Weekly Pregnancy Post

Thirty-one weeks. There's something about typing that thirty that makes me smile.

When we visited the doctor this week, they gave us all sorts of papers with all sorts of tips for "what do to do when nearing term". This included signs of pre-term labor, what to do if your water breaks, and most importantly how to reach the doctor if you think you're in labor. Apparently, once you hit that thirty week mark, they realize the baby could come before your next visit. While she really won't be full-term until 37 weeks, the doctor likes to be prepared for those "just in case" scenarios. Me too, doc! Me too!

Rather than go through my regular weekly update format, I thought I'd share a few other highlights from the past week, most of which came from our doctor's visit. The first big highlight: baby is already head down. In case you aren't quite versed on pregnancy talk, that means that baby is in position for delivery. ALREADY! Now, I know what you're thinking...she still has nine weeks to go. And just because she's head down doesn't mean she'll necessarily come any earlier. In fact, she could still show us more of that stubborn side and decide to come late. What it does mean is that we have one smart baby. No really, we do. Our doctor told us so. Isn't that what every parent wants to hear? :) We're so proud. Actually, my doctor said that since it's my first and my abdominal muscles are all nice and tight still she likely made her way into position and now won't be able to move out of it. It's rather fun to know exactly where she is positioned now because we can get her to kick and high-five regularly. In fact, our doctor enjoyed playing a few tricks with her at our appointment and got some strong movements out of her. Either way, we're bragging that we have a smart baby. Just indulge us a little and go with it, okay?

Not only do we have a smart baby (did I mention that already? oops, my bad!) but I have been a model pregnant patient according to my doctor. While I was having my "I gained four pounds in two weeks!!!!" freak out moment in our exam room after the nurse left, my doctor was across the hall with a woman who had gained nearly 80 pounds in her pregnancy. EIGHTY!! Oh my goodness. So when our doctor entered the room to hear my moans and groans about putting on a few pounds she informed that she wished all her patients could gain the appropriate amount of weight like me and that brought me back to earth a little. No woman wants to hear she's gained weight, even while pregnant BUT it is inevitable and those Christmas cookies are just too good to say no to :)

We're still working on getting her nursery ready and we're eagerly awaiting our two showers in January. We look forward to finally having things to fill her room with and having supplies ready just in case she does decide to come early. For someone like me, who likes to be prepared, I'm itching to have the house all set up and ready, even if her arrival is still weeks away. It's been difficult focusing on Christmas this year (which would explain why I just started my shopping this weekend) while preparing for baby so we'll be thankful when the new year has come and gone and we'll be preparing for what my dad calls our "second Christmas".