I’m now on maternity leave and just waiting around for something to happen.

It’s painful. I keep thinking that I “feel” something happening, that the baby could be coming, but then it stops and I wonder if it’s all in my head. Every cramp, twinge and bathroom trip leaves me suspicious. I am my own worst enemy.

I’m so ready for this all to be over. I’m not mentally prepared for the whole labour and delivery part, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I’m waiting for that “burst” of energy that every past-pregnant woman has spoken of that happens before they went into labour, but so far, I’ve got nothing.

I’ve started trying the “get labour started” tricks – drinking raspberry tea, “bouncing” on an exercise ball, eating spicy food, etc., but so far (as of 5:30 Sunday evening), nothing. I told Kyle that he’s to take me down a bumpy back road while he’s on days off this week. I’m going to get this baby out one way or another.

Waiting, waiting, waiting … It’s the pits.

How far along? 39 weeks

How big is baby?  She weighs about 7.5lbs and is about 20.5″ long, according to BabyCentre.ca. I’m okay with that!

Total weight gain/loss: I’ve gained a couple more pounds, which I’m certain is all water weight judging by the size on my enormous feet and ankles.

Maternity Clothes? I’m definitely done shopping. Don’t be surprised if I wear clothes at all from now until the baby arrives. I’m not even joking.

Stretch marks? They’re there. Oh well. I’ll just deal with them later.

Sleep: I’m up all the time. I’ve been able to manage the “waking up sweating to death” bit, but getting more than 2 hours of sleep at a time is proving to be a challenge. The worst thing is that almost everytime I wake up, I wake Kyle up, which makes me feel horrible especially when he has to go to work in the morning. I really should just sleep in our spare bedroom, even though I’d have to deal with a potentially smelly Campbell.

Movement: Still lots, which makes me wonder whether or not Baby is ready to arrive. They (whoever “they” are) say the movement slows down when they’re “in position”, but my doctor said she’s head down. I don’t know. I’m completely lost.

Food cravings: Salt! Which is horrible because my feet are so swollen. And I’ve really been wanting fish & chips. Weird.

What I miss: Normal-sized feet.

What I am looking forward to: Baby arriving any day now, and a new chapter of our lives!

Milestones: The baby furniture is all in the room and ready to go! I feel SOOO much better now that it’s all there. Maybe that’s why I’m growing impatient.

Photo: No photo this week – Just know that I’m pretty much the same size, Baby hasn’t dropped, and I’m feeling like a whale.

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.

Photo:

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.

Photo: