Week 36 & 37

Well let's see...what's been going on? Last weekend  I got to go to spend the weekend in Midland with Levi.  We got the crib set up and some of her room put together.

 

We also got to go to part of the Midland Air Show.  Levi's company was having a cookout in their building which was across the airport from the main air show area.  It was nice because we got to see the planes but didn't have to mess with the crowds...and we got to eat free food!  Anyway, the coolest part was when there was an F-16 fly over that was really loud and right after they went over Lydia went crazy inside my belly.  There was no doubt she heard it and was wondering what was going on. 

Then this last week I went with my mom and mother-in-law to the JBF sale here in San Angelo.  JBF stands for Just Between Friends and it is a HUGE consignment sale.  We ended up getting LOTS of clothes, an extra car seat base, a pack 'n' play (for MIL) and a couple of toys (for MIL).  We had to wait 45 minutes in line to get in but I'd say it was worth it. 

The doctor's appointments are still going good.  Every time I go (which is weekly now) she says I am still right on track and that Little Miss' head is down but I'm not dilated at all yet.  I'll go again tomorrow so we shall see if anything has changed.  Here is me at 37 weeks.

Week 36
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Week 37
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.