! It's exciting, but also a bit scary at the same time. We are really going to be parents in just a few weeks, or less! At moments it feels like the time has dragged, but then there are other moments where I think, "didn't we just find out we were pregnant?" Needless to say, our lives are about to change drastically...for good. And forever.

I'm in full out nesting mode, getting last minute things completed before she comes. I just have a couple more things left to do in the nursery before it's complete. Basically just hanging pictures and putting up curtains...yay! And I've also been doing my fair share of cleaning/organizing around the house. We're still living in a construction zone, so I'm doing my best to keep the rest of the house together (and sheet rock/sawdust free) for her arrival.

Michael's mother and sister organized and threw me a baby shower open house last Saturday and it was SO nice! I have to say that I love the open house concept and if I ever throw a baby shower or bridal shower for someone, I'm going to strongly suggest an open house. It was so nice and such a casual atmosphere as people could come and go as they pleased, without feeling obligated to stay for the full 2 hours because of playing some games or something. Also, I was able to talk to every single person and have a real conversation with them as I opened their gifts. It was so nice to be able to interact with each person that attended and not just have "all eyes on me" as everyone sat in a circle while I opened each gift in succession. Also, the food was amazing. Marlene (Michael's mom) made yummy soups and fresh bread, along with her amazing cinnamon rolls. Her cinnamon rolls are my favorite, as she puts chocolate chips and coconut in them. I had never had cinnamon rolls with such ingredients before I joined the Black family, and I have to tell you, I wouldn't want them any other way now that I know how yummy they are!

We have one more baby shower tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what other great gifts we get. People were very kind and generous last weekend, so I'm guessing this weekend will be the same. Baby girl definitely does not have a shortage of cute clothes, that's for sure!

My belly has continued to grow,  but I can tell that she's starting to get cramped in there. Her movements are much more pronounced and really make my belly dance. I think she'll be happy to come out so she can stretch her cute little legs and arms. Mostly, we're just ready for all the snuggles that are going to take place. And I'm ready to not be carrying her around with me on my body frame 24/7. At least I will be able to set her down here and there and my hips will be grateful for the relief too! I'm officially a waddler. It's hilarious.

Well, our next post might very well be the "welcome to the world little baby girl" post! We'll keep you updated as things progress. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!