As time ticks along and the countdown to my due date gets smaller and smaller, I’ve been asked a lot about how I’ve been feeling. I think it’s safe for me to say that I’ve been feeling a lot of things. Scared, excited, nervous, anxious, tired … but most of all? Done.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed being pregnant for the most part. Other than the nauseous feelings at the beginning and how uncomfortable I am now, I’ve felt great.

But I’m done. I could go into labour as soon as I walk through the door at home on Friday and be okay with that. My ankles are now cankles, I’m tired all the time (again), I’m too warm, I can’t sleep … it’s ridiculous. And yes, I know, I’ve heard it a million times already, “Enjoy it now because you won’t get any sleep once the baby arrives!” True, but at least I won’t be uncomfortable. I don’t miss not sleeping – I just miss being comfortable during whatever sleep I get, 2 hours at a time or not.

So I’m done. I’ve over being pregnant. It’s been a wonderful, eye-opening journey, and of course, I’ll do it again, but I’m done. Little Baby Evans, you can arrive any time you like – after work on Friday :)

How far along? 38 weeks

How big is baby?  She may weigh between 6.8 and 7lbs, according to BabyCentre.ca. I’m okay with that!

Total weight gain/loss: At my doctor’s appointment on Thursday last week, I checked in at a couple decimals over 150lbs, which, according to the doctor, is fantastic! So I guess I’m not a whale – Yay!

Maternity Clothes? I went and bought nursing bras on Saturday. How fun! I’m so glad they actually look nice and have underwires. My boobs couldn’t handle not having underwire support. Not even kidding. I’ll probably have to buy a wireless one for at night, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Stretch marks? There’s a new one on the underside of my belly that I couldn’t really see unless I twisted and contorted. Kyle was the first to point it out, but it’s quite faint compared to the others I have.

Sleep: Our weather has been whacked (rain-sun-rain-rain-rain-sun-rain) so our furnace has actually been kicking in. This results in me sweating to death in the middle of the night. I also have to pee all the time as Baby gets all ready to make her arrival. Silly child!

Movement: She’s still moving around quite a bit, but I’ve also been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and some light cramping (which is normal at this point in pregnancy). You can really see her sharp little limbs when she stretches out, although I can’t figure out if what I feel is a knee, foot, hand or what-have-you.

Food cravings: Of course, because my feet are swelling and I have to limit my salt intake, all I want is salty food. I have movie theatre popcorn complete with butter and a flavour shaker last week and that was a bad, bad choice. My ankles looked like they were going to burst. :(

What I miss: Need I say it again? Being comfortable.

What I am looking forward to: My last day of work on Friday! I can’t believe it’s right around the corner, and to be honest, I’m going to miss work a little bit! I’m sure that once my year off is all done, it’s going to seem like the time flew right by.

Milestones: I started packing my hospital bag and the diaper bag last week. It’s about time I prepared a bit more! Of course, now that I have things more or less ready to go Baby will be late.

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And here’s another with me NOT in my baby-bump gear, just for comparison :)

Kind of looks like a swallowed a basketball.

Today, I am 37 weeks along in my pregnancy. At 37 weeks, my baby is considered to be full term. In a nutshell, she could come any day now and pretty much be completely healthy and not considered premature.

It’s hard to believe that 37 weeks has already gone by. This last month is going to be a killer, a horrible wait. My patience it starting to wear thin. I’m exhausted, I ache, I’m swollen. I had to take my wedding and engagement rings off last weekend because I was at the point of, “Okay, my fingers could get fatter, so I better take them off so the doctor doesn’t have to cut them off.” I have stretch marks now. Yeah, they’re little, but they make me sad. I was really hoping I was going to be one of the lucky ones and not get any like my mom.

But – soon enough, I’ll have a little person in my arms and these 37 weeks will be worth it. I still can’t believe that I’m going to have a child; it’s just so surreal. I really don’t think it will hit me completely until she arrives.

The past few days I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not I’m really ready. I feel disorganized, unprepared, but I guess nothing can really prepare you for a child except for actually having one and bringing one into the world. I’m sure everything will fall into place, and that it will take some learning and adjusting, but I’m just going to keep reminding myself that it’s going to be amazing.

I don’t think I could’ve made it this far and still be mentally intact if it weren’t for Kyle. He’s been so amazingly supportive and understanding. He still tells me I’m beautiful (and means it), he still loves me even though I’ve been a hormonal, forgetful wreck for the most part. He knows that it’s going to be a cake walk when she gets here and that it’s going to be hard. We’re not expecting the perfect, most well-behaved baby, but hey – we won’t complain if she is.

I’m finally starting to come to terms with the fact that I’m going to be a mom soon. Responsible for another person and everything. That’s pretty amazing.

