38 Weeks

The countdown is officially on!  We have another appointment today, so it'll be fun to see if anything has progressed or if we're still a ways away from the big day.

Your baby might just scratch herself in the womb as the fingernails have grown over the fingertips now. Resist painting them hot pink when she arrives.  Baby's lungs continue to mature and her brain and nerve function are working better every day. The latter two will continue to mature until Junior is a teenager, at which point she'll know it all (or at least she'll think she does).  Your baby weighs about 6½ pounds and is around 19 or 20 inches long—as long as a duffle bag (in case you needed an excuse to go shopping for a new bag for your labor gear).

37 Weeks

This is my favorite week so far based on this excerpt:

Your baby is officially baked this week!  That means you could literally give birth at any given moment.  A terrifying, exciting and overwhelming concept, all rolled into one.  Your partner is undoubtedly having the same emotional roller-coaster ride, so be sure to share your feelings and enjoy these last weeks (days?! hours?!) together.  Huge news this week: You're carrying a full-term baby! If you were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go.  Woohoo!  Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear her head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven.  Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. Her bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after she's born. More great news for your birth canal.

So if she's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is she still doing in there?!  She's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on her breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities.  The only thing she can't practice yet is her ability to scream at the top of her lungs when she's hungry—but she'll do plenty of that in a few weeks.

At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds. About the size of an average largemouth bass caught in Minnesota by your cousin Earl.

36 Weeks

We are 36 weeks along and are about a month away from meeting our little one!  I have been MAJORLY nesting and the nursery is just about done!  Now if I can just get some sleep before she gets here...

She is now around 18½ inches long and nearly 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox!  Baby’s development is nearly complete at this stage and it can be termed as full term baby on completion of 36th week. The baby will now move and position itself for birth.  At our last two appointments, she has had her head down, so that is good news.

35 Weeks

We had our housewarming party on Saturday.  A lot of great friends came and saw the new home and relaxed with some food and a great bartender!  We have changed doctors and are very happy with the new doctor.  He appreciates our sense of humor which can sometimes be very hard to do!

Your baby is now about 5½ pounds and over 18 inches long—about the size of one of those price-club sheet cakes.  As Patrick Swayze put it, "Nobody puts baby in a corner!" Doubly true for your little tenant. Your baby has pretty much taken over your entire torso by now. Over the past few months, she's squished and mushed all of your organs out of the way. Any day now, she'll make a final move and shove your heart up and to the left to make more room for herself. (See, she's got your heart in her hands already.)