Where did my organs go? I'm adding a picture here and in the photo album that shows an internal image of what a pregnant woman looks like at 36 weeks of pregnancy. It is AMAZING that I am able to breath or eat or digest anything. My organs are all smooshed up and back and anywhere they can find room! Also, Sophia must be HUGE- at least the baby in the picture looks pretty big!
One thing to note: Unlike the pregnant lady in the picture, my belly button is still an "innie." I am not sure why I am proud of that fact, but I am. Another small victory to celebrate is the fact that I wore dress shoes today and my feet still look relatively normal at the end of the day! Yea!
Tonight I am going to target to get things to put in my hospital bag (more likely a suitcase). It is getting to be the time that I should really have it ready. Any excuse to go shopping right?
2008-03-11 (35 weeks)
A Daddy Shower? The shower was nicely done and I got to meet some of Dean's coworkers that I hadn't met before. I let Dean open the presents since it was his baby shower and I knew that the teachers wanted to see his reaction most. The funny part was that Dean kept saying things like, "Oh this matches our bathroom," or "We should have registered for this," when in fact, the items were purchased off our registry. To which he just replied, "We registered on Black Friday early in the morning!" Surely, we couldn't expect him to remember that we had registered for the hooded towel set with sea animals because it matched Sophia's bathroom so well! I thought it was cute. Unfortunately, I don't have a single picture to share today.
Also, Dean was presented with a gift just for Daddy. Some of the teachers went in together and got him guitar hero for the Wii. I am sure that I don't have to mention what we were doing last night! Dean put just about every sticker possible on his guitar controller-- he is definitely ready to rock! Of course, I'm not sure when we will find time to play guitar hero or any other game once Sophia gets here...
2008-03-10 (35 weeks)
Baby Shower and Furniture Shopping Dean's work is throwing us a baby shower today! I am very happy that they invited me and that I got the okay from my work to attend. I will try to take some pictures and post them here. Of course, I still need to post pictures of the nursery AND I need to get some new belly pictures taken and posted as well.
In other baby news, Dean and I looked at dressers and changing tables today. We went to Haverty's, Wal-Mart and Burlington Coat Factory (we had already checked out Babies R Us). The dressers at Haverty's were similarly priced to those at Babies R Us, and, as one would expect, were much nicer in many cases. Of course, we wonder if they will still make the rest of the bedroom set that would match the dresser by the time we are ready to get bunk beds. Long story short, we have not made a decision yet other than to decide that we aren't going to rush into buying anything.
Tomorrow I'll post an update on how the baby shower went.
2008-03-07 (34 weeks)
Week 36 I am happy to say that I am less marshmallow-like today! Of course I still can't wear my wedding ring, but at least my feet aren't as scary looking as a couple days ago.
I just found out that my work is looking at changing insurance companies and if they do, the change will take place April 1st. I don't know how this will affect the cost, etc., but I have a feeling that it will be the BIGGEST pain and hassle if they do decide to change. One of the companies that they are looking at doesn't have my doctor OR hospital in their network! Supposedly, there are some exceptions made for women in their last trimester, but I doubt that it will be as easy or cheap as it would be if they would just wait a month! Of course I would love to be proved wrong!
According to Baby Center, this is what happens in the 36th week of pregnancy:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) 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.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.
I am not sure why I am proud of that fact, but I am. Another small victory to celebrate is the fact that I wore dress shoes today and my feet still look relatively normal at the end of the day! Yea!
To which he just replied, "We registered on Black Friday early in the morning!" Surely, we couldn't expect him to remember that we had registered for the hooded towel set with sea animals because it matched Sophia's bathroom so well! 
