40 weeks

Well, here we are at 40 weeks pregnant.  I will say it is fun to have people ask, "When are you due?" and to be able to answer, "Monday" or "any day" and then see their expressions.

A recap of the past few weeks:
Week 36 - SPRING BREAK!  What a glorious week and by that I mean we worked our tails off but it was so nice to cross stuff off the list and get stuff done!  The weather was amazing so I tried to get out and walk each day.  I had a doctor's appointment and saw an actual doctor (usually I see a nurse practitioner).  We had a ten-second ultrasound to see if the baby's head was down - it is.  I was a little bit, like, "Hey!  Can we see something besides a circle that represents his head?"  "What about an arm or a leg or something!?!?".  I think I went to Target almost every day.  For what? You may ask...I don't remember but I found a reason to go and wander around.  I know one or two of the days it was for thank you notes.  I chopped about 10 inches of hair off and enjoyed getting my hair washed and head massaged.  

37 weeks 5 days

Week 37 - I can't remember anything interesting happening - school, school, and more school.  Ian finished up his oral antibiotics for impetigo and it finally looks like it is healing!  My first long term sub canceled on me.  So I started my search for another one.  The baby really likes to stick his butt out - several times a day my stomach will bulge on the right side near my belly button.  I have decided that it is his butt and I give him a few pats each time he sticks his derriere out.  

Week 38 - We were productive.  It finally seemed real enough that we are possibly having a baby so we installed the car seat bases, assembled the stroller, and put together a swing that some friends loaned us.  I washed a bunch of blankets, burp clothes, and one sleeper.  We went out to eat at some "nicer" restaurants that we had gift cards for (thank you Calc 3 students!).  We decided on a name (we think).  (And that was all basically in one afternoon).  My second long term sub canceled on me.  We had a doctor's appointment and my sugar was elevated (of course!) so they want me to come back in a week.

39 weeks 2 days

Week 39 - Long term sub #3 is the charm (finger crossed - she has not canceled yet).  It was a relaxed week at work in some ways.  There was a lot of state testing and so fewer classes to teach, but I did my best to crank out 6 weeks of sub plans and stay caught up.  I treated myself to a Starbucks and a pedicure.  My ankles and fingers just started to swell this week and they are not underachievers in the swelling department.  I am not ready for the baby to come yet, so I stopped exercising (which why I think the swelling came on so quickly).  The good news - it does not hurt at all.  

Waiting for my toes to dry and watching my belly physically move when the baby moves

I keep waiting to get to the stage of, "I am so big.  I can't sleep.  I am so uncomfortable.  Just come already, Baby!"  But it has not happened yet.  I feel pretty good and I once I fall asleep I am good for the rest of the night.  I had one poor night of sleep where I kept waking up with intense back pain and a horrible leg cramp.  I was concerned that I was maybe going into labor, but the next day everything was normal.  I mentioned to nurse practitioner that I hope to make it 41 weeks and 4 days and she told me that I was the first person she had ever heard that from.  We shall see.  {I would try to make it to 42 weeks, but the nurse practitioner has already said 41.5 weeks is the limit.}

At this point, I keep comparing my pregnancy to a marathon.  A marathon is 26.2 miles, which is 42.195 kilometers (and yes, they mark each and every km in Korea when you run a marathon). So I have told myself a week = a kilometer.  At this point, I am somewhere between 24.5-25 miles into my 26.2 miles analogy.  24.5 miles is not a fun spot to be and you are so close, yet so far.  At 24.5 miles, you just put your head down and get through it.  I would definitely take 40 weeks pregnant over hanging out at 24.8 miles of a marathon.  All of that to say, it gives me a good perspective and helps me stay patient.