How far along? 37 weeks

How big is baby?  She may weigh around 6.5lbs and be 20″ long, according to BabyCentre.ca.

Total weight gain/loss: I haven’t quite crested the 150lb mark yet, which would put my total weight gain around 30lbs. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the amount of baby weight I’ve accumulated.

Maternity Clothes? Nothing new. I don’t think there will be anything new from now on – it’s time to start thinking “post-baby body,” like nursing bras. Ugh.

Stretch marks? I have one little stretch mark on my left side and five little marks on my right. I’m a sad panda, but at least I’ve gone this long without them. Everyone said I’d just get huge in my last couple months – I guess they’re right and these stretch marks are proof!

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping relatively well the past few days – even when Kyle’s home! Usually I get too warm when he’s in the bed, but I seem to do okay with only a sheet covering me. Sure, I still get up every few hours to pee, but not waking up in a pool of sweat is HEAVEN.

Movement: Lots of movement still. She’s been flipping back and forth, switching from kicking me in the left side to the right frequently. And she really loves to punch me in the cervix. That doesn’t feel so great, but at least she’s not trying to come out yet, lol.

Food cravings: Still lots of fruit – strawberries to be exact! Raspberries are pretty awesome too, but they give me wicked-awful heartburn.

What I miss: Non-swollen feet. They are just horrid to look at and uncomfortable. Thank God I can wear flip flops to work, because nothing else will fit on my feet. I wore my flats and they were just a smidgen too tight! By the end of the day I have little sausage toes and the worst cankles ever. Yuck.

What I am looking forward to: Meeting my daughter :)

Milestones: We got our car seat somewhat installed and I’m going to a car seat installation technician on Friday to have it checked over and make sure it’s in right. I also went shopping with my mom on the weekend and bought the crib mattress, change table pad, diaper bag, bassinet/playard and a whole bunch of other stuff we need. Woo! It’s all starting to fall into place I think.

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Sometimes, it’s the little victories that you accomplish during pregnancy that just make my day. For example:

– I removed my chipped nail polish from my toes all by myself. THIS IS A BIG DEAL! I got a pedicure about a month ago and I finally got sick of looking at the grown-out, chipped, barely there polish. Determined to do it myself, I managed to bend, reach and contort my way to my toes with a cotton pad. I don’t plan on getting another pedicure for a couple more weeks, but skanky looking toes are so not cool.

– I slept an entire night without waking up too warm. Not even joking. I don’t even care that I woke up to pee 4 times; not waking up in a pool of sweat is a complete WIN.

– I resisted the urge to devour doughnuts at work. Even the honey crueller.

– I can still shave my legs and all that other goodness below my waistline. For the most part, at least.

– I park in the “For Moms and Moms to Be” spot at Home Depot and the mall whenever I can.

Really, it’s the little things that help keep me sane and not miserable. It’s been a looooong 8 months, and it’s hard to believe that there’s only 4 weeks to go! So here’s to the little things!

How far along? 36 weeks!

How big is baby?  Almost 6 lbs(!) and nearly 19″ long, according to BabyCentre.ca. Which is crazy because when I was born I was 6lbs 3oz. We’ll see how big she’ll actually be! (Kyle was just over 7lbs)

Total weight gain/loss: I believe I’ve gained a couple more pounds, and I’m pretty sure by the end of it all I’ll weigh around 150lbs. Holy bugger!

Maternity Clothes? Nothing new or exciting! In a couple weeks I’ll have to go out and buy a nursing bra – Oh joy!

Stretch marks? I am in complete denial about it, but I do have 4 tiny stretch marks on one side. Boo! I’m just going to have to keep rubbing lotion on them and hopefully they’ll disappear after I give birth.

Sleep: This past week it’s been hit or miss. A couple times I woke up so warm that I had to go sleep on our couch for a couple hours because the leather cooled me down.

Movement: Lots of movement still! She’s a little MMA acrobat in there, flipping around and throwing mean knees and elbows into my sides.

Food cravings: Lots of fruit lately! I devoured a pint of raspberries and ate 2lbs of strawberries in about 2 days. They were delicious!

What I miss: Being comfortable at night. By the end of the day I’m just DONE.

What I am looking forward to: The crib, changing table and dresser should be arriving sometime this week, so I’m looking forward to putting that together and having the baby’s room be complete! I think I’ll be less afraid of her arriving early once that’s all together.

Milestones: We had our prenatal class on Saturday, and it was really interesting! We covered a lot of information that I kind of already knew, but it was reassuring to hear it from two Registered Nurses. The ladies who held the class were AWESOME too. Kyle even enjoyed it a bit, which is great because he really didn’t want to go. The post-partum section of the class was the most informative I think – breastfeeding, life after baby, etc. Overall, I think it was worth the money.

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What are the little victories that you’ve been celebrating lately?