Week 38

Hello all and Welcome to Week 38!

I have lost the battle with the waddle. It saddens me to say this, but I have had to come to terms with my current duck-ness. When I walk my belly moves in one direction and my butt moves in the opposite. I have also had to move to sneakers (which I hate) in the past week. The reason is two-fold: 1. With the weather conditions and wet leaves blanketing the streets in Philadelphia, it is just safer for a clumsy pregnant woman. And 2. my feet begin to swell at the end of the day in my regular shoes, so it becomes uncomfortable to walk home. So sneakers (for the time being) it is. Not necessarily the fashion statement I want to be making, but with 3 weeks left until my due date I figure I can live with it.

So I am in my 37th week, just about to enter my 38th and it is evident that my body is getting ready for this baby to be born. I experienced 3 hours of painful contractions Tuesday night. They were 10-20 minutes apart and lasting between 45 seconds and 1 minute. And then they were gone. Yesterday I had waves of back pain for about 7 hours. I wasn't experiencing any painful contractions, just the normal painless Braxton-Hicks, but the back pain was quite distracting. And the baby completely changed position yesterday for the midwife. The baby was positioned on my right side for the last 2 months. No change, it was very happy there. Yesterday in the car ride to the birth center the baby moved from head down, laying on my right side to head down laying on my left. Right now the baby's butt is high and dead center in my belly with the head and face facing downward. The perfect position to be born. So everything is moving right along. I feel like I'm now on the clock and this baby can be born any minute. In reality I'll probably have a December baby. And as if I wasn't already keenly aware of every movement, hiccup and pain that I experience, there is now the added "Could this be it" that goes quickly through my brain. I know that this is all normal and veteran mothers probably have become accustomed to this process to a certain degree. However, but for my calm exterior I am a body of goo and nervousness. I still feel like I have nothing completed. In fact the baby didn't have a stitch of clothing until I went to the store yesterday in a slight panic that I wouldn't have anything to dress it in to come home. My mom had to remind me that I have to wash the clothes before the baby wears them. I know I'll be a fine mother, but there are times I am such a dolt. I was so glad she said something about washing the clothing. I would have remembered, but not at that moment.

Eric painted a Keith Haring inspired mural in the baby's room this week. I love it. He put a pregnant figure in it to represent me and 2 cats to represent ours. It looks great. If you don't know who Keith Haring is here are a few photos of the mural he did in Philadelphia that Eric restored about 8 years ago. He was a very famous pop artist that died of AIDS in the 1990's. You may recognize his work from other projects.





The mural that Eric painted in the baby's room is monochromatic to keep with the subtle color and light concept that we have in there.

As a quick side note, I have mentioned to you all about how much being pregnant has slowed me down while walking. Last week I was waddling underground in the Philadelphia Concourse on my way to the subway when a man with 1 leg on crutches zooms past me to get the the El station. He literally had 1 leg and handily beat me in speed down the corridor. It was then that I knew I was truly slow.

Now for the fun stuff. The baby is developed enough to survive outside of the womb. The lungs, now filled with amniotic fluid, are ready to take their first breaths of air. The eyelids flutter open and shut preparing for its first view. The baby is just about done growing inside me (Yay!). According to babyzone.com the baby is nearly 6 pounds, six ounces and 14 inches in length from crown to rump. However, according to my midwife yesterday I do not have a 6 pounder inside me. She said average size. I'm hoping between 7 and 8 pounds. We'll soon see. Below are the weekly renderings.

Love you all,

Desiree