37 Weeks -- The end is near!

*How far along?: 37 weeks! Hello, full term.

*How big is baby?: Apparently a watermelon. I had another growth ultrasound yesterday and he is estimated at being 8 pounds! With this information, my doctor recommended that we induce me next week! More on that later.

 *Total Weight Gain/Loss: Officially +47 and I think that will be the last time I weigh myself! ;)

*Maternity Clothes: Everything that I can wear now is either a maxi dress or a large maternity size. I was fitting into mediums the entire pregnancy but luckily I have two pairs of pants that are "large." Those fit now!

*Stretch Marks: I've seen a few peeking about.

*Gender: Definitely a boy.

*Movement: He's definitely flipping and flopping in there. I can feel him often. He likes to hang out on the left side of my stomach.

*Sleep?: I'm just always HOT so it's hard for me to really doze off.

*Best moment this week? I suppose going to the doctor and seeing him on the big screen TV again was pretty cool. He's definitely a round lil' guy. They said based on his measurements that his head and length are average... his belly is just large and in charge. Of course! They warned me about how their weight estimates can be off -- but either way -- an 8 pound estimate is still bigger than I was expecting. I was 6 pounds and my husband was 7ish.

*Food cravings?: Anything cold. Ice cold water, ice cream.

*What I miss: Bending over to paint my toe nails, showering normally, not getting tired from walking around Target.

*Symptoms: Lots of swelling, Braxton Hicks, a lot of pressure down below when I go from sitting to standing.

*What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting Cannon next week. I go in Sunday night and the process starts Monday morning on the 27th. I will be 38 weeks and 1 day based on my estimated due date of 9/9. However, my dr thinks my due date was really 8/31... My periods were irregular after stopping the pill so she wasn't too certain. Now that he has grown, she is thinking it really was 8/31 this whole time. Holy moly. I know induction is a tricky subject and there are those that don't see any reason for it if it's not medically needed... well, I'm trusting my doctor who says that the baby is huge and if I want to deliver the good ol' fashioned way that I need to induce. She said he is breathing on his own and is fully grown and ready to go... so I'm trusting her and not asking too many questions. Google has scared me enough with talks about induction and all the advertisements I see in magazines about ... "Why can't you wait until 40 weeks?!" I don't have a good answer except I do have early signs of Pre-E because I'm a hot swollen mess and there's been protein in my pee...and he has the makings to be a big baby.

 *Thoughts: I'm just ready! I'm glad we had a lot of help from parentals and managed to get the house in nice ready for baby condition. Everything is assembled -- the last piece to get put together was the bassinet. I know they aren't necessary but I thought the bassinet looked most sturdy and the dogs won't be able to jump in it. These dogs of ours... I hope they can adjust to life with a new baby easily! ;) I don't know if I'm going to work until Thursday or Friday... I'd like two days of a "Weekend" and Sunday doesn't really count since I'll most likely be panicking about going into a hospital for induction.... oh yea, who has never really been to a hospital as a patient? Me! I think the only time I was like 4.

*-*-*-*-*

Beginning height/ weight? 5'4" & 155 lbs [I had slowly started gaining weight since we moved down to Southwest Florida... all that beer I tell ya! ;)]
What you weigh now? 202. I keep it real. That's a lot! I'm also being honest with myself. I didn't eat very well this pregnancy, a lot of convenience foods, and in the beginning I felt sick at the sight of certain things. I hope to clean it up after Cannon gets here and get my arse in shape again!
Due date? It was 9/9/2012 but my doctor was thinking it was really 8/31/2012. My periods were irregular after stopping the pill so she wasn't too certain. Now that he has grown, she is thinking it really was 8/31 this whole time.
Gender?  A rowdy BOY
Name? Cannon Theodore
Nursery colors/theme? It started off by being sage green -- I was going to do that color no matter the gender. It somehow evolved into jungle animals because I won free crib bedding from Halo Sleep Sacks [pictures to come] and collected random clearance items from Target and BRU. It ended up being a hodgepodge of animals and the colors aqua, green, brown and yellow. And there are a lot of monkeys.
Stretch marks? There are some making their appearance on my hips.
Do you have braxton hicks? Yes
Did you get any medical issues? No -- just a few worries that there was protein in my pee, that he was breach at one point, and my swelling worried them.
Have you been checked for dilation/effaced?  Yes, what a joyful experience that was...
How much does baby weigh? 8 pounds at the moment...
Have you started nesting? It comes and it goes... some days I'm motivated to clean and other days not so much.
Latest craving? TACOS -- seriously could eat them all day every day.
Bags packed? Mine are! :)
If yes, are they in the car? Not yet
Car seat ready to go? The base was installed last weekend.
C-section or vaginally? Hopefully the old fashioned way...
Do you think it will come early or late? We know he is coming early!
Biggest fear? I suppose the whole damn process of labor.
What are you most excited for? To get him out of me! ;) Oh and holding him for the first time of course.
Looking back, do you regret anything you did during this pregnancy? All the McDonalds I ate.
Are you going to miss being pregnant? I don't think so. =]

Now

And Then...