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?

First – Holy crap, I only have 5 more weeks until my due date! That means I only have 4 more Fridays at work, and the baby could come anytime after that! (No sooner though, please!)

Last week, Kyle and I bought our first box of diapers, you know, just to be prepared! (Even though we are still crib-less, lol) We bought a box of Huggies something-or-other in newborn size since they were on sale and it’s not like we don’t use them or that they’ll go bad.

We have been trying to decide what route to go with diaper-wise almost since we found out that we were expecting. Cloth diapering seems to be rising in popularity these days, but the idea of cleaning, rinsing and washing diapers is not something that really gets me all excited. Disposable diapers are easy, though more expensive, and not particularly environmentally friendly.

So, the debate was on. Do we help save the environment a little bit and go with cloth, or do we take the easy road and go with disposable?

What we wound up doing was breaking down a Pros and Cons list for each option:

Cloth – Pros:

–          Better for the environment

–          Save money in the long run

–          “Better” for baby

Cloth – Cons:

–          Greater “start up” cost

–          More laundry to do

–          I hate cleaning poop and pee

Disposable – Pros:

–          More convenient; can just toss diapers away, easier when travelling

–          “Everyone can do it;” family won’t look at my baby’s diaper and go “WTF?” when I ask them to change a diaper

Disposable – Cons:

–          Not so good for the environment

–          “Not good” for baby

–          Cost cans add up

Really, I think that these days, people are all about saving money, which makes sense. Why pay more for something you can do yourself for less? Sure, cloth diapers cost significantly less in the long run, especially if you hold onto everything and use them on your next child, but the start up costs can add up at the beginning with having to buy inserts, the diapers themselves and whatnot.

I find that there’s a lot of debate when it comes to using disposable diapers. There’s the obvious – the environmental impact, diapers take FOREVER to break down in landfills; but there’s also the “better for baby” debate as well.

They (whoever “they” are) say that disposable diapers contain chemicals that can harm your baby. Personally, I believe that there’s a lot more out there in the world that could harm a child than a diaper. I was raised in disposables and I’m fine, as was Kyle, my brother, and the majority of people my age. “They” also say that using cloth diapers lessens the risk of diaper rash. My mom told me that she just wiped cream on my ass after every change and I never had a diaper rash one single time. So, ha.

I really don’t want to become a “crunchy” mom, which seems to be popular these days. Organic food? Breastfeeding for ever? All-natural this and that? Not really our style. And part of me wonders if the whole “cloth, organic, all natural” trend is just that – a trend.

Anyway – back to the diapers – We decided in the end to go with disposable diapers because in the end (to us anyway), time is money. What is my time worth? A lot. I don’t want to be hassled with extra loads of laundry. Yes, there is a service in Kamloops that picks up, cleans, and delivers fresh cloth diapers for you, but it costs about $100/mth. I believe when Kyle and I were breaking down the costs, disposables were marginally cheaper than the service.

Some people have suggested that we do both – but why spend all the money on the cloth diaper supplies if you’re not going to use them 24/7? In some cases it makes sense – travelling, etc. – but it seems like a waste when you have a reusable product just sitting at home.

So in the end, we’ll be disposable diaper parents. I do plan on using cloth wash clothes for diaper changing time and will only use store-bought wipes when I’m out and about, so I’ll help the environment a little bit there. Our decision was simply based on what works best for our/my lifestyle. I’m a lazy person by nature, and also look for the easiest way out.

So, onto our regular programming:

How far along? 35 weeks!

How big is baby? About 5.25lbs and 18″ long from head to toe, according to BabyCentre.ca.

Total weight gain/loss: I’d like to say that my weight gain has maxed out, but with there being only a few weeks left to go and the baby only gaining weight from here on out, it’s hard to say. So far, I’ve gained a total of about 25lbs.

Maternity Clothes? Nothing new or exciting!

Stretch marks? Still none!

Sleep: Ugh – What’s that?

Movement: Still quite a bit! I don’t think she’ll ever slow down; I’m pretty sure she’s going to break dance her way through delivery!

Food cravings: I really, REALLY wanted a BLT last week, and I finally had one on Wednesday. OMG it was amazing!

What I miss: Everything.

What I am looking forward to: Everything!

Milestones: I sent my boss my official notice for my last day before maternity leave, and Kyle and I bought our very first box of diapers. (OMG) The adorable cloths I ordered from Carter’s also arrived – and the cuteness is just ridiculous! See for yourself:

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So, if you have kids, what did you do with for diapers – Cloth or disposable?

If you don’t have kids but plan to – What do you think you’ll use?

Why?