37 weeks! Woo Hoo....Full term!

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

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So I am not going to do the whole survey, since I just did it on Sunday but I thought I would celebrate officially being full term and the fact that doctors feel confident he is ready to come out!!! YAY! Making it to Tuesday is our only goal, and I think since the little stinker managed to disengage himself and get back to being transverse (side to side), we are going to be able to reach our goal! My blood pressure did do some funny things Monday, which led to an overnight vacation in antepartum, it has since been good! I am doing the bedrest and taking it easy thing until Tuesday, except for a few car trips here and there (church, parents' houses for Christmas, and a final OB appt). We went to visit with my high risk doctor yesterday and he said that Pierce looks great and is breathing very well on his own!! We also got to catch a glimpse of the little man, via ultrasound, sucking on his two middle fingers; doctor says that is a very good hint of a champion eater!!! I cannot wait for the 28th to get here, I am so ready to see his sweet face and get to cuddle up! I also am very ecstatic about my family and girlfriends getting to meet my little stud, he is going to be the most spoiled child!

36 weeks!

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

How far along? 36 weeks and 4 days! Only 9 more days!

Baby Size: Pierce was 6 lbs. and 5 oz. this past Wednesday, so we are expected him to be over 7 lbs. when he comes!!!

Maternity Clothes: Well at this point I am definitely just wearing maternity clothes, and have even outgrown some of them!

Gender: Team Blue! He is still a boy we think, if by some chance he comes out as a girl, we will name her "Amelia" to match the aviation room!

Movement: Well he is officially engaged, so he is stuck in pelvic bone and cannot do anymore "flipping," but he sure can kick really hard still! This week he has also developed chronic hiccups, which is kind of fun for me, but I doubt he loves it!

Sleep: Sleep...what is that? Well between a HUGE tummy and severe heartburn, I no longer sleep! The people that say get all the sleep you can before the baby gets here, must have forgotten what it felt like to be 36 weeks pregnant! The two do not go together!

Symptoms: Wow where do I start?? I have the absolute worst case of heartburn known to man...I have been known to cry it hurts so bad! The past week my blood pressure has been a bit elevated, which means some swelling! The swelling definitely comes and goes, some days I look like Courtney, some days it is the Pillsbury Dough Boy! He is facing the side which puts his shoulder in my sciatic nerve, and that is painful when I first get up, but quickly goes away! Even with all of these wonderful symptoms I still absolute love being pregnant, it has truly been a great experience!

Best Moments this week: Knowing that very soon he will be here, I will be holding my little man in less than 10 days!

Food Aversions: I really do not have any...there are foods that do not work as well for my heartburn, but some days water does not even work for my heartburn!

Food Cravings: It has been something different everyday...one day it was chinese, the next it was bbq! Today it happens to be Maggiano's Rigatoni D! Cheesecake has been a consistent one!

What I miss: Well my "what I miss" has definitely stayed the same for quite awhile...I had pictured this wonderful pregnancy with my best friend experiencing the same thing and us getting to complain to one another about all the aches and pains. God had different plans and that still continues to hurt! I pray that Kelsey and Noah are blessed with a healthy pregnancy very soon!
On a very vain note, I miss a non-swollen Courtney!

What I am Looking forward to: Christmas, and then the arrival of Pierce! I am actually looking forward to diapers and sleep deprivation as long as it means a healthy, happy little boy in the house! I just cannot wait to see what he looks like, I am really hoping for him to look just like his daddy!

Milestones: FULL TERM IN 3 MORE DAYS!

So what has been going on in the baking of our family the last 7 weeks? Obviously a lot since I could not manage to even write one single post...sorry!!!

Where do we begin...Another shower! Paul's mom and her wonderful girlfriends threw me another amazing shower! It was very nice and we had the most adorable cake EVER!!! We had a wonderful turnout again, and I was once again completely spoiled by all the wonderful stuff Mr. Pierce received!! I had a blast that beautiful Sunday afternoon, while enjoying the company of family and friends! Auntie Ann also made pierce the most precious wooden plane art, it looks perfect in his room!!

We also had a chance to do 3D/4D photos of our little man! We had very high hopes for the pictures because Pierce had been so cooperative for all of my previous ultrasounds, not this day! He kept his precious face covered almost the entire time, he either had an arm or both hands across his face! So I am going to assume we do not like having our picture taken...GREAT!!!

I promise to blog again soon with some more updates! Maternity pics, nursery pics and 36 week belly pics to come!