Weeks 38, 39 & 40!

At least that's where I think we are....all I know is that I AM READY!  My due date is in 9 days and yet it still seems like a lifetime away.  Levi has been put on "only drop-offs" at work meaning he won't have any over night trips so he will able to get to Angelo if he needs to.  We have bags packed and today will consist of going to Midland one last time to do some more work on Little Miss' room and the apartment (and to celebrate her daddy's birthday), as it will probably be the last time I walk in that door without a small one in my arms.  I'm also hoping to maybe get some meals in the freezer for us.  I'm not even sure what else needs to be done...I guess we'll find out when it already needed to be done :)  I'm not so ready on the school front though.  I feel like I've been working 12 hours a day on school work (probably because I HAVE been) and there is still quite a bit to do.  How is one supposed to get several weeks ahead when she can't even stay caught up with every day!  Sheesh!  Oh well, what gets done will get done and what doesn't, I know my very capable sub and coworkers can handle.  I'm still a little freaked out to let loose of my control for so long though. 

Last weekend Levi was able to come home for Saturday to attend another baby shower with me.  A friend of his mom threw us a wonderful shower filled with yummy food, beautiful decorations and lots of people .  (including some very special out of town guests- one of whom I'm pretty sure was so confident that Lydia was coming Saturday that she jinxed me!  Just kidding, I love you D.A.)  The Little One is very blessed to be coming into a family with such amazing friends and family.  
 
Even though I've been going to the doctor every week for a month now they are very uneventful.  As is stood last Tuesday at my appointment L's head was "maybe a little bit further down" but not officially dropped.  I'm not effaced or dilated at all.  The braxton-hicks contractions continue without any predictability or consistency.  So we continue to wait and we'll see what next Tuesday brings.

Week 38
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)
(we had this discussion last weekend and we are betting on brown eyes and brownish/blond hair.  Levi's eyes are a hazel color and mine are brown.  Levi was born with dark hair that turned bright blond and then back to brown and I was born with a lightish brown that turned a little blonder and then brown again)

Week 39
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
(bring on the chubby cheeks!)

Week 40
It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.
(how perfect- a little pumpkin for my November baby.  Levi was 7lbs 7 oz and I was 7lbs 6 oz.  We were both the same length- either 20in or 21in I don't remember.)