38 weeks (almost)

Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks pregnant and considering I haven't said anything about my pregnancy in a couple months I figure this is long over due. Overall I am feeling great! After the aches and pains that had me so rattled in the early 30ish weeks of my pregnancy, I didn't even know if I would make it here but here I am and I feel like I have several more weeks in me. My back pain is much, much better. In fact in the past few weeks I haven't had much at all. I remember it getting better toward the end of my pregnancy last time too, I am just thankful it went that way again. The general belly muscle pain is gone too. Now I just have occasional contractions (much less than I had last pregnancy) and pains from this baby trying it's darnedest to karate chop it's way out. I also have sciatic pain that I never had before. For anyone that has never had it, it is so strange. It is like a lightning bolt of pain that shoots from your tailbone, down your legs and it buckles my knees when it hits it is so painful. But the good news is, it leaves about as quick as it comes. So I just end up looking like I am having some sort of weird fit when the pain hits. And it is a very recent thing so I can handle it for the remaining time.

But overall really I couldn't ask to be feeling any better at the stage I am. I am still able to pick up and hold Donovan when I need to so I am thankful for that. I still don't have my bags packed for the hospital and tonight I finally threw all the baby clothes in the wash so tomorrow will be full of lots of folding tiny, adorable onsies and such. I have been having the strangest pregnancy dreams and I think that our lack of preparedness is giving me anxiety. Several recent nights I have woken up in an almost anxiety attack, and had to talk myself into relaxing and being able to go to bed. Tom brought up the cradle tonight and I got all the car seat bases out so I feel a little closer to prepared. Tomorrow I will also pack a labor bag. Hopefully after all that I will have less anxiety about not being ready when the baby comes.

I had my 38 week appointment today (Donovan had his 2 yr well check but I will save that post for another night, everything went well though) and I am 1cm dilated, not very effaced at all (they rudely called me 10%, lets just say "thick" ok?), and the baby is not as sky high as it was at my 36 week appointment. Honestly I feel like I will be pregnant until they evict this baby at 41 weeks of pregnancy (with an induction). I just have nothing going on as far as contractions go, which is so strange since last pregnancy I was contracting all the time. I am ok with being pregnant for a few more weeks. The longer I stay pregnant the less chance the baby will have breathing and feeding issues, the longer I have with Donovan all to myself, and the more time we have to get things done around here. It seems like our to do list never shortens.

The one thing I can't wait for though is to finally find out the sex of this baby! Last time I had a strong suspicion (read: I accidentally saw something at 16 weeks on US) what we were having but this time, nothing. And it is killing me! It seems the closer I get to the due date the more I want to just look and know. Of course I will wait til the actual delivery to find out but I feel like a kid on Christmas eve. If I was a betting girl, I would say this is a girl simply because my pregnancies have been so different. But I would not be shocked if a little stinker boy popped out and said "I tricked you!" Either way, I will be happy. We are just praying for a healthy mom and baby at this point.

These are my most recent pregnancy pictures from 2 weeks ago at 36 weeks.